14 DAY TRIAL // The alpha version of Fedora's 12th edition, code name "Constantine", has just been released by the Fedora Project developers. Among the intriguing features that this alpha boasts we can find better support for webcams, IPv6 and system wide connections support for Network Manager, along with other networking improvements, the revamped power management will surely make laptop users rejoice and, an emerging trend for new distributions, Empathy is set as the default instant messaging client. Another detail worth mentioning is the completion of the PackageKit Command Not Found system, which will provide a method for the system to suggest packages when a command is not found, like Ubuntu currently does. This feature will be accompanied in future versions by a browser plugin that will aid the users when installing missing applications.
The goodies aren't targeting the usual users alone; system administrators get their share of new software too. They will surely notice the all-around virtualization improvements, like the addition of the Open Shared Root project software that enables multiple Linux systems to use the same root file system and the major features that were added to the Kernel Virtual Machine.
Highlights of Fedora 12 Alpha:
· Linux Kernel 2.6.31 RC; · KDE 4.3; · GNOME 2.28 Beta; · Empathy as default IM; · Better webcam support; · Improved HD video codecs; · Network Manager mobile broadband for GSM networks; · EXT4 is the default file system; · x86 optimized for the Intel Atom processors (compiled for i686); · RPM LZMA compression; · Automatic bug reporting tool; · New Network Manager with better IPv6 support; · Improved power management support; · Improved PulseAudio; · Improved PackageKit; · Improved KVM virtualization; · Bluetooth SOD (Service On Demand); · NetBeans 6.7; · PHP 5.3.0; · Eclipse 3.5.0; · SystemTap debugger updates.
August 25th, 2009 - Alpha release
October 13th, 2009 - Beta release
October 28th, 2009 - Release Candidate
November 18th, 2009 - Fedora 12 final release
About Fedora
The Fedora Project is a Red-Hat-sponsored and community-supported open-source project. It is also a proving ground for new technology that may eventually make its way into Red Hat products and it is not a supported product of Red Hat. The goal of The Fedora Project is to work with the Linux community in order to build a complete, general-purpose operating system exclusively from free software.
Download Fedora 12 Alpha right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is an alpha release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only. Please report bugs to the Red Hat Bugzilla.