SetuOS is a small, hand-crafted Linux distribution named after setu — the Bengali word for bridge. It takes the rock-solid Ubuntu LTS base, passes through Linux Mint's Xfce edition, and lands on the lean, familiar mint-meta-xfce4 desktop. Built at night, by one person, because it seemed fun.
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SetuOS started as a weekend experiment: what if you took Ubuntu's dependable LTS foundation, went through Linux Mint's polished Xfce edition, and shipped the result as a pre-configured, themed, ready-to-go desktop? No telemetry, no bloat, no corporate roadmap. Just a bridge between two things people already love.
Every package, driver and security update you'd expect from an Ubuntu LTS — with the same APT workflow and repositories.
Built on the Linux Mint Xfce edition, which itself is based on Ubuntu LTS — the best of both worlds.
Delivered through the mint-meta-xfce4 metapackage, so you get a tuned, coherent XFCE setup from first boot.
Built entirely by a single person as a hobby. No team, no funding, no release committee — just curiosity and late nights.
A first look at the SetuOS session — XFCE panel up top, a terminal running neofetch in the middle, and a dock that doesn't get in the way.
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XFCE keeps idle memory low, so an old laptop or a modest desktop still feels responsive.
Inherits Ubuntu LTS security patching via Linux Mint's Xfce edition — nothing custom sits between you and the updates.
A clean dark theme with teal and amber accents, matching icons, and a matching GRUB splash.
Whisker menu, useful shortcuts and a tiling-friendly workspace layout configured out of the box.
No exotic packaging layer. apt install works exactly like you remember it working.
Setu means bridge — a nod to connecting Ubuntu's foundation with a lighter desktop experience.
WCA Delegate and Software Engineer at Optimizely. The name SetuOS — and the whole "bridge" idea behind it — is drawn from his handle, Setu Dixon.
The only person writing the build scripts, packaging the ISO, testing the installer and picking the wallpapers. SetuOS is his hobby project, built between everything else.
Estimated release date — February 20, 2027
Dates can slip. This is a hobby project, after all.