Helwan O.S, an Arch Linux-based distro developed in Egypt, strives for a balance between performance, usability, and creator tools.
In the diverse world of Linux distributions, few can claim an Egyptian origin. Helwan Linux —officially Helwan O.S, with a dot between the “o” and the “s”— is a community initiative born at Helwan University in Cairo. It presents itself as a distribution made by developers for developers and creators. However, those who have tested it say its offering goes much further: Helwan O.S can actually fit almost any type of user.
Arch-Based and Designed for Everyone
Helwan O.S is based on Arch Linux and uses the Cinnamon desktop environment, aiming for a balanced experience that blends power, modernity, and ease of use. The choice of Cinnamon provides a clean and customizable visual environment, with several pre-installed themes to suit every taste. While it’s geared towards developers and content creators, its pre-installed software selection also makes it suitable for those seeking a reliable everyday operating system.
Regarding requirements, Helwan Linux is intended for modern hardware: it requires a 64-bit processor, at least 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, although 4 GB of RAM and more than 32 GB of disk space are recommended for optimal use.
Multilingual and Community-Oriented
Although Arabic is the main language of the distribution, Helwan O.S is also available in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. This multilingual approach responds to the distribution’s international ambitions and its desire to attract users beyond the Egyptian community.
A Wealth of Software for Developers and Creators
One of Helwan Linux’s strengths is its extensive suite of development and content creation tools. Noteworthy included programs are:
- Geany (lightweight IDE)
- VS Code (code editor)
- Python-PyQt5 (for creating GUIs in Python)
- DBeaver (database management)
- Git, Perl, Python, OpenJDK, PHP, Node.js, Go, Rust, Lua, SQLite, MariaDB
- GParted (disk partitioning)
- Pamac (graphical package manager based on Manjaro)
For general users, essential apps like Firefox, the full LibreOffice suite, VLC and Audacious for multimedia, HexChat for IRC, and Geary as the default mail client are included—though you can always install alternatives like Thunderbird.
User Experience and Considerations
Installing Helwan O.S may require a bit more patience, as the ISO file is about 4 GB and downloads can be slower than with other distributions. During tests, some users have reported minor issues, especially in virtual machines, though the experience improves when installed on real hardware.
Despite these details, the system stands out for its stability and the smooth operation of its applications, even the most developer-oriented ones.
An Egyptian Bet on Linux Innovation
Helwan Linux represents a unique milestone in the Linux distribution landscape—not only because of its Egyptian origin, but also for its ambition to satisfy both developers, content creators, and regular users. The integration of professional tools, an attractive visual environment, and a multilingual policy make Helwan O.S an interesting alternative, especially for those seeking a modern and comprehensive distribution.
The Helwan Linux ISO can be downloaded for free from its official website. Although it does not yet appear in the Distrowatch rankings, its proposal has the potential to grow and gain followers both inside and outside Egypt.
