You haven't heard from us in a while. That's because we were busy creating a brand new OS: Free Rabbits OS.

We are very proud to announce the launch of the first version today. Our Karotz is running this version for a few weeks now, and is stable and happy with it.

So why a new OS? Because there isn't much activity on OpenKarotz anymore. And because software evolves, and tools like Busybox (used by your rabbit) also, we thought it would be the right time to create this new OS. 

Well, what's this all about? What are the new or different features and where does it differ from OpenKarotz?

• Free Rabbits OS is based on the latest Rootfs from Violet/Mindscape. That is version 12.07.19.00.
• Free Rabbits OS runs on a new version of BusyBox (currently the latest version from 2015).
• We included Dropbear as an SSH server. It is not enabled by default, but you easily can do this by using one of our "packages".
• A webserver (htttp), Telnet- and FTP-server are enabled by default. You can use your browser for the webserver, use the Windows Telnet client for Telnet or use WinSCP to connect to your Karotz.
• We made changes in the boot process, so some of the system files are not read-only anymore. For example, you can now add users or change passwords because /etc/password is not read-only anymore. The same for the /etc/inetd.conf file, so you can add internet services. You can also disable services like Telnet or FTP. 
• We use our own (bash) connection scripts to connect to WIFI or Ethernet, no dependencies on other scripts. The scripts of Violet/Mindcape are also used by OpenKarotz and are too complicated. 
• Our installation will only flash your factory default Karotz once. OpenKarotz flashes your Karotz twice: once from USB and when updating using the webserver. This takes time, but is also a risk.
• Free Rabbits OS comes with additional functionality that can be installed with one mouse-click using your webrowser. Currently, we offer three packages: OpenKarotz (on top of Free Rabbits OS), Enable SSH to enable the Dropbear SSH server and Free Rabbits TimeButton to use the TimeButton Appstore. You can find these packages at http://[ip-address-of-your-karotz]/install.
• We removed the dependencies on not existing update servers from Violet/Mindscape and cleaned some stuff like (bash) scripts.
• The syslog is enabled by default. You can also view the syslog (and other useful system information) using the build in webpage at http://[ip-address-of-your-karotz]/install

That's currently all we did. More will come in the future, but only if you are as enthousiast as we are and want to provide us with feedback and tips. Contact us if you need information or assistance!

Go and download your copy of Free Rabbits OS today! 

Have fun!

Oh, by the way: we added 10 new podcasts to the appstore. Take a look at "Myths and Legends", a story telling app. Or listen to TED talks. Or cool house music: the Deep House Cat Show. And for our French rabbits: we added 4 French podcasts from France Bleu.