Any user can take their preferred Linux distro and load it with educational apps, but there are cases where a more direct solution is needed, one capable of adapting to complex situations like lack of connectivity. That's where Endless OS comes in, a development by the Endless OS Foundation. Its 'soul' of Debian ensures stability and compatibility on many older machines, and the vast majority of its resources work offline, without consuming data.
Recapping an old video from the channel Gamers Nexus in which they show their visit to the Kramden Institute (dedicated to recycling and refurbishing equipment for later distribution), one of the people in charge indicates that the computers leave that organization with Endless OS installed. In addition to avoiding licensing conflicts and other similar details, Endless OS offers a version preloaded with educational material for offline access, thus avoiding data consumption in places where connectivity is a luxury. We recently downloaded the latest edition of Endless OS, and this is what it offers:
Endless OS: An Educational Linux with Plenty of Offline Material
After a quick installation and some basic configuration parameters, we reach the Endless OS desktop. The official technical guide explains that the operating system is based on Debian, but combines OSTree and Flatpak to manage its core and user applications.
The desktop is divided into seven general categories: Education, Curiosities, Work, Create, Play, Utilities, and Programming Education. But the star of Endless OS is undoubtedly the encyclopedia, with a local copy of Wikipedia. This is joined by a fabulous amount of ideas and tutorials for DIY projects, from repairing furniture to cooking (in fact, some recipes look very good).
The Work section is dedicated to the LibreOffice suite in its entirety. We also find Scratch and the Arduino IDE to start programming, and in Education there is everything from biology and dental health to maternity and water treatment. With this material available, saying that Endless OS is oriented only to the little ones is not telling the whole story.
The combination of Debian and Gnome makes Endless OS not have very high hardware requirements. An x64 platform with 4 GB of RAM should be more than enough for its operation, but if downloading the Full edition of Endless OS, I recommend using a drive with a certain storage capacity, above 60 gigabytes if possible. The technical guide suggests installing an SSD, and although it is not mandatory, it is still an excellent idea.
Link below!
Official site and downloads: Click here
Technical guide (in English): Click here
