MaX, also known as Madrid_linux is a

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 ...

created with funds from the Conserjería de Educación, Juventud y Deporte of the

Comunidad de Madrid The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munici ...

adapted for use in educational environments. The main features of this operating system are simplicity, stability and a huge collection of software.

History

Start

MaX started out simply as an educational

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

made for lower performance

computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These programs ...

, since most of the computers in the schools of the

had only

32 bits In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in 32-bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform large calculation ...

and very little RAM, so they had problems with the main operating systems. Later, more members were joining the ''Max Group" and were receiving suggestions for improvements, additions. In 2013 they already had 60 members, including professors of all kinds.

Desktop and Support

During the first

versions Version may refer to: Computing * Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program * VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS Music * Cover version * Dub version * Remix * ''Ve ...

of MaX it was used with the

KDE KDE is an international Free software movement, free software community that develops free and open-source software. As a central development hub, it provides tools and resources that allow collaborative work on this kind of software. Well-know ...

desktop environment and only supported

32-bit In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in 32-bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform large calculation ...

computers of the

i486 The Intel 486, officially named i486 and also known as 80486, is a microprocessor. It is a higher-performance follow-up to the Intel 386. The i486 was introduced in 1989. It represents the fourth generation of binary compatible CPUs following the ...

architecture, until MaX version 3, where the processor architecture was changed to i386, also

. In MaX version 4, the desktop environment was changed to

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 ...

, one of the most widely used in Linux, and in version 5 support for 64-bit computers with x86_64 architecture was added. In version 7, the desktop environment was changed to Xfce. In version 9 the desktop environment was changed again to

Mate Mate may refer to: Science * Mate, one of a pair of animals involved in: ** Mate choice, intersexual selection ** Mating * Multi-antimicrobial extrusion protein, or MATE, an efflux transporter family of proteins Person or title * Friendship ...

, and in version 11 support for

computers ended.

Activities performed

The MaX team has participated in events of schools, such as 'Program-me at IES Clara del Rey, with the purpose of supporting new talents; or with IES Príncipe Felipe at MediaLab Prado, to encourage diffusion of MaX.

Conferences

MaX has held many

conferences A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...

over the years, almost annually, to present future

of MaX, create workshops, or hold install parties. The conference was held online in 2021.

Characteristics

Community

The community of users actively participates, testing the

system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...

, reporting problems, contributing with improvement proposals, helping other users or sharing with their peers the benefits of using this

. In return, MAX will work better and better, it will adapt better to the real needs of the teachers and the

students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...

. MaX has its own community forum and a volunteer development group.

Included software

MaX has

learning Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals, and some machine learning, machines ...

software such as Scratch and Moodle.

Launch and support

MaX 9

MaX 9 was released on February 7, 2017, changing its desktop environment for the third time, in this case to Ubuntu Mate (16.04). Not many other changes have been made to the desktop, but there is a noticeable difference in the taskbar.

MaX 10

The MaX 10 release, based on Ubuntu Mate, Ubuntu Mate (18.04), was released on October 26, 2018. In this version the operating system performance has been greatly improved, although the minimum

requirements In product development and process optimization, a requirement is a singular documented physical or functional need that a particular design, product or process aims to satisfy. It is commonly used in a formal sense in engineering design, includi ...

have been increased compared to the previous

build Build may refer to: * Engineering something * Construction * Physical body stature, especially muscle size; usually of the human body * Build (game engine), a 1995 first-person shooter engine * "Build" (song), a 1987 song by The Housemartins * ...

MaX 11

MaX 11 release was launched on July 20, 2021. with the main purpose of making a

redesign A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

to the operating system. Added a Mac style dock at the bottom of the desktop with the most relevant applications, moved the position of the taskbar to the top of the screen, the wallpaper and icons have been redesigned, indicators have been added for NumLock and ShiftLock, and two new menus called Education/STEM and Distance Education have been added. Added the programs programs Scratux, MuseScore3, Kdenlive, OBS, Xournal++, Phet, Step, eXeLearning 2.6. This version is only compatible with modern

, as it no longer supports

computers, and its minimum

have been raised.

References

External links

*
MaX Webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:MaX (Operating System) Educational operating systems Spanish-language Linux distributions State-sponsored Linux distributions Ubuntu derivatives Linux distributions