If you are just discovering Pear OS, then you will surprised by its Apple or Mac-like features right from its logo (a bitten pear in white, just like the bitten Apple
used by Apple Inc.) to the desktop features.
Knowing that Macintosh is perhaps one of the most sophisticated computing systems, it indeed takes a lot of courage and sagacity to build a similar Operating System for the Open Source Platform. It has taken both of the above attributes, and more, for the Frenchman David Tavares to build an amazing distro as Pear OS.
Pear OS debuted in Aug 2011
The distro in fact, made its first appearance in the middle of August 2011 with the first stable release Pear OS 1.0. This Ubuntu-based distro that has predominant Mac OS X features, graphical installer, and a GNOME 3 desktop environment.
Where Pear OS is truly wonderful, is its quality customization for GNOME 3 allowing you to setup a workstation that is modern and can house all the applications you want to run on your desktop. Of course, the graphic installer is a big bonus.
Last week saw the release of its latest version Pear OS Linux Panther 3.
Pear OS Panther 3.0
Following the Apple’s naming of its OS, Pear OS too name their newer version after a big cat (Mac OS X is called Lion) and the new Pear OS is therefore aptly Panther.
Based on the Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) this version runs on the Linux 3.0 kernel.
Instead of the Unity interface, a dock is provided to run the Pear OS. It has the same icon theme, artwork as the Mac OS X and includes the boot splash, and the LightDM login Manager.
The applications that Pear OS supports include the Opera browser, an instant messaging client Empathy, email client Sylpheed, and a very CD burning utility, Brasero. For organizing and viewing pictures, this OS supports is Shotwell and runs the Synaptic Package Manager. The system cleaner supported is the BleachBit system and has an excellent backup utility in Back In Time.
Installing Pear OS has two options, however, a minor bug does not boot directly into the installation program.
Watch out for the suite of other utilities like screenshot, text editor, calculator, an PPA manager, Docs and contact organizer, PDF viewer as well as a terminal.
The Pear Appstore
A great and very attractive feature is The Pear Appstore. Here you can search quickly for an app you need or browse by category as the store offers user reviews, developer notes/descriptions as well as screenshots.
Why Pear OS 3.0 offers best Mac-like experience on Linux
Pear OS 3.0 seems to take off from where Apple stopped with its Mac OS X. On a Linux platform, Pear OS ensures you have the modernity of an App-driven ecosystem on your PC. It allows fast-paced app-search, and app launches. The Dock becomes the native store on your desktop to stock and launch your most commonly used applications.
Look at our own screenshot tour of Pear OS 3.0 and let us know your experiences!
