Endless OS is an open source Linux distribution based on OStree.
The new version of Endless OS 5.1 arrives shortly after ten months of development and this new release highlights the different updates to the system packaging, as well as support improvements, bug fixes and more.
For those who are unaware of Endless OS, you should know that the distribution does not use traditional package managers, but instead offers a minimal, atomically updateable read-only base system built with OSTree.
Endless OS is among the distros driving innovation among consumer Linux systems. The Endless OS desktop environment is based on a heavily redesigned fork of GNOME. At the same time, Endless developers are actively involved in the development of upstream projects and share their developments with them.
Top New in Endless OS 5.1
In this new version of Endless OS 5.1 it stands out that despite still being based on Debian 11, it has been integrated Linux Kernel 6.5 which counts con system cachestat(), whose purpose is to consult the status of the page cache for files and directories, the support for USB 4.2 and the default enabling of P state on some AMD processors.
Another change that stands out in the new version is that Work was done to improve system performance on Raspberry Pi boards, in addition to adding the support for hardware graphics acceleration on Raspberry Pi 4 and 400 boards and also that the ability to boot Endless OS 5.1 from a USB drive connected to the Raspberry Pi is provided.
On the other hand, in Endless OS 5.1 Endless Key app is included, which provides a private and secure interface where students can access various educational resources and training videos selected to provide extended learning. Various interest-based categories such as programming, arts and crafts, cooking, and STEM are offered on Endless Key, both online and offline. It is worth mentioning that most of the resources are in English, with a small amount in Spanish.
Also highlighted are improved scroll bars, as more apps now display a scroll bar by default instead of only appearing when the mouse is moved near the edge of the window. It is mentioned that this behavior can be configured in the "Accessibility Settings" section in a future version of Endless OS.
In Endless OS 5.1 the file manager, now has, by default, the mode of displaying files in the form of a grid of icons (in settings, you can return the display as a list of files).
Of the other changes that stand out from this new version:
- Endless OS 5.1 removes some outdated apps and extensions to provide a better and more sustainable experience.
- Added NVIDIA 530.41.03 drivers. Firmware packages have been updated.
- Removed from the package: the Hack application for teaching programming to children and the Brasero CD/DVD burning program.
- The browser has stopped automatically installing the Adblock Plus ad blocker. Video playback does not work properly in Chromium on Raspberry Pi; You can fix this problem by disabling hardware acceleration in your browser settings.
- Video playback not working properly in Totem video player on Raspberry Pi; For now, try installing a different video player from App Center.
Finally, if you want to know more about it about this new version of the distribution, you can check the details in the following link.
Download and try Endless OS 5.1
For those who are interested in downloading this new version of the distribution, installing it or trying it on a virtual machine, You can go directly to the official website of the project where you can find the system image in its download section.
The link is this.
You can save the image with the help of Etcher on a USB.
The applications are distributed as separate Flatpak packages. The size of the offered boot images ranges from 1.1 to 18 GB.