14 DAY TRIAL // PC/OpenSystems announced the general availability of the Freespire 5.0 Linux-based computer operating system, a major release that brings updated components and various improvements.
Based on the latest Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS operating system, Freespire 5.0 is here to respond to users' accusations of a bloated system. Freespire doesn't aim to become a bloatware, so Freespire 5.0 only ships with the best-of-breed apps and packages and nothing else.
Among these, we can mention the KDE Plasma 5.12.9 LTS desktop environment, Chromium 77 web browser, Calligra office suite, Amarok music player, DragonPlayer video player, KolourPaint paint software, Kpatience and DreamChess games, Ice 6.0.4 browser installer, as well as Synaptic Package Manager, Boot Repair, and Kamerka.
"Our goal was to "trim the fat" on the distribution. Many of our users and customers have told us that Linspire / Freespire as a whole were bloated; so what we did in response was pick "best of breed" applications that added to the overall simplicity of the system," said Roberto J. Dohnert.
Freespire 5.0 no longer ships with proprietary software
To stay true to the Open Source ecosystem, Freespire 5.0 doesn't include any proprietary, binary-only software. Furthermore, users can find its source code through the Synaptic Package Manager utility. On top of that, Freespire is and will always be free to download and redistribute.
Being based on Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS, Freespire 5.0 also comes with up-to-date core components and toolchain, as well as the latest security patches. You can download Freespire 5.0 right now as an ISO image that you can write to a USB flash drive to boot the operating system on your personal computer and install it, or you can order a USB stick with Freespire 5.0 pre-installed for $15.99 USD from PC/OpenSystems.