Saw this comment on an article reviewing Endless OS. The comment is dated 17 September. What is happening?
A little behind the times on this one, Endless just trimmed their staff by at least half. Not looking good for the future of the project.
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Hi there,
I can say that comment isn’t true. Some people did lose their jobs, which sucks for them and for us. This was mostly about some product channels and bits of strategy just not working out as well as we’d hoped and deciding to focus in other areas that were working better. Some other people have moved on to other job opportunities and we wish them well also, this happens all the time in all companies for various reasons - a lot of which are very personal to the people concerned. Some new people have joined, which is awesome, and we have open positions for some more - https://jobs.lever.co/endless
Where was the review btw.?
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Good article that - refreshingly un-biased too.
The rationale behind my take-up of Endless is covered in the article - I am a regular user of Linux, both Mint and Arch (with a bit of Kali thrown in from time to time). My daughter is a user too - for some time she was using Rosa Fresh with the XFCE desktop - it was good, fast and configurable - everything a Techie could want! She’s not a Techie though, she’s 9 years old and more interested in it ‘just working’ rather than tinkering under the hood.
Endless ‘just works’, provides the ‘apps’ she wants and she can take her laptop with her and use it without having to be connected to the internet all the time - a real bonus when visiting Grandma!
I’m happily recommending Endless to both family and friends alike!
> This was mostlybout some product channels and bits of strategy just not working out as well as we’d hoped and deciding to focus in other areas that were working better.
I suspect you mean the hardware strategy not working out. I think there is a strong need for newbie-friendly Linux desktop systems that provide the same functionality as Chromebooks, plus the option to install extra software when needed. I see that as the strongpoint of Endless at the moment for ordinary users in developed countries with the Internet available everywhere. I personally don’t see Endless as an offline system, but as a way to enhance online by having the option of offline information. Still, the goal of everyone who is offline a lot of the time is to get online, so a system that makes it super easy to do that has proven to be quite popular–Chrome OS. Another thing is the directions for burning an ISO image to a DVD should be available, because on many older systems and those running Windows that is the easiest and cheapest way to get the install disk setup. Creating a bootable USB drive is more costly and difficult. Include instructions and simplify both methods.
Zephyr, I think Endless are having to ‘move with the times’.
They started out with some quite simple ideas of getting computing out to the masses that had slow / unreliable or often only sporadic connectivity to the internet. That is laudable in its self - not unlike the One Laptop per Child project from some years ago.
I believe that there has been a creep away from that goal in the Linux (and computing market in general) over the past few years - with the surge in social media being one of the major driving forces behind being permanently online whenever possible. Endless are seeing and feeling this and are looking at how they can work with rather than against the tide.
Chrome OS is a great idea - initially everything was to be done whilst online and the functionality of the OS and the hardware specs (storage / RAM etc.) reflected that. Low cost, lower performance computers where the backend servers and infrastructure took the strain - almost like a thin client arrangement.
As time has gone by users of Chrome OS have demanded the ability to be able to work without being connected to the internet all of the time. This has resulted in ChromeBooks going up in price as the hardware specs have increased with faster processors and larger internal storage being the norm - they have replaced netbooks in reality - and now cost more than many low-end laptops to buy!
With some thought, and I’m no marketing person, I could see Endless moving in to the space vacated by Chrome Books and perhaps looking at pre-installed Endless on Atom or Celeron lapbook platforms (such as those that you can find on Ebay by Jumper with their EZBook series etc.).
Good idea about the DVD ISO though. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen a shift away from CD / DVD as a medium for many reasons. The cost of USB drives has fallen and the availability of them is overtaking that of recordable CD / DVD media.
One of the main reasons for the decline of CD / DVD is that they are very limited on the size of the storage. So, the base Endless ISO would fit but the ‘full-fat’ version wouldn’t - it’s around 16GB. I’m not sure it would work for those that are mostly offline and can’t add new applications on a whim. I know Endless have put some work into ‘portable’ Flatpak applications though, making it easier to download once and move between computers that are not connected to the internet.
Perhaps a tool that would enable customisation of the ISO so packages can be selected and added to the image up to the maximum allowed on the DVD media?
Just a thought!
fwiw we did distribute some DVD images (and Endless on pre-burnt DVDs) in select markets. They didn’t convert especially well, DVDs are very slow and people got quite frustrated!
Also - depending where you are in the world you can absolutely go and buy computers in shops with Endless pre-installed. Which is pretty cool.
I love the thoughts from all though! Keep them coming.
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What I think is needed are good instructions for installing Endless OS by downloading an iso image file and then burning to a DVD. I routinely do this with Linux distros, and for me it is the best way to download and try new ones. My PC will not boot easily from a USB stick, no matter what settings I have while it routinely boots easily from a DVD. I downloaded the minimal install version of Endless, and burned it to a DVD, so it wasn’t slow at all. It also gives me a good system backup if I need to reinstall later. But, I understand that many people are installing on laptops with no DVD player, so I understand why the emphasis on USB installs.
I read this article and want to ask if I buy Endless Mini with 32 GB if I can use it for Internet?
I read article Leandro, my question is if I have Endless Mini with 32 GB in my home can I use Internet smoothly (browser) or must buy other Mission One? Which model is better for internet serfing only?