MODICIA O.S.

Overview

Modicia OS is a free, open-source Linux distribution based on the Debian Stable fork. Designed for multimedia professionals, creative workers (such as musicians, graphic designers, and video producers), and general users, it provides a ready-to-use workstation environment. Maintained by the Italian developer team (SIITE SRLS and Boost Media APS), and hosted on modiciaos.cloud and SourceForge, it supports x86_64 architecture (amd64) and is available for desktop, laptop, and Live USB modes (no installation required). Modicia OS uses the apt package manager and comes pre-installed with over 2,487 packages, including professional multimedia tools (such as Kdenlive, Krita, Audacity, and Blender) and office suites (such as LibreOffice), and includes the Cinnamon desktop environment by default. It emphasizes plug-and-play functionality and optimized performance, achieving a 25% speedup (according to the developers) through a custom kernel and pre-configuration, and supports WineHQ (Windows compatible) and private cloud integration.

History and Development

• Origins:
  • 1998: The Modicia OS project was launched by an Italian developer team as a Linux platform for education and vocational training. Initially based on Slackware, it targeted art colleges and design schools.
  • Early versions were named "Modicia O.S.", focusing on multimedia education, and registered with the Monza and Brianza Chambers of Commerce.
• Development History:
  • 2000s: Migrated to an Ubuntu base, introduced pre-installed multimedia tools, and was used in Italian schools.
  • 2012: Moved to the Debian Stable branch for improved stability.
  • 2018: The Mariani series was launched, based on Debian 9 "Stretch," adding the Cinnamon desktop and a real-time kernel.
  • June 2020: Modicia OS Mariani 8 Commercial Edition released, pre-installed with 2,000+ packages, optimized RAM compression (25% speedup).
  • May 2022: Community Edition Ultimate released, based on Debian 11 "Bullseye", supporting WineHQ and private clouds.
  • November 19, 2025: Modicia OS Mariani 8 Community Edition released, based on Debian 12 "Bookworm", kernel 6.1 LTS, pre-installed with 2,487 packages, including 23 exclusive tools and the Queen Teodolinda theme.
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by SIITE SRLS and Boost Media APS, hosted on modiciaos.cloud and SourceForge.
  • Supports English/Italian/Chinese. Documentation includes installation guides and a forum (Google Groups), but forum verification requires phone verification.
  • Reddit users call Modicia OS "the dark horse of multimedia Linux."
• Open source license:
  • GPL v3 (core).

Key Features

Modicia OS, with its pre-installed multimedia tools, real-time kernel, and exclusive themes, is suitable for creative workstations. Here are its key features:

1. Debian Stable base:
   • Based on Debian 12 "Bookworm," offering 5 years of support and using apt package management.
2. Cinnamon desktop environment:
   • Default Cinnamon, requiring 500-800 MB of RAM, supports multiple layouts and extensions.
3. Pre-installed software (2,487 packages):
   • Multimedia: Kdenlive, Krita, Blender, Audacity, MuseScore, GIMP, Inkscape.
   • Office: LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE.
   • Development: Geany, Python, Git.
4. Real-Time Kernel:
   • Pre-installed Real-Time Kernel (RT) for optimized audio/video latency.
5. Exclusive Themes and Tools:
   • Themes: Queen Teodolinda, King Agiulfo (Light/Dark).
   • Tools: 23 exclusive utilities (custom scripts) and WineHQ (Windows compatible).
6. Private Cloud Integration:
   • Pre-installed Nextcloud for file synchronization.
7. Hardware Compatibility:
   • Supports x86_64, kernel 6.1 LTS compatible with Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA.
   • Minimum Requirements: 1 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, 20 GB disk space (4 GB RAM, 50 GB disk space recommended).
8. Security and Privacy:
   • Supports ufw firewall and AppArmor.
9. Development Support:
   • Pre-installed with Python 3, Git, Geany, and supports Flatpak.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages:

• Out of the box: Pre-installed with 2,487 packages, including a complete multimedia suite, superior to Ubuntu's basic installation.
• Performance optimization: Real-time kernel and RAM compression, speeding up by 25%, suitable for creative work.
• Educational focus: Used in Italian schools, stable and reliable.
• Private cloud: Nextcloud integration, superior to standard Debian.
• Community support: Active SourceForge, providing ISO and forums.

Limitations:

• Difficult forum access: Google Groups requires phone verification, inconvenient for seeking help.
• Update frequency: Based on Debian Stable, software versions are relatively old.
• Community size: Smaller than Ubuntu, limited Chinese documentation.

Summary

Modicia OS is a free and open-source Debian Stable-based Linux distribution. Mariani 8 (November 19, 2025) is based on Debian 12, with a 6.1 LTS kernel, pre-installed with 2,487 multimedia/office packages, the Cinnamon desktop, and real-time kernel optimizations for 25% performance. It is designed for creative workstations, offering WineHQ and private cloud integration. Modicia OS emphasizes out-of-the-box usability and an educational focus, but its forums are difficult to access, and its community is small.