This is the third Beta release of the upcoming SimplyMEPIS 8.5 operating system announced in one month by Warren Woodford. This development release of SimplyMEPIS 8.5 contains a reconfigured Linux kernel 2.6.32.2 to make the Kdenlive application work with DV cameras. Moreover, the Kipi-plugins package was updated to version 1.0.0 and some Konqueror plugins were added in order to make a more productive browser and file manager for the KDE environment. Hardware support has also been improved by updating the initramfs-tools, hwinfo and hwdata packages; the software update process should be faster, and the KDE desktop more stable!

"Although some users are happy with the functionality and stability of 8.5, as-is, we plan to continue making in-line improvements for a while, before declaring 8.5 to be final. Users of 8.5 should keep in mind that it is still a development release, which we could accidentally break. It is not recommended for use in production systems at this time." - said Warren Woodford in the official release announcement.

Highlights of SimplyMEPIS 8.5 Beta 3:

· Linux kernel 2.6.32.2;
· EXT4 filesystem;
· KDE SC 4.3.4;
· Added Konq-plugins;
· Mozilla Firefox 3.5.5;
· Google Gadgets 0.11.0;
· Kdenlive 0.7.6;
· Kipi-plugins 1.0.0;
· Sun Java Runtime Environment 6;
· Adobe Flash Player 10.

About SimplyMEPIS and MEPIS LLC

SimplyMEPIS is a Linux distribution based on Debian Lenny. It features an LTS (Long Term Support) kernel and provides users with upgrades for all important packages. The MEPIS Assistant tools ensure that SimplyMEPIS can be used successfully in a desktop environment.

MEPIS LLC was founded in 2002 by computer industry veteran Warren Woodford to realize his personal vision for a version of Linux that was not only complete and secure, but also easy to use and install. MEPIS LLC provides consulting services for system and business analysis, product strategy, architecture design and software development. SimplyMEPIS functions as the testbed for a MEPIS Linux core used to build and deploy secure server/desktop solutions and virtualized data centers.

Download SimplyMEPIS 8.5 Beta 3 right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a beta release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only.