Phenquestions
Earlier, we mentioned that the upcoming elementary OS 5.0 codenamed Juno may feature a brand new installer called “Distinst”. It is being developed together by the elementary and System76 team.
This means the new installation wizard will be included in elementary OS and Pop!_OS. System76 releases Pop!_OS, which is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. It is one of the gorgeous looking distros that is worth taking a look at.
The good news is Pop!_OS has released a test version of their upcoming distribution based on Ubuntu 18.04. The test version features the new installer, offering us a glimpse at the upcoming elementary OS installer. Both the distributions will have the same wizard, of course, with different logos.
UPDATE 09th April: elementary confirmed to FOSS Linux that there is no guarantee that the new installer will be packaged in Juno. They are working towards it as the goal since they work with a policy of “When It's Ready™,” so we have to wait and see eventually when it will land in elementary OS.
Just for clarification, there's no guarantee that the new installer will ship with Juno. It's not currently in our internal builds just yet
- elementary (@elementary) April 9, 2018
We downloaded the Pop!_OS 18.04 test version and captured these screenshots during the installation. The installer is completely developed from scratch and looks very different from Ubuntu's ubiquity installation wizard. The first thing you will notice is the intuitive user interface that's very easy to follow, even for newbies trying to install Linux the first time.
The next step has a new name called “Demo mode,” which is nothing but the Live desktop.
For additional security, it's great to use “Drive encryption,” particularly for laptops as they are comparatively easier to get stolen or lost.
I think the installer is not yet finalized and understandably OK considering the test version of Pop!_OS because I don't see a hard disk partitioning wizard to indicate the bootloader and SWAP partitions. It took me straight to “Erase and install.”
Update: The installer is not fully completed, and the following known issues exist
Choosing a language other that English does not change the current GNOME session
Custom partitioning is not implemented but will be completed by release. Installing wipes the drive you install to
After installing, initial setup may hang. Reboot by holding the power button to complete setup
Here is a screenshot from elementary when they gave a sneak peek into the Distinst.
