First version of iPadOS-like Linux distro JingOS is available

Developers have made the first release of JingOS publicly available. JingOS 0.6 is a Linux distribution that is very similar to iPadOS. The operating system works on the Surface Pro 6 and the Huawei Matebook 14, among others.

It is still a preview version that according to the makers is not stable and still lacks functions. A stable version that can be used as a daily driver will be released in March. The first release has been made available by the developers on their forum.

JingOS is according to the makers “an iPadOS-like Linux distro”. The operating system uses the same interface as the OS for Apple’s tablets, with a home screen with a few icons and a bar at the bottom with a number of pinned frequently used applications. The OS also has a notification screen that can be pulled down from the notification bar, and a Control Center with options such as sound and connections that are similar to iPadOS. The OS supports gesture control via the trackpad, for example by swiping between applications with four fingers.

The distro is based on Ubuntu and can run desktop apps for that operating system. The operating system also comes standard with the KDE app store, a terminal and Ubuntu’s file manager, the software is optimized for touch control. WPS Office and Chromium are also installed.

JingOS 0.6 is available as for devices with x86_64 processors. The makers say that the OS works in any case on the Huawei Matebook 14 and on the Surface Pro 6, although the camera does not yet work on the latter. “JingOS should work on most Surface devices, but we’ve only tested it on the SP6,” the makers say.