14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier today, March 31, 2016, the developers behind the Simplicity Linux project, a GNU/Linux distribution derived from LXPup, a Puppy Linux variant built around the LXDE desktop environment, have announced the release of Simplicity Linux 16.04 Beta.
The Beta of Simplicity Linux 16.04, which should see the light of day later this spring, at the end of April, comes one month after the release of the Alpha builds on February 29, 2016. It brings a new kernel rebased on the upstream Linux 4.4.4 LTS (Long-Term Support) branch, thus adding support for new and modern hardware components.
Simplicity Linux 16.04 Beta is distributed in three editions: Mini, a cut-down version that uses web apps like Google Docs, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify, Dropbox, and TuneIn Radio; X, an experimental version where all the hardcore testing happens; and Desktop, the main flavor of the operating system.
"The biggest change from the Alpha to the Beta release of 16.04 is that it is now running the 4.4.4 kernel. We would love any feedback from users on how it’s performing for them, as we’ve found it to be very stable, but we only have a small amount of hardware to test on, so more feedback would be invaluable," reads today's announcement.
Simplicity Linux 16.04 Beta Desktop edition coming soon
Another interesting change in the Beta edition of Simplicity Linux 16.04 is that the X flavor was designed from the offset not to scare away Windows users who want to migrate to Linux, making them feel comfortable. It includes many popular apps, such as Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, LibreOffice, GIMP, Clementine, and Wine.
For now, the Simplicity Linux 16.04 Beta is available for download only as Mini and X editions, as there were some issues with the Desktop one, which should become available for download in the coming days. Download the Simplicity Linux 16.04 Beta ISOs right now via our website, but please keep in mind that it's a pre-release version.
