Revisiting the past

So the questions have been rolling in and so we decided to answer some of the questions.

First, why are we going back and revisiting the original GUI concept?  The fact is we improved upon it.  We had a lot of people that loved the original look and feel, Cris the GUI guy pretty much revamped everything from the Murrina engine, matching it up with the SVN version and highlighted the window controls more.  We here at PC/OS live by our mission statement, simplified computing and it appeared to many of us that we were getting away from that so we applied the brakes and said whoa.  Lets get back on track and thats what we did.  We went from ground zero and restarted.  While some loved some aspects of PC/OS 2009, we created a hybrid of that and the original design.  The single shelf with the original GUI concepts.

Second, why include GNOME.  Well there are a lot of GNOME users in the SMB and home office userbase who dont want to change to XFCE, so we included the GNOME desktop for those people and put it in the retail version.  Will we do a KDE release?  That is being undertaken by another developer who will be responsible for that branch.  When KDE 4 reaches that level of maturity to where I feel comfortable putting my name and brand on it it will be released.  Myself and that developer have come to that understanding and he agrees wholeheartedly.  The KDE release and the E17 release when that comes to fruition will be placed in the unsupported section of the FTP site.  Those developers will be responsible for those releases.  Just so we have an understanding only the retail release of PC/OS OpenWorkstation will have the GNOME desktop.  Open64 Workstation being also a retail product will have GNOME included.  OpenDesktop and Open64 Desktop if there is one will NOT have GNOME, you can easily go to the repositories and install it at your own free will.  The 2009v2 release ends the LTS releases and maintenance packs will be released for those systems.  Rolled up ISO's will happen only when/if Ubuntu 8.04.3 is released.  Maintenance Packs  only update core applications and base system, any other updates are the responsibility of the user.  PC/OS 10 will be based on the newer Ubuntu releases.  PC/OS 10 will be a DVD release with Multimedia Packs and Developer packs offered separately.  Integration will happen with the retail releases only.  OpenCore and WebStation are not affected and will remain CD ISO's.  Webstation is a Web 2.0 app release so only things like multimedia playback are handled offline.  We may consider Firefox for WebStation due to Gears support.  OpenServer 8.5 will be released over the summer with the next server release coming with the next LTS release.

Third, it seems like PC/OS is becoming serious business.  It is becoming very serious.  Our distrowatch ranking is going up and we take this seriously and will act responsibly.  We are accountable for our releases, we are accountable for the success, we are accountable for the quality and we take that very seriously and are not taking our standing lightly.  Feedback is very important so keep it coming.  Good and bad, we appreciate it all.  Right now we have grown to 7 developers, with 2 only being responsible for KDE and E17.

Lets get crackin.

PC/OS WebStation

So how far along is PC/OS webstation and what can we expect from it.  PC/OS Webstation is the newest member of the PC/OS line, like OpenCore its a release that doesnt need to be updated as often due to the fact most of the applications are web based.  

So how does this differ from gOS?  Well we still use the same GUI with the same consistent look and feel.  If you the user decides that you wish to have offline apps you can do so with Synaptic.  We only include what we test, YouTube and MySpace work :)  We believe that the user experience lies in the application not by throwing Web 2.0 moniker around and that the user experience should be consistent with working on a local app, thats how come we serve everything up through Prism rather than having a standard browser session.  This release will be made public when PC/OS 2009v2 series goes live and Im almost positive there will be changes coming down the line so stay tuned

More on PC/OS Gnome and more surprises

This was a surprise for everyone.  I was so set for PC/OS to just be an XFCE release but, so many people requested that PC/OS have GNOME that it seemed like common place.  This was also done for people who were already on GNOME and didnt want to switch to XFCE so while GNOME will not be the default, its there.  Some have hated the idea, some have liked the idea but its there.

Another request I have had is to bring back the classic Window decoration for XFCE.  The Be type Window decoration and you know what.  One of the reasons I started PC/OS was to differentiate from the rest.  Some really hated the look but more than often people loved the look so to bring back the look as just a tribute was decided and starting with PC/OS 2009v2, after discussing this with the rest of the team we will be bringing back the Be look.  I know some will hate the idea, and more often than not others will love the idea and I have been fielding so many requests that that be brought back as the default Window Decoration it will be done.  A distribution should not be measured on the look that it adopts but should be measured on what the thing can do and as others have said, PC/OS is a more rounded distribution out of box than Ubuntu, than Linux Mint.  It should not matter what Window decoration I decide to use.  Does it demean BeOS and the accomplishments or innovations that Be Inc. brought to this industry?  No it doesnt.  So to all of you haters out there, sorry.  The majority has spoken and you have been out voted. 

GNOME in PC/OS OpenWorkstation 2009v2

Like I told everyone a few Posts ago, we here at pcopensystems have heard your cries of the GNOME community, you want it we dont offer it.  Until now.  We have been evaluating the situation and have now bundled GNOME alongside XFCE for choice.  XFCE is still the default, the desktop still boots into XFCE by default and so does the live CD.  GNOME is now offered as an alternative and is now an option from the GDM.  This is only for OpenWorkstation.  OpenDesktop and WebStation are still an XFCE only release, sorry.  No way to bundle GNOME as an alternative due to size.  We do realize that this was a most requested addition both from users and from customers.  Another requested addition was Compiz and there was just no way around not including that as an option.

The beautiful thing is since GNOME is not the default it doesnt mess with speed much as it doesnt start the GNOME dependencies until you initiate GNOME, when you reboot if you havent chosen GNOME as your default desktop the dependencies still dont start.

If you have any questions or comments dont be afraid to leave them here, we love feedback.

Changes from a point release and what to expect

I have had a lot of inquiries as to why PC/OS 2009v2 was changed from being PC/OS 2009.1.  There are a few reasons why this was done.  First, the point release was just a bug fix, no new functionality just a maintenance release but then we decided since this would be the last 32 bit release for 2009 lets make it a bang.  Tons of new functionality, a rock solid release because on March 1st we start hammering away at PC/OS Open64.  Another question was what about those with little screen real estate.  I have a big monitor but some people dont.  I purposely lower the resolution to 1024x768 on one monitor and 800x600 is achieved on my EeePC this way I can test for congestion.  On 1024x768 everything fits snugly into place, on 800x600 you have to delete a few items from your taskbar.  Overall the system is clean and this is what you can expect your system to look like upon boot.

That is with a 1024x768 resolution.

Considering a GNOME release

Dont think your requests have fallen on deaf ears.  I am considering a GNOME release.  The only reason I havent considered KDE is because during testing it has wreaked more Havok than it has helped. 

PC/OS 2009v2 ends the CD line

With PC/OS 2009v2 we end the OpenDesktop CD.  OpenDesktop will also be a DVD release the ISO will exceed 700mb but not by much.  This way we can still include Piscasa, wine and other applications.  PC/OS WebStation 1.0 and  OpenServer System and OpenCore will still be CD format.

PC/OS naming will be pulled back numeric, PC/OS 10.0 will be released around December 1st 2009.  After PC/OS 2009v2 work will begin on PC/OS Open64 Workstation full time with an availability of June 1st 2009.  There will only be two versions of PC/OS Open64.  Open64 Workstation and PC/OS Open64 Server both of which will be a retail product.  Will there be a free download?  Possibly.

So that is what we are looking at for the future of PC/OS.  Lets get crackin.

PC/OS 2009v2: Update

Ok everyone, PC/OS 2009v2 is wrapped up.  We have a few bugs to fix, a few issues that have already been corrected and we are just as happy with this release as any other.  The internal stuff is almost there, the graphical changes have been ironed out and they are done.  Everybody here, the control group and beta testers are all loving Opera as the default browser.  So when you turn on your system this is what you will see, oh for all of you who wanted to see orange go away as the default color it may.  The default wallpaper isnt changing at all.  A more complete list later.

Flash and Advanced GUI's in Opera

I have had a few people write and ask me about Flash performance and one user had a issue with Yahoo Mail and not having it resort back to classic mode.  Well, here are some screenshots showcasing the Flash Plugin and Yahoo Mail at work.

Concerns over Opera

Some users have expressed concerns over shipping Opera as the default browser, namely are we going to have a repeat of Flock.  The answer, simply put is no.  I have registered and legally authorized to redistribute Opera.  The defaults will not be changed.  Links to PC/OS related material will be available in the bookmarks section.  Many of my control groups have had great success in using Operas mail client and the performance of Opera in general and have all informed me that it was a great choice.

Opera is the default for several Mobile platforms and for systems like the Wii and Nintendo DS.

I am looking forward to the success of Opera in the PC/OS operating environment.

Does this mean I am closed minded to Google Chrome or another browser choice?  No.  When Chrome for Linux is released I will evaluate the release and make a decision based on the findings at that time but for right now the default is Opera with Firefox in the repositories.

PC/OS Pre-shipping

Starting on February 12th, PC/OS 2009v2 will be pre-shipping for a reduced cost of $14.99.  After March 1st and the official launch and general availability the price will go up to $24.99 for OpenWorkstation.  OpenWorkstation will not be downloadable, OpenDesktop and WebStation will be available for download. 

PC/OS OpenCore 2.0 Released

PC/OS OpenCore 2.0 has been released. With this release brings a much more refined system. Many unnecessary packages have been removed and boot time optimized. PC/OS OpenCore is a release for users to be able to customize their own desktop or server system adding only packages they want and they need.

This release also highlights many of the features users wanted to see. cnetworkmanager has been added to this release so that users can manipulate networkmanager from the command line using a wireless network, Midnight Commander has been added for file manipulation and elinks has been added for web browsing. tftp has been added for accessing Cisco routers.

The system boots up in command line only, although a cut down XWindow system and a cut down XFCE desktop have been added.

This system does not contain Java, the multimedia frameworks, office applications or advanced web technlogies.

known issues: The cnetworkmanager needs superuser access to function properly: This only occurs for connecting to or viewing available networks.

when cnetworkmanager connects it doesnt drop me back to a command line. You can just ctrl-c to quit cnetworkmanager you are connected to your network

for a complete list of the functions available for cnetworkmanager look here

Web browser changes for PC/OS 2009v2

This has been a long time coming. We at PC/OS have long looked at alternate browsers and what they mean for our users and partners. We evaluated epiphany, both the webkit based version and the Gecko version, we looked at Flock and you all know how that one turned out and we evaluated Opera. We have come to the conclusion that Opera would best serve our users. Its fast, lightweight and with the recent updates Opera is more compliant with the web than the other browsers and yes this includes Firefox. It includes features that we have to use addons for on Firefox and this greatly decreases the bloat. When security issues arise Opera is the fastest to market with fixes and they create native Ubuntu packages so thats a big help for distributors. The control group and beta testers have evaluated the Opera browser and all reported success and very little compatibility issues. The built in mail client is a success and works with imap and POP3 servers. This includes groupwise and even with Exchange servers imap features. Firefox and Thunderbird will still be in the repositories for those users that wish to have Firefox, but until further feedback from the community comes in we will be including Opera as the default. All further beta builds will have Opera included and Firefox removed. Osmo will be the default PIM and Calendaring app.

Developmental updates

I have a very rudimentary build of kernel 2.6.27 for PC/OS 2009 and Ubuntu 8.04.1 which on my machines works, right now I'm building a deb using the same drivers as found in the Ubuntu generic package. As soon as thats ready I will let you guys know so you can test it.

I have XFCE 4.4.3 compiled and going and have been working on XFCE 4.5 (the beta to 4.6) compiled and ready for testing. 4.4.3 will ship with v2, the 4.6 release will be offered as an add-on until the final release which will then be offered through Maintenance Pack 2.

Q&A with PC/OS developer

Seth Corven, a user who did a review of PC/OS in 2008 sat down and we did a Q&A together. Linux.com hasn't published it yet so we decided to post it and here are the unedited contents of the Q&A:

1) First, introduce yourself.

A) My name is Roberto J. Dohnert, I am the lead developer for the PC/OS operating environment. I am an IT contractor among other things in North Carolina

2) What is PC/OS?

A) PC/OS is a Xubuntu derivative. We echo and extend the Xubuntu experience by trying to make it as easy as possible for users who have absolutely no experience with Linux or who aren't exactly technically inclined to use it out of box. We also serve as a starting point for small businesses or anyone who wants to use or deploy a Linux based desktop.

3) Why did you choose 'PC/OS' and not, lets say, Pcbuntu or something else

A) Actually the distribution started life as a private distribution for a local company that actually got acquired by another. The original name was OS/4 which wasn't a play on OS/2. It was a play on 'OS for You'. Considering IBM and Microsoft jointly own the trademarks and copyrights on OS/2, I didn't think it would be liked and wanted to avoid any kind of cease and desist, although I did find out from an IBM'er that they really could have cared less unless I decided to use the word 'Warp'. PC/OS was chosen because the original plan was to also do a PowerPC release and the PC could have stood for 'Power Computing' or 'Personal Computing'. I wanted to avoid the word Ubuntu because there are just enough names out there with a word and 'buntu attached.

4) Speaking of the PC/OS PowerStation, release what happened? Do you consider it a failure?

A) PowerStation was discontinued because of limited resources and the scope of usage of PowerPC processors and the fact that there are a number of PowerPC Linux desktops out there. There was absolutely nothing new PC/OS could have brought to the table for that platform. For PowerPC users I recommend Yellowdog Linux, for G3 owners Fedora is a nice release. Do I consider it a failure? No I dont. It was a learning experience and allowed me to network and work with people I never would have before.

5) You said you would have brought nothing new to that platform, the same could have been said for the x86 platform.

A) Well that's a point of view. The reality is this. Take an Ubuntu live CD and a PC/OS liveCD, run them side by side now try to connect to an AD tree, Install a windows wireless driver, watch a flash video, listen to an MP3, watch a .WMV file and tell me which one allows you to do that out of box without having to fire up Synaptic.

6) There are just some people who claim you dont contribute anything. Who just compare you to and I quote “a ticket scalper at a rock concert”.

A) Like before, a point of view, did they figure out the framebuffer issue that caused nvidia cards to go black when run from a liveCD? Nope. Now the Intel 915 issue is an interesting one. Do they go through long periods of testing and refinement to bring a better experience? No. Do they go through hours of compiling and looking at code just to bring a solid release? Probably not. Its easy to be an outsider looking in and not being involved than it is getting your hands in it. One guy actually said I just image my own PC and release that which is so far from the truth its not even funny. My development team can attest to that.

7) Speaking of development team, how many people work on this project?

A) 3 full time, 2 part time. We actually have weekly Skype pow wows and discussions on how we can extend PC/OS. I don't release the betas online and rely more on insiders and a control group to do the beta testing this way I limit how much e-mail I get and we lower frustrations with the system by releasing a product that works. Do we still have issues that arise after release? Yep we do. Nobody's perfect but most of the time the feedback we get is generally positive.

8) There has been a lively discussion on your forums regarding revenue. Is your project profitable?

A) At this time we don't make much revenue wise. I do understand everyone involved had hopes for PC/OS. After Linspire closed doors we picked up a lot of their users so people were expecting that to generate revenue, it hasn't. We haven't generated much from ad revenue, we haven't generated much from sales. We have generated a little from licensing but not a whole lot. PC/OS 2009v2 OpenWorksation will be a for sale product only, with OpenDesktop being a free download so that should help a little, hopefully..please buy. Anyhow, my plan is to keep moving forward and to get people interested in PC/OS.

9) Speaking of PC/OS 2009v2. You just recently scrapped the redesigned interface for 2009v2 and went back with your traditional 2009 interface, why?

A) When we first started everyone was comparing us to BeOS because we used a BeOS type window decoration. That was done out of a tribute more than an actual “ Hey look at us, we are replacing BeOS” people took it as the latter and really hammered the community for that. Do we share a lot in common with BeOS? Yes, we have a multimedia focus and an ease of use focus. PC/OS was never meant to pick up where Be Inc. left off. Some understood this, others didn't. So during testing we redid the entire interface, went back to a two shelf layout etc. Well some of the ingredients, using Icon Box instead of Tasklist caused some headaches. In Iconbox you cant group tasks and people like that idea of grouping tasks. If they are using OpenOffice for example they can have the spreadsheet, document and presentation grouped in tasklist, with Iconbox it generated a mess in terms of organization. Then I started getting e-mails where people were like “OMG, its just like the AmigaOS!!!! Thats cool!!!” I had the privilege of using MorphOS and AmigaOS 4.1 due to my testing of PowerStation on an efika and Sam 440 board. Both were nice OS's and I had wrote a blog post about the state of Amiga. Had AmigaOS 4.1 been widely available PC/OS probably wouldn't exist. But anyhow, myself and the team decided for technical reasons and to keep from warring with an alternative OS community, not to go that route. In fact Cris our GUI guy created some Amiga type window decorations as a parody of those e-mails. The interface layout in 2009 had been the most popular and we decided to stay that course but instead of Nodoka themes we are using Murrina themes similar to what the Xubuntu team uses again. During the testing some elements were kept, the video player and the music player are now on the Taskbar and elements like the trash can and the system monitor have been removed. The trash can was removed because with it on the taskbar people had 4 areas to manipulate the trash can. Is that necessary? I don't think so. During testing a request to add a root file manager, the web browser and e-mail client on the menu. So those were added. Testing really helps us refine the OS and to figure out from average users what we are and aren't doing right..

10) What releases will 2009v2 have?

A) There will be the traditional releases. OpenDesktop, OpenWorkstation and Appliance. We are also adding WebStation which has mostly online apps for documents, e-mail, photo management etc. Things that make sense like Movie Player, Music Player will stay offline.

11) What about OpenCore, and what is OpenCore? What about OpenServer System?

A) OpenCore was one of those accidental releases that I didn't think would take off but has. OpenCore is what I call the geeks release. You have the ability to tailor a desktop or server system to your liking. It doesn't contain any word processing, web or multimedia applications In fact many use it for storage systems, some use it for a simple web or database server, others use it for a host VM system,which was the original focus, and some just use it as a console ie command line only release since it boots to the command line. For that three apps have been added . Midnight Commander, elinks and cnetworkmanager, a utility for manipulating networkmanager from the command line. If you want the traditional easy to use desktop use OpenDesktop or OpenWorkstation. OpenCore does have a cut down XFCE desktop and X server but they like OpenServer system are turned off by default. OpenServer System is not getting a major release due to the fact that people don't upgrade servers like they do desktops. OpenServer System just gets a maintenance release which is an offline apt repository which updates the core system and core applications. OpenServer System is what I call the recycling release. Its sole purpose is so that users or small businesses can take old computers and reuse them as file and print servers, web servers or as a database server. It doesn't scale like Ubuntu Server, or Red Hat Enterprise Server would. The small businesses that use it are happy with it, in fact there are a few that never upgraded from 7.10 and run that to this day. OpenServer System has gotten a lot of attention for what it is.

12) When can we expect a release of PC/OS 2009v2?

A) March 1st 2009

13) You are a member of Channel 9, from your profile up there, for awhile. You also have said somethings regarding Windows 7 which some might find curious for a Linux distributor. You also participate in Port 25 and one guy, a gNewSense developer, in particular says you are sponsored by Microsoft. How true is that?

A) I get no revenue from Microsoft. Do I talk to their developers? Of course. Do I like the Microsoft guys? Of course. Some of their developers offer some advice on PC/OS and some have been nicer to me actually than some other Linux developers. Windows 7, for their current users of Windows is an awesome release. I do have a copy and its very fast and usable. When Windows 7 is released PC/OS development will not cease. Lets face it, not everyone is interested in Linux, PC/OS or even the Mac. So for those that love Windows, Windows 7 will be a worthwhile release. Will I snub Microsoft when they release Windows 7? hell no. I will shake the hands of the Microsoft employees that I do know and will send a congratulatory e-mail to Charles Torres, PaoloM, littleguru, Minh and any others that I have forgotten from Channel 9. Don't expect any blog posts or e-mails from me calling Windows 7 a piece of crap unless it turns out to be so. So far Microsoft seems to be on the right track for the sake of their users. I did offer assistance in getting Zune working on PC/OS and Linux by extension but those e-mails have gone pretty much unanswered. PC/OS also has a web app for accessing Live mail and Live drive which I think are awesome Microsoft services. I don't participate much anymore in Channel 9 not because I'm a Linux guy but because of time. I work close to 80 hrs a week and just don't have time. I miss the guys and some of them are PC/OS users. To answer a certain guy on Channel9, if Microsoft used PC/OS in their OpenSource labs would I be outraged? Nope, I would be honored but if they upgrade to 2009v2 they will, like everyone else, pay for it.

14) Now that we have covered Windows, what about Mac OS X and Solaris? Do you talk to gNewSense developers or the FSF?

A) I dont like Leopard, it has wreaked so much havoc on my MacBook. Solaris is nice enough, OpenSolaris is actually a pretty good release although I just run it in a VM. I do communicate quite a bit with Sun Microsystems and they have been very helpful in ensuring that PC/OS runs well on their hardware which I am thankful for. Sun doesn't sponsor PC/OS. I have had one communication with the FSF, needless to say, well we wont delve into the conversation. We are not sponsored or acknowledged by the FSF.

15) If someone wanted to sponsor PC/OS how would they do it?

A) For sponsorship contact me directly, for donations use the donate link on the homepage.

16) Well I'm sure PC/OS 2009v2 will be a great release, I'm a user and have followed the release cycles very closely and it keeps getting better. Good luck.

A) Thanks. We try and thanks for the Q&A. Here's to 2009.

Scrapping PC/OS 2009v2 interface changes

The community has spoken and we as a development team have listened. While we had many compliments on PC/OS 2009v2 UI changes we also had quite a few complaints. People like being able to group their tasks, people like the idea of having one bar and the last thing we, the PC/OS team want is to once again be compared to another OS. The Ami like themes will not be shipped with PC/OS 2009v2 and tonight over Skype, we the development team decided together to scrap the interface changes planned for 2009v2 and decided to stick with the interface everyone liked in PC/OS 2009. The enhanced icon theme will be there and the Opta3 window decoration will be included as well as the other enhancements.

I want to thank the community as a whole in taking part of this decision. Once again, you talked, we listened and are letting the community guide us. The white on black backdrop is staying with us for the forseeable future.

PC/OS OpenCore 2.0 Details

Since OpenCore is so close to a release I figured I would go ahead and inform everyone on whats going on with it. First, OpenCore is a sliced down, cut down release. It contains no GUI applications for web, office etc. It boots in a console mode and thats what many people use it for is a command line only system. It has an X Window server and a cut down XFCE desktop. The point of this release is so that users can make tailored desktops or servers of what they need. Considering its size and the implementation it could be considered a FSF defined "free" release but thats not the point of the release.

Well with 2.0 I added three applications, all console mode apps. Gnuchess, Midnight Commander and Lynx.

PC/OS OpenCore is becoming a premium worthwile distribution. The release is on Monday, its a worthy upgrade from OpenCore 1.0. The next update will be probably 2010.

PC/OS WebStation 1.0

In the line of very few updated releases we are creating a new release called WebStation. This release will contain only web applications except for multimedia playback. It will only be released in a 32 bit release. This release will be put out on March 1st 2009. This release will be put out about the same time as PC/OS 2009v2.

PC/OS OpenServer System 8.3 Maintenance Pack 1

I am working on this maintenance pack now and it should be released by Friday. OpenCore is going gold on Monday as is Appliance.

PC/OS 2009 Maintenance Pack 1 released

PC/OS 2009 Maintenance Pack 1 has been released. This brings all of the included packages up2date. This Package contains only critical updates for packages common in both systems. For individual apps run Synaptic and update via Synaptic.

PC/OS 2009.1 Changes

This time we are here to discuss some of the changes in PC/OS 2009.1. There qre a few in OpenDesktop and OpenWorkstation that will make lives easier for users and small businesses. We have trimmed down the release. Removed some unneeded apps and shut down some startup services that seemed redundant to keep running.

Also included is the new bootup manager utility, also known as BUM and sysv-rc-config has been removed.

All important kernel and system updates have been applied.

Also a few new graphics apps will debut in OpenWorkstation. Fyre, and a QT app for managing Hdr graphics workflow. Songbird has been removed permanatly. Exaile was the more popular choice.

In OpenDesktop, Thunderbird has been removed and replaced with Sylpheed 2.5.0 due to the fact we wanted to keep OpenDesktop lightweight. ePDFviewer replaced Evince and eFax has been added to both releases. We have also rebuilt the images from scratch so that it takes away any legacy garbage that stays through the build process.

In all releases the new interface changes take place. We are going back to the two shelf layout common in most Linux distros. One of the biggest changes is task management. Instead of a taskbar we rely on Iconbox which is a more visual representation of the apps users are working with.




Above is the default layout for the top shelf. We have the menu, notes app, clipboard, search utility, Iconbox, system monitor, system tray, volume control, clock, Window List.



Above is the default layout for the bottom shelf. First we have the Desktop viewer which hides all the open apps, next is the Navigator applet which lists all media, the Web Browser, e-mail client, VLC, Office Launcher ( In OpenDesktop the apps in the place of OpenOffice.org will be AbiWord and GNumeric), Exaile, terminal, Desktop Switcher and the trash can.

Also debuting is the new Window Decoration. Just4PCOS. This is derived from the Xubuntu deco Just4Fun with the same buttons that made PC/OS famous, the BeOS style minimiz, maximize and close buttons. The new color is Blue. We are doing away with the orange colors due to user complaints and we went with the more modern Human style themes.



So in keeping with the tradition of keeping our users in the know this is the newest release and its been sent to testing. The Open64 series will follow the same layout as will Open32 Server, Appliance and Open32 Core.

PC/OS 2009.1 Complete

PC/OS 2009.1 is complete and is now ready for the final round of testing. Come March 1st 2009, this is what you can expect on your desktops. Its got alot of updates installed and its got a few UI changes but the main focus was on performance and slimming it down. Some may like the changes made, others wont but after a few messy bouts with testing and arguing this is what we end up with. I will come back tonight and give you a more comprehensive list of whats changed but here is a screenshot.