We hope you enjoy this article. This started out as just another tribute to graphics artists. But after working on this for a while I'm moved to tell all this is more a tribute to one man with a vision who has overcome obstacles most of us could never envision to single-handedly create one of the most beautifully designed distros graphically that I've ever seen.
MoonOS was created and designed by Cambodian artist Chanrithy Thim. (12rithy) And I am proud to present to you this tribute to a one man art team.
Tell us about MoonOS Linux.
MoonOS is a Ubuntu based Linux distribution come from Cambodia. It is focused on the end-user, users in under development countries and also to look great! MoonOS is split into two editions, MoonOS Main Edition and MoonOS LXDE Edition. MoonOS is perfect for any Desktop, Laptop PC or even for a Virtual Machine.
How many members of MoonOS are involved in the design of the distro's graphics art? Do any contributing artists have any formal training in graphics art? Who or what influenced you to get involved?
Currently it is only me who works on MoonOS artwork and I never studied graphics art at any school. And for this question I get involved because I am the MoonOS creator.
What other Linux distros have you done work for? Are there any Linux groups you've contributed artwork to?
I've never make artwork for any other distribution before because I don't have more free time to do that.
What influenced you to develop MoonOS?
When I used Linux the first time, it was so difficult in my country. Most of people in my country can't use the internet at home and their computers are very old (mine too). So I try to fix those problems by creating MoonOS for my people and other people that have the same problems. And I want all people use their computer free and legal.
What are your favorite Linux graphics software programs?
I always use Inkscape for my artwork. It is a great tool and I really love it. But sometimes I use GIMP too because Inkscape is not an image editor.
Does input from the community figure into the final decision on what artwork will be used? Who has the last word on design and artwork?
Only I work on MoonOS artwork so I don't have other people to review my artwork and I have no other persons artwork to review.
As operating systems evolve so does their artwork. Pertaining to graphics art, where do you see moonOS in the not too distant future?
Yeah, MoonOS in the future should be greater then ever. I'm currently working on new GTK and EDJE themes. I'm doing research every day for artwork in my culture. I think I should integrate great artwork from my culture to the Linux world.
Any thoughts on current ease of use of Linux graphics software. What improvements or changes would you like to see made?
For this question, I think Linux graphics software is good enough for me. But it would be good if I see Inkscape get faster than it is now.
There are a lot of new distros popping up every week. Is there any advice you'd pass on to developers on the graphics art side of distro building?
If you're want to build your own distribution, I want to you to keep your mind on artwork because I saw a lot of distributions that do not focus on artwork. You know, MoonOS is successful partly because of it's artwork. Most people who use another OS will want to try your distribution if you made it look great with artwork. And I suggest you don't try to make your distribution look like Windows or Mac and try to use your own idea instead. Please remember users will come if your distribution looks great.
If someone wants to get involved with MoonOS artwork where would they go?
If someone wants to get involved with MoonOS artwork, they can go to MoonOS forum at
http://www.moonos.org. All are welcome! I need help to improve MoonOS development speed.
Cambodian Translation
