OpenGEU was a free computer

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...

based upon the popular

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: ''Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All the ...

Linux distribution A Linux distribution (often abbreviated as distro) is an operating system made from a software collection that includes the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system. Linux users usually obtain their operating system by downloading one ...

, which in turn is based on

Debian Debian (), also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a Linux distribution composed of free and open-source software, developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. The first version of D ...

. OpenGEU combined the strengths and ease of use of

GNOME A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

desktop environment In computing, a desktop environment (DE) is an implementation of the desktop metaphor made of a bundle of programs running on top of a computer operating system that share a common graphical user interface (GUI), sometimes described as a graphica ...

with the lightweight, and graphical eye candy features of the Enlightenment window manager into a unique and user-friendly desktop. While OpenGEU was originally derived from Ubuntu, the design of the user gave it a significantly different appearance to the user, with original art themes, software and tools.

Geubuntu

Initially called Geubuntu (a mix of GNOME, Enlightenment and Ubuntu), OpenGEU was an unofficial re-working of Ubuntu. The name change from Geubuntu to OpenGEU occurred on 21 January 2008 in order to remove the "-buntu" suffix from its name. This was done in respect for Ubuntu's own trademark policies, which require all officially recognized Ubuntu derivatives to be based upon software found only in the official Ubuntu repositories–a criterion not met by OpenGEU.

Installation

Installation of OpenGEU was generally performed via a

Live CD A live CD (also live DVD, live disc, or live operating system) is a complete bootable computer installation including operating system which runs directly from a CD-ROM or similar storage device into a computer's memory, rather than loading fro ...

, which allowed the user to first test OpenGEU on their system prior to installation (albeit with a performance limit from loading applications off the disk). This is particularly useful for testing hardware compatibility and driver support. The CD also contained the Ubiquity installer, which guided the user through the permanent installation process. Due to the fact that OpenGEU used "Ubiquity," the installation process was nearly identical to that of Ubuntu. Alternatively, users could download a disk image of the CD from an online source which could then be written to a physical medium or run from a hard drive via

UNetbootin UNetbootin (Universal Netboot Installer) is a cross-platform utility that can create live USB systems and can load a variety of system utilities or install various Linux distributions and other operating systems without a CD. Modes USB instal ...

. Another option was to add the OpenGEU repositories to an established Ubuntu-based system and install OpenGEU via the

package manager A package manager or package-management system is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer in a consistent manner. A package manager deals wi ...

Programs

Default environment

As described above, OpenGEU includes software from both the GNOME and Enlightenment projects. Unlike Ubuntu, which uses

Metacity Metacity was the default window manager used by the GNOME 2 desktop environment until it was replaced by Mutter in GNOME 3. It is still used by GNOME Flashback, a session for GNOME 3 that provides a similar user experience to the Gnome 2.x serie ...

Compiz Compiz () is a compositing window manager for the X Window System, using 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management. Effects, such as a minimization animation or a cube workspace, are implemented as lo ...

3D, OpenGEU used

Enlightenment DR17 Enlightenment, also known simply as E, is a compositing window manager for the X Window System. Since version 20, Enlightenment is also a Wayland compositor. Enlightenment developers have referred to it as "the original eye-candy window manager ...

as its primary window manager for its rich two-dimensional features, such as real transparency and desktop animation options. Starting with OpenGEU 8.10 Luna Serena, a port of Compiz called

Ecomorph Ecomorphology or ecological morphology is the study of the relationship between the ecological role of an individual and its morphological adaptations. The term "morphological" here is in the anatomical context. Both the morphology and ecology exh ...

has been available for 3D effects, as well.

Themes manager

Starting with OpenGEU 8.04.1 Luna Crescente, the GEUTheme application became default in the distribution. This is a toolshowed a list of installed OpenGEU themes to the user, enabling the user to browse through them and select one with one-click ease. GEUTheme could fetch new themes from the internet or from an expansion CD for the user. The tool had some advanced customization abilities–it helping the user to install and customize many aspects of their OpenGEU desktop environment (including

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

themes,

GTK+ GTK (formerly GIMP ToolKit and GTK+) is a free and open-source cross-platform widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It is licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License, allowing both free and proprie ...

, ETK, E17, EWL themes, wallpapers, fonts, etc.). It was also possible for the user to create new OpenGEU themes, as well as to export, import, and share them. The creation of this tool marked the first availability of a Desktop Effects Manager, similar to that of Ubuntu, for an Enlightenment desktop. This tool was incorporated into the GEUTheme application.

Additional components

Since the distribution was an Ubuntu derivative, the range of available software was almost identical to that of Ubuntu and the other related Ubuntu projects. Additional repositories were created by the OpenGEU development team, and were pre-enabled for the distribution's use. Enlightenment 17 software was compiled, re-packaged in the

.deb deb is the format, as well as extension of the software package format for the Debian Linux distribution and its derivatives. Design Debian packages are standard Unix ar archives that include two tar archives. One archive holds the cont ...

packaging format, and uploaded to the repositories and a number of new software packages were developed by the OpenGEU team itself: the OpenGEU Themes Manager, eTray, e17-settings-daemon and several E17 modules.

Themes

The E17 window manager used a number of different libraries to render

GUI The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...

applications. To ensure every application shares the same look on the desktop, it was necessary to develop themes for various libraries that utilize the same

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

and

graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture ...

. This was a difficult and time-consuming task compared to that of GNOME, where all the GTK+ applications use the same default

libraries to render widgets. OpenGEU therefore developed a way to allow easy switching from one theme to another, and accordingly change the graphics of every desktop component at the same time. Every OpenGEU theme was also capable of changing the look of icon sets and wallpapers. In other words, OpenGEU themes were just a set of sub-themes for all of the different libraries used in the distribution (Edje, ETK, EWL, GTK+), designed so that the user would not notice any change in the appearance when opening their various chosen applications.

Sunshine and Moonlight

OpenGEU was presented as an artistic distribution. The two main signature themes of OpenGEU were Sunshine and Moonlight. While Sunshine and Moonlight are considered the primary themes, there were also a number of alternative themes available.

Project focus

OpenGEU focused on reducing minimum hardware requirements, such as by providing two alternative methods to enable

compositing Compositing is the process or technique of combining visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously ca ...

effects without any particular hardware or driver requirement. The primary OpenGEU concept was that of building a complete and universally accessible E17 desktop—filling all of the missing parts in E17 with GNOME tools, while maintaining the speed of the distribution–for usability on any system.

Remixes

OpenGeeeU 8.10 Luna Serena was released March 23, 2009. It's a version of OpenGEU modified to work on the Asus EeePC. OpenGeeeU 8.10 uses

EasyPeasy EasyPeasy (formerly named Ubuntu Eee) was a Linux-based operating system for netbooks. EasyPeasy was built upon Debian and Ubuntu, but was customized for low-powered computers and access to web applications. EasyPeasy is maintained as an open sour ...

as its platform, so it is optimized for

netbook Netbook was a commonly used term that identified a product class of small and inexpensive laptops which were sold from 2007 to around 2013. These machines were designed primarily as cost-effective tools for consumers to access the Inte ...

s and it includes all of the drivers and fixes needed for EeePC to work out of the box.

Release history

The end

Despite announcing a switch to Debian as a base rather than Ubuntu a while after publishing Quarto di Luna in January 2010, a public release never came. As of August 2012 the Web site has been taken down along with their forums, mailing lists and other information, indicating that the project has disbanded.

Reviews and citations

OpenGEU has been independently reviewed by a number of on- and off-line Linux magazines: *

Full Circle Magazine ''Full Circle'' is a free distribution Portable Document Format magazine that was founded by Ronnie Tucker in April 2007. It is released on the last Friday of every month in PDF, EPUB ebook format and also on the Issuu electronic publishing platfo ...

Softpedia Softpedia is a software and tech news website based in Romania. It indexes, reviews and hosts various downloadable software and reports news on technology and science topics. Website Softpedia hosts reviews written by its staff—each review in ...

Linux.com Linux.com is a website owned by the Linux Foundation. The goal of the site is to provide information about the developments and changes in Linux and related products. Linux.com offers free Linux tutorials, news and blogs, discussion forums and ...

DistroWatch DistroWatch is a website which provides news, distribution pages hit rankings, and other general information about various Linux distributions as well as other free software/open source Unix-like operating systems. It now contains information on ...

* Dedoimedo.com

References

External links

* *
OpenGEU's page on Launchpad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opengeu Ubuntu derivatives Linux distributions