The ubermix is an all-free, specially built, Linux-based operating system designed from the ground up with the needs of education in mind. Built by educators with an eye towards student and teacher empowerment, ubermix takes all the complexity out of student devices by making them as reliable and easy-to-use as a cell phone, without sacrificing the power and capabilities of a full operating system. With a turn-key, 5 minute installation, 20 second quick recovery mechanism, and more than 60 free applications pre-installed, ubermix turns whatever hardware you have into a powerful device for learning. ubermix is based on Ubuntu Linux, the world's most popular Linux distribution. While Ubuntu has made huge strides in making Linux easy to use, installing and configuring it on a device can be a complex, frustrating experience for an average person. In addition, Ubuntu's default combination of applications and tools, while excellent for general purposes, tend to leave something to be desired when placed in an education environment. What we endeavor to do is configure a pre-optimized environment (reduced complexity), create a turn-key installation process (ease of deployment, scalability), build in a self-recovery mechanism (ease of management, reliability), and construct a custom interface that is as easy to use as a cell phone (easy-to-use, device-centric model). In short we compile a configuration and combination of applications that we believe to be ideal for a student in a learning environment.

Specific requirements include: Create an ideal mix of applications for student learning and creativity, while keeping the install as small as possible. Create a way for students to self-recover quickly in the event of a system problem Create a rapid installation mechanism for quickly deploying thousands (if not tens-of-thousands) of devices