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gOS (operating system)

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gOS
43
Default gOS 2.9 "Space" desktop with MySpace stack open and one window open
DeveloperGood OS LLC
OS familyLinux
Working stateCurrent
Latest release2.9 "Space" / April 6, 2008 (2008-04-06)
Platformsx86
Kernel typeMonolithic kernel (Linux)
Default
user interface		GNOME + Compiz Fusion + Avant Window Navigator
Official websitedev.thinkgos.com

gOS is a series of Linux distributions created by 'Good OS LLC', a Los Angeles-based corporation. The company initially advertised it as "An alternative OS with Google Apps and other Web 2.0 apps for the modern user." This first version gOS (1.0.1_386) was based on Ubuntu 7.10 and the Enlightenment window manager E17.[1]

On January 7, 2008, a test version (2.0.0-beta1) of gOS, intended to demonstrate the CloudBook at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, and named "gOS Rocket", was released. This version too was E17 based.[2] However, the definitive second version of gOS debuted end February 2008[3], together with the launch of Everex's new CloudBook, the gBook laptop, and a new, second version of the gPC, the "encore".[4] This version was called gOS V2 Rocket, and was completely rewritten and now based on the GNOME window manager, Compiz fusion, and the Avant Window Navigator. It was not publicly available at that time, just installed on these systems.

On April 6, 2008, Good OS launched a new publicly available version of gOS, called gOS 2.9 "Space", intended for the gPC mini,[5] this version is especially geared towards MySpace users.[6] and is also based on Compiz fusion, Gnome, and the Avant Window Navigator dock manager, but it also uses E17 code. It has a Dock with a "stack" very much like the "fan view" of Mac OS X v10.5.[7]

Design

gOS is based on the Ubuntu 7.10 distribution and a GUI largely imitative of Mac OS X Leopard. The earlier versions (1 and 2-beta) used the Enlightenment 17 window manager instead of the usual GNOME or KDE desktops, to create a desktop that had similar usability to Mac OS X. This was possible because of the flexibility of Enlightenment. Enlightenment acts both as an X window manager, and as a desktop environment. Therefore early versions gOS worked on systems as low end as a 350 MHz Pentium II with 196 MB of RAM.[8] But a typical gOS system would have used as a minimum a 1 GHz Pentium III with 256 MB RAM. After gOS2-beta the later versions of gOS abandoned the use as Enlightenment as desktop manager (although some E17 code still seems to be used), in favour of using GNOME, with Compiz Fusion and the Avant Window Navigator. This increased the need for memory to values similar to normal Ubuntu.

Based on the idea of cloud computing, all versions of gOS lean heavily on on-line applications built on Web 2.0 and AJAX technology so they also do not use much hard disk space for applications. The whole gOS-1 system fitted comfortably in less than 2 GB. Also many of the documents created with gOS, such as Google Docs documents, can be saved on Google servers instead of on the local hard disk, so gOS can work with very small hard disks. In gOS V2 Rocket, Good OS introduced the use of Google's "Google Gears" technology which promises to make Google's web applications usable without an internet connection.[9] Currently, Google Reader is the only Google application that is supported, though other web applications such as Remember the Milk have added Google Gears functionality.

gOS Rocket's primary features included a Mac OS X-like Dock called 'the Launcher', containing icons to launch the following programs: Firefox web browser, Rhythmbox audio player, Xine video player and Skype for Internet telephony. Other programs could be added to the Launcher as well. The first E17 based version of gOS used another Dock-style interface called the iBar.

There were also icons to launch Firefox to specific web-sites and web applications for Google Mail, Google Talk, Google News, Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, Google Reader, Google Product Search, Blogger, YouTube, Facebook, Meebo, Box.net to online chat with Yahoo! Messenger and .NET Messenger Service users and Wikipedia. The rightmost icon was for Faqly, a system developed for Rocket to offer a built-in online community based help system.

Other installed programs can be started through menus, among the most important were the photo and picture editing program the GIMP, the document viewer Evince, and the OpenOffice.org office suite. More programs can be installed using the built-in Synaptic Package Manager.[10]

Variations

gOS 1.0.1

gOS 1.0.1 desktop

gOS 1.0.1 was introduced on November 1, 2007, preinstalled on the Everex Green gPC TC2502 sold at Wal-Mart.[11] gOS 1.0.1 fully supported the advanced Power management capabilities of the gPC TC2502, so the system could be put in suspend mode and after turning on again was ready in a few seconds.

In December 2007, PC Club followed suit and reintroduced their Enpower Fuzion desktop[12] for sale with gOS installed for $189, which is their second system to include a Linux distribution since their controversial temporary inclusion of Linspire (then LindowsOS) in late 2003/early 2004[13] and the sale of the Empower Essence system with Ubuntu during the month of June 2007.

Everex followed on by creating the CloudBook, a laptop based on the VIA NanoBook reference. The CloudBook was bundled with gOS Rocket with a hint that later versions would include a touchscreen. At an RRP of $400, it was to compete with the ASUS Eee PC in the cheap miniature Laptop space.[14][15] Less well known is the fact that Everex simultaneously also worked on a more classic notebook, called the gBook, and on the Mac mini like gPC mini all designed to run gOS v2[16].

Online vendor ClubIT.com offered a RoHS-compliant VIA C7 developer board bundled with gOS.[17]

gOS 2-beta (gOS Rocket E)

gOS Rocket desktop

On 2008-01-07, Good OS LLC released a beta of the second version of gOS, called "gOS-live-2.0.0-beta1" and nicknamed "Rocket". However this version did not seem to be a valid replacement for rev 1.0.1 as it was missing some essential functions, such as hardware and system administration tools, and the easy to use application installer "Add/Remove".[18] It also missed the capability to access CDs and hard-disk partitions other than its own. The demo version status of this version became extra apparent when the new Everex CloudBook which was due to debut January 25, 2008 was delayed for a month to allow Good OS time to re-write this second version of gOS for the CloudBook ,gBook. and second version of the gPC[19] On April 11, 2008, Good OS released an updated version of gOS Rocket E.[20]

gOS V2 Rocket (gOS Rocket G)

Avant Window Navigator

Later it became apparent that the month was needed because Everex had decided that future versions of gOS for the Cloudbook, gBook and gPC2, would use the GNOME desktop environment, instead of E17. It was announced that this version would also be called "Rocket", to be precise gOS V2 "Rocket", (this version would also be offered to new gPC2 users) [21][22][23] and would use the Avant Window Navigator system to create a dock to resemble the older gOS versions in looks and functionality. Until the launch of gOS 2.9 this this version was not available as a Live CD, but only to CloudBook owners. But after the launch of 2.9 it has now also become available as a Live_CD download from one of the mirrors as found on the Good OS web-site. This version is now referenced to as "gOS rocket G" ("G" for Gnome) to distinguish it from the older beta version now called "gOS rocket E", which is also still available for download.[24]

gOS 2.9 Space

gOS Space

April 7, 2008 — Good OS (gOS) and Everex introduced the limited edition MyMiniPC* running "gOS Space 2.9", a special version of gOS Linux made for MySpace users, featuring brand new MySpace Apps just weeks after the MySpace API launch. The MyMiniPC targeted MySpace users with its glossy white case, 3D desktop, and a media center dock stacked with MySpace and Web 2.0 folders for News, Photos, Videos, Music, TV and Movies, and more. All in a system one and half inches tall and weighing two pounds.

gOS 2.9 Space is however also a generic Linux distribution, and is a debugged and extended version of the older gOS V2 Rocket. It can be downloaded as an. ISO[25] that can be burned on a DVD (it's slightly too large for a CD), or can be put on another external boot-able medium like a memory stick, or a Secure Digital card reader acting as an external USB drive, with enough capacity. The DVD will also soon be sold from The Good OS store on their web-site.[26] gOS space is loaded with new MySpace features, but all the old Google applications can still be used too. As a Linux distro 2.9 is much more complete than 2.0-beta, and less buggy. gOS Space is less "light" (using a small amount of memory) than older publicly available versions, as its based on a combination of Ubuntu 7.10 the Gnome windows manager enhanced with Compiz fusion and the Avant Window Navigator, a Dock like launcher, that has been enhanced with Stacks. According to Good OS there is also Enlightenment code used, but it's still unknown for what. In any case gOS Space needs about 384MB of RAM to work reasonably, the same amount as straight Ubuntu 7.10.

The gOS Space dock shows off some of the newest MySpace Apps: “Super Mood,” “Super Graffiti,” “Super Quotes,” and “Current Time.” With Super Mood, users add super sized emoticons and personal updates to their MySpace profiles; with Super Graffiti, users draw pictures on their friends’ MySpace profiles; with Super Quotes, users select fun quotes to display on their profiles; and with Current Time, users add digital clocks to their pages that display their local times in different colors. These MySpace apps can also be found at http://www.pimpmyapps.com.

In addition to MySpace Apps, the gOS Space dock introduces expandable icons: “MySpace,” “News,” “Photos,” “Videos,” “Music,” “TV and Movies,” “Work,” and “Fun.” Clicking the MySpace icon expands to shortcuts for the entire MySpace navigation bar, similar to (if not exactly like) the Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Dock and Stacks. [27]

Version history table

Colour Meaning
Red Old release; no longer officially available
Yellow Old release; still officially available
Green Current release
Blue Future release
Version Code name development name Release date released for Based on Desktop Manager Features and Changes
1.0.1_386 gOS Painfull? 2007-11-01 gPC Gutsy Gibbon E17 Initial release; Based on Ubuntu 7.10 and the Enlightenment 17 Desktop environment, plus lots of Google applications
2.0.1-beta1 gOS Rocket (E) Reloaded 2008-01-07 CloudBook Gutsy Gibbon E17 Beta demo version especially developed to demonstrate with the CloudBook at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. still based on Enlightenment 17 desktop
V2 gOS Rocket (G) Unknown 2008-02-22 CloudBook, gBook, gPC2 encore Gutsy Gibbon GNOME +AWN Final version as delivered installed on the CloudBook, and later the gBook and the gPC2. Not available as a live CD until the launch of "Space". Now based on GNOME and the Avant Window Navigator and Compiz fusion
2.9 gOS Space Unknown 2008-04-06 gPC mini Gutsy Gibbon GNOME +AWN Specially promoted as a version for MySpace users, adds "stacks" to the AWN launcher, and uses MySpace applications, does not need 3D hardware to support AWN.
3.0 Unknown Aphrodite TBD Unknown Hardy Heron Unknown Unknown

See also

References

  1. ^ "gOS homepage".
  2. ^ Babcock, Charles (2008-01-03). "Rocket Linux To Launch At CES". InformationWeek. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  3. ^ announcement that gOS rocket will be based on Gnome, not E17
  4. ^ Everex - The Alternative PC Company
  5. ^ Everex - The Alternative PC
  6. ^ gOS - Discover a Good OS
  7. ^ Everex - The Alternative PC Company
  8. ^ 196 MB was needed to install gOS through the Live CD, but it ran on as little RAM as 128MB when installed, or when running from the Live CD
  9. ^ Linux Based gOS 2.0 Will Debut on Monday | LinuxElectrons
  10. ^ gOS 1.0.1 had Ubuntu's easy to use "add/remove" application installer, but it was missing in gOS 2-beta. However the synaptic package manager was available in both versions.
  11. ^ Needleman, Rafe (2007-10-31). "Almost the Google PC: Everex gPC available at Wal-Mart". Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  12. ^ "ENFZ07 ENPOWER FUZION07". PC Club. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  13. ^ "PC Club Announces Largest Linux Launch With More Than 50 Retail Stores Now Carrying LindowsOS Computers". San Diego: Lindows.com Inc. 2003-09-03. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  14. ^ Walmart takes on the EeePC with Cloudbook » CLUMPC
  15. ^ Shah, Agam (2007-11-02). "Everex Readies Sub-$300 Linux Notebooks". pcworld. Retrieved 2007-11-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ gBook details on the official gOS forum
  17. ^ "VIA Motherboard Bundle". Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference add/remove" was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Software 'tweaks,' Chinese new year delay Everex CloudBook
  20. ^ [1]
  21. ^ gOS for the Cloudbook to use GNOME
  22. ^ http://cafelinux.org/gosforum/index.php/topic,308.msg1351/topicseen.html#msg1351 conformation by development team that the CloudBook will use a GNOME based gOS
  23. ^ http://blog.laptopmag.com/category/cloudbook first unwrapping of an early CloudBook
  24. ^ http://dev.thinkgos.com/downloads/gos-rocketG
  25. ^ gOS - Discover a Good OS
  26. ^ gOS - Discover a Good OS
  27. ^ http://www.everex.com Everex website
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