The distribution features GNOME Shell, Unity, and Linux kernel 3.2.0

Oct 8, 2012 07:30 GMT  ·  By

AriOS, an easy-to-use operating system based on Ubuntu, that comes with a unique and optimized interface as well as many extra applications, is now at version 4.0.

AriOS 4.0 is based on Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin), but Unity is not the default desktop environment. The developer has chosen GNOME Shell as the default desktop, with some modifications and enhancements.

The distribution has a number of features that set it apart from other operating systems. It bolsters a desktop environment that uses a combination of Avant Window Navigator and Compiz/Metacity.

It also comes installed with a script that can be used to detect Nvidia Optimus chips and install Bumblebee software, a GUI that helps users to turn on/off auto-mounting of partitions at boot, and a large number of applications for multimedia, graphics and office use.

Highlights of AriOS 4.0:

• Linux kernel was updated to version 3.2.0-23; • GNOME Shell was updated to version 3.4.1; • Mozilla Firefox browser was updated to version 15.0.1; • Mozilla Thunderbird email and RSS client was updated to version 15.0.1; • LibreOffice was updated to 3.5.4.2; • VLC media player was updated to version 2.0.3; • GIMP was update to version 2.8.2; • Chromium browser is now at version 20.0.1132.47; • VirtualBox was updated to version 4.1.12; • Choqok was updated to version 1.3.

AriOS 4.0 makes use of Ubuntu repositories and of a few well-known PPAs. This means that it's completely compatible with Ubuntu and be upgraded along with it. The distribution includes the latest updates from Ubuntu repositories until October 5, 2012.

Adobe’s Flash Player was removed from the distribution because is not considered open-source software. Users can easily install Flash player, either by clicking the “Flash Plugin Installer” on the desktop or by running the following command in a terminal:

sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree

A complete list of changes and updates can be found in the official announcement. Download AriOS 4.0 right now from Sofpedia.