14 DAY TRIAL // HandyLinux, a Linux distribution based on Debian and Xfce, has advanced to version 1.6 and features a huge number of changes.
This operating system, HandyLinux, is a relatively new one and the developers are making great strides with the version numbers. Only a couple of weeks after launching the 1.5 build, a new one is now available for download and the sheer number of improvements is quite impressive.
One of the main aspects users will notice straight away is the somewhat familiar theme. It's hard not to recognize that Windows 8 look, but fortunately, the resemblance with the operating system from Microsoft ends there.
If you manage to ignore the theme, which seems a little out of place, then you will be greeted with the strangest start menu. There is a start button, but users won't just get a simple list of software or categories. A regular window will open in the middle of the screen, with everything that you need hosted in that tabbed application.
It’s strange to open a new window every time you want to start a new application, but the HandyLinux developers really wanted something different for their operating system and they certainly got it.
According to the changelog, the accessibility menu has been improved and it now provides direct access to all functions, a number of shortcuts for the windows have been added, the BigBuckBunny video example has been added, the live launch has been added in the Safe Mode menu, a live selector keyboard session has been implemented, the apt / preferences file has been added to LibreOffice from backports, the keyboard installation selection menu for the French version has been reintroduced, and the icedtea-7-plugin has been added.
Also, pepperflashplugin-nonfree and ttf-xfree86-nonfree have been added to the Chromium Internet browser (default), the HandyMenu-2 with a built-in configuration tool has been implemented, handytri has been added in the Debian package, hpijs-ppds for ppd files are now present in the distro, magicfilter djtools, librecode0, recode, and lpr have been added, the TeamViewer application has been updated, the latest Skype 4.3 has been implemented, the mscorefonts-install packages have been added, and numerous other tools have been implemented by default.
If you downloaded and installed HandyLinux 1.5 a couple of weeks ago, then you don't have to do anything extra. Just upgrade the operating system and everything should be up to date. This latest HandyLinux OS was made to take advantage of Debian 7.6, which was only recently released.
You can find more details about this Linux distribution on the official blog, but you should brush up on your French a little bit before heading there. You can download HandyLinux 1.6 right now from Softpedia.