14 DAY TRIAL // Salix Openbox, a GNU/Linux distribution based on Slackware that is simple, fast, easy to use, and based on the Openbox window manager, is now at version 14.1.
The Openbox version of Salix is one of the lightest in the series and it all has to do with the window manager. Because this is such a light distro it can be installed on systems with older hardware and it should perform without any issues.
“Salix Openbox 14.1 brings the Openbox window manager, teamed with fbpanel and SpaceFM to create a fast and flexible desktop environment. This is the most lightweight edition we have so far among our 14.1 releases and everything has been tweaked to provide a desktop experience comparable to other Salix editions. The development of this edition involved a long and rigorous period of testing and the final release has evolved a lot since the first beta.”
“This release comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavours, with both fitting comfortably within the size of a single CD. The 32-bit flavour is also our first 14.1 release that supports i486, non-PAE capable systems by using the respective kernel, although the default is still the i686 PAE SMP kernel,” says the developer in the official announcement.
The Linux distribution features Openbox 5.2 and a lot of applications have been upgraded, even from the previous Beta release. The default Internet browser is now Midori, the default e-mail client is Claws-mail, Pidgin is used as the default instant messaging application, and Transmission is used for torrent downloads.
Also, gFTP is now used for connecting to (S)FTP servers, the Wicd Network Manager for connecting to wireless and wired networks has been implemented, Sakis3g is the manager for connecting to 3G mobile networks, and Abiword is the default word application (Gnumeric for spreadsheet and Atril for viewing documents).
The media player used in Salix Openbox 14.1 is a little known one called Whaaw. It’s not one of the most famous apps of its kind, but it’s diverse enough to do the job. The developers also added GIMP, IDE, Leafpad, obconf, obkey obmenu, Gslapt, Brasero, and Exaile.
This is a rather stable system, and if you decide to try it, you should consider using a virtual machine, like VirtualBox for example, before deciding to replace your OS.
A complete list of new features can be found in the changelog. You can download Salix Openbox 14.1 right now from Softpedia.