The latest version of Parsix can be downloaded from Softpedia

Aug 20, 2014 14:26 GMT  ·  By

Parsix GNU/Linux 7.0 Test 1, a live and installation DVD based on Debian, aiming to provide a ready-to-use, easy-to-install desktop and laptop-optimized operating system, has been released and is now ready for testing.

The developers' ultimate goal is to offer customers an easy-to-use OS based on Debian's Wheezy branch, which employs a release of the GNOME desktop environment. The developers have made some very important changes since the previous stable release, but the general direction of the distro has remained largely the same.

The first version in the new series arrived only a couple of months after the latest 6.0r1 build, which proved to be quite interesting.

“Parsix GNU/Linux is a live and installation DVD based on Debian. Our goal is to provide a ready to use and easy to install desktop and laptop optimized operating system based on Debian's testing branch and the latest stable release of GNOME desktop environment. Users can easily install extra software packages from Parsix APT repositories. Our annual release cycle consists of two major and four minor versions. We have our own software repositories and build servers to build and provide all the necessary updates and missing features in Debian stable branch,” reads the official announcement.

“Parsix GNU/Linux 7.0 (code name Nestor) brings the latest stable GNOME desktop environment, a brand new kernel built using or modernized kernel build system, updated installer and support for UEFI based systems. This version has been synchronized with Debian Wheezy repositories as of August 16, 2014. Parsix Nestor ships with GNOME 3.12 and LibreOffice productivity suit by default. Highlights: GNOME Shell 3.12.2, X.Org 7.7, GRUB 2, GNU Iceweasel (Firefox) 31.0, Gparted 0.12.1, Empathy 3.12.4, LibreOffice 3.5.4, VirtualBox 4.3.10 and a brand new kernel based on Linux 3.14.17 with TuxOnIce 3.3, BFS and other extra patches. Live DVD has been compressed using SquashFS and XZ,” also say the developers in the release notes.

According to the changelog, the Linux kernel has been updated to version 3.14.17, which is the most advanced Long Term Release available right now. Most of the major packages have received updates, but it's very likely that more upgrades will be made in the next release.

Check out the official announcement for a complete list of new features and updates. You can download Parsix GNU/Linux 7.0 Test 1 right now from Softpedia.

Remember that this is a development version and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended for testing purposes only.