Dear Liya Linux Users and Supporters,
It is with deep regret and heavy hearts that we announce the end of the Liya Linux project. This decision has been a difficult one, as Liya Linux was not just a project but a reflection of our passion, determination, and commitment to providing a unique Linux experience.
The Journey
Liya Linux was built with the hope of delivering a lightweight yet powerful Linux distribution tailored for diverse use cases. It sought to bridge simplicity with performance, catering to both casual users and advanced enthusiasts. Despite its modest beginnings, Liya Linux made a mark in the Linux ecosystem, and we are forever grateful to those who joined us on this journey.
Why Are We Closing?
While this decision wasn’t made easily, several factors ultimately led to this conclusion:
Financial Constraints: Operating an open-source project, especially one as ambitious as Liya Linux, demands significant financial resources. Despite the support we received, sustaining the project financially became untenable.
Personal Challenges: Life’s responsibilities have grown, and balancing personal commitments with the demands of maintaining Liya Linux proved increasingly difficult.
Community Support Limitations: A strong and engaged community is vital for any open-source project’s success. While we had some wonderful users, the broader community needed for sustained growth and development didn’t materialize as hoped.
Development Overheads: Integrating new technologies, maintaining compatibility, and addressing issues like hardware support required a level of manpower and expertise that was beyond our reach.
Negative Feedback and Pressure: Over time, some users expressed dissatisfaction with various aspects of the distribution. While we did our best to address feedback, the challenges of meeting everyone’s expectations became overwhelming.
Lack of Core Team Growth: Liya Linux began as a small team effort. Expanding the team with like-minded developers proved challenging, leaving the core tasks of design, development, and support to just a few.
Competition: The Linux ecosystem is diverse and competitive. Established distributions with larger teams and more resources often outpaced us in features, stability, and support.
Technical Debt: Over time, the complexities of maintaining a stable, feature-rich distro led to accumulated technical debt, making it increasingly hard to innovate without compromising stability.
User Frustrations with Niche Features: Efforts to cater to niche requests, such as specific themes, desktop environments, or application preferences, sometimes alienated the broader user base we aimed to attract.
Burnout: Passion can only take one so far. The relentless demands of development, community management, and troubleshooting led to inevitable burnout, impacting productivity and creativity.
What’s Next?
Though Liya Linux is coming to an end, this is not the end of our journey in the Linux world. The knowledge, relationships, and lessons learned will fuel new ventures. For users who embraced Liya, we encourage you to explore other distributions that align with your needs. For developers and enthusiasts, we hope our work inspires you to contribute to the open-source community.
A Heartfelt Thank You
To everyone who supported, believed in, and contributed to Liya Linux: Thank you. Your encouragement kept us going even in the toughest times. To those who faced difficulties or unmet expectations, we deeply apologize. We hope you understand the constraints we faced and the efforts we made.
Closing the Chapter
As we close this chapter, we look back with pride and forward with hope. Liya Linux may be ending, but its spirit lives on in the hearts of those who used it, the lessons it taught us, and the future endeavors it inspires.
Thank you for being part of Liya Linux’s story.
Warm regards,
SAYED M. Hisham
