14 DAY TRIAL // Black Lab Linux 5.0, a distribution that aims to rival Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows, has been released and is now available for purchase.
Black Lab Linux is a distribution designed for general desktop and power users and comes with a lot of applications and features. It is based on the Xfce desktop, which is not a surprise considering that the previous Betas in the series also used the same desktop experience.
“Today the Black Lab Linux team is pleased to announce the release of Black Lab Linux 5.0, our most exciting and innovative release yet. Black Lab Linux 5.0 reiterates our commitment to a functional, stable and intuitive desktop Linux distribution. We focused on stability and ease of use for this release,” reads the official announcement.
According to the changelog, the developers added a GUI that rivals Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows in out-of-the-box usability and doesn’t require any further tweaking or mending. Black Lab Linux 5.0 is based on Linux kernel 3.5.0-49, which is not one of the latest kernel versions available.
The developers of Black Lab Linux preferred to adopt a slightly older kernel for their distribution, but it's a long-term support one, which means that it will most likely continue to receive updates in the near future.
The distribution also makes use of GTK 3.6, QT 5.2.1, Gstreamer 1.2, OpenSSH 6.2, Thunderbird 24.5, Revelation Password Manager, Google Chrome 34 (you will be able to update the software later), Google Maps, Voice and Drive Web Apps, Dropbox 1.6, Audacious, VLC, Openshot Video Editor Audacity, LibreOffice, Maya Calendar, Dates (32-bit), and the GNOME Disk Utility.
Black Lab Linux 5.0 is available for both the 32-bit and 64-bit platforms, but users will also find that there is also a KDE version for the 64-bit architecture. Besides the paid build, a community edition, which will be free, will arrive on May 31, 2014, although you won't get the same kind of support.
You also have to keep in mind that Black Lab Linux is not a free operating system. Its makers usually charge a moderate sum for this Linux distribution, but only for the first couple of weeks. For that money they provide support for setting up the system in whatever configuration you choose.
Check the official announcement for more details, features, and changes about this release. You can download and purchase Black Lab Linux 5.0 right now from Softpedia.