MAX (operating system)

MaX, also known as Madrid_linux is a linux distribution created with funds from the Conserjería de Educación, Juventud y Deporte of the Comunidad de Madrid adapted for use in educational environments. The main features of this operating system are simplicity, stability and a huge collection of software. MaX started out simply as an educational distribution made for lower performance computers, since most of the computers in the schools of the Comunidad de Madrid had only 32 bits and very little RAM, so they had problems with the main operating systems. Later, more members were joining the Max Group and were receiving suggestions for improvements, additions. In 2013 they already had 60 members, including professors of all kinds. During the first versions of MaX it was used with the KDE desktop environment and only supported 32-bit computers of the i486 architecture, until MaX version 3, where the processor architecture was changed to i386, also 32-bit. In MaX version 4, the desktop environment was changed to GNOME, one of the most widely used in Linux, and in version 5 support for 64-bit computers with x86_64 architecture was added. In version 7, the desktop environment was changed to Xfce. In version 9 the desktop environment was changed again to Mate, and in version 11 support for 32-bit computers ended. The MaX team has participated in events of schools, such as 'Program-me at IES Clara del Rey, with the purpose of supporting new talents; or with IES Príncipe Felipe at MediaLab Prado, to encourage diffusion of MaX. MaX has held many conferences over the years, almost annually, to present future versions of MaX, create workshops, or hold install parties. The conference was held online in 2021. The community of users actively participates, testing the system, reporting problems, contributing with improvement proposals, helping other users or sharing with their peers the benefits of using this system. In return, MAX will work better and better, it will adapt better to the real needs of the teachers and the students.