Foresight Linux
Encyclopedia
Foresight Linux is an operating system
comprising free
and proprietary software
with the stated goal of showcasing the latest in Linux desktop technologies. Foresight is developed by the Foresight community and follows a rolling release
cycle, instead of a time based release schedule.
to showcase the most current releases of GNOME
while working on the GNOME Marketing team.
Since then it has undergone change through generally minor revisions (via rolling release). This is in contrast to the system of major changes with each version number employed by many other distributions. However, there have been occasional major changes, most notably the transition from Foresight 1.x to Foresight 2. Along the way several original deficiencies have been cured as well, among them the lack of 64 bit support, which was introduced in Foresight 2, and the lack of a graphical package manager, which was filled by PackageKit
.
After the release of Foresight 2, the developers held a packaging contest within the community in order to boost the number of applications available for the new release, either by porting them from Foresight 1, or packaging them afresh. The contest was sponsored by Shuttle Inc.
, Foresight's OEM partner, in the form of computers (Shuttle's KPC) and peripherals for the winners. Though originally planned to last one month, the contest was extended to two near the end of the first so that a greater number of packages could be completed. The process of testing all of the completed packages , and no official announcements have been made as to the winner.
While originally a GNOME-based distribution, from version 2.5.0 XFCE
and KDE
desktops have been introduced.
Foresight was the recipient of the Ovatio Award for 2008 Distro of the Year by Ars Technica.
, Banshee and PackageKit
are delivered in the default Foresight installation. Beyond the existing GNOME Edition, Xfce and KDE Edition are available. These two editions have the same focus of delivering the latest desktop technologies for the respective desktop environments.
Foresight uses the Conary
package management system. This system only updates those specific files in packages which need to be updated, in contrast to other package managers such as RPM
and dpkg
which install whole packages. Conary also has the advantage of very granular dependency resolution, and a relatively easy packaging process, with repositories
provided to the community, free of charge, by rPath, Inc.
All packages are updated in a rolling release style, i.e. as updates are released upstream, or packagers get to them. Packages move between three branches of the foresight repositories, originating usually at the development branch or in the personal repositories of packagers, after which they are promoted to the Quality Assurance branch, and finally to the Stable branch, intended for users. Snapshots
are taken every few months, and new ISO image
s are produced.
's light-weight KPC system.
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
comprising free
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
and proprietary software
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
with the stated goal of showcasing the latest in Linux desktop technologies. Foresight is developed by the Foresight community and follows a rolling release
Rolling release
In software development, a rolling release development model refers to a continuously developing software system; this is opposed to a standard release development model which uses software versions that must be reinstalled over the previous version...
cycle, instead of a time based release schedule.
History
Foresight was created by Ken VanDine as a Linux distributionLinux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
to showcase the most current releases of GNOME
GNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
while working on the GNOME Marketing team.
Since then it has undergone change through generally minor revisions (via rolling release). This is in contrast to the system of major changes with each version number employed by many other distributions. However, there have been occasional major changes, most notably the transition from Foresight 1.x to Foresight 2. Along the way several original deficiencies have been cured as well, among them the lack of 64 bit support, which was introduced in Foresight 2, and the lack of a graphical package manager, which was filled by PackageKit
PackageKit
PackageKit is an open source and free suite of software applications designed to provide a consistent and high-level front end for a number of different package management systems...
.
After the release of Foresight 2, the developers held a packaging contest within the community in order to boost the number of applications available for the new release, either by porting them from Foresight 1, or packaging them afresh. The contest was sponsored by Shuttle Inc.
Shuttle Inc.
Shuttle is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of motherboards, barebone computers, complete PC systems, and monitors. Throughout the last 10 years, Shuttle has been one of the world's top 10 motherboard manufacturers, and gained fame in 2001 with the introduction of the Shuttle SV24, one of the world's...
, Foresight's OEM partner, in the form of computers (Shuttle's KPC) and peripherals for the winners. Though originally planned to last one month, the contest was extended to two near the end of the first so that a greater number of packages could be completed. The process of testing all of the completed packages , and no official announcements have been made as to the winner.
While originally a GNOME-based distribution, from version 2.5.0 XFCE
Xfce
Xfce is a free software desktop environment for Unix and other Unix-like platforms, such as Linux, Solaris, and BSD – though recent compatibility issues have arisen with regard to BSD Unix platforms...
and KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
desktops have been introduced.
Foresight was the recipient of the Ovatio Award for 2008 Distro of the Year by Ars Technica.
Features
Foresight focuses on delivering the latest in desktop technologies. It usually has current packages for the GNOME desktop environment, sometimes even within a day of their release. Projects such as GNOME DoGNOME Do
GNOME Do is a popular, free application launcher for Linux originally created by David Siegel, and currently maintained by Alex Launi...
, Banshee and PackageKit
PackageKit
PackageKit is an open source and free suite of software applications designed to provide a consistent and high-level front end for a number of different package management systems...
are delivered in the default Foresight installation. Beyond the existing GNOME Edition, Xfce and KDE Edition are available. These two editions have the same focus of delivering the latest desktop technologies for the respective desktop environments.
Foresight uses the Conary
Conary (package manager)
Conary is a free software package management system created by rPath and distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License Version 3. It focuses on installing packages through automated dependency resolution against distributed online repositories, and providing a concise and...
package management system. This system only updates those specific files in packages which need to be updated, in contrast to other package managers such as RPM
RPM Package Manager
RPM Package Manager is a package management system. The name RPM variously refers to the .rpm file format, files in this format, software packaged in such files, and the package manager itself...
and dpkg
Dpkg
dpkg is the software at the base of the Debian package management system. dpkg is used to install, remove, and provide information about .deb packages....
which install whole packages. Conary also has the advantage of very granular dependency resolution, and a relatively easy packaging process, with repositories
Software repository
A software repository is a storage location from which software packages may be retrieved and installed on a computer.- Discussion :Many software publishers and other organizations maintain servers on the Internet for this purpose, either free of charge or for a subscription fee...
provided to the community, free of charge, by rPath, Inc.
RPath
rPath, Inc. is a technology company based in Raleigh, North Carolina that provides a platform for enterprise IT organizations, independent software vendors and on-demand service providers to automate the process of constructing , deploying and updating software stacks across physical, virtual and...
All packages are updated in a rolling release style, i.e. as updates are released upstream, or packagers get to them. Packages move between three branches of the foresight repositories, originating usually at the development branch or in the personal repositories of packagers, after which they are promoted to the Quality Assurance branch, and finally to the Stable branch, intended for users. Snapshots
Snapshot (computer storage)
In computer systems, a snapshot is the state of a system at a particular point in time. The term was coined as an analogy to that in photography. It can refer to an actual copy of the state of a system or to a capability provided by certain systems....
are taken every few months, and new ISO image
ISO image
An ISO image is an archive file of an optical disc, composed of the data contents of every written sector of an optical disc, including the optical disc file system...
s are produced.
Vendor support
Foresight is available pre-installed on the ShuttleShuttle Inc.
Shuttle is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of motherboards, barebone computers, complete PC systems, and monitors. Throughout the last 10 years, Shuttle has been one of the world's top 10 motherboard manufacturers, and gained fame in 2001 with the introduction of the Shuttle SV24, one of the world's...
's light-weight KPC system.