Softpedia 170812: Android-Based RaspAnd OS Updated for Raspberry Pi 3 with Google Play Support

"After announcing the latest build of his Ubuntu-based RaspEX Linux distro for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 SBCs, GNU/Linux developer Arne Exton now informs Softpedia about the release of RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2 Build 170805.

It's been two months since Arne Exton's RaspAnd received an update, and the latest build is here to finally make Google Play Store work, allowing users to install various of the supported Android apps on their Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computers.

"I have finally managed to make a version of RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2 (for Raspberry Pi 3), which has GAPPS installed and Google Play store working," said Arne Exton. "The video performance is generally much better than in previous versions and the screen flickering is (almost) gone."
"Run Google's Android 7.1.2 Nougat mobile OS on your Raspberry Pi 3"

As its name suggests, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2 lets you run Google's Android 7.1.2 Nougat mobile operating system on your Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computer. Unfortunately, it's not compatible with previous Raspberry Pi models as Android Nougat requires quite a lot of hardware power."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/andro...t-517389.shtml

Softpedia 170712 about ExTiX 17.7 with the Budgie Desktop:

"ExTiX developer Arne Exton is informing us today about the availability of a new update to his Ubuntu- and Debian-based ExTiX Linux distribution, versioned 17.7.

ExTiX 17.7 comes as an update for the previous release, ExTiX 17.5, which the developer launched in early May as the first of the GNU/Linux operating system to be powered by a kernel from the Linux 4.11 series, and it introduces the first ever flavor that's built around the Budgie desktop environment from the Solus Project.

"I’ve made a new extra version of ExTiX with Budgie Desktop," says Arne Exton in today's announcement. "Budgie is focused on simplicity and elegance. Designed with the modern user in mind. Only a minimum of packages are installed in ExTiX Budgie. You can, of course, install all packages you want."

But the good news is that ExTiX Budgie is designed from the offset to allow users to use it directly from a bootable medium, be either a USB flash drive or DVD disc, as they can install package and make other settings in live mode. If you're curious to know with what set of apps ExTiX Budgie ships, study the list of installed packages.
"Refracta Tools is pre-installed, so you can build your own Live ISO"

On top of that, ExTiX Budgie comes pre-installed with Refracta Tools, which lets users create their own Ubuntu/Debian/ExTiX-based Live ISO images, with their own selection of packages and features. Refracta Tools can be used to generate custom live images even when using ExTiX in live mode, if you have at least 2GB RAM."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/ubunt...t-516952.shtml

Softpedia about RaspEX Build 170810:

"GNU/Linux developer Arne Exton on Thursday announced the release and general availability of a new stable build of his Ubuntu-based RaspEX Linux operating system for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 single-board computers.

A lot of improvements went into the new RaspEX release, which was tagged as build 170810, starting with the replacement of the Linux 4.4 LTS kernel packages that were used in previous versions, with the more newer Linux 4.9 LTS kernel, and continuing with the rebase of the entire OS to Ubuntu 17.04 (Zesty Zapus).

RaspEX Build 170810 also uses packages from the Debian GNU/Linux 9 "Stretch" and Linaro repositories and adds Wicd as default network manager, Mozilla Firefox as default web browser to replace Chromium because it features better support for watching YouTube videos.

Additionally, the developer installed Samba and VNC4Server to let users easily connect to their Windows PCs on the LAN (Local Area Network) and control the RaspEX OS on a Raspberry Pi 3 or Raspberry Pi 2 SBC, if they use Putty, VNC Viewer, or a similar SSH/VNC/Telnet client."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/raspe...s-517380.shtml

Yes, a typo. Correct is 170619. I.e. June 19, 2017.

ExTiX 17.7 and DistroWatch.com

An article about ExTiX 17.7 with Budgie Desktop is now on the front page at DistroWatch.com. Screenshot: http://extix.se/budgie/extix-17.7-distrowatch.jpg

I guess that will dramatically increase the download numbers.

EDIT 170713: Yes, over 2000 downloads since yesterday. A new record!

READ MORE: http://distrowatch.com/

Softpedia 170702: You Can Create Your Own Ubuntu 17.04 GNU/Linux Distro Using the Latest ExTiX ISO

"Refracta Tools is installed by default ExTiX 17.5 Build 170508, which you can download right now from our website, and it can be used to easily build your own GNU/Linux distribution, with a predefined set of packages and custom settings that suit your needs.

"In ExTiX 17.5, Build 170508, with KDE 4.16.12 and KDE Frameworks I have included (pre-installed) Refracta Tools, which makes it possible for you to very easy and fast make your own Ubuntu 17.04 (or Ubuntu 17.10) distro," says Arne Exton in today's announcement."

READ MORE: http://linux.softpedia.com/blog/you-...o-516781.shtml

Softpedia 170627: "Arne Exton is pleased to announce the availability of a new update for his Arch Linux-based ArchEX GNU/Linux distribution, build 170626, which comes with the latest LXQt desktop environment and other open source technologies."

Powered by Linux kernel 4.11.6-3, the same version that's also available upstream in the stable repositories of the popular Arch Linux operating system, ArchEX Build 170626 is now using the latest Mozilla Firefox 54.0 web browser, Yaourt package manager, and Calamares installer, all built on top of the LXQt 0.11.1 desktop environment.

"I’ve finally managed to make Calamares (the universal installer framework) work without problems/issues," says Arne Exton. "Yesterday's version of ArchEX has therefore been replaced today. Now you can use Calamares to install ArchEX in any language. The boot loader Grub2 (which can be installed during the installation of ArchEX) will also work without problems."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/arch-...6-516694.shtml

Softpedia 170620: Android-x86 Fork Lets Users Install and Run Android 7.1.2 Nougat on Their PCs

"After informing us last week about the release of a new build of his RaspAnd operating system for Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 2 single-board computers, developer Arne Exton today announced a new version of his Android-x86 fork.

Based on the popular Android-x86 project that brings Google's Android mobile operating system to the x86 platform, Arne Exton's fork is now based on the latest Android 7.1.2 Nougat release and ships pre-loaded with GAPPS, a package that lets users access most of Google's services, such as Google Play Services and Google Play Store."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/andro...s-516570.shtml

Softpedia 170616: "Android-Based RaspAnd Linux OS for Raspberry Pi 3 Gets Better Video Performance

It's been a week since we talked here about Build 170605 of RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, and Build 170616 is here today to replace the previous ones by adding some of the latest software applications and technologies. First of all, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2 Build 170616 comes with better video performance.

Probably the second most important change of the new RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2 build is the inclusion of Mozilla's latest Firefox 54.0 web browser, the first release to use multiple content processes for better usage of the system resources. Of course, RaspAnd remains based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

Also included is the GAPPS package that gives users access to the Google Play Services, but not Google Play Store, the latest Kodi 17.3 media center, Aptoide TV 3.2.1, Spotify TV 1.2.0, Google Play Games 3.9.08, Gmail 7.4.23, ES File Explorer Pro 1.0.8, Rotation Control Pro 1.1.2, and Clash of Clans 9.24.9".

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/andro...e-516508.shtml

Softpedia 170612: "After informing us of the release of a new build of his Android-based RaspAnd operating system for Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 2 single-board computers, Arne Exton announced the availability of Exton|OS Build 170609.

Coming about half a year after the previous update, Exton|OS Build 170609 seems to be a massive release that moves to the latest Linux 4.11 kernel series and updates the MATE desktop environment to version 1.18. All the core components in Exton|OS Build 170609 have been updated to their latest version as of June 7, 2017.

A significant change in this release is that Mozilla Firefox replaces Google Chrome as default web browser because it's now possible to use it for watching Netflix movies out-of-the-box. Popular apps like VLC Media Player, GIMP and GParted are also included, and you can study the full package list to see what's inside.

Another cool new features of the Exton|OS Build 170609 release is that it ships with the Refracta tools pre-installed so you can build your own Ubuntu 17.04-based Live ISO system. The best part when using Refracta tools is that you don't even have to install Exton|OS on your PC to use it to remaster your own live Ubuntu system."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/exton...1-516410.shtml

Softpedia 170611: RaspAnd OS Brings Android 7.1.2 "Nougat" and Kodi 17.3 to Raspberry Pi 3 SBCs

"Arne Exton is informing Softpedia about the availability of a new build of his commercial RaspAnd Android-based operating system for embedded devices, such as Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 2.

Still based on Google's Android 7.1.2 "Nougat" mobile operating system, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2 Build 170605 is here to replace last month's RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2 Build 170519 release by upgrading Kodi Media Center to version 17.3, which is the latest in the series patching a nasty vulnerability known as the "subtitle hack."

RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2 Build 170605 also comes pre-installed with various updated apps, among which we can mention Spotify TV 1.2.0, Rotation Control Pro 1.1.2, Google Play Games 3.9.08, Clash of Clans 9.24.9, Gmail 7.4.23, and Aptoide TV 3.2.1. The GAPPS package is also included to give users access to Google's services."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/raspa...s-516379.shtml

Softpedia 170502: Ubuntu-Based MeX Linux Distro Updated with Cinnamon 3.2.8, Linux Kernel 4.10.8

"GNU/Linux developer Arne Exton is kicking off the month of May 2017 with a new release of his Ubuntu/Debian-based MeX distro, which ships with the latest Cinnamon desktop environment and a recent Linux kernel.

MeX Linux was previously based on Linux Mint, but it's now borrowing packages only from the stable repositories of the Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS (Xenial Xerus) and Debian GNU/Linux 8.7 "Jessie" operating systems. The latest release, MeX build 170501, is shipping with a custom compiled kernel based on Linux kernel 4.10.8.

The default desktop environment of MeX Linux is now powered by Cinnamon 3.2.8, the latest stable release of the popular DE developed by the Linux Mint project. As expected, all the packages included in the new MeX Linux build have been updated to their latest versions at the moment of the release.

Probably the best feature of the MeX Linux build 170501 release is the inclusion of Refracta tools, which let users create their own Ubuntu-based Live and installable ISO images. According to Arne Exton, remastering your own Ubuntu Live DVD is a child's play and it won't take more than a few minutes to complete."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/ubunt...8-515328.shtml

Softpedia 170429: "After announcing the availability of new builds of his AndEX Nougat 7.1.1 Android-x86 fork that lets users run Android 7.1.1 on their PCs, now Arne Exton released a custom build of Raspberry Pi Foundation's Raspbian PIXEL image.

Arne Exton's custom Debian Raspberry Pi PIXEL Build 170425 is here to replace version 161223, which was the project's first ever release. The new build ships with NetworkManager for easy configuration of wired and wireless connections, as well as Refracta tools, which lets users install the operating system on their PCs or Macs.

Refracta tools makes the installation of this custom Raspbian PIXEL image easier for all users, which will be able to not only install the OS on the disk drive of their PCs but also to create their own remix of Raspberry Pi Foundation's Raspbian PIXEL image."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/raspb...c-515290.shtml

Softpedia 170429: This Custom Android-x86 Build Puts Android 7.1.1 on Your PC, with Linux 4.11 RC7

"GNU/Linux developer Arne Exton was happy to announce the release of a new build of his custom built Android-x86 project that lets uses runs the latest Android mobile operating system on their personal computers.

Dubbed AndEX Nougat 7.1.1, the project was recently updated to build 170426, after it received a few revisions at the end of last week, specifically builds 170423 and 170422, both of which added most of the changes, updated packages, and improvements listed below.

Shipping with either the Linux 4.11 RC7, Linux 4.10.11, or Linux 4.4.62 LTS kernels, AndEX Nougat 7.1.1 Build 170427 comes with the GAPPS (Google Apps) package that lets users access various of Google's most used applications and services, and it's based on the Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system.

These include Google Play Services, Google Play Store 7.6.08.N-all, YouTube 12.09.58, Gmail, Google Maps 9.48.2, and Google Earth. Additionally, users will find pre-installed the Spotify, Google Chrome 58.0, Mozilla Firefox 53.0, SnapTube 4.3.0, Clash of Clans 8.709.23, and File Manager apps."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/this-...7-515288.shtml

Softpedia about exGENT Build 170407:

GNU/Linux developer Arne Exton announced the release of yet another build of his Gentoo-based exGENT Live Linux distribution, using the lightweight Xfce and LXQt desktop environments.

exGENT Build 170407 is dubbed exGENT 2017 Xfce4/LXQt Live DVD by Arne Exton, as it uses both Xfce 4.12.1 and LXQt 0.11.0 desktop environments on the same image. Users can choose between Xfce and LXQt from the login screen before using the distribution, which is powered by the Linux 4.10.4 kernel.

"I call it exGENT 2017 Xfce4/LXQt Live DVD. It replaces version 20170331. The ISO file is of 2620 MB due to the fact that this version has a lot of packages pre-installed. Despite this, exGENT version 170407 runs surprisingly fast from DVD or USB. Even in VirtualBox and VMware. Faster than most other Linux live systems," says the dev.

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/gento...0-514710.shtml

Running AndEX Nougat in VirtualBox and/or VMware

You can run AndEX Nougat Build 170201 very well live in VirtualBox. You can even install new apps. You can of course also install the system. Unfortunately the sound is distorted. I have therefore kept my previous Build AndEX Nougat 7.0 161107, since you can run Build 161107 in VirtualBox and VMware with sound working. AndEX 7.1.1 Build 170201 can’t be installed in VMware. AndEX 7.0 Build 161107 works very well in VMware (and VirtualBox) though. Watch a slideshow, which shows all installation steps in VMware: http://andex.exton.net/andex-nougat-...-slideshow.gif

READ MORE: http://andex.exton.net/

The download rate for ExTiX at SourceForge.net is at the moment (170328) over 4000 per week! Watch this screenshot: http://extix.se/extix-sourceforge-170328.jpg

Softpedia 170327: Arch Linux-Based ArchEX Has Linux Kernel 4.10.5, Yaourt, and Calamares Installer

"Also new in the ArchEX Build 170327 release, there's the Calamares universal installer framework, which makes it possible for users to install the Arch Linux-based operating system on their personal computers in less than 10 minutes.

Other than that, there's the popular, third-party Yaourt package manager, which is pre-installed in ArchEX Build 170327 to allow users to install community maintained packages from AUR (Arch User Repository)."

READ MORE: http://news.softpedia.com/news/arch-...r-514317.shtml