This repository exists because BOSS does not provide a native Linux distribution of the ES-8 Editor. It packages the official BOSS ES-8 Editor assets inside a community-maintained Electron wrapper for Linux.
For the most reliable startup, connect your BOSS ES-8 over USB and power it on before launching the editor.
If the editor starts without the device attached, the window should stay open, but MIDI connection errors can appear and the editor will not sync until the hardware is available.
Download packages from the GitHub Releases page for this repository.
- Download
boss-es8-linux_<version>_amd64.debfrom the latest release. - Install it:
sudo dpkg -i boss-es8-linux_<version>_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f -y- Launch from your app menu (
BOSS-ES8-Linux) or run:
boss-es8-linux- Download
BOSS-ES8-Linux-<version>.AppImagefrom the latest release. - Make it executable:
chmod +x BOSS-ES8-Linux-<version>.AppImage- Launch it:
./BOSS-ES8-Linux-<version>.AppImageIf the editor opens but cannot detect the pedalboard, install the bundled udev rule:
sudo cp 80-boss-es8.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm triggerDisconnect and reconnect the ES-8 after reloading the rules.
The original BOSS/Roland editor assets included in app-core/ remain copyrighted by Roland Corporation and are not relicensed by this repository.
The third-party bundled components already shipped with the editor, such as jQuery and jQuery UI, retain their own upstream licenses as noted in the application about dialog.
Any new wrapper code, release notes, and documentation added for this community Linux packaging should be treated separately from the original vendor assets.
Install dependencies and build both Linux packages locally:
npm install
npm run packSuccessful builds are written to the dist/ directory as AppImage and deb artifacts.