Feren OS Sees Major Release Based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Drops “Classic” Edition and 32-Bit Support

Feren OS

After many months since the last ISO release, the Feren OS Linux distribution sees today a new major snapshot release that brings not only new features and enhancements but also important changes.

The November 2020’s ISO snapshot of Feren OS is here and it’s the first to be based on Canonical’s latest Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) operating system series. This means that it includes all the latest software and security updates that you’ll also find in the upstream release, and it’s using the long-term supported Linux 5.4 kernel.

First, the good news as Feren OS’s November 2020 release completely redesigns the default theme/style to make Feren OS look more professional. These include a new dark look, two new pre-defined accent colors, namely Purple and Banana, new wallpapers, new maximize icon, Adwaita-based GTK2 and GTK3 themes, custom Qt5 application style based on Adwaita-Qt, as well as a new default font called Inter .

Being based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, which uses the latest and greatest GNOME 3.38 desktop environment by default, Feren OS now ships with a brand-new app called Feren OS Tour, probably inspired by the GNOME Tour app, to replace the first-login setup window, offering newcomers a friendlier way to discover and set up Feren OS, and begin the deprecation of the Welcome Screen app.

Also improved in this release is the Web Browser Manager app, which now lets you install the Chromium web browser from Debian’s repositories. This blocks you from installing the chromium-browser package until the upcoming Feren OS Store sees the light of day.

The boot process saw some major enhancements too. For example, the boot screen theme has been updated to show the manufacturer’s logo where available and the bootloader’s configuration makes the various kernel names in Advanced Options more readable.

Improvements were also made to the OEM Config, which now has a new desktop layout and applies settings only to the current user instead of system-wide to prevent misconfigurations. Moreover, the Calamares installer now features a new sidebar color palette that matches the new default theme.

And now for the bad news, as starting with this snapshot Feren OS deprecates support for 32-bit installations and the Feren OS Classic edition, which will still be updated until the end of life of the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) operating system series.

“Feren OS Classic will still be available in its current form, until Canonical’s Ubuntu 18.04 reaches End-of-Life, but you won’t be able to have Feren OS Classic when updating your system to the newest Feren OS base,” explains the Feren OS developer.

Also discontinued from this release is Linux Mint’s software repository. Moreover, due to the major rebase from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, existing Feren OS users won’t be able to upgrade to the new release using the November 2020 ISO snapshot. Instead, you will have to reinstall the whole distribution!

The Feren OS developer is working hard to make the upgrade from previous possible without reinstalling the entire distribution. Until then, you can download Feren OS’s November 2020 ISO release right now from the official website or using the direct download link below.

Last updated 2 years ago

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