The OpenELEC team has release the final version of OpenELEC 5.0. This is the first version of OpenELEC based on Kodi 14 which is the renamed XBMC project. This version also includes a bump in the version of the Linux kernel from 3.16 to 3.17 and a switch to LibreSSL from OpenSSL.

Due to the name change many of the file references have changes so the OpenELEC team are advising a full backup and perform a system reset after the upgrade. OpenELEC have builds for a variety of platforms including the Raspberry Pi. More info and the download links on OpenELEC.tv

OpenELEC-5.0 is the next stable release, which is a feature release and the successor of OpenELEC-4.2.

The headline change is the update from XBMC 13 (Gotham) to Kodi 14 (Helix) and the big switch from XBMC to Kodi branding. Both project teams have conducted a major find/replace but if you spot residual mentions of XBMC anywhere please let us know. The name change affects more than the GUI; all references in code have been changed and in the OpenELEC filesystem /storage/.xbmc will be recreated as a symlink to /storage/.kodi to ensure hardcoded paths in addons or scripts continue to work. For information on Kodi 14 you can find on http://kodi.tv/kodi-14-0-helix-unwinds/ .

Due to the potential for typo-bugs and breakage from Kodi renaming YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO MAKE A FULL BACKUP before performing a manual update and perform a “Reset System Settings to defaults (Soft Reset)” after the update.

Please note many addons and skins remain to be ported by their developers. This is out with our control an until this happens they will either not work or be marked as broken by Kodi. If an addon or skin is essential to you please confirm with its developer prior to upgrade if it is compatible with Kodi (Helix).

Other notable “under the hood” changes include a version bump from v3.16 to v3.17 Linux kernel, and a switch from OpenSSL to LibreSSL following the heartbleed disclosure. The LibreSSL package includes better licensing and allows OpenELEC to be simplified by removing support for other cryptographic libraries such as GnuTLS.

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