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New Linux-based tablet OS – JingOS set for January 31 launch Sovan Mandal 2 days ago There is something very special that is going to occur on January 31st, 2021. The world will witness the launch of a brand-new operating system meant for use on a tablet device. JingOS, as the platform is named, is based on Linux and will spawn into other variants as well. For instance, there is going to be one that would be ideal for smartphone-like devices. Again, if all of that seems familiar, that is because the approach is the same as has been adopted by Apple for its iPad and iPhone line of devices. Those behind the JingOS said they have modeled it around the iPadOS to come up with something that is simple to use while supporting top-notch performance. However, the JingOS will also be equally effective when used in computers. Rather, users will be able to shift from tablet mode to PC mode on-the-fly, something we have witnessed with the Windows 10 OS. There is going to be support for mouse and keyboard operations as well. The team behind JingOS said all compatible apps with be able to support both touch as well as mouse and keypad-based input methods. The OS is also intended to be used on ARM-based devices in the future. However, as of now, it has only been tested on the Huawei MateBook 14 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 6. The smartphone version of the OS is expected to be ready by the end of the year. More details are awaited. Keep watching! Source

Image via CentOS CentOS 8 is due for release on September 24 according to the project’s official Twitter account. The announcement comes after a long development cycle which began at the start of May. It’s not clear at this point but we could also see CentOS 7.7 released on the same day or earlier as the project previously announced it was deferring CentOS 8 work to focus on the 7.7 update which will provide security patches for existing CentOS installations. CentOS is a free operating system supported by the community and aims to be compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). As RHEL requires users to buy a license, some prefer to opt for CentOS which provides updates free of charge. One of the drawbacks is that CentOS releases always take a bit longer than RHEL releases to become available while the community tests packages and makes branding alterations and the like. The next version of #CentOS is being released September 24 and will be announced in all the usual places. — CentOS Project (@CentOSProject) September 16, 2019 On Twitter, the CentOS project tweeted a somewhat ambiguous message claiming that the “next version” of CentOS would be released soon. With the previous announcement that CentOS 8 would be deferred in favour of CentOS 7.7, some people started asking which version was the “next version” exactly. Thanks to a response in the mailing list we know that the next version does indeed refer to CentOS 8 and not version 7.7.1908 “which is just around the corner”. If CentOS 8 sticks to the same life cycle as RHEL 8, full support will last until around May 2024 while maintenance updates will be provided until May 2029 – that’s ten years support in all on a freely available operating system. Source

Huawei Just Started Selling Laptops With A Beautiful Linux OS Pre-Installed Some of the best and most affordable premium laptops on the market are now shipping with Linux pre-installed. More specifically they’re shipping with Deepin, a beautiful and polished desktop Linux distribution which, like Huawei, are based in China. Whether this is a result of the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China is unknown, but it’s a nice step forward for the proliferation of Linux alternatives promoted by major OEMs like Dell and Lenovo. Let’s get the disappointing news out of the way first. Right now these select Huawei laptops with Linux are only rolling out in China, via Huawei’s official e-commerce store VMall.com. The exact models available with Deepin Linux are the Huawei MateBook X Pro, Huawei MateBook 13 and Huawei MateBook 14. It also looks like you’re stuck with the stock options for each model. Today In: Innovation Now on to the positive news. Huawei has ditched the traditional Windows logo key on these Linux models and replaced it with key that simply reads “Start.” And as you’d expect, these 3 models cost 300 CNY (or about $42 USD) less than their Windows 10 counterparts. As for Deepin, its Chinese origins tend to ignite controversy (and anxiety within privacy purists) in the Linux world, however the distribution is open source and the code is available on GitHub. Politics and privacy stances aside, Deepin is one of the most stunning Linux desktops out there – and it’s also available in English. Deepin’s open source nature does mean that Huawei is free to make alterations to it for their own purposes. One of the main draws for Huawei may be Deepin’s recently added Cloud Sync feature allowing you to sync various system settings to the cloud. This covers network settings (such as VPN and WiFi), sound settings, mouse settings, update settings, power settings, corner settings, theme, wallpaper, launcher, and dock. Definitely useful for installing the OS on multiple machines, or easily regaining your customizations after a clean install. It’s also worth noting that all three of these Huawei laptops run any Linux distribution like a dream, not just Deepin. Could this be a precursor to Huawei offering Linux on select laptops globally? Or perhaps a trial run to gauge interest in alternatives to Windows 10, such as its own open source HarmonyOS? I don’t have the answers, but it should be very interesting to watch things unfold. By the way, if you’re looking for premium laptops from a major OEM that ships a little closer to home, consider Dell’s Developer Edition lineup. Source