In early November of 2007, the gOS Linux Operating System was presented along with the Everex gPC available at Wal-Mart and on-line. The gPC desktop system was priced at 9 and its early succes must be attributed to the gOS 1.0 Operating system based on Ubuntu 7.10 + enlightenment. The original gOS 1.0 OS offered many enhancements over it's Ubuntu base, the most noticeable being links to interact with Web 2.0 applications by Google and other vendors. These applications included Facebook, Blogger, Google searches, Wikipedia, Youtube and more.

gOS Version 1.0

The second version of the popular Everex gPC, the gPC2 TC2512 offered users many enhancements from the original version. This model offers users a 1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor, allowing users to quickly and effortlessly create CDs, transfer digital files and surf the Internet with broadband-ready 10/100 Ethernet port. The gPC2 also had 512MB DDR2 memory which allows you to access multiple programs without a performance decrease. The 80 GB hard drive gave users plenty of space for their files and the versatile DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive allows the watching of your favorite DVDs in no time.

The gPC2 brought us gOS Rocket, the second version of the popular Linux distribution and the first to make major waves in the Linux community. gOS Rocket came with pre-installed and linked software like Mozilla FireFox, gMail, Meebo, Skype, Google Documents & Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, Google News, Google Maps, Wikipedia, Google Product Search, GIMP, Blogger, YouTube, Xine Movie Player, RhythmBox, Facebook and OpenOffice.org 2.3 which included Writer, Calc, Draw, and Impress for all office needs. The original gOs Rocket version was based on E17 however another version followed shortly after and it was completely rewritten and now based on the GNOME window manager, Compiz fusion, and the Avant Window Navigator. At first gOS Rocket was only available on Rocket powered Linux systems like the Everex Cloudbook but soon after was available to the public.

gOS Version 2.0 "Rocket"

On April 6, 2008, Good OS launched a new publicly available version of gOS, called gOS 2.9 Space which appeard on the gPC mini computer. This gOS version especially targeted the many myspace users around the world and was also based on Compiz fusion, Gnome, and the Avant Window Navigator dock manager, but it also used E17 code. A seperate version of gOS Space was designed based on Ubuntu 8.04 during July of 2008. gOS version 2.9M, Escape Pod, as it was called, was created for the Sylvania g NetBook. It was similar to the original Everex CloudBook with more memory, and the trackpad and buttons were moved to the front of the device.

gOS Version 2.9 "Space"

On August 6th 2008, the gOS 3.0 beta version was released and exhibited at LinuxWorld where it was included on NetBooks by Everex and also on the Elego by Amtek. With the final release just around the corner in September of 2008, the newest member of the gOS family is codenamed gOS Gadgets and for good reason. The Ubuntu 8.04.1-based OS gives users access to more than 100,000 iGoogle and Google Gadgets which are lightweight, useful applications that bring the power of the Internet to your desktop. In addition to the Google application changes, gOS 3.0 Gadgets also includes Wine preloaded which allows the use of thousands of Windows applications right on your gOS Linux desktop.

gOS version 3.0 "Gadgets"

GOS has cycled through a few different desktop environments in the last year and now it's on to using LXDE which is aimed at making gOS a lightweight desktop with quick boot and response time. GOS has always provided an efficient solution for laptop and NetBook-like devices. In my opinion this success is due to the combination of its Ubuntu base and Google implementation. LXDE may be the ticket to getting the gOS Linux distribution to turn the corner.

Other big changes in the gOS Gadget OS include the addition and replacement of many popular Linux applications. F-spot, the personal photo management application for the Gnome desktop has been replaced by Picasa, photo management software from Google. Picasa allows users to locate and organize photos, easily edit and add effects to photos, and share photos through the web or by print. The Google Desktop replaces the previous search/tracking tool named Tracker. Mozilla's Prism has been included to make on-line web application viewing much more enjoyable.

The gOS distribution has made many changes and come a long way in the last year. Through the changes and improvements one thing remains the same and that is the use of Google applications right on the desktop. GOS Gadgets version 3.0 takes this idea one step further and somehow the slogan “Linux for the rest of us” rings quite true.

gOS Gadget Screenshots

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