Symphony OS

By loeakaodas
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loeakaodas

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About Symphony OS

Symphony OS is a Desktop computer operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux and Knoppix GNU/Linux. Rather than using the KDE or Gnome Desktop environments as most Linux distributions do, the Symphony OS team has created the revolutionary Mezzo Desktop environment. Symphony provides what we consider to be the easiest to use Linux experience there is.

The Symphony OS Project is an Open Source project, not controlled by any business entity, operated by Ryan Quinn and Jason Spisak. In the future we hope to form a non-profit Symphony OS Foundation to further our development goals.

I am happy to announce the release of Beta 1 PR 1. This release addresses a number of issues that were reported in Alpha 4 and intorduces among others, the following changes:

* Improved stability in mezzo

* New faster orchestra renderer now using .orchestra for it's profile (singular)

* Updated applications

* Added Totem Media Player

* Build no longer uses set knoppix paths so it can be installed and used multi-user with GDM or KDM

* Startup uses livecd-init while in livecd mode and desktop-init when starting from GDM/KDM

* Profiles no longer needed for each orchestra app.. No more Select Profile dialogs I hope.

This release is still a livecd-only release. The final Beta 1 will be released both as LiveCD and Installable disk.

We have implemented a download counter to keep track of Beta1 PR 1 downloads and display the count on our main page. If anyone links to our ISO image please do so with one of the following links:

EDIT: Updated Mirrors List

Direct ISO Link:

Progeny Mirror:

http://symphonyos.com/download.cgi?http://...ta1_pr1-108.iso

Indiana University Mirror:

http://symphonyos.com/download.cgi?ftp://f...ta1_pr1-108.iso

Bittorrent Link (Tracker by LinuxTracker.org)

http://linuxtracker.org/torrents-details.php?id=712

Downloads Page Link:

http://symphonyos.com/downloads.html

Direct Download is already available from our Progeny Mirror. IU Mirror and Bittorrent will be available shortly. (Edit: IU Mirror and Bittorrent Added)

Source

UI Mockups

About

Concept Images and Greypaper

Laws of Interface Design

Edited by loeakaodas
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Grand Master

Allan

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that looks really good. I don't know if I totaly like the idea of my stuff 'dissapearing' ... but I am sure Ic ould get used to it.

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Long

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I don't like all these Linux distributions coming up with cliche names. Why don't everyone try to improve one package, rather than having 50 different distributions all battling it out and making it hard for a user to enjoy the benefits offered by all of them.

The irony, is the UI mockups are hosted on .Mac :o

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loeakaodas

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I don't like all these Linux distributions coming up with cliche names. Why don't everyone try to improve one package, rather than having 50 different distributions all battling it out and making it hard for a user to enjoy the benefits offered by all of them.

586731824[/snapback]

I will have to agree on that statement, there ar too many distributions out there, but variety is good unless it becomes too much which in this case may as well be.

If all the Linux developers could work on one distro, it would be one great distro, but this is a dream that will never happen.

This distro is more of a new dektop environment based on Knoppix and Debian. Probably when it will be released as a final version it could be applied to any distro as the Mezzo desktop environment.

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Echilon

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The Mezzo UI really seems to be an original idea. KDE and Gnome were always just linux versions of explorer to me. It might make swicthing from windows even more of a jump though.

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redfish

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The Mezzo UI really seems to be an original idea.

586736508[/snapback]

the UI looks similar to 'activity center' prototypes Microsoft was making while working on what became Windows XP

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Tungsten T

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I will have to agree on that statement, there ar too many distributions out there, but variety is good unless it becomes too much which in this case may as well be.

If all the Linux developers could work on one distro, it would be one great distro, but this is a dream that will never happen.

This distro is more of a new dektop environment based on Knoppix and Debian. Probably when it will be released as a final version it could be applied to any distro as the Mezzo desktop environment.

586732223[/snapback]

NO! The whole point of linux is being component based, any distro can be custimized to be identical to any othe distro or, you can make ur own.

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Hurmoth

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Has anyone tried this yet? If so, what's it like?

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I wouldn't mind trying this out... I'll post my thoughts after I've had some time to play around with it.

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dotRoot

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I don't like all these Linux distributions coming up with cliche names. Why don't everyone try to improve one package, rather than having 50 different distributions all battling it out and making it hard for a user to enjoy the benefits offered by all of them.

The irony, is the UI mockups are hosted on .Mac :o

586731824[/snapback]

Because Linux is a kernel. The OS most work on is called GNU/Linux. Almost all Linux distrobutions work to develope GNU/Linux. While you can argue that people's talents are spread; all the distrobutions are opensource and anyone can use anything from them for any other distro. So in effect you still have the same result.

Look at this particular distrobution. Symphony was developed off of one of the Debian distrobution's trees.

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.Neo

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Whoopie yet another Linux distro. Sorry dotRoot but I have to agree with Long. While Linux is great for server purposes I haven't seen many groundbreaking improvements for the home market. Rather than concentrating on one or two Linux versions more separate distros keep emerging.

From my point of view Linux will never advance enough this way to become a serious competitor on the home market. Especially not now Apple is making a comeback and more and more people are choosing Mac OS X as their alternative for Windows or second computer.

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Whiffle

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Because Linux is a kernel. The OS most work on is called GNU/Linux. Almost all Linux distrobutions work to develope GNU/Linux. While you can argue that people's talents are spread; all the distrobutions are opensource and anyone can use anything from them for any other distro. So in effect you still have the same result.

Look at this particular distrobution. Symphony was developed off of one of the Debian distrobution's trees.

586741332[/snapback]

Exactly. Anything that runs on Slackware will run on Gentoo will run on Fedora will run on Ubuntu will run on Debian will run on Mandrake etc. Its not like they're totally different OS's. The biggest differences between them are the install systems, the package managers and a few configuration files. People create different distributions to fit different needs. Ubuntu is meant to be easy, Gentoo is for the tinkerer/speed freak type, Slackware (mostly) for servers, etc. Then you've got more specialized ones like Knoppix that are meant to be run from a cd, or DSL thats meant to run from a really small cd or USB stick. If they had just *one* Linux distro, you wouldn't have all that variety and varied uses. You probably woudln't have something like Knoppix or DSL if that were the case. In my case, I'm running Slackware as a desktop system, mostly because its freakishly stable, simple, and very robust. I don't use a login manager (just startx) because I don't find it necessary to have a shiny login screen that I'll never look at, but if I wanted it I could install GDM, KDM or Entrance, I wouldn't have to go to a different distro.

There are also features that evolve from all this that you would never see if there were only one, and features that I've never seen on windows (or windows has it but it really sucks compared to the linux version).

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dotRoot

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  I don't use a login manager (just startx) because I don't find it necessary to have a shiny login screen that I'll never look at, but if I wanted it I could install GDM, KDM or Entrance, I wouldn't have to go to a different distro.

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Exactly. And also its good to know I'm not the only one that likes the console over the DE still. I'm hardly even in the DE unless I'm using my nix boxes to do something that actually requires it.

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