LibreELEC 9.0 Beta 1 Linux distro (based on Kodi 18 'Leia' RC3) now available
Kodi is an excellent open source media player, allowing the user to have an immersive experience with both music and video. While the software gets a bad reputation due to people using it for piracy, many folks only use it for legal media consumption. As more and more illegal Kodi add-on maintainers face legal trouble, and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu remain competitively priced, fewer folks may seek pirated content. In fact, the LibreELEC developers claim the "Kodi piracy scene continues to decline."
Not familiar with LibreELEC? Please know it is a Linux distribution that exists solely to run Kodi. It supports many hardware configurations, including traditional x86_64 for PC and ARM for devices like Raspberry Pi and WeTek. Following the release of Kodi 18 'Leia' RC3, LibreELEC 9.0 (8.95.1) Beta 1 becomes available for download. Its most significant change is a clever way to handle Kodi start up crashes due to buggy add-ons. After five consecutive crashes, the OS will boot without any Kodi add-ons, allowing the user to at least have a usable device.
"LibreELEC 9.0 (Leia) Beta 1 has finally arrived after a long gestation period. Based upon Kodi v18 RC3, the 9.0 Beta 1 release contains many changes and refinements to user experience and a complete overhaul of the underlying OS core to improve stability and extend hardware support. Kodi v18 also brings new features like Kodi Retroplayer and DRM support that (equipped with an appropriate add-on) allows Kodi to unofficially stream content from services like Netflix and Amazon," says The LibreELEC Team.
ALSO READ: New Kodi 18 'Leia' Release Candidate (RC3) available to download now!
The team further says, "Changeable SSH passwords and a default firewall configuration have been added to combat the increasing number of HTPC installs that can be found on the public internet. The increase is partly due to simple maths; our userbase has grown so the number of users inappropriately exposing their HTPC to the internet has also grown. The static password for libreelec is present on most/all password dictionary lists so it’s important we start encouraging users to change it (the first-run wizard will prompt when SSH is enabled)."
ALSO READ: Ubuntu-based Linux Mint 19.1 'Tessa' finally available with Cinnamon, MATE, or Xfce
The LibreELEC Team shares the following changes in Beta 1.
- Changeable SSH passwords
- Default firewall (iptables) with simple configurations for Home/Public networks
- Updates are moved to their own menu, other options are cleaned up a little
- Safe Mode boot when Kodi experiences startup problems
ALSO READ: Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS comes to Dell Precision 5530 and 3530 mobile workstations
Ready to download LibreELEC 9.0 Beta 1? Please use the below links. Be sure to tell us how it works for you in the comments below.
- RPi 2/3 LibreELEC-RPi2.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- RPi 0/1 LibreELEC-RPi.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- Generic LibreELEC-Generic.x86_64-8.95.001.img.gz
- Odroid_C2 LibreELEC-Odroid_C2.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- KVIM LibreELEC-KVIM.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- LePotato LibreELEC-LePotato.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- Slice LibreELEC-Slice.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- Slice3 LibreELEC-Slice3.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- WeTek_Core LibreELEC-WeTek_Core.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- WeTek_Hub LibreELEC-WeTek_Hub.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- WeTek_Play LibreELEC-WeTek_Play.arm-8.95.001.tar
- WeTek_Play LibreELEC-WeTek_Play.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
- WeTek_Play_2 LibreELEC-WeTek_Play_2.arm-8.95.001.img.gz
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