Endless OS – A PC for Emerging Countries
A PC for the People
Endless OS is a Debian-based Linux for users who might not have access to the Internet.
Even in the 21st century, some regions do not have continuous Internet access. Many of these Net-less areas are in third-world countries, but even in the United States, it is not uncommon for residents in smaller towns and rural regions to lose service for hours or even days.
The creators of Endless OS believe users in areas with weak or non-existing Internet access are an underserved market. The company, which goes by the name of Endless [1], has a combined hardware/software solution designed for beginning users in environments that can't depend on the Internet.
The Endless product line consists of a Debian-based Linux distro tailored for the company's low-access use case and a collection of mini-computers to run the system. The system is designed to use an ordinary TV as a monitor.
The operating system is Linux under the hood, but, unlike most modern desktop systems, which are increasingly dependent on the cloud, Endless OS is prepackaged with a collection of tools intended for a standalone environment. According to the company, Endless OS comes with 100 preinstalled applications, videos, and lectures on academic subjects, and an encyclopedia with more than 50,000 entries.
If you are thinking Endless OS might be aimed at an educational environment, you would be correct. A video at the company's website shows the system in use with a variety of third-world classroom settings that look like Africa and South America. However, Endless OS requires way more modern conveniences than the bare-bones One Laptop per Child (OLPC) system, which came with its own foot pump for human-generated electrical power. Endless OS is intended for a user that might not have Internet access but does have fixed housing, a power supply, and a TV.
The Endless OS developers are deeply involved in the open source scene. Endless is a member of the Gnome Advisory Board [2], and the company is also active in Debian Derivatives [3]. Endless was founded in 2011 as a Kickstarter campaign [4], and it currently has subsidiaries in San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro.
Dual Solution
On the hardware end, Endless offers two mini-PCs with a spherical design. The smaller version costs $79 or $99, depending on the equipment level, and the larger version costs $189 or $229.
The smaller sphere PC, dubbed the Endless Mini, has an Intel Celeron CPU clocked at 1.5GHz with 1GB RAM, 24 or 32GB flash memory, three USB 2.0 connections, HDMI port, Ethernet, and audio. The larger Endless One comes with a 2.17-GHz Intel Celeron, 2GB RAM, a 500GB hard disk drive, Gigabit LAN, two USB 2.0 ports, and a USB 3 port. The PCs use a TV with HDMI input as a display; Endless OS is preinstalled as the operating system.
Tried and Trusted Software
The software side of the combined solution is the recently released 3.0 version of Endless OS. The developers make the system available for free download independently of the alternative PC. Endless OS is based on Debian GNU/Linux 8 "jessie" and a customized Gnome desktop (Figure 1).
The 100 preinstalled applications do not require Internet access. The on-board encyclopedia is basically an offline version of Wikipedia (Figure 2). You can control the system through an App Center, which, much like the download tool for a smartphone, lets users install apps and app bundles by pressing large icons.
Endless OS is designed to be visually intuitive. Users click directly on the desktop to start an application; the menu, which most desktop environments use for orientation and navigation, is only used for accessing the settings. Thanks to a site-specific browser (SSB) [5], users can create web pages for local access from the desktop.
Network Independent
The company offers compressed Endless OS images in a basic version of about 2GB or a full version with 13GB. The unpacked image of the full version requires about 20GB space on disk, whereas the smaller version takes up just under 6GB. The full version is used on the larger of the two PCs.
The image can be transferred directly to a USB flash drive and started from there. To use it in VirtualBox, you have to convert it into a VDI image up front. The Endless Installer for Windows lets you download the image and requires at least Windows XP. It then creates a bootable USB stick. The new version 3.0 of Endless OS is also suitable for parallel installation with Windows. A YouTube video points out the right approach [6].
We put both versions of Endless OS through a short test. We used dd
to copy the smaller version to an 8GB USB stick, and we converted the larger into a VDI file for VirtualBox (see the "Converting VDI" box).
Converting VDI
The following description assumes an installed VirtualBox, which Oracle provides free of charge for private use. At the command line, convert the base image using the command from the first line of Listing 1. Then, expand the space available on the virtual system with the call from the second line – in our example, we went for 30GB. Then create a virtual machine in VirtualBox, add your generated image as a virtual disk, and start the system.
Listing 1
Convert the Base Image
Both versions launched without any problems and only differed in terms of scope: For example, the smaller variant is missing the encyclopedia, although you can install it retroactively as a Flatpak.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
New Slimbook EVO with Raw AMD Ryzen Power
If you're looking for serious power in a 14" ultrabook that is powered by Linux, Slimbook has just the thing for you.
-
The Gnome Foundation Struggling to Stay Afloat
The foundation behind the Gnome desktop environment is having to go through some serious belt-tightening due to continued financial problems.
-
Thousands of Linux Servers Infected with Stealth Malware Since 2021
Perfctl is capable of remaining undetected, which makes it dangerous and hard to mitigate.
-
Halcyon Creates Anti-Ransomware Protection for Linux
As more Linux systems are targeted by ransomware, Halcyon is stepping up its protection.
-
Valve and Arch Linux Announce Collaboration
Valve and Arch have come together for two projects that will have a serious impact on the Linux distribution.
-
Hacker Successfully Runs Linux on a CPU from the Early ‘70s
From the office of "Look what I can do," Dmitry Grinberg was able to get Linux running on a processor that was created in 1971.
-
OSI and LPI Form Strategic Alliance
With a goal of strengthening Linux and open source communities, this new alliance aims to nurture the growth of more highly skilled professionals.
-
Fedora 41 Beta Available with Some Interesting Additions
If you're a Fedora fan, you'll be excited to hear the beta version of the latest release is now available for testing and includes plenty of updates.
-
AlmaLinux Unveils New Hardware Certification Process
The AlmaLinux Hardware Certification Program run by the Certification Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to ensure seamless compatibility between AlmaLinux and a wide range of hardware configurations.
-
Wind River Introduces eLxr Pro Linux Solution
eLxr Pro offers an end-to-end Linux solution backed by expert commercial support.