SymphonyOS

SymphonyOS (formerly Symphony OS) is an open source and completely free distribution of Linux derived from the award winning Debian GNU/Linux operating system. It also borrows various elements from the KNOPPIX Live DVD distro, which is based on Debian too.

Supports only 32-bit software packages

The SymphonyOS distribution can be downloaded from Softoware or directly from its official website as a Live DVD ISO image that contains software packages optimized only for the 32-bit (i386) instruction set architecture.

How to use the ISO image

The user must write the ISO image onto a blank DVD disc or on a USB flash drive of 1GB or higher capacity in order to boot it from the BIOS of a PC and use the operating system without installing anything on his or her computer.

Comes with standard boot options

From the Live DVD boot menu, the user can start the live system with default options or in safe graphics mode using the xforcevesa option, start the installer directly, perform a system memory test, as well as to boot an existing operating system from the local drive. The ISO image is bootable on 64-bit machines.

Unique graphical session based on FVWM

SymphonyOS’ unique graphical session is based on the FVWM window manager and provides users with a productive desktop environment comprised of two panels, one located on the upper side of the screen and used for accessing system settings and places, and the other one placed on the bottom edge of the screen, designed to allow you to quickly access installed apps through a Launchpad.

Includes a decent selection of open source applications

The distribution includes a decent selection of open source applications, which includes the Mozilla Firefox web browser, mtPaint graphic editor, PCManFM file manager, XTerm and LXTerminal terminal emulators, Sylpheed email client, Transmission torrent downloader and Synaptic Package Manager. Keep in mind though, that the password for the live session is “symphony” (without quotes).

What is new in this release:

• This release continues improvements to the Mezzo 4 desktop bringing it to a much more stable state.
• This release includes the following bugfixes:
• Improvements to window management removing the maximized defaults and generally imrproving usability
• Functional Lock screen, Log out, Reboot and Shutdown commands in the session tab.
• Updates to app launching from the apps and settings menus
• Visual improvements to the menus and an improved support for statusbar applets.
• Chromium has been replaced with the lightweight Midori Web Browser.
• Additionally the following new features are included:
• Functional installer that properly creates user accounts on install. This new installer, based on the simple remastersys installer is functional but will continue to be improved. Currently it requires disk partitioning be done in gparted durring the installation process.
• Addition of the symphony-community webapp. Currently this app acts as a client to the #symphonyos IRC channel on freenode but further improvements are planned.
• Kiosk Mode - This release introduces Kiosk Mode in the Mezzo Desktop. By creating a .kiosk file in your home directory with a URL (either remote or local) the next time you log in, rather than loading the full desktop environment a fullscreen Webkit webview is loaded with your URL.
• Apt Repository - Beginning with this release the Mezzo Desktop is available in an apt repository and we will be releasing incremental updates as new improvements and features are launched.
• Following the relase of SymphonyOS 14.1 the 4.x series of Mezzo was finally stable enough to use on a daily basis and throughout the development of 15.0 I have been running Mezzo as my full time desktop environment both for work and home use. Numerous minor improvements to stability have been implemented thanks to this and SymphonyOS 15.0 is now stable enough for use on a daily basis. Despite this improved performance we still caution against using SymphonyOS for mission critical operations as individual testing by one person is not sufficient to consider the distribution truly stable. We hope that this caveat will no longer be necessary by the time we reach 15.1.
• Today we have also launched a new website providing a simple experience making it easier to find the information you need and to interact with us. This includes a re-vamped Community Page. We have also adopted the use of Uservoice for bug reports and feature requests and we encourage all users of SymphonyOS to let us know how we can continue to improve your experience.

What is new in version 14.1:

• Update to an Ubuntu 14.04 base system
• Improved handling of menu generation and proper updating of the menu system when system changes occur
• Improvements to the logout functionality
• Replacement of Slim DM with LightDM
• Security updates to the local httpd
• Fixes to installation from DVD