PCLinuxOS

A long-running, independently developed rpm-based distribution using a rolling-but-curated release model, with KDE Plasma as its flagship edition.

Beginner-Friendly DesktopdesktopindependentKDE Plasmasemi-rollingrpm-basedDownload ↗Official site ↗Docs / Wiki ↗

Based on

Independent (originally forked from Mandrake)

First released

2003

Package manager

APT-RPM (.rpm)

Desktop environments

KDE Plasma, Xfce, MATE

PCLinuxOS traces back to a 2003 fork of Mandrake Linux and has stayed independent ever since, using APT tools adapted to work with rpm packages rather than Debian's native .deb format -- an unusual combination. It follows a 'rolling but tested' model: packages update continuously like a rolling-release distro, but only after passing through the project's own testing repository first, aiming for rolling-release freshness without the occasional breakage. Its community and forums are unusually close-knit for an independent distro of its size, and its flagship edition ships KDE Plasma with Xfce and MATE community editions available as alternatives.

MirrorNest doesn't mirror distro ISOs — installation media should always come straight from the project's own official download page (linked above), so you get the correct checksum/signature to verify against.