Sabayon Linux GNOME is an open source Linux distribution based on the Gentoo Linux operating system and built around the powerful GNOME desktop environment. The Sabayon project also provides separate editions with the KDE, Xfce and Openbox desktop environments.
Availability, boot options and supported platforms
It is available for download as Live DVD ISO images, supporting only the 64-bit (amd64) architecture. They can be deployed to blank or RW DVD discs, as well as to USB flash drives for grater portability, bootable from the BIOS of most PCs.
The Live DVDs are mostly used to start the live environment without installing anything on your computer, but you can also use the bootable mediums to directly install the operating system on a local disk drive, enter the safe graphics mode in case your video card is not supported, and drop to a shell prompt.
There are three different installation modes on this Sabayon edition. While the first one, simply called “Installation” will allow users to install the distribution with the standard features that any end user expects from this project, the second and third ones let you to install a Media Center or Steam Big Picture.
State-of-the-art desktop environment
As mentioned, the graphical session is powered by the modern GNOME desktop environment, which, to our surprise, has not been tweaked. It provides users with a pure GNOME session that features a single top panel, from where you can launch apps, interact with running programs, search files and apps, and switch between virtual workspaces.
Default applications include the Chromium web browser, Evolution email and calendar client, Empathy multi-protocol instant messenger, Shotwell image viewer and organizer, Audacious audio player, GIMP image editor, HexChat IRC client, TiMidity++ audio converter, Transmission torrent downloader, Totem video player, XMBC Media Center, and Steam for Linux.
Bottom line
Summing up, Sabayon Linux GNOME is a really great operating system that follows a rolling-release model, uses the modern GNOME desktop environment, and it is based on the latest Gentoo technologies. As a bonus, it can be deployed only as a Media Center using XBMC, or as a gaming system using Steam Big Picture.
