EasyOS: A Fast and Flexible Linux Distribution for Everyone 🐶

   EasyOS: A Fast and Flexible Linux Distribution for Everyone🐶

If you are looking for a Linux distribution that is easy to use, easy to install, easy to update, and easy to customize, you might want to check out EasyOS, a "new paradigm" for a Linux distribution that blends the best ideas from Puppy and Quirky, two of the most innovative and lightweight Linux projects. EasyOS is created by Barry Kauler, the original developer of Puppy Linux, who came back to the Linux scene in 2017 after a break from his involvement in Puppy Linux. Since then, he has been working on EasyOS, with EasyOS Kirkstone-series version 5.6.2 released on November 12, 2023.

EasyOS is based on Debian Buster, but it is not a typical Debian derivative. It has its own unique features and concepts that make it stand out from the crowd. Some of the most notable features of EasyOS are:
- It can run from a USB stick, a hard drive, or entirely in RAM, which makes it very fast and responsive. It also has a "save" icon on the desktop that allows the user to save the session at any time, or at system shutdown.
- It has a minimal and intuitive user interface, with a single panel at the bottom that contains a menu, a tray, and a taskbar. The menu has categories for applications, settings, utilities, and containers. The desktop has icons for file manager, terminal, browser, and help.
- It has a unique system of containers, which are isolated environments where applications can run securely and independently. The user can create, delete, and switch between containers easily, and also run them in a sandbox mode for extra security. Containers can also be shared with other users or devices, or downloaded from online repositories.
- It has a roll-back/roll-forward feature, which allows the user to revert or advance the system state across version changes. This means that the user can always go back to a previous working state, or try out a newer version, without losing any data or settings.
- It has four package managers, which give the user a lot of flexibility and choice in installing applications. The first one is PKGget, which is a traditional package manager that can handle tarballs of various formats, such as .deb, .rpm, .tar.xz, and more. The second one is SFSget, which can download and install SFS files, which are compressed read-only filesystems that contain applications and dependencies. The third one is Flatpak, which can install and run applications packaged in the Flatpak format, which are also isolated and sandboxed. The fourth one is AppImage, which can run applications packaged in the AppImage format, which are self-contained and portable.

Installation Tips🛠
Unlike most other Linux distributions, EasyOS is not deployed as a CD/DVD disk (ISO file). Instead, EasyOS is an image for an entire drive, such as USB Flash stick, SD-card, HDD, or solid state disk (SSD).
Download Easy 5.6.2, kindly hosted by ibiblio.org:
https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/2023/5.6.2/
Or, if you live in Europe, there is a mirror kindly hosted by NLUUG:
https://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/2023/5.6.2/
Or, if already running EasyOS, just click on the "update" desktop icon, which will download a small "difference file" to achieve the update.
To write the image file to a USB stick, you can use a tool like Etcher, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can download Etcher. Alternatively, you can use the dd command in Linux..

Once you have written the image file to a USB stick, you can boot your computer from it. You may need to change the boot order in your BIOS or UEFI settings, or press a hotkey to select the boot device. The hotkey varies depending on the manufacturer of your computer, but it is usually ESC, F2, F9, F10, F11, or F12. If you have a UEFI computer with Windows 8.x or 10, you may need to disable the Fast Startup feature in Windows.

When you boot from the USB stick, you will be greeted by a quick-setup wizard that will guide you through the basic configuration of the system, such as display resolution, time zone, network, firewall, sound, and keyboard. You will also be asked to set a password for the root user, which is the default and only user in EasyOS. You can also choose to encrypt the drive, which will add an extra layer of security to your data.

After the initial setup, you will see the desktop, with a cute puppy and some helpful information. You can explore the menu, the desktop icons, and the containers. You can also install EasyOS to your hard drive, if you want to. There are different ways to do that, depending on your situation and preference. 

Minimum System Requirements 💻
EasyOS is designed to be very lightweight and efficient, so it can run on a wide range of hardware. However, there are some minimum requirements that you should meet to have a smooth and enjoyable experience. Here are the recommended minimum system requirements for EasyOS:
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster, 64-bit
- Memory: 1 GB or more
- Storage: 8 GB or more
- Graphics: VGA or better, with VESA support
- Network: Ethernet or Wi-Fi, with DHCP support
- Input: Keyboard and mouse

Troubleshooting Tips🚨
EasyOS is a stable and reliable system, but sometimes things may go wrong, or you may encounter some issues or bugs. Here are some tips to help you troubleshoot and solve some common problems:
- If you have trouble booting EasyOS from the USB stick, you may need to check the integrity of the image file and the USB stick. You can use a tool like MD5summer for Windows, or md5sum for Linux, to verify the checksum of the image file. You can also use a tool like Rufus for Windows, or GParted for Linux, to check and repair the USB stick.
- If you have trouble with the display resolution or the graphics driver, you can run the xorgwizard, which is a graphical tool that allows you to configure the X server. You can find it in the menu, under Settings -> Xorg Video Wizard. You can also run it from the terminal, by typing xorgwizard. You can choose between different modes, such as vesa (unaccelerated), modesetting (accelerated), or specific drivers (if available). You can also adjust the resolution and the refresh rate.
- If you have trouble with the sound, you can run the alsawizard, which is a graphical tool that allows you to configure the sound card and the output device. You can find it in the menu, under Settings -> Alsa Sound Wizard. You can also run it from the terminal, by typing alsawizard. You can choose between different sound cards, if you have more than one, and test the sound output.
- If you have trouble with the network, you can run the networkwizard, which is a graphical tool that allows you to configure the network interface and the connection. You can find it in the menu, under Settings -> Network Wizard. You can also run it from the terminal, by typing networkwizard. You can choose between different network interfaces, such as eth0 (Ethernet) or wlan0 (Wi-Fi), and set up the connection, either manually or automatically (DHCP).
- If you have trouble with the containers, you can run the containerwizard, which is a graphical tool that allows you to manage the containers. You can find it in the menu, under Utilities -> Container Wizard. You can also run it from the terminal, by typing containerwizard. You can create, delete, switch, share, download, and run containers, as well as configure their settings, such as name, size, password, encryption, and sandbox.

Conclusion🎉
EasyOS is a Linux distribution that offers a lot of features and flexibility for both private and commercial end-users. It is easy to use, easy to install, easy to update, and easy to customize. It is also fast, secure, and innovative. It has a minimal and intuitive user interface, a unique system of containers, a roll-back/roll-forward feature, and four package managers. It can run from a USB stick, a hard drive, or entirely in RAM. It is based on Debian Buster, but it is not a typical Debian derivative. It is a "new paradigm" for a Linux distribution, created by Barry Kauler, the original developer of Puppy Linux.

If you are interested in trying out EasyOS, you can download the latest release. You can also visit the official website for more information, documentation, and support. You can also join the forum and chat with other users and developers.

Disclaimer: This article is written by The Distrowrite Project that writes reviews and articles about Linux distributions and open source software. The opinions expressed in this article are our own and do not necessarily reflect those of the developers or sponsors of EasyOS. We are not affiliated with EasyOS in any way, and we do not receive any compensation for writing this article. We write this article for educational and informational purposes only.

Source:-
(1) EasyOS Home — All categories. https://easyos.org/.
(2) How Easy works - EasyOS Home. https://easyos.org/tech/how-easy-works.html.
(3) EasyOS: An Experimental Distro With Unique Qualities - It's FOSS News. https://news.itsfoss.com/easyos/.
(4) Easy frugal installation - EasyOS Home. https://easyos.org/install/easy-frugal-installation.html.
(5) QEmu guide - how to install a Linux distribution on EasyOS - Puppy .... https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=9064.
(6) EasyOS 2.3 - The Modern Prometheus Tux - Dedoimedo. https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/easyos-2-3.html.
(7) EasyOS on Virtualbox, first steps, first problems - Puppy Linux .... https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=7145.
(8) Prepare your computer for booting Linux - EasyOS. https://easyos.org/install/prepare-your-computer-for-booting-linux.html.
(9) https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/.
(10) https://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/.
(11) https://easyos.org/install/how-to-install-easyos-on-a-new-ssd.html.
(12) https://easyos.org/user/how-to-update-easyos.html.
(13) https://easyos.org/install/how-to-install-easyos-on-your-hard-drive.html.

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