I tried CuerdOS and this niche Debian distro is dramatically fast

CuerdOS, a Debian-based Linux distribution of Spanish origin, is making waves for its exceptional performance and unique software approach. The distro's name plays on the Spanish word "cuerdo" (sane/rational), which reviewers find fitting given its sensible default configurations. What sets CuerdOS apart is its performance optimization through a patched kernel that tweaks CPU, GPU, and RAM consumption, plus a novel Zram configuration employing the ZSTD algorithm to dramatically improve memory usage and system resource handling.

During testing on a virtual machine with only 4GB RAM and 2 CPUs (hosted on a System76 Thelio with AMD Ryzen 9 and 64GB RAM), CuerdOS performed as well as—if not better than—the host operating system. The distribution comes in multiple desktop environment flavors including GNOME (with Dash to Dock), Xfce, Sway, LabWC, and KDE Plasma. Rather than shipping with typical Linux applications, CuerdOS defaults to alternative software like Vivaldi browser, OnlyOffice suite, Wasabi Media player, Geany IDE, BleachBit cleaner, RunCat system monitor, and the Yelena Store for installing both DEB and Flatpak applications.

This combination of performance tweaks and curated software creates what reviewers describe as a "breath of fresh air" in the Linux distribution landscape. The system maintains impressive responsiveness even when running multiple large applications simultaneously, with system resources barely budging under load. While not without some minor issues (as noted in the original review), CuerdOS represents a compelling option for users seeking both stability and cutting-edge performance optimizations in their Linux desktop experience.