 | |
 Q4OS 4.8 (Gemini) running theTrinity Desktop Environment version R14.0.11 | |
| Developer | Q4OS development team |
|---|---|
| OS family | Linux |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | 0.5.0[1] / 4 July 2013; 11 years ago (2013-07-04) |
| Latest release | 5.8[2]  / 27 March 2025; 22 days ago (27 March 2025) |
| Available in | Multilingual |
| Update method | APT |
| Package manager | dpkg |
| Platforms | x86-64,i386,armhf,arm64 |
| Kernel type | Linux kernel |
| Userland | GNU |
| Default user interface | TDE,KDE Plasma |
| License | Free software licenses (mainlyGPL) + someproprietary |
| Official website | q4os |
Q4OS is alight-weight Linux distribution, based onDebian, targeted as a replacement foroperating systems that are no longer supported onoutdated hardware.[3] The distribution is known for an addon called XPQ4,[4] which addsthemes intended to replicate thelook and feel ofWindows 2000,XP,7,8 and10.[5][6][7]
Development of Q4OS began in 8 April 2014 to coincide withWindows XP'send of extended support in the same year.[8]
LXQt Desktop Environment was included from April 2014 to June 2015.
In 2018 TDE (Trinity Desktop Environment) was included.
In 2019, version 3.8 was released which was based onDebian Buster.[9]
The originalKDE based version has been discontinued since around 2018.[10]
As of April 2020, the core developers of Q4OS, initially starting the project inGermany,[11] are now operating inPrague,Czech Republic.[12][13]
It comes with either theTrinity Desktop Environment, which is a fork ofK Desktop Environment 3.[14] orKDE Plasma 5
LookSwitcher, which lets the user switch visual themes
Desktop Profiler, which automatically installs some packages and programs that may be ideal for the user according to the profile that they choose
Q4OS Software Centre, which lets the user install some recommended packages and programs from a list
Q4OS Welcome Screen, which helps the user with some initial tweaks
Stable versions of Q4OS are derived from Debian'sStablerelease branch withlong-term support that lasts five years after their initial release.[15] Developmental "testing" versions of future releases are derived from the Debian Testing branch.[16]
| Version[17] | Codename | Release date | End-of-life | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old version, not maintained: 0.5.0 | 2013-07-04 | Initial Release[18] | ||
| Old version, not maintained: 1.1-RC2 | 2015-04-14 | Second release candidate of Q4OS 1.1 | ||
| Old version, not maintained: 1.2 | Orion | 2015-04-27 | Initial version to be specified under codename Orion | |
| Old version, not maintained: 1.2.3 | 2015-06-08 | TheLXQt desktop environment is now supported | ||
| Old version, not maintained: 1.4 | 2015-09-04 | Initial version to support devices running onARM architecture[19] | ||
| Old version, not maintained: 1.6.3 | 2016-08-05 | ImplementedUEFI support | ||
| Old version, not maintained: 1.8.4 | 2017-04-26 | Icedove is replaced withMozilla Thunderbird, LXQt is unsupported[20] | ||
| Old version, not maintained: 2.0.2 | Scorpion | 2016-01-06 | Initial testing version of Q4OS Scorpion | |
| Old version, not maintained: 2.3.6 | 2017-10-04 | "Final beta" release | ||
| Old version, not maintained: 2.4 | 2017-10-04 | 2022-10 | Initial stable release of Q4OS Scorpion and to provide long-term support | |
| Old version, not maintained: 2.5 | 2018-06-03 | 2023-06 | TDE is now bundled withKDE Plasma | |
| Old version, not maintained: 3.1 | Centaurus | 2018-01-29 | Initial testing version of Q4OS Centaurus | |
| Old version, still maintained: 3.8 | 2019-07-15 | 2024-07 | Initial stable release of Q4OS Centaurus | |
| Old version, still maintained: 3.10 | 2020-01-04 | 2025-01 | TDE and KDE Plasma have been split into separateinstallation images | |
| Old version, still maintained: 3.13 | 2020-12-19 | 2025-12 | TheSnapdaemon has been removed from default installation | |
| Old version, not maintained: 4.0 | Gemini | 2020-02-16 | Initial testing version of Q4OS Gemini | |
| Old version, still maintained: 4.6 | 2021-09-27 | 2026-09 | Initial stable release of Q4OS Gemini | |
| Old version, still maintained: 4.7 | 2021-11-22 | 2026-11 | ||
| Old version, still maintained: 4.8 | 2022-04-05 | 2027-04 | ||
| Old version, still maintained: 4.10 | 2022-08-01 | 2027-08 | ||
| Old version, still maintained: 4.11 | 2022-12-24 | 2027-08 | ||
| Old version, still maintained: 4.12 | 2023-05-03 | 2027-08 | Calamares installer has been polished | |
| Old version, not maintained: 5.0 | Aquarius | 2023-03-27 | Initial testing version of Q4OS Aquarius | |
| Latest version:5.2 | 2023-07-08 | 2028-06 | Initial stable release of Q4OS Aquarius | |
| Latest version:5.3 | 2023-10-14 | 2028-06 | ||
| Latest version:5.4 | 2023-11-28 | 2028-06 | ||
| Latest version:5.5 | 2024-07-08 | 2028-06 | ||
| Latest version:5.6 | 2024-09-04 | 2028-06 | ||
| Latest version:5.7 | 2024-11-14 | 2028-06 | ||
Legend: Old version, not maintained Old version, still maintained Latest version Latest preview version Future version | ||||
SourceForge featured Q4OS as "Community Choice" Project of the Month in April 2020.[13]
In January 2022,TechRadar considered Q4OS as one of the best light-weight Linux distributions of the year for its Windows installer and support for older hardware, notably systems running on32-bit processors.[21]
Quarkos (formerly known as Quark) is an official fork of Q4OS that uses anUbuntu base instead ofDebian.[22] It describes itself as a 'user-friendly, desktop oriented operating system based on Ubuntu Linux'.[23] It comes in two variants, one of which uses the same desktop theme as Q4OS, while the other uses a visual theme similar toWindows 10.[24]
Quark 20.04 'Focal' was the first release, coming with the same base as Ubuntu 20.04. It was released on 25 September 2020, featuring only the KDE Plasma 5 desktop.[23] On 3 November 2020, the development team announced thatMicrosoft Edge was now available for Linux, and users of Quark would be able to install it by downloading a .esh file from the Q4OSGitHub repository.[25]
Quark 20.04.4, released 24 September 2021 added bugfixes from upstreamKubuntu.[26] On 9 October 2021, the development team announced the general availability of the Windows installer for Quark 20.04 Focal.[27]
Quark 20.04.5 was made available on 28 November 2021, bringing bugfixes from Kubuntu and Trinity desktop environment R14.0.11.[28] An updated version of the Quark installer for windows was released on 2 February 2022.[29]
Quark 20.04.6 brought security bugfixes from upstream Kubuntu.
Quark 21.10 'Impish' testing was announced on 9 October 2021, based on Kubuntu 21.10 and tools backported from Q4OS 4 'Gemini'.[30] It was released with a stable version on 18 October 2021, with KDE Plasma 5.22 by default and the Windows and Q4OS themed variants. It also came with another edition with the Trinity 14.0.11 desktop backported from Q4OS.[31] Quark 21.10 was supported until 2 August 2022, following the end of support for Ubuntu 21.10.
Quarkos 22.04 'Jammy' was released on 24 August 2022, based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Plasma 5.24. It will be supported until at least April 2027.[32]
Quarkos 22.04 changes the branding from simply Quark to Quarkos, bringing separate installation media for the Trinity desktop, which has been updated to R14.0.12, but with the KDE Plasma edition as the default.[32]
Quarkos 22.04.5 and 22.04.6 were released on 29 December 2022[33] and 27 February 2023[34] respectively, each bringing security updates and bugfixes from upstream Ubuntu.
Quarkos 22.04.7 was released on 19 March 2023, and brought updates from the latest release of Ubuntu 22.04. It also replaced much of the Q4OS branding with its own, including artwork, logos and branding integrated into the system.[35] The source code was made available on the Q4OS project GitHub.[36]
Quarkos 22.04-r8, released on 23 June 2023, brought the newest patches from Ubuntu 22.04 and Q4OS. It improves the Debonaire Plasma theme, updates the Trinity Desktop Environment to version 14.1.1 and includes fixes for the Trinity audio system.[37]
FreeXP is a system based Q4OS which included XPQ4. Users can set up the system using a .esh file to install the full set of features, or a live installer with the changes already made.[38] The purpose of the project is to provide an 'XP Simulation', similar to howFreeDOS emulatesMS-DOS, making it easy to run legacyWindows XP applications and executables.[39] The standalone project has merged with the XPQ4 project, where users can download FreeXP, XPQ4 installer for the Plasma or Trinity desktop, and 'Free10', a project similar to FreeXP but emulating Windows 10.[38]
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