India’s own BOSS OS will be updated with a newer version
India Operating System Solutions will release a new version of the OS this month, which will be unveiled to government stakeholders tomorrow.
India’s own operating system, India Operating System Solution, or BOSS, is about to be restructured with an update. A senior official said the new version of the OS would arrive this September.
The official told Hindustan Times that the new OS will be presented to all government stakeholders tomorrow. The government has created BOSS to reduce reliance on foreign operating systems. The OS was first launched in January 2007, but quickly lost ground due to the lack of offers and rapid upgrades offered by other operating systems. “We have no shortage of developers here,” the official said. BOSS has almost all the features that anyone can get, say, Windows. The previous version was less user-friendly and had a few features. We will enlist the help of Indian software to further develop it, “he said, adding that the system had been tested in the last three months.
BOSS is a Linux distribution created by the Pune-based Center for the Development of Advanced Computing or C-DAC. Along with the Defense Research and Development Organization, Gujarat Technological University was actively involved in creating systems that support all Indian languages.
The latest version of the OS that is currently available on the official website is BOSS 5.0. This version is codenamed ‘Unique’ and comes with the Genome Desktop Environment 3.4 version. It features the latest kernel 3.10 and supports Intel 32-bit and 64-bit architectures as well as a 3D desktop, graphic installer, Libreoffice 4.1 and more. The OS has an on-screen keyboard that supports various Indian languages, thanks to the Smart Common Input Method tool which supports Unicode 6.1. According to the official website, this helps to ensure that even those who are not proficient in English will be able to use a computer effectively. The OS includes Orca screen readers as well as magnifiers and e-speakers to help the visually impaired. Another version of BOSS OS, called EduBOSS, is designed for students and teachers. It comes with several educational applications for elementary and high level students.