This release is mostly just a package update.
The latest release of Newt OS LXDE is available for download. This release offers a few minor tweaks relative to the previous release, in addition to including updated software. The Midori web browser has been included as an option, users with limited RAM are encouraged to use it as an alternative to heavier browsers like Firefox and Chrome. Firefox is still included. One final change is that lxpanel, the package including the LXDE panel, has been updated to 0.8.1, which is only a slight release update.
This release is mostly just a package update.
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Newt OS Gnome 3.1.3 is now available for download. This release includes several package updates, most notably Firefox and Flash player. However, this release also brings some interesting changes.
New in this release is the inclusion of the Gnome Classic session option, which provides a more traditional desktop, blending the interface of Gnome 2 with the technologies of Gnome 3. Additionally, the latest version of the Midori web browser is included, offering a great alternative to Firefox or other larger browsers. Midori uses significantly less RAM, and offers a straightforward browsing experience. So, what's in store for the next release of Newt OS Gnome? The first thing to note is that Newt OS Gnome is being released on a monthly schedule, and this is the third release to follow that release schedule. Newt OS Gnome will continue to be released on a monthly basis until November, which will begin a bi-monthly release schedule. At that point, openSUSE 42.1, the next release of openSUSE, will have been released, and development will begin on Newt OS Gnome 4, which will be based on 42.1. Newt OS 3 will enter the final phase of development, at which point releases will only include package updates and bug fixes if needed. All of this means that 3.1.4 will be an important release. Here are some of the current goals:
Thanks for supporting Newt OS. ~Newt As you probably know if you've looked at the homepage of this site, you know that there are currently two versions of Newt OS, one based on Gnome, the other using LXDE. Both of these desktops are great, offering smooth, functional user experiences. However, the KDE desktop, one of the most popular desktops in the Linux world, has been largely ignored by me. I began building Newt OS with the intent to offer only one desktop, Gnome. That changed when I discovered that LXDE was available to use with SUSE studio, and was much more friendly to customization than Gnome. LXDE provided a more traditional desktop than Gnome Shell, making Newt OS appeal to a larger audience. I used to loathe KDE. Certainly it was unprovoked hatred, I installed it on Ubuntu 14.04, and found that every theme that worked with LXDE, Gnome, and Unity was useless with KDE; I quickly uninstalled it, and didn't touch it again until about a month ago. I downloaded Kubuntu 14.04, and after using KDE in a more friendly environment, I began to experiment with building a KDE based appliance on SUSE Studio. I have come to a point where that appliance is remarkably polished, and I have decided to publish it. As I do not have much experience with KDE themes or applications, Newt OS KDE will be published as a testing release. At its core, it is a stable copy of openSUSE 13.2, but for those of you who are among the first to try it, be prepared to encounter some issues. One such issue is that I cannot find what file controls the window theme, which means that the Oxygen window decorations will be default despite my efforts to change that. Second, there are some GTK applications that may not be themed correctly, in addition to the overall Qt theme not being very original. I would appreciate some feedback on what can be improved. So, the question you're all wondering; what does it look like? Well, here it is: Newt OS KDE uses the tried and true KDE Plasma 4 desktop, and will continue to do so until Plasma 5 is available as a default option in the openSUSE repositories.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment below. ~Newt Version 2.7.4 fixes several bugs from 2.7.3, including setting the proper Openbox theme, as well as fixing a problem with the LXDE Control Center. LXCC has been improved, in addition to launching correctly every time.
2.7.4 includes a new, lighter theme, a modified version of Ninix. Both the modified and original themes are included. This release is nearly bug-free. If you are running this on physical hardware, you may have to set up your sound card in YaST, but it is a simple process. Wireless networking works out of the box, as do most media types. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below. Also, if you have a minute, please visit the Suggestions page to take a short survey. ~Newt
A new build of Newt OS LXDE is available for download. This release includes updates for both Firefox and Flash Player. Newt OS LXDE now uses the Moka Icon theme as default, replacing the Faenza icons, which are still included. Additionally, the Elementary icon theme now comes preinstalled for those who want to customize the desktop with a lighter theme. Finally, there have been a few cosmetic tweaks to the panel. This release doesn’t doesn't bring any major changes, but is moving towards a more refined desktop. As always, I encourage you to leave comments either on this blog or on the SUSE Studio pages. User feedback is the most important source of information for a developer, without it, there is no clear direction to go. Also, please take the time to take a short survey by heading over to the Suggestions page under "More" in the navigation menu above. ~Newt
This is a great improvement to Newt OS, including many features that did not work in earlier releases. Newt OS Gnome now has the ability to use Gnome Shell Extensions, change themes, and be customized in ways not possible before. So go ahead, download a copy to try, and enjoy an OS that's more powerful than ever.
Since the last public release, Newt OS LXDE has undergone a major change in looks. The purpose of this change is to give Newt OS a more modern feel, while also keeping the desktop clean and crisp. The default GTK theme used is now SUSE Numix (source here), however the default openbox/window border theme is still Ozone3. (source here) The default desktop has been changed to an ocean view to compliment the darker theme, and the panel now has a more nutral color. The LXDM background has been set to just a plain dark blue to keep it simple. You can see these changes in the images below. Of course, you can always swap out the default theme for another theme using the Customize Look and Feel app under System>Preferences. Another change in Newt OS LXDE is the inclusion of Midori again. This release includes the most recent release, 0.5.10. Firefox is still included, so users have a choice of browsers. If you wish to use a browser such as Chrome or Opera, you can download those browsers from their websites. These next changes are some of the most exciting. As you may know, Newt OS LXDE uses Openbox as its window manager. Openbox is lightweight and works very well with the LXDE desktop, but it has several limitations, including the lack of compositing and window spreading. To fill in these gaps in functionality, this release includes Compton and Skippy-XD. Compton is a standalone, lightweight window compositor. If you have used Newt OS, or any system with openbox as a window manager, you will notice a significant improvement in effects. Menus look better, and minimizing/closing windows is much smoother. The other program, Skippy-XD, is a basic window-spreading application. At this point, there is no keyboard shortcut or menu item to launch it, that will come in a later release. To launch it, run the command skippy-xd in the terminal. You will get a basic window spread like the picture below. Some other new features in this release are the inclusion of 2 new themes; Zukitwo GTK and Openbox themes, and Elementary (egtk) Openbox theme. Also included is the dock application Plank for those who like to have a dock rather than or alongside a taskbar.
That's it for this release. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment below. Also, please take a minute to take a short (5 question) survey under more>Suggestions. Thanks for visiting this site, and enjoy using Newt OS! ~Newt This release includes several improvements over the previous release. These include inclusion of most every gtk engine a user would ever need, resluting in the inclusion of a few more themes. Also included is the KDE application Apper, a package manager/updater that is much more attractive in comparison to YAsT. It has been recommended to me, and I will see how it works. Another inclusion in this release is that of Alacarte, a graphical menu editor, written for Gnome, but it should work with LXDE. The panel configuration has also been adjusted. Finally, possibly the most exciting change, is the inclusion of Synapse, a search applet that makes up for the lack of a native search function. Synapse can be run by clicking on the icon next to the menu button.
Please testdrive Newt OS and leave a comment below about anything good or bad. Feedback is critical to continuing development. |
AuthorNewt is the single developer of Newt OS. Archives
December 2016
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