14 DAY TRIAL // Dear Mandriva fans, the time has come to announce the Beta release of the upcoming Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Linux distribution, due for launch in November this year. The features of this release are exactly what everyone was expecting, the KDE 4.3 and GNOME 2.28 Beta desktop environments, as well as Linux kernel 2.6.31 RC6 and X.Org Server 1.6.2. But the really good news is that Mandriva has finally decided to replace that old Splashy boot splash manager with the popular Plymouth, produced by Red Hat. Here's what Plymouth will offer:
· Reduced screen flickering and smooth transitions, thanks to Kernel Mode-Setting; · VESA framebuffer support; · Beautiful visual effects; · Easy customizable; · Simple and nice script language (there is no need to code in C in order to write a theme).
However, Mandriva has not yet prepared a boot splash theme for this release. It is a theme that looks very similar to the old Splashy one and they are working hard to create a brand-new one for the final release!
Highlights of Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Beta:
· Plymouth boot splash manager; · Linux kernel 2.6.31 RC6; · KDE 4.3.0; · GNOME 2.27.90; · Xfce 4.6.1; · X.org Server 1.6.2; · OpenOffice.org 3.1.0; · KOffice 2.0.1; · Amarok 2.1.1; · Digikam 1.0 Beta 3; · Kipi plug-ins 0.5.0; · KMess 2.0.0; · Apache 2.2.22; · PHP 5.3.0; · Python 3; · VirtualBox 3; · Improved Drakxtools; · Device permission handling changes.
Just like the previous Alpha versions, Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Beta is still not available as a Live CD, the only way for you to test it is to grab the DVD and install it. It is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. The development cycle of Mandriva Linux 2010.0 will continue with two release candidates scheduled for September and October, and the official public release expected around November, 2009.
Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Release Schedule:
June 19th, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Alpha 1
July 31st, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Alpha 2
August 22th, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Beta
September 17th, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 RC1
October 8th, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 RC2
November 3rd, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Final release
Download Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Beta right now from Softpedia.
Remember that this is a beta release and it should not be installed on production machines. It is intended for testing purposes only. Please report bugs to the Mandriva Bug Tracker.