OpenGEU

OpenGeu

An OpenGEU 7.10 Luna Nuova Screenshot
Developer	Luca De Marini (AKA TheDarkMaster)
OS family	Linux
Working state	Current
Source model	Free and open source software
Latest release	7.10 / January 21, 2008
Available in	multilingual
Package manager	apt-get, using the Synaptic GTK frontend
Platforms	i386, 64 bit
Kernel type	Monolithic kernel
Default user interface	Enlightenment plus Gnome
Official website	www.opengeu.com

OpenGEU, previously known as Geubuntu, is a Linux distribution derived from Ubuntu, following the release circle of the mother distribution, trying to unify the ease of use of the Desktop Environment Gnome with the speed, lightness and bidimensional graphical effects richness (animations, real transparency and more) of the Enlightenment Window Manager. The latest version, OpenGEU 7.10 Luna Nuova (literally, New Moon), is based on Ubuntu 7.10, while the next version in development, codename Luna Crescente, will be based on Ubuntu 8.04 the Hardy Heron.

OpenGEU and Geubuntu

In its first releases, OpenGEU was known as Geubuntu. Later in time, for legal issues concerning the name, Geubuntu had to change in a new name not containing the Ubuntu or buntu name in it. This is due to the fact that OpenGEU is not an Ubuntu remix, since it doesn't use only a mix of software contained in the original Ubuntu repositories and according to the Ubuntu trademark policies, the Ubuntu or buntu trademarks cannot be used in the name of something different from a simple remix. OpenGEU has now been reviewed by a number of press magazines and is a distribution with an identity of its own, developing original software and tools.

Installation

OpenGEU Luna Nuova, Tema Sunshine

OpenGEU Luna Nuova, Tema Moonlight

Geubuntu Prima Luna con il tema di Default

The distribution is available as DesktopCD, so that it can be used either as Live CD or installed on a PC. The installation is almost identical to the Ubuntu's one, because it uses the program "Ubiquity".

Software available for instant download (repositories)

Being an Ubuntu based distribution, the software available for instant download is almost the same available for the original distro, anyway, more repositories directly created by the development team of OpenGEU are pre-installed in the distribution's sources. A big number of E17 experimental software has been compiled, debianized and uploaded in the repos for the user to try and experiment on his own; there are also a number of softwares directly developed by the OpenGEU team (such as the OpenGEU themes manager).

Software installed on the Live CD

The software installed on the Live CD is coming both from the world of Gnome and Enlightenment. All the software from the Enlightenment window manager is still marked as development beta version (E17 itself is still a beta).

Window Manager and graphics

OpenGEU uses Enlightenment DR17 as its main Window Manager, while Ubuntu uses Gnome as an entire Desktop Manager and Metacity for the window management (in Ubuntu you can also use Compiz if you have a 3D enabled video card and if your computer matches the hardware requirements needed by Compiz). The main reason why the OpenGEU's author decided to use Enlightenment rather than Gnome is that Gnome is far slower than Enlightenment, it is heavier on the CPU and therefore, E17 can run perfectly even on a very old PC, pretty much as XFCE 4 does. On the other side, Gnome has far more development years behind it and is considered much more stable than the experimental Enlightenment DR17.
E17 is also very rich of two dimensional effects such as animations, real transparency, even the desktop can be animated and all of this comes without the need of a 3D card or a powerful computer at all. That's why OpenGEU manages to obtain particular graphic effects on pretty much any machine and is therefore recommended specially for slower computers or virtual machines. Ubuntu has chosen Compiz to provide users a nicer desktop experience than the plain Gnome, but this comes with the need of a 3D card and a reasonably recent computer. OpenGEU focuses on reducing hardware needs instead, in fact it even provides two different ways to enable compositing effects without the need of any particular hardware or driver. This choice made a big number of Linux users consider various alternatives rather than the normal Ubuntu. OpenGEU is now well known for being a valid 2D only compiz-like, desktop effects rich distribution.
Enlightenment DR17, though, is still in the beta stage of development and in any case it is designed to be at most a Desktop Shell and a rich set of libraries, not an entire desktop environment. The primary OpenGEU concept is therefore that of building a complete and easy for everyone to use E17 desktop, filling all of the missing parts in E17 with gnome tools while always trying to focus on the speed of the distribution, so that it will always be usable on any machine.

OpenGEU Themes

The E17 window manager uses a number of different libraries to render GUI applications and to make them work, therefore, to have the entire desktop share the same look with every application opened, it is necessary to develop themes for various libraries, using the same art and graphics. This is hard to do and requests a lot of time to be achieved, while in gnome all of the applications uses the default GTK libraries to render widgets. That's why OpenGEU developed a way to switch from a theme to another having every part of the desktop graphics change accordingly. OpenGEU themes, in other words, are just a set of sub-themes for all of the different libraries used in the distro, designed so that the user can't notice any change in the overall look when opening various applications.

Sunshine and Moonlight

The two main themes of OpenGEU are Sunshine and Moonlight and since OpenGEU is presented as an artistic and estrous distro (E17 itself is considered as an alternative window manager designed from artists to artists), these themes are promised to always be updated and available in the future as the main graphic aspect of OpenGEU. While for the new releases a number of extra themes are already in development, Sunshine and Moonlight are already a sort of main flag for the OpenGEU Linux distribution.

External links

• (EN) www.opengeu.com - Official OpenGEU Home Page

Release Notes

OpenGEU versions Table

Version	Name	Release Date	Features and description
7.04	Geubuntu Prima Luna	18 September 2007	The first version ever released. The main innovation of this distro is the idea of using a big number of system and configuration tools taken from the Gnome worls together with the Enlightenment Window Manager. Geubuntu 7.04 includes Gnome Panel and Nautilus too.
7.10	Geubuntu Luna Nuova	06 December 2007	The second Geubuntu release comes with brand original Sunshine and Moonlight themes and it focuses much more tha the first release on eye-candy and speed. That's why it uses Thunar instead than the Nautilus File Manager and XFCE 4 Panel instead than Gnome Panel.
7.10	OpenGEU Luna Nuova	21 January 2008	This version was released shortly after the release of Geubuntu Luna Nuova and with this version Geubuntu changes name in OpenGEU for Copyrights reasons. Canonical never asked for this change of name, it was a preventive initiative from the OpenGEU Team. [http://opengeu.intilinux.com/News/Voci/2008/1/13_Geubuntu_changes_in_OpenGEU.html Here's an official article if you wish to know more about this. Using the name change as an opportunity for releasing a new version, OpenGEU Luna Nuova is released and it is a far stabler distribution, many bug has been fixed. Another change is the use of FBPanel instead than XFCE Panel as the additional panel of the distro.
8.04	OpenGEU Luna Crescente	---	This version is now in development and promises to implement a lot of new features in the Gnome + Enlightenment desktop, with a lot of new applications directly developed from the OpenGEU team. More informations can be found on the OpenGEU Development WIKI.

Used Colors Legend

Old Version

Current Version

Future Version