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@probonopd probonopd released this 12 Dec 14:40
r0.7.0
98b5631
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Learn about vigilant mode.

Core system

  • helloSystem 0.7.0 is based on FreeBSD 13.0-RELEASE
  • Entirely new architecture for the live system
    • Boot time of the live system has been improved by a factor of 3
    • ISO size has been reduced to under 800 MB (fits a CD-ROM)
    • No more copying of the entire filesystem to RAM
    • No more initial ramdisk, no more reroot
    • Using uzip compressed ufs filesystem image instead of zfs for the live system
    • Starting the graphical desktop early in the boot process
  • helloSystem is now Ventoy Compatible which means that it can be booted from an ISO file stored alongside other ISO files on disk using Ventoy, thanks @ventoy
  • Developer files (including compilers, headers, object code files, developer documentation, etc.) are now a separate download
  • Improved compatibility with older Nvidia graphics hardware by shipping multiple versions of Nvidia drivers
  • The exFAT filesystem is now supported

User interface

  • Friedlier boot experience (gray rather than black, native resolution)
  • No text consoles by default
  • Many applications, settings dialogs and utilities have been translated
  • Chromium, Firefox, and Thunderbird (with global menu support and native window decorations) are available as browser choices in addition to the default Falkon browser thanks @jsm222, @mszoek, and @grahamperrin
  • Keyboard shortcuts are now shown in menus with the Command key ⌘ symbol (no more "Ctrl")
  • Selected menu items flash/blink
  • No icons in context menus unless explicitly requested using action->setIconVisibleInMenu(true)
  • Screen brightness can be controlled using the brightness keys on notebooks
  • Volume can be controlled using the volume keys on notebooks
  • Terminal: Command-C and Command-V work like in other applications (press Command-Shift-C or Ctrl-Command-C for POSIX Ctrl-C)
  • System sounds in Filer and system-wide alert sounds for message dialog boxes, thanks larshenrikoern for some of the sounds
  • If the desktop cannot be loaded within a certain amount of time, a "Failed to start the desktop" message appears, giving useful information, including a link to the hardware database

Filer

  • Volumes are mounted at mount points reflecting their name ("volume label"), thanks @vermaden
  • You now rename volumes (disks, partitions) just like you can rename files and folders
  • Custom volume icons are now supported using .VolumeIcon.icns files (compatible to the Mac)
  • Holding down Shift while doing Command-O, Command-Down, Command-Up in Spatial Mode closes the current window
  • Disk images can be opened by double-clicking (even with multiple partitions), thanks @vermaden

Command line tools

  • New sudo diskutil rename command line tool for renaming volumes ("volume label")
  • makeimg command line tool to create disk images from folders

Utilities

  • New Format Disk utility, can be invoked from the context menus of disks on the desktop
  • Create Live Media can now also write local .iso and .img files to USB media
  • Create Live Media now offers to write Ventoy Live ISOs from its menu
  • The Remote Assistance utility now shows a code in spelling alphabet that can easily be communicated with the person providing assistance over the phone
  • The Sticky Notes utility is no longer autostarted
  • There is now an equalizer for sound devices, allowing users to set bass and treble from the Sound preferences application

Under Construction

The "Developer Preview" folder has been renamed "Under Construction". Your feedback and code contributions are especially welcome for those applications and utilities, so that they can be moved out of "Under Construction" in due time. Have a look at the source code by right-clicking their icon in Filer and choosing "Show Contents" .

  • New Update utility to apply FreeBSD patches without any questions asked, and to update all packages without any questions asked
  • New Burn Optical Disc utility
  • New Download Applications utility to download additional application bundles
  • New Install Debian Runtime utility to prepare the system for running Linux applications

Bugfixes

  • Minimum system requirements have been lowered from 4 GB to 2 GB
  • The Create Live Media utility no longer runs into a timeout when trying to download from GitHub
  • Backlight on Intel GPUs can now be controlled using the backlight command, thanks @evadot

Infrastructure

Translation status
  • Everyone can help translate helloSystem now thanks to Hosted Weblate. An "Automatic suggestions" button suggests automatic translations from multiple translation providers, and from various open source projects. This reduces the work to picking the most appropriate translation in many cases
  • Python-based applications are now localized without the need for compiling .ts strings to .qm files. This allows strings to be edited locally just as easily as Python source code itself
  • Experimental infrastructure is in place to generate application bundles from FreeBSD packages
  • The new Monkey Patching facility allows developers to make changes to all aspects of an existing Live ISO without having to re-create it, dramatically improving the development-test cycle
  • Application bundles for software such as Firefox (with uBlock Origin), Thunderbird, Chrome, and others are available for download

Known issues

  • /etc/os-release helloSystem-specific entries are not applied
  • Firewall workstation configuration is present, thanks RoboNuggie, but not enabled by default in order to not interfere with services like Zeroconf and other network device discovery protocols

Contributors

grahamperrin, vermaden, and 4 other contributors
Assets 8
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