8.0 Release Notes

Major Security Hole Fixed

Shock OS 7.0 Garrett had a major security hole. The Shock OS apps (apps created specifically for Shock OS that come pre-installed) that required root access used a script element called 'password-detector'. These scripts were NOT run as root, they just used password-detector to prompt for the user's password, and then store it in a plain text variable, without encryption, to be used whenever a command needs to be executed with 'sudo'. This is obviously a huge security concern.

Shock OS 8.0 Holly solves this problem. Instead of using password-detector (which has been completely purged and no longer exists), Shock OS apps that require root access are now executed using pkexec. The scripts are now run as root, as they should be, securely - and no passwords stored in variables at all.

Flatpak Support Now Pre-Installed

Shock OS 8.0 Holly now includes built-in Flatpak support. This is solely to increase the number of desktop apps available for Shock OS, especially on the 64-bit image. No Flatpaks are installed by default.

If you're not a fan of Flatpak, it can be removed without breaking anything on the system. The Shockware Center (see below) is still fully functional without Flatpak installed, but it will only show APT packages.

Shockware Center

Installing and removing desktop apps just got a whole lot easier! Thanks to the all-new Shockware Center (yes, it's short for "Shock OS Software Center"), you can browse a large selection of apps and games available for your system. The old Add / Remove Software (the software manager that is included with Raspberry Pi OS and previous versions of Shock OS) showed every single package available in the repos - whether it was an actual desktop application, a dependency or library, or a command line tool. To eliminate confusion, the Shockware Center only shows desktop applications, not dependencies, libraries, or command line tools, along with their respective icons. Double clicking on an app in the catalog will bring up an additional window with the app's description, an indicator that will tell you whether the app is available as a Debian APT package, a Flatpak, or both, and the option to install/remove it. You can also search for apps or browse certain categories.

NOTE: Due to the limited capabilities of 32-bit processors, many more apps (approximately 1,000 more) are available on the 64-bit image of Shock OS than the 32-bit one.

Finally, A Working Splash Screen That Actually Looks Good!

Most previous versions of Shock OS had no splash screen at all. Some just had a blank black screen, or a very basic Shock OS logo, both of which cause some issues on certain boot configurations. However, Shock OS 8.0 Holly finally solves these issues, using plymouth with a spinner splash screen that features the Shock OS lightning bolt and a background of clouds. It is elegant, always works, and doesn't cause any boot problems - regardless of the system's configuration.

The Parental Controls Screen Time Limit Feature Has Been Fixed

Yet another feature that was introduced with, but mostly broken in, Shock OS 7.0 Garrett, has been overhauled, fixed, and polished in Shock OS 8.0 Holly. Screen time limits now work 100% of the time, and the daemon that handles these is now much more flexible when the screen time limit is changed or removed for a child by their parents. All known loopholes and exploits have been patched, and the system clock is always synced with network time (if connected to the internet) upon login, ensuring proper timekeeping.

New Update Manager

Since Add / Remove Software, along with the update manager it provided, is no longer included with Shock OS, a replacement was needed. The new Shock OS Update Manager periodically checks for updates for both APT packages and Flatpaks. If any are found, an icon will appear in the system tray notifying the user. The user can then click on the icon, revealing the Update Manager window, which will list all of the updates and, using an icon, signal whether each update is for an APT package or a Flatpak. The user can then choose to install those updates. While the update manager can always be launched from the start menu, the system tray icon will not appear if automatic updates are enabled.

New Release Upgrader

The Shock OS Release Upgrader also received an overhaul, although most changes are under-the-hood. However, the Release Upgrader can now be disabled through the Update Manager for those who do not want to be notified of new Shock OS Releases. Just go to Update Manager -> Settings -> Notify me of new versions of Shock OS.

New Themes Manager

The Themes app was first introduced in Shock OS 6.0 Finlay as "Themes & Colors". It only allowed choosing between a dark and light theme and an accent color, and was restricted to the default Shock OS look and feel. Then, with Shock OS 7.0 Garrett, a separate app for managing third party themes, icons and cursors came along. However, it had to be accessed by pressing a button in the original Themes & Colors app, and it had no installer, requiring the users to manually extract their themes to the correct directory. Managing themes on Shock OS 7.0 Garrett was confusing, inconsistent, and not very user-friendly.

Shock OS 8.0 Holly gets rid of these older themeing apps and replaces them with "Themes", the all-in-one theme manager. The new app makes it easier to switch between themes, icons, and cursors - both Shock OS and third party. Third party themes (from now on, when "themes" is mentioned, that includes icons and cursors too) can be installed, renamed or deleted with ease. It is now super easy to browse for themes online, and installing them is now fully automatic. Just click 'Install', select your folder or archive containing your theme, and it will be scanned and copied to the necessary directories automatically.

Package Installer

Similar to the Update Manager, the absence of the 'Add / Remove Software' program created the need for a new .deb package installer. Conveniently titled 'Package Installer', the app lets you install .deb packages. The app will ensure that the .deb package is the correct architecture for your system, and notify you if it is in an incompatible architecture. If the package is already installed on your system, the program will let you know if the .deb is an upgrade, downgrade, or the same version as what you have installed, and prompt you as to whether or not you would like to install it.

Shock OS Imager

A special imaging tool designed to flash Shock OS images to SD cards and USB sticks (including USB HDDs and USB SSDs). Whether you want to give Shock OS to a friend, install it on another one of your Raspberry Pis, or reinstall Shock OS on a Pi that already has it, Shock OS Imager is the tool for the job. It automatically detect all available versions of Shock OS, all external storage devices attached to your Pi, and prompt you to select a version of Shock OS (the latest by default) and a storage device to flash it to. A reliable internet connection is always required when flashing an image for the first time, but images are cached on your system when you flash them, meaning that if you wanted to flash the same version of Shock OS again, you wouldn't need to re-download it because it is already cached on your computer. This significantly decreases the time it takes to flash an image that you plan to flash more than once. However, these images take up 1-2 GBs of space each, and that can add up, especailly if you don't have a lot of storage. That's why cached images can easily be deleted from start window of the application to free up space.