MaruOS Gives You An Independent Debian Desktop From Your Smartphone

Written by Michael Larabel in Operating Systems on 6 February 2016 at 11:57 AM EST. 18 Comments
OPERATING SYSTEMS
For those that haven't heard yet, MaruOS is a new open-source project that seeks to provide users with a Debian-based desktop environment when connecting your Android smart-phone to an external display.

This isn't like Ubuntu's convergence vision with running the same software stack on both the phone and any connected devices nor is it like Microsoft's Continuum. This MaruOS effort is like more Canonical's older (and now defunct) Ubuntu For Android effort whereby connecting your Android device to a monitor or TV would yield a "pure Linux" experience separate from the Android stack.


Currently supported for the MaruOS beta is the Google Nexus 5 smart-phone, which when connected to an external display will load up MaruOS, their derivative of Debian. Android can continue to run on the phone and is independent of the external OS environment. When connected to an HDMI display, Bluetooth keyboard/mice can be used for input.

Unfortunately, MaruOS isn't a free-for-all to try out right now but there is a beta waiting list that interested users must sign up for. If you want to learn more about this effort, visit MaruOS.com.
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Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience. Michael has written more than 20,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. He can be followed via Twitter, LinkedIn, or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.

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