Endless OS 5.0.0
João Paulo Rechi Vita has announced the release of Endless OS 5.0.0, a significant upgrade
of the project's app-centric, Debian-based distribution featuring the EOS Shell (a fork
of GNOME Shell), available for x86_64 and arm64 (including Raspberry Pi and Pinebook)
computers.
The new version introduces a refreshed desktop experience, multiple workspaces and an all-new
app centre.
Users of Endless OS 4 will need to upgrade to version 4.0.14 before they can upgrade
to version 5.0.0.
Endless OS 5.0.0 is out.
Endless OS 5 continues to be the app-centric operating system you’ve come to know and
love, but the experience has been refreshed based on user testing and feedback.
At a glance, you’ll notice the grid of apps and search are largely the same, while the
taskbar a the bottom of the screen in Endless OS 4 has been split into two more purposeful
elements in Endless OS 5 - the bottom dash for your favorite and running apps at the
bottom of the screen, and the top panel with more information and system status at the
top of the screen.
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Endless OS 5.0.0 announced
A major upgrade for x86_64 and arm64 (including Raspberry Pi) of Debian GNU/Linux-based Endless
OS, version 5.0.0,which aims to provide a simplified and streamlined user experience
by usinga customizeddesktop environment forked from GNOME 3, João Paulo Rechi announced
by Stating that the new version is available with a renewed desktop experience, multiple
workspaces and a completely new application center, Rechi said; He reminded that Endless
OS 4 users will need to upgrade to version 4.0.14 before they can upgrade to version
5.0.
Stating that Endless OS 5.0.0 continues to be a well-known and popular application-oriented
operating system, Rechi said ; however, he stated that the experience was renewed based
on user tests and feedback.
Rechi; stated that at a glance it can be noticed that the application and search grid are largely
the same, but in Endless OS 5.0.0 the taskbar is further divided into two more purposeful
elements.
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What's New in Endless OS 5.0.0 – Third Beta Release
Among the most outstanding novelties of this third version in development (beta), according
to its official release announcement, we can mention the following:
Downloadable images were released on January 27, 2023.
However, you can upgrade to this version from the current Endless OS 4.0.14 version, under
certain conditions.
A revamped desktop experience, including a bottom board for favorite and running apps
at the bottom of the screen, and a top panel with more information and system status at
the top of the screen, among many other changes.
The inclusion of multiple workspaces in the new Activities view to better organize work.
and a renewed App Center, to improve the tasks of finding, installing and updating applications,
among many other novelties.
And finally, it offers the following software versions: GNOME 41.3, Kernel Linux 5.15, OSTree
2022.1, Flatpak 1.12.4 and Flatpak-Builder 1.2.2.
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Endless OS is a Debian-based, fully desktop-oriented Linux operating system.
Despite its strong desktop focus, it only occasionally falls under the radar, unlike
other niche-leading distros such as Linux Mint, Fedora, Manjaro, and so on, because
the approach is quite different here.
So, let’s first clarify for readers what this is all about.
What Is Endless OS?
Endless OS features a custom desktop environment as the OS is designed to provide offline access
to information and educational content.
To achieve this, it comes preinstalled with various apps and tools for productivity and
entertainment.
Moreover, it gives access to an extensive library of educational content without needing
an internet connection.
In other words, the goal of Endless OS is to offer a simple and intuitive computing
experience for users, especially in areas with limited or no access to the internet.
The just-released Endless OS 5.0 continues on this path, so let’s see what’s changed.
What’s New in Endless OS 5.0?
Endless OS 5.0
Powered by the Linux kernel 5.15 and based on Debian 11.5, Endless OS 5.0 comes more
than a year after the previous major release, Endless OS 4.0.
Listed below are what’s new and our honest take on it.
Desktop Environment The redesigned desktop environment is the
most noticeable difference between this release and the previous one.
It now uses the GNOME Dash panel, which is permanently visible and has autohide capabilities,
rather than the prior OS release’s traditional bottom panel.
The top panel is the well-known GNOME one.
All preinstalled desktop applications are available as shortcuts and grouped for quick
and convenient access directly on the desktop.
On the other hand, Endless OS 5.0 includes GNOME 41, which was released a year and a
half ago.
Given that the most recent version, GNOME 43, has been available for nearly five months,
the developers’ decision to choose GNOME 41 seems odd.
Multiple workspaces and multitasking are the other new features announced for Endless OS
5.0.
However, this seems to be a stretch to call “new,” given that virtual desktops and
multitasking have been a part of the GNOME desktop environment for many years and are
also present in GNOME 3.38, on which the previous Endless OS 4.0 release was base
The New App Center I have to repeat what I said just now.
Yes, the GNOME App Center is a new feature, but only in the context of the previous Endless
4.0 release, and if Endless OS is the only thing you’ve seen and used on your computer
in the last few years.
For all other users, the GNOME App Center is well known.
App Center
The interesting thing here, in this case, is that the version used is the most recent
version of the application since GNOME 43.3.
However, all you can do with it is install Flatpak packages from Flathub.
But more on that later.
Preinstalled Software The full version of the Endless OS 5.0 release
comes loaded with a significant amount of preinstalled software, keeping with its philosophy
of providing virtually everything you need to use without an Internet connection.
In addition, we liked the decision to use the Chromium browser as default rather than
the more common approach of relying on Firefox.
Furthermore, here you will find the latest version of the LibreOffice 7.5 office suite,
Videos multimedia player, Shotwell photo manager, and many fun educational applications aimed
primarily at the children’s audience.
System App
OS Immutability Here we come to the point I disliked the most.
Immediately I explain what it is about.
Endless OS is an immutable operating system.
What does that mean?
In short, you can forget about the APT command because you cannot install any software from
the DEB package in a well-known way.
Instead, Endless OS 5’s client software is all in the Flapak package format.
Endless OS 5.0 Flatpak Apps List
In the same way, Flatpak packages are the only thing you can get via the GNOME App Center.
That means you have around 2,000 software packages available for installation in total.
That is, at the moment, what is available in the entire Flathub repository.
But don’t get me wrong: immutability is a great concept, but applying it to a desktop-centric
operating system drastically limits the user’s capabilities and, more importantly, greatly
complicates the OS management, necessitating higher technical knowledge.
Given Endless OS’s educational purpose, the only explanation is that the developers
want to protect the underlying operating system as much as possible by making it impossible
to install system software or, for example, to edit essential system files that would
cause the system to crash.
However, immutable operating systems are great to utilize when discussing virtualization,
containerization, and so on, but their use in the desktop field is pretty questionable.
In addition, we’ll only highlight that the OS’s immutability in Endless OS 5.0 is achieved
via OSTree v2022.1, a well-known tool among Fedora Silverblue users.
Other Endless OS 5.0 Highlights This release offers built-in Parental Controls
in Settings.
Also, Endless OS 5.0 offers improved multi-graphics support, so the OS defaults to using more
power-efficient integrated graphics on systems with multiple GPUs.
Finally, Endless OS 5 adopts the Wayland display server by default rather than the older Xorg/X11
protocol.
Bottom Line Endless OS 5.0 is an operating system that
differs from the common conception of a desktop-oriented Linux operating system.
The immutable approach, which requires a high level of technical knowledge if you want complete
control over the underlying operating system, and the inclusion of applications primarily
oriented towards the educational computing needs of children separate it from what the
average Linux user would choose for their everyday computing needs.
Yes, Endless OS 5.0 has a place where kids can’t have internet access or use modern
hardware, but other questions arise, such as why the OS uses GNOME, which is far from
the lightest of desktop environments.
Anyway, Endless OS 5.0 left us with mixed feelings.
Would we recommend it as a desktop operating system for your day-to-day computing work?
Rather, not.
However, if you’re a distro-hopper, give it a try.
Download Endless OS 5.0 Downloading the Endless OS 5.0 ISO file can
be confusing.
You have two options, a base version that comes under 3.3 GB and a full version closer
to 17 GB.
I immediately explain the difference: the full version comes with tons of preinstalled
apps, allowing you to use the OS without an internet connection.
So, which version you choose is entirely up to you.
Besides offering a standard installation ISO image for the amd64-bit architecture, Endless
OS 5.0 is also available as a platform-independent OVF file for virtual machines, Raspberry Pi
4 devices, Pinebook Pro, and more.