OS Type: Linux
Parent Distribution: Debian
Architectures: PowerPC (32-bit, 32-bit SMP and 64-bit kernels)
Repository Type: APT
Package Type: .deb
Desktop Environment: MATE
User Interface: Fienix Customization Layer
Default Login
You are recommended to change your passwords from the default.
Username: fienix
Password: fienixPW
Root Password: rootAdminPW
Design
Fienix utilizes the following design aspects:
- Fienix Customization Layer utilizes a unique configuration of MATE Desktop Environment to provide an intuitive and attractive desktop using traditional metaphors (desktop, documents, folders, trash, etc.)
- Fienix Theme is a customized fork of Arc and provides a contemporary, attractive look, intuitive widgets, and responsive interface elements. The dark theme is default, but a light theme can be enabled in the Control Center.
- Brisk Menu is a fast, efficient and modern menu; it features search with prioritized listings, category filtering, a favorites list, session controls, and customization options.
- Fienix Panel Design focuses on usability and efficiency with a thoughtful, intuitive layout.
- Fienix-Backgrounds were chosen to be visually appealing, imaginative, and inspiring
Fienix: The Name
Fienix is kind of a portmanteau of Phoenix and Linux.
Phoenix: A mythological bird which arises from its own ashes after death. In its darkest days even some PowerPC enthusiasts thought "PowerPC is dead", at least in terms of the consumer market. However, in addition to the embedded systems and servers PowerPC remained popular in, recently we've seen a resurgence of PowerPC consumer systems. A-EON and ACube both make AmigaOne systems powered by PowerPC, Raptor Computing Systems makes an assortment of high-end PowerPC POWER9 systems, and a promising PowerPC notebook is in the works by the Power Progress Community. While no one expects PowerPC to overtake x86 in the consumer market, PowerPC is in a better place today than it has been in years, and these new PowerPC systems give consumers a real choice in the marketplace.
Linux: Fienix is an operating system specifically designed for PowerPC based personal computers and workstations, built upon the Linux kernel and primarily derived from Debian.
Why Fienix
- Choice: I don’t believe it is a good thing for the entire consumer market to be dependent upon one CPU architecture. Intel’s Management Engine and AMD’s Secure Technology have raised serious privacy and security concerns, and several vulnerabilities have been found in both systems. The PowerPC architecture is an ideal alternative as a high-performance, proven, and mature platform.
- Open Hardware: Major PowerPC vendors like NXP/Freescale and IBM seem to be on-board with the idea of open hardware. Most manufacturers today act as if they are only renting out their hardware; they retain far too much control. They try to run secret hidden processes that the hardware owner cannot disable, they mandate updates that the hardware owner cannot opt out of, and they prevent the hardware owner from repairing their own hardware by using “security” chips, and even dictate what OS can be installed and what software can be run. These are all significant problems, and open hardware is an exciting solution. If privacy, security, and open-hardware are important to you then there is no better architecture than PowerPC.
- Better Support: While other distributions exist that support PowerPC to some extent, most of them are not 100% focused on making a completely functional, competitive OS for desktop use.
