The distribution still uses the Xfce 4.10 desktop

Mar 30, 2015 04:13 GMT  ·  By

The availability of the Beta version of the upcoming HandyLinux 2.0 computer operating system was announced today, March 30, on the distribution’s website, which has been redesigned to match the look and feel of the OS.

New in HandyLinux 2.0 Beta is a new base from the upstream Debian GNU/Linux 8 Jessie operating system, the merge of the i586 and i686 PAE versions into a single Live CD ISO image, removal of third-party apps like Xpad, Radio Tray, BleachBit, Slingscold Launcher, and xl-wallpaper, in order to keep things simple and use the integrated features offered by the Xfce 4.10 desktop environment.

Password control support has been implemented in the distribution, the HandyLinux tools and HandyMenu app have been updated, a few new launchers were added, Skype has been updated, the hostname has been modified to “handylinux,” a “Models” folder has been added in the Home directory, and a brand-new flat theme is now used, called Slim.

HandyLinux 2.0 Beta gets new wallpapers and new default apps

In addition to the above, the Beta release of HandyLinux 2.0 includes new wallpapers, cleans the pre-installed add-ons on the Iceweasel web browser, removes the win32-loader and zram packages, adds the qt4-qtconfig dependency to VLC Media Player, adds a script that automatically removes unnecessary kernel packages, and removes some Compiz packages.

New default applications include GNOME PackageKit instead of Software Center as the package manager, Xarchiver instead of File Roller as the archive manager, Clementine instead of QuodLibet as the music player, Ristretto instead of Shotwell as the image viewer, Mousepad instead of Leafpad as the text editor, and xfce4-notes-plugin instead of Xpad as the note-taking utility.

Last but not least, various obsolete packages have been removed from the distribution, including ntfsprogs, netatalk, xfprint4, gtk3-engines-unico, dfc, fuse-utils, and apt preferences for LibreOffice. You can download HandyLinux 2.0 Beta right now from Softpedia, but keep in mind that it’s an unstable operating system, thus not recommended for production environments.

HandyLinux 2.0 Beta (10 Images)

HandyLinux 2.0 Beta
The HandyMenu launcherThe accessibility menu
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