Simon Peter, creator of the AppImage self-contained package format, has released the helloSystem 0.6 distribution, based on FreeBSD 12.2 and positioned as a system for general users that macOS enthusiasts who are dissatisfied with Apple's policies can switch to. The system is devoid of the complications inherent in modern Linux distributions, is under complete user control and allows former macOS users to feel comfortable. To get acquainted with the distribution kit, a boot image has been generated, 1.4 GB in size (torrent).
The interface resembles macOS and includes two panels - the top with the global menu and the bottom with the application bar. The panda-statusbar package developed by the CyberOS distribution kit (former PandaOS) is used to form the global menu and status bar. The Dock application bar is based on the work of the cyber-dock project, also from the developers of CyberOS. To manage files and place shortcuts on the desktop, the Filer file manager is being developed, based on pcmanfm-qt from the LXQt project. The default browser is Falkon, but Chromium is also available as an option.
ZFS is used as the main file system, and exFAT, NTFS, EXT4, HFS+, XFS, and MTP are supported for mounting. Applications are delivered in self-contained packages. To launch applications, the launch utility is used, which finds the program and analyzes errors during execution. The system for building live images is based on the FuryBSD project toolkit.
The project develops a series of its own applications, such as a configurator, an installer, a mountarchive utility for mounting archives into a file system tree, a utility for recovering data from ZFS, an interface for partitioning disks, a network configuration indicator, a screenshot utility, a Zeroconf server browser, an indicator for configuration volume, a utility for setting up a boot environment. For development, the Python language and the Qt library are used. Supported application development components include PyQt, QML, Qt, KDE Frameworks, and GTK, in descending order of preference.
Main innovations of helloSystem 0.6:
- Switched from the Openbox window manager to KWin.
- Provides the ability to manipulate any edge of the window to resize windows.
- Provided binding of windows to certain sizes when dragging to the edge of the screen.
- Implemented resizing icons in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Correct centering of window titles is provided.
- Added animation effects for resizing, minimizing and expanding windows.
- An animated overview of open windows has been added, shown when moving the mouse pointer to the upper left corner of the screen.
- By default, the stacking mode of window placement is enabled.
- The upper corners of the windows are rounded, while maintaining sharp lower corners. When the window is expanded to full screen or attached to the top, the rounded corners are replaced with sharp ones.
- Kernel settings are optimized to improve sound quality.
- Added "Open" menu and Command-O shortcut to open files and directories in the Filer file manager.
- Tabs and Thumbnail View are no longer supported in Filer.
- Added Command-Backspace to move files to trash and Command+Shift+Backspace to delete them instantly.
- Simplified interface with desktop settings.
- Added transparency support for desktop wallpapers.
- Added experimental applet to show battery charge level.
- The formation of ports and packages for installing the helloDesktop desktop on FreeBSD has begun.
Source: opennet.ru