Linux news

Mandriva Linux 2009.1 Beta

2009-02-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

Anne Nicolas has announced the availability of the beta release of Mandriva Linux 2009.1:

"The beta release of Mandriva Linux 2009.1 (code name 'Margaux') is now available. This beta version provides some updates on major desktop components of the distribution, including KDE 4.2.0, GNOME 2.25.90, Xfce 4.6 RC1, X.Org server 1.5, OpenOffice.org 3.0.1, Qt 4.5.0 RC1. This beta version proposes step 1 of Speedboot, which should improve the boot time. It’s not enabled by default, to test it, enter the 'speedboot' keyword at boot time. This release is available as a DVD edition (32-bit or 64-bit) with a traditional installer, two CDs GNOME or KDE with a traditional installer. You will also find live CD 'One' edition with proprietary drivers for KDE or GNOME environment."

See the release announcement and release notes for more details. Download: mandriva-linux-free-2009.1-dvd-i586.iso (4,475MB, MD5), mandriva-linux-free-2009.1-dvd-x86_64.iso (4,461MB, MD5), mandriva-linux-one-2009.1-beta-KDE4-int-cdrom-i586.iso (701MB, MD5), mandriva-linux-one-2009.1-beta-GNOME-int-cdrom-i586.iso (651MB, MD5).

NetBSD 5.0 RC2

2009-02-16T02:31:00.000-08:00

Soren Jacobsen has announced the availability of the second release candidate for NetBSD 5.0

"On behalf of the NetBSD Release Engineering team, I am proud to announce that the second release candidate of NetBSD 5.0 is now available for download. Since RC1, 103 tickets were pulled up. Interested readers can find the details of these tickets in src/doc/CHANGES-5.0. RC2 represents a great deal of progress over RC1, but with that amount of change, increased time for testing is required. To put it bluntly, there will definitely be a third release candidate. We are aware of a number of release-blocking issues, but it is important that we get a jump on testing the many changes made since RC1."

Here is the brief release announcement. As always, installation CD images for 40 processor architectures are available for download from these mirrors; quick links to the i386 and amd64 CD images: i386cd.iso (238MB), amd64cd.iso (252MB).

SimplyMEPIS 8.0 RC3

2009-02-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

Warren Woodford has announced the availability of the third release candidate for SimplyMEPIS 8.0:

"MEPIS has distributed ISO files for RC3 of SimplyMEPIS 8.0. For RC3, the kernel has been updated to upstream version 2.6.27.15. QEMU 0.9.1+svn, libvirt 0.6, virt-manager 0.6.1, and virtinst 0.400.1 are available from the MEPIS pool to better match the virtualization configuration of the MEPIS kernel. At user requests, Firefox 3.0.6, OpenOffice.org 3.0.0, and libgphoto2 2.4.3 updates were added to the SimplyMEPIS build. Community members have improved the MEPIS Network Assistant, the MEPIS manual and they have added an autorun intro to MEPIS to the CD. When will SimplyMEPIS 8.0 be released? MEPIS developer, Warren Woodford, says, 'MEPIS 8.0 is in good shape but since MEPIS is meant to have a Debian stable core, I'd prefer to wait and declare it final when Debian Lenny is released.'"

Here is the full release announcement. Download: SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.96-rc3_32.iso (679MB, MD5), SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.96-rc3_64.iso (673MB, MD5).

TinyMe 2009 Alpha 1

2009-02-11T00:42:00.000-08:00

The first alpha release of TinyMe 2009, a minimalist Linux distribution based on PCLinuxOS, is now ready for testing:

"It's time for the first alpha of what will become TinyMe 2009 'Acorn'. We've decided that our former naming scheme was too confusing to people and so from now the larger release will be called 'Acorn' (or a translation of that) and the smaller release will continue to be called 'Droplet'. What's different from TinyMe 2008.0? Linux kernel 2.6.26.8; LZMA compression on the live CD; LXPanel now conforms to PCLinuxOS menu system; drives are now identified by UUID rather than /dev/xxx; added Osmo, a personal information manager; added Hv3 as an alternative browser alongside Opera; removed XArchiver as PCManFM has (de)compression abilities already built in; removed gFTP and GThumb; SLiM instead of GDM."

Read the rest of the release notes for further details. Download: TinyMe-2009-Acorn-Alpha-1.i586.iso (186MB, MD5).

Linux Mint 6 "x86_64"

2009-02-10T06:14:00.000-08:00

Clement Lefebvre has announced the release of Mint 6 "x86_64" edition, an Ubuntu-based distribution designed for computers with 64-bit processors:

"On behalf of the team I am proud to announce that Linux Mint 6 'Felicia' is now available in a 64-bit edition. This release comes with all the innovations featured in Linux Mint 6 and, for the very first time, with the 64-bit editions of the Adobe Flash and Sun Java plugins! The purpose of the x86_64 edition is to offer the same desktop features as the main edition but in a 64-bit environment. It aims to be as similar to the main edition as possible. More packages are available for i386 than they are for x86_64 and the main edition is also slightly more stable than its 64-bit equivalent. The main edition only recognizes a maximum of 4 GB RAM though and even on computers with less than 4 GB RAM the performance gain provided by x86_64 over the main edition can significantly enhance the user's experience."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more details. Download: LinuxMint-6-x64.iso (682MB, MD5).

PCLinuxOS 2009 Beta 3

2009-02-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

The third public beta release of PCLinuxOS 2009 is out and ready for testing:

"The Ripper Gang is pleased to announce the third public beta ISO release of what will ultimately become PCLinuxOS 2009. This beta features kernel 2.6.26.8, KDE 3.5.10, OpenOffice.org 3.0, Firefox 3.0.5, Thunderbird 2.0.0.14, KTorrent, Amarok, Flash, Java JRE, Compiz Fusion 3D and much more. We request that only our more experienced PCLinuxOS users test this beta release and report any issues with it in the forum provided specially for it. Testers are advised to install this beta into a separate partition for temporary use only. This and any subsequent betas are considered static installs and will not be upgradeable to the 2009 Final, so please don't install this with the idea of using it long-term as a work station."

Here is the full release announcement. Download: PCLinuxOS-N1PTT-TR6.iso (691MB, MD5).

Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 4

2009-02-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Steve Langasek has announced the availability of the fourth alpha build of Ubuntu 9.04, code name "Jaunty Jackalope":

"Welcome to Jaunty Jackalope Alpha 4, which will in time become Ubuntu 9.04. It includes a number of software updates that are ready for large-scale testing." New features: "Updated packages; the latest X.Org server, version 1.6; font dot-per-inch settings are now optimized based on your monitor's capabilities; new style for notifications and notification preferences; Linux kernel 2.6.28; option of installing on the new ext4 file system, ext3 remains the default."

Read the release announcement and release notes for further details and known issues. Download (MD5): jaunty-desktop-i386.iso (690MB, torrent), jaunty-desktop-amd64.iso (695MB, torrent). Most other Ubuntu sub-projects have also released new alpha images; these include Kubuntu (download, release notes), Xubuntu (download) and Ubuntu Studio (download).

Fedora 11 Alpha

2009-02-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

The first test build of the upcoming Fedora 11 is out:

"The Fedora project is proud to present the availability of Fedora 11 (Leonidas) Alpha. The Alpha release provides the first opportunity for the wider community to become involved with testing Fedora 11 by way of Rawhide." Some of the more interesting features of this release include: "Windows Cross Compiler (mingw32-*); ext4 and Btrfs file systems, mew volume control; PackageKit firmware support; GNOME 2.26 development snapshot, KDE 4.2 RC 2 and Xfce 4.6 Beta; NetBeans 6.5, Python 2.6, Git 1.6.1.1."

Read the release announcement and release notes for more information. Download the installable live CD images from these Fedora mirrors or via BitTorrent: F11-Alpha-i686-Live.iso (636MB, SHA1, torrent), F11-Alpha-i686-Live-KDE.iso (698MB, SHA1, torrent), F11-Alpha-x86_64-Live.iso (641MB, SHA1, torrent), F11-Alpha-x86_64-Live-KDE.iso (703MB, SHA1, torrent).

Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 RC2

2009-02-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

Otavio Salvador has announced the availability of the second release candidate of the Debian Installer for "Lenny", the upcoming release of Debian GNU/Linux 5.0. As usual, the installer comes with the complete set of Debian "Lenny" packages on CD, DVD and Blu-ray images. From the release announcement:

"The Debian Installer team is pleased to announce the second release candidate of the installer for Debian GNU/Linux 'Lenny'. Improvements: updated Linux kernel (2.6.26-13) and external modules (2.6.26-5); available modules for PATA devices on CD-ROM images; improved brltty device support; support firmware loading from USB devices in SPARC; improved support for encrypted partitions in rescue mode; fixed multi-arch CD - it no longer boots directly to the amd64 installer; updated installation guide with a re-added Spanish translation...."

The most common way to install Debian "Lenny" is by using the "netinst" CD images, which can be downloaded from here: debian-Lenny-DI-rc2-i386-netinst.iso (150MB, MD5), debian-Lenny-DI-rc2-amd64-netinst.iso (131MB, MD5).

SimplyMEPIS 8.0 RC2

2009-02-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

Warren Woodford has announced the availability of the second release candidate for SimplyMEPIS Linux 8.0:

"SimplyMEPIS 8.0 RC2 - on the home stretch. For RC2, the kernel has been updated to upstream version 2.6.27.12. Kvm 83 is available from the MEPIS pool to better match the virtualization configuration of the MEPIS kernel. GRUB has been updated to fix a 'stage 2' error that was encountered in some rare circumstances. The MEPIS Assistants were updated to work with virtio drivers. BIND was updated to 9.6.0-P1 to support NSEC3 for DNSsec. SimplyMEPIS developer, Warren Woodford, reports: 'I apologize to anyone who was expecting 8.0 to be final by now. It's taking longer than I had hoped but I think we are very close to a final release.'"

Here is the brief release announcement. Download: SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.95-rc2_32.iso (677MB, MD5), SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.95-rc2_64.iso (671MB, MD5).

VectorLinux 6.0 RC4

2009-01-30T02:28:00.000-08:00

The fourth release candidate for VectorLinux 6.0 is now available for testing:

"The VectorLinux team has released the fourth and, we hope, final release candidate of VectorLinux 6.0. There were more issues then we anticipated and some major upgrades to key programs that we feel requires another RC before we can feel comfortable with a final release. This release builds on the previous release candidate with a all new 2.6.27.12 kernel and the new ALSA sound release 1.0.19 that insures functionality for many of the new netbooks and fixes a ton of problems with the intel-hda sound module. The GUI installer has been further tweaked with more bug fixes that address some smaller problems. More hardware-related issues that were reported in the last release have been fixed. There have been security updates to critical packages such as OpenSSL and NTFS-3G. We have included 4 versions of NVIDIA drivers that should cover all generations of video chipsets."

Here is the brief release announcement. Download: VL6.0-STD-RC4.iso (699MB, MD5).

Ubuntu 8.04.2

2009-01-28T10:48:00.000-08:00

An updated set of CD and DVD images of Ubuntu 8.04, a distribution with long-term security support (5 years on servers, 3 years on desktops), was released today:

"The Ubuntu team is proud to announce the release of Ubuntu 8.04.2 LTS, the second maintenance update to Ubuntu's 8.04 LTS release. This release includes updated server, desktop, and alternate installation CDs for the i386 and amd64 architectures. In all, over 200 updates have been integrated, and updated installation media has been provided so that fewer updates will need to be downloaded after installation. These include security updates and corrections for other high-impact bugs, with a focus on maintaining stability and compatibility with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS."

Read the release announcement and summary of changes for a detailed list of all updates. Download (MD5): ubuntu-8.04.2-desktop-i386.iso (698MB, torrent), ubuntu-8.04.2-desktop-amd64.iso (696MB, torrent).

Mandriva Linux 2009.1 Alpha 2

2009-01-25T15:15:00.000-08:00

Anne Nicolas has announced the availability of the second alpha release of Mandriva Linux 2009.1:

"The second pre-release of Mandriva Linux 2009.1 is now available. This alpha 2 concentrates on updating of the major desktop components of the distribution, including KDE 4.2 RC1, GNOME 2.25.4, Xfce 4.6 Beta 4, X.Org server 1.5, Python 2.6.1. Alpha 2 will also propose a complete rewriting of msec, the security framework of Mandriva Linux, which allows even beginners to configure a secure system. Together with msec, some improvements in the DiskDrake tool including ext4 in available file systems and better labels management. This release is available only in the DVD and dual-architecture CD Free edition with a traditional installer and no proprietary applications; beta version will add the live CD edition with proprietary drivers."

Read the release announcement and release notes for more information. Download: mandriva-linux-free-2009.1-alpha2-dvd-i586.iso (4,468MB, MD5), mandriva-linux-free-2009.1-alpha2-dvd-x86_64.iso (4,462MB, MD5).

Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 3

2009-01-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

Steve Langasek has announced the availability of the third alpha release of Ubuntu 9.04 "Jaunty Jackalope"

"Welcome to Jaunty Jackalope Alpha-3, which will in time become Ubuntu 9.04. New features: updated packages; X.Org server 1.6 - in the short term, this will again cause increased instability for some users while the video drivers catch up; new style for notifications and notification preferences - a simple menu which can be used to set preferences for notification icons, such as where they pop up on the taskbar; includes the 2.6.28 kernel based on 2.6.28-rc8; ext4 installation support - supports the option of installing on the new ext4 file system, ext3 is likely to remain the default for Jaunty."

Read the release announcement and release notes for more details. Download (MD5): jaunty-desktop-i386.iso (691MB, torrent), jaunty-desktop-amd64.iso (697MB, torrent). Also available are alpha 3 CD/DVD images for Kubuntu (download, release notes), Xubuntu (download), Ubuntu Studio (download) and Mythbuntu (download).

VectorLinux 6.0 RC2

2009-01-11T23:42:00.000-08:00

Robert Lange has announced the availability of the second release candidate for VectorLinux 6.0:

"The VectorLinux team has released the second release candidate of VectorLinux 6.0. This release builds on the previous betas and release candidate, using an all new 2.6.27.10 kernel with patches to the ALSA sound drivers that ensure functionality for many of the new netbooks. The GUI installer has been further tweaked with bug fixes and some new language translations. Many hardware related issues that were reported in the last release have been fixed. There have been security related updates to critical packages, such as Samba. Xfce has been rebuilt to include patches for better audio and video functionality. LXDE went through a major overhaul so that all works as expected. There were some minor tweaks to the graphics and some new packages were added."

Here is the brief release announcement. Download: VL6.0-STD-RC2.iso (695MB, MD5).

FreeBSD 7.1

2009-01-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

The first big release of the new year is FreeBSD 7.1:

"The FreeBSD Release Engineering Team is pleased to announce the availability of FreeBSD 7.1-RELEASE. This is the second release from the 7-STABLE branch which improves on the functionality of FreeBSD 7.0 and introduces some new features. Some of the highlights: The ULE scheduler is now the default in GENERIC kernels for amd64 and i386 architectures; support for using DTrace inside the kernel has been imported from OpenSolaris; a new and much-improved NFS Lock Manager (NLM) client; boot loader changes allow, among other things, booting from USB devices and booting from GPT-labeled devices; the cpuset(2) system call and cpuset(1) command have been added, providing an API for thread to CPU binding and CPU resource grouping and assignment; KDE updated to 3.5.10, GNOME updated to 2.22.3; DVD-sized media for the amd64 and i386 architectures."

See the release announcement and release notes for further details. Download (torrents): 7.1-RELEASE-i386-dvd1.iso.gz (1,808MB, MD5, torrent), 7.1-RELEASE-amd64-dvd1.iso.gz (1,806MB, MD5, torrent).

SimplyMEPIS 8.0 RC1

2009-01-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Warren Woodford has announced the availability of the first release candidate for SimplyMEPIS 8.0:

"ISO files of RC1 of SimplyMEPIS 8.0 have been released for 32-bit and 64-bit processors. The kernel in RC1 has been updated to upstream version 2.6.27.10 and the wl wireless driver has been updated to improve reliability. Some minor changes have taken place "under the hood" to address issues that were reported by individual testers. Warren Woodford, the builder of SimplyMEPIS, says: 'There have been lots of good updates from the upstream Debian developers. I know they are working very hard to finalize the release of Lenny, which is the foundation for SimplyMEPIS 8.0.'"

Here is the brief release announcement. Besides the new SimplyMEPIS release candidate, the project has also announced the availability of the first test of MEPIS antiX, a lightweight distribution for older computers. Download the CD images from here: SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.94-rc1_32.iso (657MB, MD5), SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.94-rc1_64.iso (651MB, MD5), antiX-M8-public-test1.iso (389MB, MD5).

FreeBSD 7.1 RC2

2008-12-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

Ken Smith has announced the second release candidate for FreeBSD 7.1

"FreeBSD 7.1-RC2 is now available, the second of the release candidates. Unless an as yet undiscovered show-stopper comes along the release itself will be anywhere from a week to two weeks from now. We might be doing it next week since the release test cycle has gone on for quite a while now and the latest thing that delayed the release was a security advisory (SAs don't typically get or need much in the way of public testing). The traffic we're seeing on the lists and in Gnats is certainly stuff we'll pay attention to and deal with but isn't quite severe enough to warrant further delaying an already severely delayed release."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more information and update instructions. Download: 7.1-RC2-i386-dvd1.iso.gz (1,809MB, MD5), 7.1-RC2-amd64-dvd1.iso.gz (1,807MB, MD5).

Mandriva Linux 2009.1 Alpha 1

2008-12-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

Adam Williamson has announced the availability of the first alpha release of Mandriva Linux 2009.1, now shipping with KDE 4.2 beta 2:

"The first pre-release of Mandriva Linux 2009.1 is now available. This alpha concentrates on updating to the major desktop components of the distribution, including KDE 4.2 beta 2, GNOME 2.25.2, Xfce 4.6 beta 2, X.Org server 1.5, and kernel 2.6.28-rc8. It is also the first distribution to introduce the major new Tcl/Tk release, 8.6. The alpha is available only in the DVD 'Free' edition with a traditional installer and no proprietary applications; future pre-releases will add the live CD 'One' edition with proprietary drivers. Please help test this first pre-release and report bugs to Mandriva."

Read release announcement and release notes for more details. Download: mandriva-linux-free-2009.1-alpha-dvd-i586.iso (4,451MB, MD5), mandriva-linux-free-2009.1-alpha-dvd-x86_64.iso (3,903MB, MD5).

VectorLinux 6.0 RC1

2008-12-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

Robert Lange has announced the availability of the first release candidate for VectorLinux 6.0:

"The VectorLinux development team is proud to announce the first release candidate of VectorLinux 6.0. This release is the result of the excellent bug reporting feedback from members of our community. We have tried to squash most of the bugs reported and add some additional polish to the default theme and the GUI installer. The installer has gone through many rewrites, we think you will find many improvements both in design and execution. We have updated several software packages and have added the all-new slapt-get notifier which automatically notifies the user via a tray icon that software updates are available. The browser plugins have been updated to the latest Flash 10 and MPlayer Plugin. Firefox, Opera, Seamonkey, gFTP, Pidgin and our own Vl-hot have all been updated."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more details. Download: VL6.0-STD-RC1.iso (699MB, MD5).

Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 2

2008-12-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

Steve Langasek has announced the availability of the second alpha release of Ubuntu 9.04 "Jaunty Jackalope":

"The Jaunty Jackalope Alpha 2 is the second alpha release of Ubuntu 9.04, bringing with it the earliest new features for the next version of Ubuntu. New features: packages -- applications and software of all kinds -- are being updated at a rapid pace; the latest X.Org server, version 1.6, is available; includes the 2.6.28-3.4 kernel based on 2.6.28-rc8. Known issues: The binary ATI and NVIDIA proprietary drivers and are not yet supported for this server and will exhibit various serious issues if run against it; choosing the 'encrypt home' option on the Ubuntu server or alternate CD will cause the installation to fail at user setup time...."

Read the release announcement and visit the features page on Ubuntu Wiki to find out more. Interested beta testers can download (MD5 the desktop CD images from here: jaunty-desktop-i386.iso (692MB, torrent), jaunty-desktop-amd64.iso (698MB, torrent).

openSUSE 11.1

2008-12-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

openSUSE 11.1, a community Linux distribution sponsored by Novell, has been released.

"The openSUSE project is proud to announce the release of openSUSE 11.1. The openSUSE 11.1 release includes more than 230 new features, improvements to YaST, major updates to GNOME, KDE, OpenOffice.org, and more freedom with a brand new license, Liberation fonts, and openJDK. This is also the first release built entirely in the openSUSE Build Service. Desktop users will find a lot to like in this release. Users can choose from the leading edge of GNOME and KDE development with GNOME 2.24.1 and KDE 4.1.3. We've also included KDE 3.5.10 for users who prefer the classic KDE experience."

Read the release announcement and press release, and visit the product pages to learn more about the new openSUSE 11.1. Download (mirror list) one of the installable live CDs: openSUSE-11.1-KDE4-LiveCD-i686.iso (663MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-GNOME-LiveCD-i686.iso (652MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-KDE4-LiveCD-x86_64.iso (683MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-GNOME-LiveCD-x86_64.iso (682MB, MD5, torrent).

Linux Mint 6

2008-12-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

Clement Lefebvre has announced the release of Linux Mint 6, code name "Felicia":

"The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 6 'Felicia'. Based on Ubuntu 8.10 'Intrepid Ibex', Linux 2.6.27, GNOME 2.24 and X.Org 7.4, Linux Mint 6 comes with a brand new software manager, FTP support in mintUpload, proxy support and history of updates in mintUpdate, mint4win (a Windows installer), tabbed browsing in Nautilus and a lot of other improvements."

Besides the main edition, the project has also announced a new Linux Mint 6 "Universal" edition, a complete Linux Mint live DVD with support for dozens of languages, but without any media codecs (these can be installed separately). Consult the release announcement and feature overview for system requirements, known issues and upgrade instructions. Download: LinuxMint-6.iso (664MB, MD5).

Slackware Linux 12.2

2008-12-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

Patrick Volkerding has announced the release of Slackware Linux 12.2

"Well folks, it's that time to announce a new stable Slackware release again. Since we've moved to supporting the 2.6 kernel series exclusively (and fine-tuned the system to get the most out of it), we feel that Slackware 12.2 has many improvements over our last release (Slackware 12.1) and is a must-have upgrade for any Slackware user. Among the many program updates and distribution enhancements, you'll find two of the most advanced desktop environments available today: Xfce 4.4.3 and KDE 3.5.10. Slackware 12.2 uses the 2.6.27.7 kernel bringing you advanced performance features such as journaling filesystems, SCSI and ATA RAID volume support, SATA support, Software RAID, LVM (the Logical Volume Manager), and encrypted file systems."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more details. Download: slackware-12.2-install-dvd.iso (3,962MB, MD5, torrent).

SimplyMEPIS 8.0 Beta 6

2008-12-10T05:16:00.000-08:00

Warren Woodford has announced the sixth beta release of SimplyMEPIS 8.0:

"ISO files of the sixth and last anticipated beta of SimplyMEPIS 8.0 are available for 32 and 64 bit processors. In beta 6, the kernel has been updated to upstream version 2.6.27.7 and the extra drivers have been rebuilt for the new kernel. This kernel release fixes an error in the last release that resulted in the tg3 driver being disabled. An 'Alternate' CD boot selection has been added in response to feedback that this provides a workaround for a problem that some users have had when trying to boot from CD. Flash has been updated to version 10 and there have been several updates to the MEPIS Assistant applications in response to suggestions from the community."

Read the rest of the release announcement for further information. Download: SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.93-beta6_32.iso (612MB, MD5), SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.93-beta6_64.iso (686MB, MD5).

VectorLinux 6.0 Beta 2

2008-12-09T02:03:00.000-08:00

Robert Lange has announced the availability of the second beta release of VectorLinux 6.0:

"The VectorLinux development team is proud to announce the second beta release of VectorLinux 6.0. We have worked hard to debug the first beta release based on reported bugs, and we have also refined the look and feel with a brand new theme. The GUI installer is just about there - more feedback is welcome. This release features the 2.6.27.7 kernel with the latest wireless drivers and firmware updates. The default window manager is Xfce, with LXDE as an alternate. We have the latest Firefox, Opera and SeaMonkey with all the media codecs and Flash so all the web and personal media content is available out of the box. We have some of the all-time favorite games, including Penguin command, Pysol and Xgalaga. The latest stable Perl 5.10 has also been added."

Here is the complete release announcement. Download: VL6.0-STD-B2.iso (691MB, MD5).

PCLinuxOS 2009 Beta 2

2008-12-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

The second public beta release of PCLinuxOS 2009 is out and ready for testing:

"The Ripper Gang is pleased to announce the second public beta ISO release of what will ultimately become PCLinuxOS 2009. This beta features Linux kernel 2.6.26.8, KDE 3.5.10, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, Firefox 3.0.4, Thunderbird 2.0.0.17, Frostwire, KTorrent, Amarok, Flash, Java JRE, Compiz Fusion 3D and much more. We request that only our more experienced PCLinuxOS users test this beta release. Testers are advised to install this beta into a separate partition for temporary use only. This, and any subsequent beta ISO images are considered static installs and will not be upgradeable to the 2009 final, so please don't install this with the idea of using it long-term as a work station."

Here is the full release announcement with a list of up-to-date download mirrors. Get the installable live CD from here: PCLinuxOS-N1PTT-TR5.iso (690MB, MD5).

Slackware Linux 12.2 RC1

2008-12-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Patrick Volkerding has announced that the development branch of Slackware Linux has reached release candidate status:

"While there are still some documents that need updating and probably a few more tweaks and updates here and there, everything is mostly in place for the next stable release, Slackware Linux 12.2. The versions of major components like X.Org and the kernel can be considered frozen. Anything major that we haven't done yet will probably wait for the release after this next one. As Slackware 12.2 is only a 0.1 version bump, we're trying to focus on making it better without causing instability or losing compatibility with Slackware 12.1 wherever possible. Invasive changes like the new X.Org (that will require changes to xorg.conf) and merging KDE 4 should probably wait for Slackware 13.0. We will call this batch Slackware 12.2 release candidate one."

Read the updated Slackware current changelog for more information. As always, Slackware doesn't publish ISO images of release candidates, but unofficial DVD images, built weekly from the current tree, are available at ftp.slackware.no; download the latest one from here: slackware-current-02_Dec_2008-DVD.iso (3,616MB, MD5).

FreeBSD 6.4

2008-12-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

FreeBSD 6.4, a new stable version of the project's legacy 6.x branch, has been released.

"The FreeBSD Release Engineering team is pleased to announce the availability of FreeBSD 6.4-RELEASE. At this time 6.4-RELEASE is expected to be the last of the 6-STABLE releases. Some of the highlights: new and much-improved NFS Lock Manager (NLM) client; support for the Camellia cipher; boot loader changes allow, among other things, booting from USB devices and booting from GPT-labeled devices with GPT-enabled BIOSes; DVD install ISO images for amd64 and i386; KDE updated to 3.5.10, GNOME updated to 2.22.3; updates for BIND, Sendmail, OpenPAM, and other packages."

Read the release announcement and release notes for further information. Download (torrents): 6.4-RELEASE-i386-dvd1.iso.gz (1,738MB, MD5), 6.4-RELEASE-amd64-dvd1.iso.gz (1,720MB, MD5).

openSUSE 11.1 RC1

2008-12-01T01:16:00.000-08:00

The first and only release candidate for openSUSE 11.1 is out and ready for final testing.

"The openSUSE Project is happy to announce that openSUSE 11.1 RC 1 is now available. If all goes well, this will be the last testing release before the final 11.1 public release on December 18th. This release includes a number of bug fixes and changes since 11.1 beta 5, as well as a new license. It is ready for widespread testing, and we are encouraging everyone to download and work with the testing releases to find any critical bugs before release. Major changes in this release include: a new, shorter distribution license; Linux kernel 2.6.27.7; glibc 2.9; additional translations; Amarok 2.0 RC1; Zypper 1.0.1."

Here is the full release announcement. Download the installable live CDs: openSUSE-11.1-RC1-KDE4-LiveCD-i686.iso (664MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-RC1-GNOME-LiveCD-i686.iso (653MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-RC1-KDE4-LiveCD-x86_64.iso (678MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-RC1-GNOME-LiveCD-x86_64.iso (655MB, MD5, torrent).

VectorLinux 6.0 Beta 1

2008-11-29T22:14:00.000-08:00

Robert Lange has announced the availability of the first beta release of VectorLinux 6.0

"The VectorLinux development team is proud to announce the first beta release of VectorLinux 6.0. The big news is that VectorLinux has a new GUI installer for the first time! This was built from the ground up and not a rehash of any of the other GUI installers. This release features the 2.6.26.8 kernel, with the latest wireless drivers and firmware updates. The default window manager is Xfce with LXDE as an alternate. We have the latest Firefox, Opera and SeaMonkey with all the media codecs and Flash so all the web and personal media content is available out of the box. For light office work you will find the latest AbiWord and Gnumeric. The included multimedia applications are the latest MPlayer, Xine, K3b and VLC."

Here is the full release announcement. Download: VL6.0-STD-B1.iso (633MB, MD5).

Elive 1.9.18 (Unstable)

2008-11-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

The Elive project continues its rapid release cycle of development builds that will eventually lead to Elive 2.0. The latest version is 1.9.18

"The Elive team is proud to announce the release of the development version 1.9.18. This version includes a greatly improved new kernel and a lot of upgraded packages. Changes: Network Configurator is now perfectly usable and stable; Firefox bookmarks have been updated with new entries - a good list of GIMP links and tutorials, a big list of articles about Elive since its first version, and also some about EFL development; Linux kernel updated to version 2.6.26.8; all the currently available wireless drivers have been added, including the newest ath9k for Atheros cards; the bug about the WEP encryption in MacBooks has been finally solved using the new ath9k driver included on this kernel."

Read the complete release announcement for further information. Download: elive_1.9.18_unstable.iso (680MB, MD5).

Fedora 10

2008-11-28T02:27:00.000-08:00

The Fedora project has announced the release of Fedora 10

"The Fedora Project, a Red Hat sponsored and community-supported open source collaboration project, today announced the availability of Fedora 10, the latest version of its free, open source operating system distribution. This release includes the premiere of a new graphical boot system called Plymouth, designed to speed up the boot process by taking advantage of a new kernel mode setting feature. Fedora 10 also features increased hardware support for a vast array of webcams, and better handling of printers via both direct physical connections and networks. Further, PackageKit, a software management tool that originally debuted in Fedora 9, has been extended in this release to provide on-demand codec software installation."

Read the press release and check out the detailed release notes for more information. Download (mirror list): F10-i686-Live.iso (681MB, SHA1, torrent), F10-i686-Live-KDE.iso (679MB, SHA1, torrent), F10-x86_64-Live.iso (684MB, SHA1, torrent), F10-x86_64-Live-KDE.iso (684MB, SHA1, torrent).

Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 1

2008-11-23T06:46:00.000-08:00

Colin Watson has announced the first alpha release of Ubuntu 9.04, code name "Jaunty Jackalope":

"Welcome to Jaunty Jackalope Alpha 1, which will in time become Ubuntu 9.04. The primary changes from Intrepid have been the re-merging of changes from Debian. We've also been spending some time getting the new ARM port up and running, although its build daemons are still catching up so installable images will have to wait for a future alpha release. This is the very first roughly working set of images off the production line, and they haven't all been tested, so you should expect some bugs. Prominent among these are that some of the images are oversized and can only be tested using a DVD or a virtual machine, and that the desktop CD isn't ready yet! This release consists only of the alternate and server CDs; the desktop CD will follow in the next Alpha release."

Here is the full release announcement. Download (MD5) the installation CD images from here: jaunty-alternate-i386.iso (699MB), jaunty-alternate-amd64.iso (700MB). Also released today were the 9.04 alpha 1 images for Kubuntu (download), Xubuntu (download), Ubuntu Studio (download) and Mythbuntu (download).

Astaro Security Gateway 7.4 Beta

2008-11-21T00:49:00.000-08:00

Astaro has announced the availability of a public beta release of Astaro Security Gateway (ASG) 7.4 :

"Astaro would like to invite you to participate in the 7.4 beta test program. Our new release introduces many new and exciting things that you have asked us for. We've listened, and you will now have functions such as HTTPS scanning and WAN link balancing. The following new features are being introduced: scan and filter HTTPS content; block programs that use HTTPS to circumvent or tunnel around the proxy filters; make full use of multiple Internet connections; automatically balance traffic; create detailed rules for what traffic should use which gateway; automatically fail-over across prioritized connections when needed; balance and use more than just two connections..."

Read the full release announcement for a complete list of new features. Download: asg-7.350-081120-2.iso (476MB, MD5).

Debian 5.0 RC1

2008-11-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

Strictly speaking, this is a release candidate for the Debian installer only, but since the release includes a full set of Debian

"Lenny" CD and DVD images, it is perfectly suitable for testing the entire distribution. From the announcement: "The Debian Installer team is proud to announce the first release candidate of the installer for Debian GNU/Linux 'Lenny'. Improvements in this release: improved support for live CD installation media; support for some NAS devices based on Marvell's ARM-compatible Orion chip; installer images for Netwinder have been added again; installer images for i386 Xen guests; support for hardware speech synthesis has been added; upgrade of packages early in pkgsel, for example to get available security updates for base system packages; support for loading firmware from (removable) media during the installation...."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more information. Quick download links to the i386 and amd64 "netinst" CD images: debian-testing-i386-netinst.iso (150MB, MD5), debian-testing-amd64-netinst.iso (132MB, MD5).

openSUSE 11.1 Beta 5

2008-11-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

An unscheduled fifth beta of openSUSE 11.1 was released for testing today:

"openSUSE 11.1 beta 5 is now available for immediate download and testing. You may have noticed that we were scheduled to release RC 1 today. However, as Stephan Kulow mentioned on openSUSE-Factory list on Tuesday, we have several blocker bugs and 11 P1 bugs still present. While we're ready to do another release today, we decided that it wasn't ready to be called a release candidate. This shouldn't push back the final release, but it will mean that we will only plan to have one release candidate. Major changes include: more 11.1 branding is now in place; upgrade to PackageKit 0.3.9; KDE4 - NetworkManager and power management plasmoids now available; integration of Smolt finished; Linux kernel updated to 2.6.27.5; KDE 4.1.3...."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more information. Download: openSUSE-11.1-Beta5-KDE4-LiveCD-i686.iso (658MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-Beta5-GNOME-LiveCD-i686.iso (676MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-Beta5-KDE4-LiveCD-x86_64.iso (672MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-Beta5-GNOME-LiveCD-x86_64.iso (680MB, MD5, torrent).

Linux Mint 6 RC1

2008-11-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

Clement Lefebvre has announced the availability of the first release candidate for Linux Mint 6, now based on the recently released Ubuntu 8.10:

"Linux Mint 6 'Felicia' RC1 released! Based on Ubuntu 8.10 'Intrepid Ibex', Linux kernel 2.6.27, GNOME 2.24 and X.Org 7.4, Linux Mint 6 comes with a brand new software manager, FTP support in mintUpload, proxy support and history of updates in mintUpdate, tabbed browsing in Nautilus and a lot of other improvements. Highlights: mintInstall 5, the software manager with a new offline front-end, support for multiple portals, versions information; mintUpdate 3, a brand new update manager with a new GUI, history of applied updates, proxy support, improved stability; mintUpload 2 with FTP support; mintNanny - minimal parental control...."

Read the release announcement and release notes for further information. Download (MD5): LinuxMint-6-RC1.iso (662MB).

Sabayon Linux 3.5.1

2008-11-12T05:19:00.000-08:00

Fabio Erculiani has announced the release of Sabayon Linux 3.5.1:

"Sabayon Linux has released an update for the 3.5 branch. The primary focus of this release is to provide a version that is current with the Entropy repository for the 3.5 branch. This will alleviate the updating that is currently necessary after installing Sabayon Linux 3.5. Since this is primarily a maintenance release, Sabayon Linux recommends that users who already have an installed version of Sabayon Linux 3.5 wait for the release of Sabayon Linux 4.0 to update their installations. Distribution features: Linux kernel 2.6.26 with extended wireless, laptop (UMPC, like Eee PC), file system (Unionfs, Aufs, Squashfs, ext4, NTFS-3G) support; out-of-the-box hardware detection, input devices, GPUs, wireless; outstanding easy-to-setup 3D desktop, gaming support, thanks to Compiz Fusion 0.7.8 and a set of free top-tier games included or available; X.Org server 1.4.2 (7.3), KDE 3.5.10, GNOME 2.22.3, Entropy 0.23.8."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more details.

Download: Sabayon-Linux-x86-3.5.1.iso (4,168MB, MD5, torrent),

Sabayon-Linux-x86_64-3.5.1.iso (4,199MB, MD5, torrent).

FreeBSD 6.4 RC2

2008-11-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Ken Smith has announced the availability of the second release candidate for FreeBSD 6.4:

"The second release candidate for FreeBSD 6.4 is now available. FreeBSD 6.4-RC2 should be the last of the public test builds for the FreeBSD 6.4 release cycle. Unless a big show-stopper is found from this round of testing we should begin the 6.4-RELEASE builds in about a week and a half. We encourage you to test out 6.4-RC2 and report any problems by submitting PRs or via email to the freebsd-stable list. One of the things that could use some testing is the late-arriving patches to sysinstall that should eliminate the excessive disc swapping that previous releases had if things like GNOME or KDE were installed as part of the initial CD-ROM install."

Read the full release announcement for more details.
Download:
6.4-RC2-i386-disc1.iso (585MB, MD5),
6.4-RC2-amd64-disc1.iso (650MB, MD5).

Ubuntu 8.10

2008-11-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the big Ubuntu release day! The long-awaited stable release of Ubuntu 8.10, code name "Intrepid Ibex", is now out:

"The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop and Server, continuing Ubuntu's tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution. New Features since Ubuntu 8.04 LTS: GNOME 2.24; X.Org 7.4; Linux kernel 2.6.27; encrypted private directory; guest session; Network Manager 0.7; Samba 3.2; PAM authentication framework; Totem BBC plugin; server virtualization; Ubuntu as a Xen guest; JeOS is now an option in the server installer; notable inclusion in the main repository - Sun's Java OpenJDK 1.6, Apache's Tomcat 6, ClamAV, SpamAssassin; boot degraded RAID setting...."

See the release announcement and release notes and features overview for further information. Download (MD5): ubuntu-8.10-desktop-i386.iso (699MB, torrent), ubuntu-8.10-desktop-amd64.iso (699MB, torrent).

SimplyMEPIS 8.0 Beta 4

2008-10-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Warren Woodford has announced the availability of the fourth beta release of SimplyMEPIS 8.0, a beginner-friendly desktop Linux distribution based on Debian's testing branch:

"ISO files of the fourth beta of SimplyMEPIS 8.0 are available for 32-bit and 64-bit processors. In this release the kernel has been updated to the upstream version 2.6.27.3 and the Broadcom wl driver is now available for wireless network cards. The MEPIS Network Assistant has been updated to address the incompatibility between the open source b4x drivers and the wl or NDISwrapper drivers."

Here is the brief release announcement. Interested beta testers can download the live CD images from here: SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.91-beta4_32.iso (660MB, MD5), SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.91-beta4_64.iso (678MB, MD5).

Dreamlinux 3.5 RC4

2008-10-28T04:27:00.000-07:00

The Dreamlinux development team has announced the fourth release candidate for Dreamlinux 3.5, a Debian-based distribution with a Mac OS X-like user interface :

"After a lot of hard work and testing we are proud to announce the release candidate 4 which moves us one step closer to the end-of-the-year final release of Dreamlinux 3.5. There has been one major change and a few smaller changes, and a whole heap of updates. Dreamlinux is known for being slick and very fast, and unfortunately, GNOME appears to become slower and bulkier every release so it has been omitted. Main components: Xfce 4.4.2, wicd network manager, Linux kernel 2.6.27, X.Org 7.2, Compiz Fusion, OpenOffice.org 2.4, GIMP 2.6, Iceweasel 3.0.2, Flash Player 10. A few extra ideas are still being thrown around for the final release, so keep an eye out for more updates."

Visit the project's user forum to read the full release announcement. Download: DL3.5-RC4_211008.iso (697MB, MD5).

openSUSE 11.1 Beta 3

2008-10-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

Christoph Thiel has announced the third beta release of openSUSE 11.1:

"The openSUSE project is proud to announce the availability of beta 3 of the 11.1 release. It's a few days late, but much better for the delay. Beta 3 is now available for immediate download and testing. Major changes in this release include: live CDs for x86 and x86_64 GNOME and KDE; OpenOffice.org 3.0; Mono 2.0 Final; Linux 2.6.27.1 (fixes e1000e issue); parts of 11.1 branding are now in place; GNOME 2.24. Installing openSUSE 11.1 beta 3 on Mac OS X machines should work fine. KVM is broken in this release due to a kernel configuration change before beta 3. OpenOffice.org 3.0 integration continues and should be much better in this release."

Here is the full release announcement.
Download: openSUSE-11.1-Beta3-KDE4-LiveCD-i386.iso (682MB, MD5, torrent), openSUSE-11.1-Beta3-GNOME-LiveCD-i386.iso (693MB, MD5, torrent). Full installation DVD images are only available via BitTorrent: openSUSE-11.1-Beta3-DVD-i386.iso (3,766MB), openSUSE-11.1-Beta3-DVD-x86_64.iso (3,952MB).

SimplyMEPIS 8.0 Beta 3

2008-10-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Warren Woodford has announced the third beta release of SimplyMEPIS 8.0:

"The third beta of SimplyMEPIS 8.0 has been released for 32-bit and 64-bit processors. The only major change for this release is a switch to the recently released 2.6.27 kernel. Warren Woodford of MEPIS explains this unexpected move, 'In general, the 2.6.26 kernel was working well, but we knew of a couple of problems. The Intel e01000 series drivers needed to be updated and Aufs seemed to be a bit unstable. In 2.6.27 the Intel and kernel teams have addressed several Intel driver issues and, in my personal experience, Aufs seems to be stable again. As a bonus, 2.6.27 enhances support for IPv6, which we think will become more and more important during the life cycle of the 8.0 release.'"

Here is the release announcement.
Download: SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.90-beta_32.iso (659MB, MD5), SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.90-beta_64.iso (676MB, MD5).

FreeBSD 7.1 Beta 2

2008-10-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ken Smith has announced the availability of the second beta release of FreeBSD 7.1:

"As the next step in the release cycle for FreeBSD 7.1 builds for FreeBSD 7.1-BETA2 are now available for testing. The ISO images and FTP install trees are available on the FreeBSD mirror sites. The amd64 and i386 sets include a preliminary set of packages, not what is expected to be included with the release itself. The biggest change is that kde-lite was used this time, while the full kde3 will most likely be used for the release. If you would like to do a source-based update to 7.1-BETA2 from an already installed machine you can update your tree to RELENG_7 using normal cvsup/csup methods. The freebsd-update utility supports binary upgrades of i386 and amd64 systems running earlier FreeBSD releases."

Read the rest of the release announcement for further information. Download: 7.1-BETA2-i386-disc1.iso (552MB, MD5), 7.1-BETA2-amd64-disc1.iso (547MB, MD5).

PCLinuxOS 2009 Beta 1

2008-10-20T02:46:00.000-07:00

The PCLinuxOS development team has announced the availability of the first public beta release of PCLinuxOS 2009:

"The Ripper Gang is pleased to announce the first public beta ISO release of what will ultimately become PCLinuxOS 2009. This beta ISO features kernel 2.6.26.6, KDE 3.5.10, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, Firefox 3.0.3, Thunderbird 2.0.0.14, FrostWire, KTorrent, Amarok, Flash, Java JRE, Compiz Fusion 3D and much more. We decided to use KDE 3.5.10 as our default desktop as we could not achieve a similar functionality from KDE 4. We will however offer KDE 4 as an alternative desktop environment available from the repository once we stabilize it. We request that only our more experienced PCLinuxOS users test this beta release and report any issues with it in the forum provided specially for it."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more information and download links. Interested beta testers can get the CD image from here: PCLinuxOS-N1PTT-TR3.iso (651MB, MD5).

Elive 1.9.10

2008-10-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Version 1.9.10 is the latest test release of Elive, a Debian-based distribution with a heavily customised Enlightenment 17 desktop:

"The Elive team is proud to announce the release of the development version 1.9.10. This version doesn't include Exalt (a network configuration tool) any more, but there is a new application in Elpanel. Ibar is replaced by Itask-ng - Elive now has a zooming bar similar to the one in Mac OS X. It also has another feature enabled by default - 'lock icons', which prevents the user from removing icons accidentally. Vim color scheme hacks - the default color theme of Elive has been hacked for better development and coding. PDF printer - it is now possible to create PDFs from a page, document, or anything just by selecting to print to a PDF file in the printer menu. Networks - this version includes a new application called net-connector for configuring WiFi and wired connections."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more details. Download: elive_1.9.10_unstable.iso (673MB, MD5).

FreeBSD 6.4 RC1

2008-10-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Ken Smith has announced the availability of the first release candidate for FreeBSD 6.4, the project's production legacy branch.

"As the next step in the release of FreeBSD 6.4, the FreeBSD 6.4-RC1 builds are now available for testing. This is the first of an expected two release candidates. We encourage you to test out the release candidates, reporting any problems by submitting PRs or via email to the freebsd-stable list. If you would like to do a source-based update to 6.4-RC1 from an already installed machine you can update your tree to RELENG_6_4 using normal cvsup/csup methods. Note that as a somewhat inconvenient side-effect of the primary FreeBSD source repository now being in SVN the creation of the RELENG_6_4 branch in the CVS repository wound up checking in a 'new' version of every file, in some cases only changing the FBSDID."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more details. Download: 6.4-RC1-i386-disc1.iso (580MB, MD5), 6.4-RC1-amd64-disc1.iso (629MB, MD5).

Puppy Linux 4.1

2008-10-08T03:11:00.000-07:00

Barry Kauler has announced the release of Puppy Linux 4.1:

" Version 4.1 continues the hectic pace of development, with ground-breaking new applications and under-the-hood architectural improvements over 4.00. Ground-breaking apps include our new Psip VOIP and PPLOG personal blog. Under-the-hood includes faster boot times, much better hardware detection, and new 'pup_event' architecture (including desktop drive icons). Here is a summary of milestones: 2.6.25.16, 2.6.21.7 kernels; more drivers; SCSI kernels; LZMA-enabled kernel; improved PCMCIA support; hardware detection; new pup_event system; faster boot; Psip VoIP; PPLOG blog; Pmusic audio player; Ayttm chat client; virus checker; network wizard; huge number of updated applications.... "

Read the comprehensive release notes for further details. Download: puppy-4.1-k2.6.25.16-seamonkey.iso (94.3MB, MD5), puppy-4.1retro-k2.6.21.7-seamonkey.iso (94.7MB, MD5).

openSUSE 11.1 Beta 2

2008-10-04T02:37:00.001-07:00

Christoph Thiel has announced the second beta release of openSUSE 11.1:

"The first beta release for 11.1 was so popular, we have decided to do it again! The openSUSE project is happy to announce the release of openSUSE 11.1 beta 2, available for immediate download and testing. Major changes in this release include: live CDs for GNOME and KDE, VirtualBox 2.0.2, OpenOffice.org 3.0RC2, GNOME 2.24.0, KDE 4.1.2, Mono 2.0RC3, Compiz 0.7.8. This release is ready for widespread testing and we're encouraging everyone to download and test it."

The release announcement also includes a note on the current status of the troublesome e1000e network module, warning for users of OpenOffice.org, and a list of other known issues. Currently only the installation DVD images are available for download (BitTorrent only): openSUSE-11.1-Beta2-DVD-i386.iso (3,711MB), openSUSE-11.1-Beta2-DVD-x86_64.iso (3,960MB).

Ubuntu 8.10 Beta

2008-10-03T03:35:00.000-07:00

Steve Langasek has announced the beta release of Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex"

"The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the beta release of Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop and Server. Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition delivers the features you need for an increasingly mobile digital life, including 3G wireless support and guest sessions that lets users temporarily share computers without compromising security. Ubuntu 8.10 Server consolidates its support for virtualization with an integrated virtual machine builder, and brings with it a fully-supported Java stack and support for per-user directory encryption. The Ubuntu 8.10 family of variants, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, UbuntuStudio, and Mythbuntu, also reach beta status today."

Read the release announcement and release notes for further details. Download (MD5): ubuntu-8.10-beta-desktop-i386.iso (695MB, torrent), ubuntu-8.10-beta-desktop-amd64.iso (698MB, torrent). Also released were 8.10 beta builds of Kubuntu (download, release notes), Xubuntu (download, release notes), Ubuntu Studio (download) and Mythbuntu (download).

Fedora 10 Beta

2008-10-02T03:06:00.000-07:00

Jesse Keating has announced the availability of the beta release of Fedora 10:

"Fedora 10 Beta: Cambridge's foundations are laid. Just on the heels of the Fedora project's fifth anniversary, the beta of Fedora Linux version 10 (code-named Cambridge) is now available. Among the new, fun, and interesting features: new NetworkManager with connection sharing; improved printer handling; Sectool, an auditing and security testing framework; RPM 4.6, the first big RPM change in several years; new version of PackageKit for managing software, with more fixes and enhancements; new version of PulseAudio; kernel 2.6.27, including better support for WiFi; new icon theme 'Echo', to be completed with the theme graphic 'Solar' in the Fedora 10 release; GNOME 2.24; KDE 4.1; automatic installation of multimedia codecs...."

Read the rest of the release announcement for further details. Quick links to download the installable live CDs: F10-Beta-i686-Live.iso (697MB, SHA1, torrent), F10-Beta-x86_64-Live.iso (670MB, SHA1, torrent).

Mandriva Linux 2009 RC2

2008-09-28T04:40:00.000-07:00

Damien Lallement has announced the availability of the second and final release candidate for Mandriva Linux 2009:

"Mandriva Linux 2009 RC 2 should be available on public mirrors now. Main features of RC2 (compared to RC1): improved boot speed; support for encrypted partitions in installer and DiskDrake using LUKS; improved support for netbooks; support for Intel G41 graphics chipset; GNOME 2.24; KDE4 theme complete (still some small issues to fix); kernel 2.6.27-rc7; installer new design is finalized. Warning: we had a last minute notice that there might be EEPROM corruption on PXE part of e100 network cards, similar to the EEPROM corruption seen on e1000e cards (e1000e support is disabled in 2009.0 RC2 to prevent any damage). We advise people with such cards to not test Mandriva 2009.0 RC2 or to backup their network card."

See the release announcement and release notes for additional information. Download the installation DVDs or live CDs from here: mandriva-2009-dvd-i586.iso (4,010MB, MD5), mandriva-2009-dvd-x86_64.iso (4,027MB, MD5), mandriva-one-2009-rc2-KDE4-int-cdrom-i586.iso (694MB, MD5), mandriva-one-2009-rc2-GNOME-int-cdrom-i586.iso (592MB, MD5).

openSUSE 11.1 Beta 1

2008-09-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

Christoph Thiel has announced the first beta release of openSUSE 11.1:

" The openSUSE Project is happy to announce the first beta release of openSUSE 11.1. It includes quite a few improvements and new features over the 11.0 release, including new versions of KDE, GNOME, the Linux kernel, improved YaST modules, and much more! What's new? GNOME 2.24 - PulseAudio improvements, Ekiga 3.0, Empathy instant messenger based on Telepathy framework; KDE 4.1.x - KWin has compositing enabled by default, Amarok 2.0 beta 1, auto-hiding panels, KWin cube effect; basic SELinux enablement; YaST Modules - rewritten YaST printer, partitioner and security modules; cluster stack features significant usability changes; support for Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2); new BlueTooth features with BlueZ 4.6."

There is much more so check out the full release announcement for more details. Currently only installation DVDs are available for download via BitTorrent: openSUSE-11.1-Beta1-DVD-i386.iso (3,628MB), openSUSE-11.1-Beta1-DVD-x86_64.iso (3,771MB).

Ubuntu 8.10 Alpha 6

2008-09-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Steve Langasek has announced the availability of the sixth and final alpha release of Ubuntu 8.10, code name "Intrepid Ibex":

" Welcome to Intrepid Ibex Alpha 6, which will in time become Ubuntu 8.10. New features: the newest GNOME 2.23.91 desktop environment with tons of bug-fixes and new features; X.Org 7.4 with much better support for hot-pluggable input devices such as tablets, keyboards, and mice; Linux kernel 2.6.27 with better hardware support and numerous bug-fixes; encrypted private directory; guest session; Network Manager 0.7; DKMS, allowing kernel drivers to be automatically rebuilt when new kernels are released; Samba 3.2 with clustered file server support, encrypted network transport, IPv6 support; PAM authentication framework."

Find more details in the release announcement and release notes. Download (MD5): intrepid-desktop-i386.iso (696MB, torrent), intrepid-desktop-amd64.iso (698MB, torrent). Also available are alpha 6 CD images for Kubuntu 8.10, Xubuntu 8.10 and Ubuntu Studio 8.10.

Pardus Linux 2008.1

2008-09-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Ekin Meroğlu has announced the release of Pardus Linux 2008.1 :

"We're happy to announce Pardus Linux 2008.1 'Hyaena Hyaena', the first update release in Pardus 2008 series. It contains all the bug fixes, enhancements and new feature additions since the release of Pardus Linux 2008. Features: new and improved Network Manager with Ad-Hoc and 802.1x wireless support; two live CD variants with KDE 3 and KDE 4; support for Swedish; international installation CD with support for 11 languages; updated applications - KDE 3.5.10, Linux kernel 2.6.25.16 with improved hardware support, Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, KDE 4.1.1; hundreds of free software applications with fewer bugs and updated to the most recent versions...."

Read the release announcement and release notes for more details.
Download the English/Turkish installation CD or one of the "Calisan" live CDs: Pardus_2008.1.iso (696MB, MD5),
Pardus_Calisan_2008.1-KDE3.iso (695MB, MD5),
Pardus_Calisan_2008.1-KDE4.iso (687MB, MD5).

FreeBSD 7.1-BETA

2008-09-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Ken Smith has announced the release of FreeBSD 7.1-BETA (production branch) and 6.4-BETA (production legacy branch):

"The FreeBSD 7.1-BETA and 6.4-BETA builds are now available on the FreeBSD FTP mirror sites. This is the first step in the release process for FreeBSD-7.1 and FreeBSD-6.4. These sets of builds do not include pre-built packages. We encourage people to help out with the testing. Problems can be reported through Gnats or on the freebsd-stable at freebsd.org mailing lists. At this point we expect the 6.4-RC1 builds to start in about two weeks, and the 7.1-RC1 builds a week after that."

Here is the complete release announcement. Download: 7.1-BETA-i386-disc1.iso (426MB, MD5), 7.1-BETA-amd64-disc1.iso (451MB, MD5), 6.4-BETA-i386-disc1.iso (536MB, MD5), 6.4-BETA-amd64-disc1.iso (617MB, MD5).

Linux Mint 5 "Xfce"

2008-09-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

Clement Lefebvre has announced the release of Linux Mint 5 "Xfce" edition:

We are proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 5 Xfce Community edition." Some of the new features found in this release include: miscellaneous improvements to Mint tools, such as a new layout and more options to customise desktop in mintDesktop; desktop improvements that allow checking the MD5 checksum of an ISO image or install TrueType fonts with a right click; performance improvements that have drastically reduced memory usage; upstream improvements from Ubuntu, including the new ufw firewall and better printing; better look and feel through subtle refinements of the existing GTK+ widgets and a variety of new themes; better localization thanks to ongoing translation effort by the Linux Mint community; more available software via CNR.com.

There is a lot more so read the comprehensive release notes for details. Download: (681MB, MD5).

Ubuntu 8.10 Alpha 5

2008-09-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

Steve Langasek has announced the fifth alpha release of Ubuntu 8.10, code name "Intrepid Ibex":

"Welcome to Intrepid Ibex Alpha-5, which will in time become Ubuntu 8.10. New features in Intrepid: the newest GNOME 2.23.91 desktop environment with tons of bug-fixes and new features; X.Org 7.4 brings much better support for hot-pluggable input devices such as tablets, keyboards, and mice; Linux kernel 2.6.27 with better hardware support and numerous bug-fixes; encrypted private directory with support for a secret encrypted folder; guest session, a temporary password-less user account with restricted privileges; Network Manager 0.7 which comes with long-expected features, such as system wide settings, management of 3G connections (GSM/CDMA), management of multiple active devices at once, management of PPP and PPPoE connections...."

Read the release announcement and take a look at the comprehensive release notes for more information. Download (MD5): intrepid-desktop-i386.iso (696MB, torrent), intrepid-desktop-amd64.iso (697MB, torrent). Also released were 8.10 Alpha 5 CD images for Kubuntu (download, release notes) and Xubuntu (download).

Mandriva Linux 2009 RC1

2008-09-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

The first release candidate for Mandriva Linux 2009 is out, ready for testing:

Mandriva Linux 2009 Release Candidate 1 is available on public mirrors now. The main new features of RC1 (compared to Beta2) are: automatic repository configuration and mirror selection in package management tools (powered by aria2); ath5k replaces MadWifi for Atheros wireless cards; new graphical theme (backgrounds, screensavers); based on kernel 2.6.27; KDE 4.1.1, GNOME 2.23.91; new design for installer; improved system-config-printer; improved Ia Ora theme for KDE4; others features and bug fixes.

See the release announcement and release notes for further information. Quick download links to the installation DVDs (i586 and x86_64) and live CDs with KDE4 or GNOME (i586 only): mandriva-2009-dvd-i586.iso (4,017MB, MD5), mandriva-2009-dvd-x86_64.iso (4,015MB, MD5), mandriva-2009-rc1-KDE4-i586.iso (694MB, MD5), mandriva-2009-rc1-GNOME-i586.iso (600MB, MD5).

PC-BSD 7.0 Beta 1

2008-08-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Kris Moore has announced the availability of the first beta release of PC-BSD 7.0, a user-friendly desktop operating system based on FreeBSD 7.0:

"The PC-BSD team is pleased to announce the immediate availability of PC-BSD version 7-BETA1! This release marks the first PC-BSD based on FreeBSD 7-STABLE and the KDE 4.1 desktop, and also provides many new ways to install, including DVD, USB and network/Internet installation choices. Our PBI site has also been updated with a wide variety of software ready for PC-BSD 7, with more being added weekly. This release is beta, which means things are still being worked on and fixed in preparation for the final release. Users are encouraged to report bugs to our bug database or our testing mailing list."

More information can be found in the release announcement, release notes and changelog. Download the installation DVD image from here: PCBSD7-x86-BETA1-DVD.iso (1,989MB, MD5, torrent).

Debian Live 5.0 Beta 1

2008-08-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Daniel Baumann has announced the availability of the first set of live CD images for Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 "Lenny", complete with a hard disk installer and available in three desktop variants (GNOME, KDE and Xfce):

"The Debian Live team is pleased to announce the first beta of Debian Lenny's Live images. This is the first official release of Debian Live and the whole team has been working hard during the past 2.5 years to make Debian's own live systems become a reality. Main features: 100% Debian; Live Magic - a GUI front-end around the live-helper scripts, offering a subset of the features of live-helper in an easy-to-use graphical user interface; Live Installer - a special udeb for the Debian Installer that installs the system from the live image."

Read the full release announcement for more details and known issues. Download (MD5): debian-live-lenny-i386-gnome-desktop.iso (733MB), debian-live-lenny-i386-kde-desktop.iso (702MB), debian-live-lenny-i386-xfce-desktop.iso (503MB). ISO images for the amd64 architecture are also available.

antiX MEPIS 7.5

2008-08-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

MEPIS has announced a new release of antiX MEPIS, a Debian-based distribution designed to run on computers with older or limited hardware:

"Anti and MEPIS announce the release of antiX MEPIS 7.5 'Toussaint Louverture'. Built using the MEPIS Linux 7.0 core, including the MEPIS 2.6.22 kernel and utilities, along with selected additions from Debian 'Lenny', this light-weight operating system is especially appropriate for older hardware and users who like a very fast and highly configurable system. New features based on community contributions are led by the antiX Control Centre, which provides a single place for managing desktop, system, network, and hardware. Also the well-tested smxi script permits the user to maintain a rolling upgrade of kernels and drivers."

Read the rest of the release announcement for more information. Download: antiX-M7.5.iso (393MB, MD5).

openSUSE 11.1 Alpha 2

2008-08-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

Christoph Thiel has announced the second alpha release of openSUSE 11.1, in the form of installation DVD images:

"openSUSE 11.1 Alpha 2 is available and ready for testing. This time it is actually installable and bootable, but you'll need to be quick and select the right boot option from the boot menu. Due to a bug "Failsafe" is the default boot option. Please make sure to always select real "openSUSE 10.0.42 - 2.6.26-14" option! On x86_64, please make sure to always disable the image-based installation from the summary screen, before the actual installation starts! There will be no live CDs with this alpha, but we are planning on doing an alpha 2 plus live CD next week."

Find more information, known issues and workarounds in the release announcement. The DVD images are available for download via BitTorrent: openSUSE-11.1-Alpha2-DVD-i386.iso (4,190MB), openSUSE-11.1-Alpha2-DVD-x86_64.iso (4,300MB).

Mandriva Linux 2009 Beta 2

2008-08-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Adam Williamson has announced the availability of the second beta release of Mandriva Linux 2009:

Mandriva is proud to announce the release of Mandriva Linux 2009 Beta 2 'okapi'. This beta includes a completely new installer for the Free (and, in the final release, Powerpack) edition, and is testing the Fedora system-config-printer printer configuration tool as an alternative to printerdrake. The new beta also brings Firefox 3, OpenOffice.org 3.0 beta, and support for the Ethernet adapter used in many new Eee PC (and other netbook) models. As always, Mandriva reminds you not to use pre-releases in any critical situation; install them only on a test system or partition, or in a virtual machine. Additionally, we strongly discourage using this pre-release to upgrade from any earlier release of Mandriva Linux.

Read the release announcement and release notes for more details. Download: mandriva-linux-free-2009-okapi-dvd-i586.iso (3,950MB, MD5), mandriva-linux-free-2009-okapi-dvd-x86_64.iso (3,982MB, MD5).

Ubuntu 8.10 Alpha 4

2008-08-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

The fourth alpha release of Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex" is ready for testing:

New features: X.Org server 1.5 brings much better support for hot-pluggable input devices such as tablets, keyboards, or mice; Linux kernel 2.6.26; encrypted private directory; guest session - the GNOME user switching applet now provides an extra entry for starting a guest session, this creates a temporary password-less user account with restricted privileges; Network Manager 0.7 which comes with long-expected features, such as managing system-wide settings, 3G connections (GSM/CDMA.), multiple active devices, PPP and PPPoE connections, devices with static IP configurations, routes for devices.

Read the release announcement and release notes for more details and known issues. Download (MD5): intrepid-desktop-i386.iso (691MB, torrent), intrepid-desktop-amd64.iso (692MB, torrent). As usual, other Ubuntu sub-projects, including Kubuntu (download) and Xubuntu (download), have also released new alpha builds.

OpenGEU 8.04 Beta

2008-08-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

The current stable Ubuntu combined with the latest Enlightenment 17 - that's OpenGEU 8.04, whose first beta was announced yesterday:

The i386 beta live CD of OpenGEU 8.04 'Luna Crescente' is here. Download it, seed it, spread it and install it if you don't have OpenGEU yet. Or you can just upgrade from a previous OpenGEU system following our guide. If you prefer, install our distribution from packages. The Beta release is somehow a release candidate and I'm going to build a live CD for 64-bit machines too. The new Ubuntu is close and this release is getting somehow weird in timing but fear not, it is a great release and it works really fine, there has been tons of updates and new software. Enjoy the great work of the OpenGEU team and thanks to every single member who made developing a user friendly E17 system possible!

Here is the brief release announcement. Download the live CD image via BitTorrent: opengeu-8 04-desktop-i386-beta.iso (700MB).

Linux Mint 5 RC1 "KDE"

2008-08-08T01:13:00.000-07:00

The first release candidate for the KDE Community edition of Linux Mint 5 is out and ready for testing:

Linux Mint 5 'Elyssa' KDE Community edition RC1 (BETA 045) was released today. This is the first beta release of the KDE Community edition for Linux Mint 5, codename 'Elyssa', based on 'Daryna' and compatible with Ubuntu 'Hardy' and its repositories. Note: this is not a KDE 4 desktop. The packages and kernel were updated to be on par with Ubuntu 8.04.1. Mint applications: mintInstall, mintWifi, mintUpdate, mintAssistant, mintUpload (done via Konqueror). Known issues: the release notes link on the first page of the installer does not open Firefox; if you use a separate partition for /boot you will not get a graphical boot; because of compatibility problems PulseAudio was not included in this release....

Read the full release announcement and release notes for more details. Download: LinuxMint-5-KDE-BETA-045.iso (1,192MB, MD5).

Mandriva Linux 2009.0 Beta 1

2008-08-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

Mandriva released the first beta of Mandriva Linux 2009.0:

Mandriva is proud to announce the release of Mandriva Linux 2009 Beta 1 'thornicrofti'. This beta includes the newest release of KDE 4, KDE 4.1 final (with initial implementation of the Mandriva Ia Ora theme, although this is not yet complete), and GNOME 2.23.5. It also uses Firefox 3 by default, and kernel 2.6.26 final. The new beta also switches to using splashy (rather than bootsplash) for boot and shutdown graphics, and adds synchronization support for Windows Mobile 2003 devices. As always, we remind you not to use pre-releases in any critical situation; install them only on a test system or partition, or in a virtual machine. Additionally, we strongly discourage using this pre-release to upgrade from any earlier release of Mandriva Linux, as the transition process from KDE 3 to KDE 4 is not yet fully implemented and you are likely to end up with an unusable system.

Read the release announcement and release notes. Download the "Free" installation DVDs and "One" live/install CDs here: mandriva-linux...dvd-i586.iso (3,804MB, MD5), mandriva-linux...dvd-x86_64.iso (3,862MB, MD5), mandriva...KDE4-int-cdrom-i586.iso (701MB, MD5), mandriva...GNOME-int-cdrom-i586.iso (584MB, MD5).