Get involved – Simple-Project

Test Simple OS on your computer

Every release is tested in virtual machines, but real computers are all a bit different. Right now, tests on these setups are missing the most:

Desktop PCs with an NVIDIA graphics card
Laptops with AMD processors or graphics
Dual boot next to Windows
Computers with Secure Boot turned on

How to test

Start Simple OS from a USB stick (see the installation guide). You don't have to install it; the live system is enough for most checks.
Check the basics: Wi-Fi, sound, microphone, screen brightness, external monitor, Bluetooth, sleep and wake up.
Open an issue on GitHub with your computer model and what worked and what didn't. Short is fine.

Hardware checks that are still open are listed on the roadmap and as “Verify …” issues on GitHub.

Report bugs

If something doesn't work, please report it, even if it seems small. The Help page explains what to include.

Suggest ideas

Missing a setting, an app or a feature? Open an issue and describe what you'd like to do. Explaining the situation (“I want to …, but …”) helps more than a finished solution. Planned things are on the roadmap.

Translations

The Simple OS tools are only in English at the moment. A Language & Region page and translations are planned for version 1.1. If you'd like to help translate into your language, open an issue so it can be planned together.

Build Simple OS yourself

Simple OS is built with Debian's live-build tools. You need a Debian 12 system (or the included Containerfile) and root rights for the build.

git clone https://github.com/FreakySneaky787/Simple-OS.git
cd Simple-OS
sudo ./build_iso.sh

The finished ISO, its checksum and a package list end up in the output/ folder. ./build_iso.sh --config-only only creates the live-build configuration and doesn't need root.

To test the ISO, ./test_vm.sh starts it in QEMU in BIOS, UEFI or UEFI with Secure Boot mode (UEFI needs OVMF). ./test_installed_vm.sh starts the installed disk afterwards.

Folder / file	What's in it
`config/`	The live-build configuration
`config/includes.chroot/`	Files that end up in the image, at the same path as on the installed system
`tools/`	Release and branding tools
`TESTING.md`	The test checklist
`ROADMAP.md`	The roadmap shown on this website

Build Simple Organizer yourself

Simple Organizer only uses the Python standard library. To run it from source you need Python 3.11 or newer with Tkinter:

git clone https://github.com/FreakySneaky787/Simple-Organizer.git
cd Simple-Organizer
python3 main.py

How to build the Windows .exe yourself is explained in the wiki: Building from Source.

How the project works

Releases

Work is committed locally and normally pushed to GitHub together with a release, so the main branch usually matches the newest published version. Sometimes work for the next version is pushed earlier. The release tags (for example v1.0.3) always match exactly what was published, so the code you're running is the tag of your version.

On release day the steps are always in this order:

git push
Build
Test
Sign
Publish

Simple OS updates are published to a signed package repository. That's how installed systems update themselves.

Issues and the project board

Issues follow the work, not the push. As soon as something is done and tested without hardware, its issue is closed with the comment “done, ships in X.Y.Z” and its item on the project board is set to Done, even before the release.

Anything that still has to be checked on a real computer stays open as a “Verify …” issue.

Good to know: if an issue is closed but you don't have the fix yet, it comes with the version named in the closing comment.

Plans and testing

ROADMAP.md: the plan and release cadence, also shown on the roadmap page
TESTING.md: everything that's tested before a release

Simple Organizer also goes through regular code reviews. Version 3.4.5 fixed 13 issues from the fourth review.