Monday, August 29, 2016

Basic OS' Freya Dumbs Down Linux



The release final month of simple OS Freya model zero.three.2 showed little has modified in this new-style Linux distro that wraps its very own lightweight computer design around the Ubuntu middle. 

essential OS first seemed in 2011. I remaining looked at its Freya beta release in 2014. I favored its clean, new appearance and simplified technique to computing device control. however, my hopes for more functions and a quicker-evolving laptop surroundings within the present day release went unfulfilled.

The developers of essential OS constructed a new, slimmed-down computing device environment that blends some of the better characteristics of the Chrome OS, the GNOME 3 shell, OS X's layout consistency and the Ubuntu underbelly. Oversimplifying a computer environment, but, in the long run may additionally restrict its usefulness, at least for extra advanced Linux users.

simple OS has nothing that resembles a home windows look and experience for beginners to Linux. that is exceptional. the new distro is really easy to apply, however similar to walking the Android OS on a desktop, the shortage of more in-depth capabilities in Freya makes it irritating to use for multitasking.

the primary trouble I discover with it is that the simplicity receives inside the way of my workflow. customers who do more than open an internet browser to surf the internet or use a phrase processor to address correspondence will discover Freya too limiting. 

What it's far

elementary OS has a homegrown laptop interface. The layout may be very planned and extremely purposeful -- to some extent.

it is a hybrid, inspired with the aid of Apple's OS X however based on Debian Ubuntu. The default laptop is Pantheon. it is written the usage of Vala and the GTK3 toolkit.

The Pantheon laptop has a unique, simple, easy design. It has a putting similarity to the GNOME three Shell and OS X. Its Ubuntu underpinnings are anchored under the hood.

basic OS isn't always a clone of the OS X laptop, nor does it mimic a only GNOME three environment. It seems a little like each of them, although.

for example, a configurable Mac-like app dock sits at the lowest of the screen. A transparent nonfunctional panel bar strides throughout the top of the display screen to maintain some crucial machine notifications. side panels jut onto the display to reveal thumbnail perspectives of digital computer systems. 

Freya close Up 

Freya's layout excludes a traditional Linux menu in want of an sports label within the upper left nook that drops down a changed Slingshot-fashion display of utility icons. The notification icons at the right cease of this top panel bar include the Language emblem, net connection repute, Bluetooth and battery status markers, as well as the electricity Off icon to get admission to the shutdown menu. The date and time are visible inside the center of the panel area.

A Mac-like configurable docking bar sits in the backside center of the display screen. The bar, but, has fewer configurable options and show tendencies than other dock bar add-ons offer.

The builders created programs built particularly for simple OS's custom-made desktop environment. It has photo, song and video programs preinstalled, along side the Midori internet browser and an integrated calendar with guide for repeatable activities and geolocating activities.

fundamental OS does not preinstall other software program control systems which include the Synaptic package manager and the gDebi Installer. but, each are available from the software middle, which fantastically resembles what you see in Ubuntu. 

Workspace Washout

For me, one of the maximum crucial capability points in a Linux distro is how it handles digital computers. 

Distros that let me area a administrative center Switcher app at the panel for close to-immediate point-and-click on channel changing constantly win excessive praise from me. Even better is the potential to map keyboard shortcuts to make transferring among paintings displays a -fingered affair.

Freya does now not do that. The fundamental OS distro uses a modified GNOME three-like method. on this distro, you get admission to digital workplaces thru enabled warm spots or by pressing the Multitasking View icon at the a long way left of the dock bar. then you press the plus icon to add a digital computing device or click on a postage-stamp-sized view of the display screen you need.

different options allow you to push the mouse pointer into a hot corner to spark off the Multitasking View, or you could flow your palms across the contact pad or scroll laterally with the mouse. 

simpler no longer constantly better 

To trade computers, you ought to click the Multitasking View icon to look the partial edge of the opposite laptop along the edge of the display. You cannot flow an open window from one computer to any other very without difficulty.

every other sadness is the overly simplified file supervisor capability. It lacks twin-pane view and the capacity to open more than one panels to drag and drop documents. It does allow you to open a brand new view in any other tab, however you can handiest see one tab at a time. You have to use a replica report/paste record process to move or trade a report's location.

The Multitasking View is a reduced-to-scale picture of the laptop. there may be no Expo view. additionally among the lacking capabilities is right-clicking for a context menu. this is too rudimentary. 

Low-effect launch 

standard OS Freya 0.3.2 is a minor launch. It focuses on fixing some problems with UEFI and cozy Boot. the ones features on more recent hardware paintings higher thanks to a completely rewritten .iso build system.
different enhancements consist of better localization support for languages and stuck language packs for 22 additional, outstanding languages.

some new features are present, but they do little to improve usual productivity. for example, the programs menu suggests settings one by one from programs in seek results. effects additionally consist of suits for actions from quick lists. 

bottom Line

The consumer interface provides a simplified method to launching programs. rookies to Linux might like this idea, as might customers who stepped too quick into an advanced computer such as KDE or Cinnamon.
more pro Linux customers are in all likelihood to locate the Pantheon computing device in Freya too confining and frustratingly easy. The consumer settings offer few picks for the bland desktop environment.

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