OpenKylin 1.0: First Stable Release of an LFS Distro from China
If you clicked on this post because of its eye-catching title, you've probably been drawn in for several reasons. First, you've likely heard of an existing GNU/Linux distribution called Kylin , which has been in stable release for some time. Second, it's built from scratch, in the Linux From Scratch (LFS) style , and it's always interesting to learn about distributions like this. Finally, it comes from China.
However, and especially regarding the latter, if you're an avid consumer of news about free and open technologies and the global geopolitical technological landscape, you'll know that for some time now, China and other countries like Russia have pursued a policy of technological independence for reasons of national security. To this end, they have long been developing technological solutions (operating systems, applications, and platforms), often based on free and open-source developments like GNU/Linux. As you'll learn now, when you delve a little deeper into " OpenKylin 1.0".
And before getting into the news, it is worth noting that the aforementioned Chinese GNU/Linux distribution called Kylin OS , little known to many, has gone through several stages since its creation, in which it has gone from having a FreeBSD base to Linux, and from being a public and governmental initiative to being a joint development (public and private).
While Deepin OS, which is generally better known both in China and around the world, has moved from an Ubuntu to a Debian base, and may eventually switch to a more independent one for its users. Additionally, there is UOS , which is a kind of commercial or enterprise version of Deepin.
What is OpenKylin?
According to the documentation available on the official website of your Community, this LFS Distribution is described as:
A community-sourced desktop operating system led by the openKylin community for desktops, laptops, tablets, and embedded devices with major architectures such as: X86, ARM, and RISC-V. It adopts the leading version in terms of kernel, base libraries, and application software, and is the technical upstream of the commercial version of Kirin, which follows the same path and is developed in concert with the commercial version. At the same time, openKylin Community Edition will also integrate various innovative technology applications to gather the strength of the industry and jointly promote the innovative development of the Linux industry.
Among its many outstanding features , the following can be briefly mentioned:
- Offers good multi-arch support: Therefore, it supports X86, ARM, and RISC-V architectures for PCs, laptops, and tablets, including Raspberry Pi and COOL Pi development boards for ARM architecture, and Hifive unmatched, VisionFive, and RISC-V architectures . While, for the RISC-V architecture it has completed the adaptation of Hifive unmatched, Safang VisionFive and Ali Pinto Trailing Shadow 1520.
- Use the UKUI Desktop Environment: Currently, it implements by default, the new generation of the UKUI 4.0 desktop environment, both on computers and mobile devices. While, in Tablet type devices, it offers a pleasant user experience, due to the inclusion of a tablet mode.
- Includes a large number of applications available: It has a wide ecosystem of self-developed applications, especially for the multimedia and office environment. In addition, it offers an OpenKylin software store that provides users with thousands of software from various sources, most likely meeting the needs of average home and office users, and all age ranges.
And for more official information or to download it , their official website is available.
What's new in OpenKylin 1.0
New features included in this recent release (05/06/2023) include the following:
- Its installer, for now, is only available in Chinese and English. And it offers the base (by default) the Linux Kernel 6.1.
- Its installation is quite similar to others, that is, it asks to configure the language, the time zone, the user account, and the installation method, to choose between a complete and automated installation or a custom installation to make simple adjustments, especially of the partitioning of the storage medium where it will be installed.
- At the end of the installation, it shows us its beautiful and functional desktop environment. UKUI (Ultimate Kylin User Interface) extends the functionality of the Linux OS very well, providing a set of basic applications for it, among which are: Mozilla Firefox, WPS Office , Vim Text Editor, Video Player and Weather App, a weather or weather application. Also, UKUI offers a friendly and familiar visual look, very similar to Windows 7/10 GUI.
Note : Its development involved more than 4.000 developers, 74 SIGs (Special Interest Groups) and more than 200 companies.
Summary
In short, now that the interesting Chinese-origin LFS distribution has reached its first stable version, " OpenKylin 1.0 ," it will surely begin to gain wider recognition and use outside of China. This is especially true once it starts offering better multilingual support, particularly for Spanish. Regardless, we wish it, as we do with all free and open-source projects, much success and great progress in its development. If you'd like to see more screenshots of its graphical interface and installation process, please click on the following link.
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