Media Platforms Design Team"Snow at the Baksol Outpost," one of eight wallpapers to choose from with scenes of Korean landscapes. Smuggled out from behind the nigh-impenetrable North Korean internet border, an alleged copy of RedStar 3.0—the state sanctioned operating system for North Korean Internet users—has reached the West.A hacker known as Slipstream released the copy of the OS. It’s a Linux based system, and according to IT expert Will Scott, it’s believed to be used mostly by businesses. Design-wise, it’s not far off from Apple OS X.Despite the state sanctioning, it doesn’t have as wide a user base as Debian or Ubuntu. That’s because not everybody in North Korea gets to use a computer, and North Korea doesn’t export RedStar beyond its borders.If this is truly the OS, it’s a peek at a part of the notoriously secretive nation. If not, it’s a long way to go for a gag.Media Platforms Design TeamThis is what RedStar looks like when booting up.Media Platforms Design TeamThe RedStar login screen. Media Platforms Design TeamSeoul has been removed from the available timezones. Media Platforms Design TeamThe browser is called “Naenara” and is a modified variation of Firefox. Media Platforms Design TeamIn case you were wondering, Windows 3.0 can also be started with the operating system. Via Motherboard.John WenzWriterJohn Wenz is a Popular Mechanics writer and space obsessive based in Philadelphia. He tweets @johnwenz.
