When comparing PureOS vs Slax, the Slant community recommends PureOS for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux distributions for desktops?” PureOS is ranked 18th while Slax is ranked 54th. The most important reason people chose PureOS is:
PureBrowser is a modified version of Firefox that comes with security focused plugins. There is also a copy of TOR installed in the OS by default.
Specs
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Pros
Pro PureBrowser and TOR
PureBrowser is a modified version of Firefox that comes with security focused plugins. There is also a copy of TOR installed in the OS by default.
Pro You can download and install it, without the need to purchase their laptop
PureOS is available from their site for free for anyone to use, no need to purchase any of their laptops in order to check out the OS which is a tweaked build of the Trisquel distro.
Pro Default install on a free, open source laptop
PureOS is the default OS installed on the Purism Librem laptops.
Pro Persistent changes
Changes you make in the configuration persist if you run from USB.
Pro Pretty fast to boot up
It was considerably fast to turn on when booting from cd.
Pro Modules
Standard tar archives plus some simple shell scripting produces modules that you can load dynamically into the OS for added apps and functionality.
Pro Modern desktop
Pro Small footprint
About 200mb, but with a full KDE4 environment and loads of useful apps.
Cons
Con No mobile installation
You cant install pure os on a android phone.
Con Slower updates
Updates are slower than an unmodified Debian.
Con Overly complicated HDD/SSD installation
While it has a nice layout Slax's lack of an installer tool like Tinycore's just can't be justified. It seems strange that it comes built in with programs that some users may not want, yet it doesn't have an easy way to install it. Due to its heavier use of RAM, built in software, and lack of an installer its hard to choose it over TC.
Con Works slowly on old computers
Con Infrequent releases
Since Slax is maintained by only one person, releases are not that frequent. So it may take a while to get bug fixes or new features once you start using it.