distribution release , aimed at creating an easy-to-use system where applications can be quickly selected to suit individual preferences. Applications are distributed as self-contained packages in Flatpak format. The size of the boot images ranges from up to .
The distribution does not use traditional package managers; instead, it offers a minimal atomically updating base system that operates in read-only mode and is built with the aid of tooling (the system image is atomically updated from a Git-like repository). Recently, similar ideas to Endless OS have been replicated by the Fedora developers within the Silverblue project aimed at creating an atomically updating variant of Fedora Workstation.
Endless OS is among the distributions that promote innovation within user-oriented Linux systems. The desktop environment in Endless OS is based on a significantly revamped fork of GNOME. Moreover, the Endless developers actively contribute to upstream projects and share their developments. For instance, in the release of GTK+ 3.22, about 9.8% of all changes were made by Endless developers, and the managing company, Endless Mobile, is part of the of the GNOME Foundation, alongside FSF, Debian, Google, Linux Foundation, Red Hat, and SUSE.
In the new release:
- The components of the desktop and distribution (mutter, gnome-settings-daemon, nautilus, etc.) have been updated to GNOME 3.32 technology (the previous version of the desktop forked from GNOME 3.28). The Linux kernel 5.0 is utilized. The system environment is synchronized with the Debian 10 "Buster" package base;
- Built-in support for installing isolated containers from Docker Hub and other registries, as well as building images from Dockerfile. The Podman toolkit is included, providing a Docker-compatible command-line interface for managing isolated containers;
- Reduced disk space consumption during package installation. Previously, the package was first downloaded and then copied to a separate directory, leading to duplication on the disk, but now installation is done directly without an additional copying phase. This new mode was developed by Endless in collaboration with Red Hat and incorporated into the Flatpak core;
- Support for the auxiliary mobile app for Android has been discontinued;
- The loading process is now visually more cohesive, with no flickering when switching modes on systems with Intel GPUs;
- Wacom tablet support has been updated, along with new features for their setup and use.
Source: opennet.ru
