Peppermint Linux OS

Peppermint Linux OS

Peppermint Linux OS Seven
Developer Peppermint, LLC
OS family Unix-like
Working state Current
Source model Open source
Initial release 9 May 2010 (2010-05-09)[1]
Latest release Peppermint-7-20160616 / 24 June 2016 (2016-06-24)[2]
Platforms 32 bit (i386), 64 bit (amd64)[3]
Kernel type Monolithic (Linux)
Userland GNU
Default user interface LXDE
License Free software licenses
(mainly GPL)
Official website peppermintos.com

Peppermint Linux OS is a cloud-centric OS based on Lubuntu, a derivative of the Ubuntu Linux operating system that uses the LXDE desktop environment.[4] Peppermint's developers have written about their principles of providing a familiar environment for newcomers to Linux, which requires relatively low hardware resources to run.[5][6][7][8]

Design principles

Peppermint OS ships with few native applications and a traditional desktop interface. What originally made Peppermint unique is its own approach to creating a hybrid desktop that integrates both cloud and local applications.[9] In place of traditionally native applications for common tasks (word processing, image editing), it ships with the custom Ice application[10] to allow users to create site-specific browsers (SSB's).

A recent cloud review referred to Peppermint OS as, "Linux's answer to the Google Chromebook." ~ "Peppermint OS 5" on YouTube. Google's Chromebooks have created a new class of cloud computing device that users are now familiar with. With Peppermint OS, the open-source Chromium project is used as a way to enable a site-specific browser (SSB) for cloud applications, so instead of opening up a browser and then visiting an application site, there is a dedicated browser window that is integrated into the system for an application.[9] Support for the Firefox web browser (alongside Chromium and Chrome web browsers) was added to the custom Ice application in the fall of 2015, allowing the creation of SSB's in a Firefox window.

Despite primarily being a project aimed at marrying the cloud to the desktop,[11] it is nonetheless possible for users to install applications natively from Ubuntu compatible repositories, allowing one to run cloud based applications right alongside desktop software.[12] Like any other Linux distro, one can install packages like LibreOffice, GIMP, VLC, Skype, etc. Peppermint is an Ubuntu spin and supports whatever is possible in Ubuntu.[13] Peppermint OS ships with mintInstall, Synaptic, and GDebi to facilitate this.[14]

Nomenclature

Peppermint's namesake is Linux Mint.[15] The developers originally wanted to make use of configuration and utilities sourced from Linux Mint coupled with an environment that was less demanding on resources and more focused on web integration. They felt that the concept was a "spicier" version of Mint so the name Peppermint was a natural fit.[7]

While Linux Mint is known for its Cinnamon desktop, Peppermint uses something that is significantly more lightweight with a default desktop that is based on LXDE. This is a distro that has been consistently releasing updates on a decent cadence since at least 2010, when Peppermint 1.0 was first released.[16]

History

Peppermint OS was initially conceived at the Black Rose Pub in Hendersonville, NC (North Carolina), USA during a night of drinking and discussion about the future of desktop Linux. Peppermint was originally designed to be a social media-centric distribution.[7]

Pre-alpha development builds consisted of a wide array of potential directions before the decision to fork Lubuntu was made. There was quite a bit of experimentation with KDE, E17, Adobe Air, and several different code bases during January and February 2010. Alpha builds using the Lubuntu 10.04 code base started in March 2010. Peppermint was released to a small group of private beta testers in April 2010 where it remained private until the first public release.

Developers

Alt text
Meet Team Peppermint

Packaged software

Cloud Applications

  • 2D/3D Chess (web-based version)
  • Editor by Pixlr (online image editor)
  • Express by Pixlr (online photo editor)
  • Entanglement (web-based version)
  • First-Person Tetris (web-based version)
  • Gmail (secure webmail)
  • Google Calendar (time-management web app)
  • Google Drive (cloud storage and file sharing)
  • Mahjong (web-based version)
  • Peppermint Community Forum
  • Peppermint User's Guide
  • Solitaire (web-based version)

Native Applications

Release history

Peppermint OS uses a hybrid release schedule. Updates are rolled out as needed in a rolling release fashion, but it is not a "true rolling release".[28]

Essentially Peppermint is a system that has rolling application updates and some system updates.[28] Periodically a Respin is released which incorporates minor bug fixes and recent updates pre-installed.

Peppermint One

Kernel updated to 2.6.35, HAL completely removed, Screenshot app replaced with PyShot, some low level utilities and user level apps updated (GNU Coreutils, Samba, PCManFM, LXTerminal, Firefox, and others).

Peppermint Ice

The LFFL repository was added. Some region specific SSBs, such as Hulu and Pandora, were removed from the default installation. Some space saving optimizations were made to the ISO.

Peppermint Two

Chromium is the default web browser, Ice SSB framework was written to work with Chromium, the Ice SSB application can remove SSBs as well as create them, added some additional example SSBs to the default install, entire look and feel has been revamped, Dropbox integration has been improved, Guayadeque music player is now the system default, LXKeymap has been included in the default install, Gedit replaces Leafpad as the default text editor.

Peppermint Three

Chromium Stable repository is now enabled by default, decided to go with a very light theme and default artwork, fewer default web applications in the menu, first distribution to ship with GWoffice (lightweight Google Docs client that runs independent of Chromium), GIMP 2.8 is in the Peppermint repo, moved back to Linux Mint’s update manager, and a handful of minor things.

Peppermint Four

Better file system support, mtpfs is now supported, the typographical error on the shutting down screen is no longer present, the file manager is notably less buggy, and most system updates available from the upstream Ubuntu 13.04 code base have been installed.

Peppermint Five

Peppermint Five is based on the recent Ubuntu 14.04 Long Term Support (LTS) Linux release that debuted on April 17.[9] The upstream code base will receive updates for five years.[29] Peppermint Ice has been rewritten from scratch and is now significantly more stable and is more feature rich than past versions.[10] The key new feature is that it now supports both Chrome and Chromium as a backend. Peppermint Control Center[27] is our new settings app which provides an intuitive interface to customize and manage your workspaces, window behavior, keyboard and pointer settings, keyboard shortcuts and more. Peppermint Five delivers with PulseAudio now.[30]

Peppermint Six

Peppermint Six is still built on the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Long Term Support) base, but has been moved to the Ubuntu 14.04.2 “point release”,[31] which includes the 3.16 kernel and an updated graphics stack.[32][33] PCManFM has been replaced with the Nemo file manager. LXTerminal has been dropped in favor of Sakura. The Update Manager has been replaced with MintUpdate, but with the same settings as update-manager. Guayadeque and Gnome MPlayer have been replaced with VLC as a “one app to play them all”. The default image viewer has been changed from Mirage to the EOG (Eye of Gnome). The xfce4-power-manager has been replaced by mate-power-manager, and i3lock replaces Light Locker as the default ScreenLock. Peppermint Six has also moved to the Gnome Search Tool which has a more intuitive user interface, and finer grained control of search criteria. The new Wallpaper Manager (based on Nitrogen) now makes wallpaper management a breeze. Linux Mint’s USB creation tools “mintstick” are now included by default, making the creation of LiveUSBs from isohybrid ISO images, and the formatting of USB sticks, as simple as it gets.[26]
Peppermint 6 64-bit now offers UEFI/Secure Boot support, allowing easy installation alongside Microsoft Windows 8/8.1/10 in dual/multi-boot configurations on GPT disks, or just installed on its own, without needing to switch to legacy BIOS mode (CSM) or disabling Secure Boot. A new version of Ice has been added to the respin with support for the Firefox web browser (alongside Chromium and Chrome web browsers), allowing the creation of SSB's that open in a Firefox window. Some slight tweaks have been made to the Peppermix-Dark theme. Stripes have been removed from the default menu, Nemo file manager, Synaptic package manager, etc. This respin also includes a few minor bug fixes and tweaks: Minimum disk space requirement for the installation has been adjusted downward from 5.3GB to 3.8GB in Ubiquity. Unnecessary xfce4-power-manager-data package leftovers, from the switch to mate-power-manager, have been removed. The duplicate keyboard shortcut in xbindkeys.conf, which caused windowshots via Alt+PrtSc to be saved to both the desktop and home directory, has been removed. Also, all updates to date, have been included in the ISO.

Peppermint Seven

Along with a shift to the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Long Term Support) code base, Peppermint continues to choose components from other desktop environments, and integrate them into one cohesive package, along with their own in-house software. Whilst staying with LXDE core session management for lightness and speed, Peppermint listened to user demands for a more modern, functional, and customizable main menu system and switched out LXPanel in favor of the Xfce4-Panel and Whisker Menu. ‘Peppermint Settings Panel’ was added to consolidate settings all into one place. Due to Google’s dropping of 32-bit Chrome and the move to PPAPI plugins (which effectively ends Flash support in 32-bit Chromium) Peppermint has now moved back to the Firefox web browser for the first time since Peppermint One. Because Firefox is known to have some issues with dark GTK themes, such as white lettering on white backgrounds, Firefox has been locked to a light theme, independent of the system default. For additional versatility, a simple to use ‘Firefox Themer’ application was created, which allows users to unlock/relock the Firefox theming. 'Ice' now fully supports the creation and removal of SSB’s for Firefox, Chromium, and Chrome. Peppermint 7 has a new look, flatter than previous editions (though not too flat) with a dark GTK theme by default and colorful icon choices. A small collection of background images has been added to the desktop, with the kind permission of photographer Ray Bilcliff. The text editor has been switched from GEdit to Pluma because of the odd way GEdit now handles window decorations. There are also many other small refinements squeezed into Peppermint 7, indeed a definitive and exhaustive list that would make this summary unreadable. Take it for a spin and see what you can find.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Remington, Shane (9 May 2010). "Come and Get It !!". Peppermint. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 Greaves, Mark (24 June 2016). "Peppermint 7 Released". Peppermint. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "1. Download and Install". Peppermint User's Guide. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Peppermint OS". DistroWatch.com. 29 November 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "About". Peppermint. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Newell, Gary. "Inside Peppermint Linux - An interview with Shane Remington and Kendall Weaver". Everyday Linux User. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "Peppermint Team — Q&A with OpenBytes". OpenBytes. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Hallock, Ty (12 March 2014). "Peppermint introduces cloud-based open source desktop to Africa". Opensource.com. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Sean Michael Kerner (30 June 2014). "Peppermint Five Linux Brings the Cloud to Linux Desktop". eWEEK. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 "5. Site Specific Browsers and the Ice Application". Peppermint User's Guide. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 469". DistroWatch. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Jim Lynch. "The cloud might be the key to the triumph of desktop Linux". ITworld. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Peppermint OS Five Review: Move over Lubuntu - Peppermint with 5 years of support is here!". Linuxed - Exploring Linux distros. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "4. Installing and Removing Software". Peppermint User's Guide. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "Peppermint OS: Another member of "Team Linux"". LWN.net. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Linux Top 3: Peppermint Five, Mageia 4.1 and Debian LTS". OpenBytes. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  17. ↑ Remington, Shane (17 May 2010). "We are Different. We offer Freedom...". Peppermint. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  18. ↑ Remington, Shane (16 July 2010). "VPS.net Announces Official Sponsorship of Peppermint". Peppermint. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  19. ↑ Weaver, Kendall (20 July 2010). "Introducing: Peppermint Ice". Peppermint. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  20. ↑ Weaver, Kendall (10 June 2011). "Peppermint Two Now Officially Available". Peppermint. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  21. ↑ Weaver, Kendall (23 July 2012). "Peppermint Three is Ready for Download". Peppermint. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "Distribution Release: Peppermint OS Three". DistroWatch. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  23. ↑ Remington, Shane (13 June 2013). "Introducing Peppermint Four". Peppermint. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  24. ↑ "Distribution Release: Peppermint OS Four". DistroWatch. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  25. ↑ Remington, Shane (23 June 2014). "Peppermint Five is Live!". Peppermint. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  26. 1 2 Greaves, Mark (29 May 2015). "Peppermint Six is Here!". Peppermint. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  27. 1 2 "3. Customizing the Desktop". Peppermint User's Guide. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  28. 1 2 Weaver, Kendall (13 January 2011). "Rolling Release?". Peppermint Linux OS Community Forum. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  29. ↑ "TrustyTahr/Release Notes". Ubuntu Wiki. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  30. ↑ "Peppermint Five - Changelog". Softpedia. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  31. ↑ "Point Release Process". Ubuntu Wiki. 7 Jan 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  32. ↑ "Peppermint Six - Release Notes". Peppermint. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  33. ↑ "Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS released". Ubuntu Fridge. 20 Feb 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.

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