Easy Peasy is a project to create a linux distribution for netbooks, based on Ubuntu. Easy Peasy favors well known closed source software instead of open source alternatives (e.g. Skype instead of Ekiga) when the functionality offered seems better.
Trademark issues
On September 10, 2008, Canonical emailed Jon Ramvi complaining the project's use of Canonical's names, URLs, and logos violates Canonical's trademarks in the original name Ubuntu Eee.[1]
As a response the owners of the project announced that they will use a new name Ion, but later found that they can't use that name either, as it is an unregistered trademark.[2] The name Easy Peasy was chosen and version 1.0 was released January 5, 2009
Ubuntu Eee was started by Jon Ramvi in December2007. At that time it was only some scripts which modified a regular Ubuntu installation to support the Asus EeePCs. In June2008 the project was disbanded as a script and Ubuntu Eee 8.04 was released as a stand-alone distribution, based on Ubuntu 8.04 with EeePC support installed out of the box.[5] On September 5 followed the 8.04.1 version. It used a new Linux kernel, came with a new user interface and Flash 10.
It was renamed Easy Peasy in January2009, and has been downloaded over half a million times from the main mirror.[6] Easy Peasy is also available from other mirrors and through BitTorrent, meaning the download count is higher.
Easy Peasy was featured as the second most popular linux distribution of the week on DistroWatch at the end of April 2009.[7]
Release history
Version
Features
Release date
Ubuntu Eee 8.04
Drivers for the EeePC, Skype
June 2008
Ubuntu Eee 8.04.1
Built off Ubuntu Eee 8.04 and included more hardware support, support for more netbooks, Flash, Cheese and netbook interface
September 2008
Easy Peasy 1.0
Support for more hardware and netbooks, Java, Songbird
January 5 2009
Easy Peasy 1.1
New visual profile (icon theme, wallpaper, login- and startup screen), bug fixes and upgrades (flash, songbird etc.)[8]
Easy Peasy 1.5 (formerly 2.0) will be released in late June or early August 2009 with new features like: Easier install (one-click installation), even better looking, new file system which brings faster booting (ext4), fancy desktop effects even though you have the netbook remix interface running, a new notification system, Easy Peasy account for easy sign on and a custom made Firefox for faster and better browsing (cache moved to memory, addons like Adblock Plus and a new visual profile). It's built off Ubuntu 9.04.[10],[11]
Easy Peasy 2.0, release date unknown, will introduce a new feature called the Social Desktop.[12]
Easy Peasy 3.0 will be released November 2009 with new features like: File and configuration synchronization / backup. Built on Ubuntu 9.10.[13]
Easy Peasy 4.0 will be released May 2010 with new features like: New netbook interface with Internet features, built on Ubuntu 10.04.[14]
