EasyOS 5.7 is released, Many Updates on Applications, Kernel and Drivers

 

EasyOS is an experimental Linux distribution, that explores several concepts that are unique. EasyOS is standalone, that is, not based on any other distribution, and the Kirkstone-series is built with packages compiled from source in a fork of OpenEmbedded/Yocto. There is a page that itemizes how and why Easy is different from other distributions, here, but very briefly; container-friendly, runs fast in RAM, drive isolation, each app may be set to run as its own user, distributed as a drive-image file only (no ISO), frugal install, snapshot and rollback/forward, four packages managers, pup_event service manager, JWM-ROX desktop, folder encryption, hardware profiling. Also, not unique, but important; support for old computers.

EasyOS was created in 2017, derived from Quirky Linux, which in turn was derived from Puppy Linux in 2013. Easy is built in woofQ, which takes as input binary packages from any distribution, and uses them on top of the unique EasyOS infrastructure.

Throughout 2020, the official release for x86_64 PCs was the Buster-series, built with Debian 10.x Buster DEBs.

EasyOS has also been built with packages compiled from source, using a fork of OpenEmbedded (OE). Currently, the Kirkstone release of OE has been used, to compile binary packages for x86_64.

Earlier releases of EasyOS compiled in OE are the Dunfell-series and before that the Pyro-series. They have also been compiled for aarch64 and EasyOS runs on the Raspberry Pi4.

EasyOS since version 5.4 was announced on Distrowatch, has undergone a myriad of changes; lots of little fixes and improvements, new applications and architectural features. Here are some highlights, in no particular order:

• New applications KeePassXC, Symphytum, Flowblade, p7zip
• More translations, in particular Turkish and Russian
• Improved support for VMs, with AQEMU and QtEmu
• Sudo replaced with "sudo-sh"
• Login and Security Manager overhauled
• Change folder hierachy to usr-merge, including /usr/sbin
• PKGget support to install Void .xbps packages
• Many system-level fixes, including network and samba
• Many app versions bumped, including Chromium, Htop, Limine, Global-IP-TV-Panel
• NVIDIA driver SFSs
• Install latest Chrome, Vivaldi and Firefox in menu
• Kernel now 5.15.148
• Sync'ed with OpenEmbedded/Yocto release 4.0.14

The release announcement and release notes.

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