SimplyMEPIS

SimplyMEPIS is an open source operating system derived from the MEPIS distribution. It includes attractive features, such as Live DVDs, NTFS partition resizing, automatic hardware configuration, ACPI power management, anti-aliased TrueType fonts, Wi-Fi support, a personal firewall, and much more.

Available as 32-bit/64-bit Live DVDs

The operating system is available for download as Live DVD ISO images, designed to support both 32-bit (i386) and 64-bit (x86_64) hardware platforms. The user must write these ISO images to DVD discs or USB thumb drivers of 4GB or higher capacity in order to boot them from the BIOS of a PC.

Boot options

Default boot options include the ability to start the live system with default drivers or with read/write support for the AUFS filesystem, to test and explore the hardware components of the respective computer, as well as to access troubleshooting information.

Beautiful and productive desktop environment powered by KDE Plasma

The default and only desktop environment of SimplyMEPIS is and has always been KDE, providing users with a beautiful and productive graphical session that comprises of a single taskbar located on the bottom edge of the screen. Keep in mind though, that you must first login using the demo/demo username/password combination.

Includes a wide range of open source apps

Among the pre-installed applications, we can mention the Mozilla Firefox web browser, digiKam image manipulation software, GIMP image editor, Inkscape vector graphics editor, Amarok audio player, VLC Media Player, K3b CD/DVD/BD burning software, Kdenlive video editor, LibreOffice office suite and Synaptic Package Manager.

Bottom line

In conclusion, SimplyMEPIS is a great distribution of Linux that can be used as-is directly from the bootable medium of your choice (DVD or USB) or easily installed on any computer using the powerful and graphical installer provided on the Live DVD.

What is new in this release:

• A new test release of MEPIS 12, version 11.9.86, is available for testing. It may take up to 24 hours for the ISOs to appear at the mirrors.
• After extensive experiments, and feedback from the community, it was decided to defer the support for EFI BIOS and GPT drives support. Unfortunately each hardware vendor is implementing the "standard" differently.
• This release is believed to be of Beta quality. Please report you test results at mepiscommunity.org

What is new in version 11.04:

• MEPIS has always been easy to install. 8 years ago, MEPIS created the first fully functional (what you see, is what you install) live CD and graphical installer. You only need to answer a few simple questions and within minutes you'll be ready to start using your new system. It doesn't get any simpler.
• Using your new system is a breeze too, since you'll have all the apps you'll need to get started, right out of the box. There's Libre Office for all your office productivity needs, K3B for CD and DVD authoring and burning, Kdenlive for video editing, Gimp for graphics editing, Digikam and Gwenview for your photos, the new Firefox 4 for web browsing, Dolphin for file management, the list goes on and on. No need to download app after app before your system is usable -- you can get started immediately.
• Making it your own is simple, too. The KDE4 desktop is endlessly configurable to match your personal preferences, and the additional software available from the Debian repositories assures you that the right tools for the job are at your fingertips with a few clicks in the Synaptic Package Manager. And don't forget the MEPIS Community Repos, a Community based repository of the latest and greatest applications and updates, specifically packaged by MEPIS power users for the benefit of all MEPIS users. They even take requests!

What is new in version 11.0 RC1:

• MEPIS 11.0 RC1 is build from a Debian Squeeze stable foundation with the following major differences: a MEPIS configured 2.6.36.4 kernel, NVIDIA driver 260.19.21, KDE 4.5.1, Firefox 4.0, Libreoffice 3.3.2, and the usual MEPIS tweaks that make it ready to use out-of-the-box.

What is new in version 11.0 Beta 1:

• This beta includes a 2.6.36 kernel. We are using an early Debianized build of KDE 4.5 but we're hoping the excellent Debian KDE Team will have a newer version available in the Debian pools before MEPIS 11.0 goes final.
• We were fortunate that Firefox 4.0b8 became available in time to be included in the Beta. That seemed to be an important addition, so 11.0 will be more compatible with HTML5 based web content.

What is new in version 11.0 Alpha 3:

• 11.0 Alpha 3 contains changes that are hoped to fix CD boot problems that have been identified by the MEPIS Testers--or at least to provide a better test environment for identifying any remaining boot problems. It also addresses some library dependency issues that were present in Alpha 1 and 2

What is new in version 11.0 Alpha 2:

• 11.0 continues to track with Debian Squeeze but with a 2.6.36 kernel. In this release, MEPIS has backported the Galbraith latency patch, which improves desktop performance.
• A number of bugs have been fixed which affected installation and booting from USB key. One of the fixes was to discontinue using gfxboot with isolinux, at least for the time being.
• For this release, isolinux has a new splash wallpaper. Users are encouraged to comment on the new wallpaper at the mepislovers.org forum site.

What is new in version 8.5.01:

• the Network Assistant, to configure and test a wired or wireless network
• the System Assistant, to create a live USB thumbdrive, repair a partition, etc.
• the User Assistant, to easily manage user accounts
• the X-Windows Assistant, to install graphics card drivers, set monitor models, etc.
• the Welcome Center, to guide the new user through the first steps
• the NDisWrapper Manager, to make it easy to use legacy drivers for wireless access

What is new in version 8.5 RC2:

• In the past week, we've fixed some bugs reported by the community and updated the MEPIS Assistants. And we've updated some packages containing bug fixes: digikam 1.1.0, ghostscript 8.71, kdebase-workspace 4.3.4-5 and wl-modules 5.60.48.36. The community is hard at work on translations, updated manual, and a couple of new utilities. I expect RC3 to be ready in a week or so. It should be the last RC before we go final with 8.5.

What is new in version 8.5 Beta 5:

• We are coming down the home stretch on the development of SimplyMEPIS version 8.5. There is some work to be done on MEPIS components, but the major packages are locked in to what may be their final versions. We've been asked to make more package updates, but we can't go much further without switching to a Debian Squeeze base.
• Currently, we have kernel 2.6.32.8, KDE 4.3.4, gtk 2.18.3-1, OpenOffice 3.1.1-12, Firefox 3.5.6-2, K3b 1.70.0-b1, Kdenlive 0.7.6, Synaptic 0.63.1, Gdebi 0.5.9, and bind9 9.6.1-P3. Available in the MEPIS pool, but not preloaded on the beta CD, we have Amarok 2.2.2-1, Shorewall 4.4.6, and quite a few updated specialty packages.