CGH OS — press sheet.

Dated public facts

Release stage: 0.5.1 RC1 publicly available as an evaluation prerelease; production readiness and broad hardware compatibility are not established.

Version: 0.5.1 RC1
Platform: Intel/AMD PC evaluation; Debian 13 / GNOME
Pricing: No commercial price asserted in this sheet.

Announcement first published: 2026-11-02T08:22:54.833394-05:00
Source last substantively updated: 2026-11-02T08:22:54.833394-05:00
Reported milestone: 2026-11-01 — Public evaluation prerelease

Read the source announcement and its updates · Review the CGH OS evaluation release

A desktop that people can now evaluate

CGH OS has moved from a development preview to a publicly downloadable evaluation candidate. Version 0.5.1 RC1 was published on November 1, 2026, at 8:33 p.m. Eastern, giving interested testers an official download and a documented starting point.

Built on Debian 13 with GNOME, the independent CGH derivative brings CGH Budget, CGH Workspace and desktop integration together. Its Control Center organizes Everyday, Developer, Home Lab and Security areas. The release is intended for disposable virtual storage or a spare test drive; it does not establish readiness for an important daily-use computer.

Download the complete image and verify it

The official GitHub release supplies the installation image in three ordered parts. Download all three and follow INSTALL-AND-RECOVERY.md to verify the signing-key fingerprint, signed checksums and reconstructed image. Each part is a piece of the image, not a separately bootable installer.

The release also includes the matching CGH source snapshot, five corresponding upstream-source parts, package and software inventories, license notices and a verification script. The signed distribution contains 25 files. GitHub’s two automatically generated repository source archives do not replace that corresponding-source delivery.

What the current tests establish

The release record documents an installation on a disposable virtual disk, installed-system boot, graphical login, core application launches and an actual reboot. Synthetic Budget and Workspace records and a saved document persisted through that reboot. Manual recovery testing restored synthetic data to separate disposable storage.

Those results have defined limits. The earlier HP laptop story describes a different development candidate and does not establish physical-hardware acceptance for this RC1 image. Secure Boot, encrypted installation, dual boot, Bluetooth, suspend and wake, audible sound quality, external displays and printers remain outside its accepted scope. Recovery testing does not establish bare-metal rollback or damaged-system repair.

Start with the release notes

Read the release notes and installation guidance before choosing a test environment. Keep existing security protections enabled, preserve important data and use the documented evaluation setup. The on-demand antivirus scanner is not a claim of real-time malware blocking or a complete security certification.

CGH OS is developed independently by Crawford Group Holdings. Debian and other bundled components retain their own licenses, copyrights and trademarks; Debian does not endorse this derivative. This evaluation publication makes no production-support term, compatibility warranty or fixed update-cadence commitment. The official release page contains the current materials and defect-reporting contact.

Designated visual and editorial use

Download existing image. Accessible description: Approved CGH OS orbital brand artwork with the words One System and Endless Possibilities

Use only in editorial identification under the company-coverage policy. Preserve this caption, credit and stage; an older demonstration image is not proof of the current build. Third-party elements retain their own rights. No source-code, software-distribution or third-party-logo license is granted by this sheet.

Debian and open-source notices

CGH OS is an independent derivative based on Debian. CGH OS is not affiliated with or endorsed by Debian. Debian is a registered trademark owned by Software in the Public Interest, Inc. Bundled components retain their respective copyrights and licenses. The official release supplies license notices, inventories and corresponding-source materials. This media permission does not replace or narrow those licenses, and does not sublicense Debian branding. Read the Debian trademark policy.

Use this sheet accurately

This is a dated compilation of the linked public announcement, reviewed November 5, 2026; it is not a new product release or a fresh test certification. Availability, prices and versions can change. The official product/store destination controls current purchasing and download details. No additional testing, compatibility or endorsement is established here. Ask admin@crawfordgroupholdings.com about unresolved facts before making new claims.