Red Star Linux, a Linux distribution used in North Korea, has been upgraded to version 3.0. With it comes an entire UI revamp, one that looks extremely similar to that of OS X. The menu buttons are placed on the lefthand corner of each window and many UI buttons have an “aqua” effect as seen in previous versions of OS X. Most notably however, is the addition of a dock on the bottom of the desktop that is almost identical to the dock seen in OS X.
Screenshots of the OS leaked out of Pyongyang by way of Will Scott, a computer scientist who spent a semester teaching classes at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Scott purchased the operating system at a KCC dealer in Pyongyang. The screen shot posted above is reportedly a basic version of Red Star Linux 3 without modifications. An entire album of Red Star Linux screen shots can be viewed here.
Red Star Linux can be used to connect to North Korea’s intranet, a network which goes under the name Kwangmyong, using a modified version of Firefox. This intranet browser has been branded Narnara, that, when translated to English, means “My country”.
Photo Source: Will Scott
