Introduction

GeckoLinux is a polished spin of openSUSE, designed to be easy, fast and fun. Imagine a gecko scaling your desktop with lightning speed, all while looking sleek in a tuxedo. In this guide we’ll walk through every step—download, verification, installation and post-install magic—so you end up with a rock-solid GeckoLinux system. Strap in and keep your sense of humor ready!

1. System Requirements

• 64-bit CPU (Intel or AMD)
• Minimum 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
• 15 GB free disk space (30 GB for comfort)
• USB flash drive (4 GB ), or DVD burner
• Internet connection for updates

2. Choosing Your Flavor

GeckoLinux offers two major flavors:

• Static – rock-solid point releases, ideal for production machines
• Tumbleweed – rolling release, cutting-edge software, frequent updates

Then pick a desktop spin: KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, Cinnamon, MATE, LXQt or a more minimal setup.

3. Downloading the ISO

Head to the official site at https://geckolinux.github.io. Select your version, spin and architecture. You’ll get a file named something like geckolinux-static-kde-999.220218.iso.

4. Verifying Integrity

Avoid surprises by checking checksums. Open a terminal and run:

Compare the output to the value provided on the download page. If they match, you’re golden. If not, your ISO might be possessed by a mischievous little demon—download again.

5. Creating Bootable Media

Pick your weapon:

• dd (Unix-like systems)
  sudo dd if=geckolinux-.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress sync

  Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device (be careful!).

• Etcher (Cross-platform GUI, balenaEtcher)
• Rufus (Windows)

6. BIOS/UEFI Setup

• Boot Menu hotkey (F12, F10, Esc or similar).
• If using UEFI, disable Secure Boot unless you’ve enrolled keys.
• Enable AHCI for SATA drives.

7. Partitioning Strategy

You can let Calamares handle it automatically, or carve your own scheme. Example custom layout:

btrfs on / gives you snapshots and subvolumes, a cool feature—like safety nets for code monkeys.

8. Running the Installer

After booting into the live environment:

1. Double-click Install GeckoLinux icon.
2. Select language, keyboard layout, timezone.
3. Point to your partitions (automatic or manual).
4. Create user account, set root password.
5. Review summary, then click Install.
6. Grab a coffee or do a quick yoga stretch—installation takes 5–15 minutes.

Once done, reboot and remove your USB stick. If all goes well, you’ll see the GeckoLinux boot menu.

9. First Boot Post-Install Setup

• Log in with the user you created.
• Open a terminal and refresh repos:
  sudo zypper refresh
• Apply updates:
  sudo zypper update
• Reboot if a kernel update was applied.

10. Multimedia Codecs

Enable Packman repo for codecs:

Now you can watch almost anything—old cartoons, hilarious fail compilations, or your cat’s latest mischief.

11. Essential Software

• Web browsing: Firefox (preinstalled) or Chromium (sudo zypper install chromium).
• Office suite: LibreOffice (sudo zypper install libreoffice).
• Graphics: GIMP, Inkscape.
• Audio editing: Audacity.
• Flatpak support:
  sudo zypper install flatpak
  flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

12. Desktop Customization

KDE Plasma lovers can tweak with System Settings → Global Theme. GNOME fans should try GNOME Tweaks. Change icon packs, cursor themes, fonts and layouts until you’re satisfied. Remember: a beautiful desktop is a happy desktop.

13. Snapshots Rollbacks (btrfs only)

Enable snapper for automatic snapshots:

If something breaks, use sudo snapper rollback and reboot. It’s like having a rewind button for system disasters (and misbehaving updates).

14. Troubleshooting Tips

• Black screen at boot? Append nomodeset to kernel options.
• Wi-Fi not working? Install sudo zypper install broadcom-wl or the appropriate driver package.
• Sound issues? Check alsamixer in terminal and unmute channels.
• Printer not found? Use YaST → Hardware → Printer.

15. Keeping GeckoLinux Lean

• Remove unwanted packages: sudo zypper remove PACKAGE_NAME.
• Clean cache: sudo zypper clean --all.
• Unneeded snaps/flatpaks: sudo flatpak uninstall --unused.
• Regularly run: sudo zypper dup on Tumbleweed.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve installed, customized and tamed your own GeckoLinux system. Now you can surf the web, code like a ninja, binge-watch your favorite shows, or even train your own pet gecko. Enjoy the stability of Static or the thrill of Tumbleweed—either way you’ve got a zippy, dependable environment. Happy hacking!