Russia Drops Its Own Operating System Called 'M OS'

Urian B., Tech Times 14 February 2023, 10:02 pm

The Russian software market is experiencing an exciting new development: the release of the "M OS" operating system, designed specifically for educational institutions and developed by the Department of Information Technologies of Moscow. The operating system is based on the Linux kernel, and a team of 25 developers worked on its development which took six months to complete.

Inclusion in the Ministry of Digital Development Register

According to the story by Giz China, it is already being distributed to Moscow schools as part of personal computers, laptops, and interactive panels. The Moscow Electronic School (MES) project team also supports and develops "M OS."

The operating system comprises popular browsers like Chromium and Mozilla Firefox, email clients including Mozilla Thunderbird and Evolution, office suites such as P7-Office and LibreOffice, and tools for creating screenshots, recording video from the screen, and working with files.

"M OS" also offers a unique feature that allows for role differentiation for teachers, parents, and students and uses the KDE graphical environment. Currently, information needs to be included on the distribution of the Russian OS was created, as well as its inclusion in the Ministry of Digital Development register.

New Domestic Operating System Brings Advanced Features to Educational Institutions in Russia

However, the MES project team stands to maintain its support for the operating system and its development. The arrival of "M OS" marks an important milestone in the Russian software market, per CNews.

With the advanced features designed specifically for educational institutions, its presence will likely contribute to the ongoing digital transformation within this sector, as also noted by Gear Rice.

The Moscow Electronic School (MES) project team recently announced the development of an additional domestic operating system for educational institutions in Russia. Named "M OS," it offers several built-in applications and specialized programs for teachers and students, a simple and intuitive interface, stable and reliable operation, and a high level of cybersecurity.

Comparing Different Domestic Operating Systems in the Educational Segment

As a result, it is already running in almost all schools in Moscow and is a part of the "Laptop for Every Teacher" project, replacing Microsoft Office in metropolitan schools. While "M OS" is one domestic operating system in the educational segment, there are at least two others, namely Basalt SPO, Red Soft, and Astra Linux.

All of them gaining a lot of attention recently due to the growing number of implementations. For example, Astra Linux OS licenses have increased six times compared to the same period in 2021, with approximately 150,000 being delivered to schools.

Advantages of Acquiring Licenses for Existing Domestic Operating Systems

However, some have voiced concerns that "M OS" might be inferior and simpler compared to Astra Linux, arguing that "meaningless" to assess its quality since it makes no sense to create another Linux distribution.

Instead, the developers should consider acquiring licenses for existing domestic operating systems and address any missing functionality that customers may require. This will result in one really powerful and advanced operating system. As "M OS" is an additional option for educational institutions, it may become a popular choice.