14 DAY TRIAL // The following Linux-based operating systems have been announced last week: Mandriva Linux 2011, Chakra GNU/Linux 2011.09, Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 and OpenSuSE 12.1 Milestone 5. In other news: Softpedia took a quick look at the main features of Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1; The Document Foundation announced the release of the LibreOffice 3.4.3 open source office suite; the GNOME Project released the first Beta version of the upcoming GNOME 3.2 desktop environment. For this week we've also prepared an interesting review for the Battle for Wesnoth 1.8.6 game. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the new and updated Linux distributions, and the development releases.
Summary:
On August 28th, Mandriva proudly announced the immediate availability for download of the final and stable release of the highly anticipated Mandriva Linux 2011 operating system. Dubbed Hydrogen, Mandriva Linux 2011 brings a completely new design (new icons, new launcher, new wallpaper, etc), it is powered by Linux kernel 2.6.38 and built on top of KDE Software Compilation 4.6.5.
Highlights of Mandriva Linux 2011:
· Linux kernel 2.6.38.7; · X.Org Server 1.10.3; · Hybrid ISO image; · RPM 5; · KDE SC 4.6.5; · New artwork; · New kickoff menu (SimpleWelcome); · Improved Mandriva installer; · TimeFrame add-on for Nepomuk; · Added RocketBar; · Added StackFolder; · Added Mandriva Sphere; · Added MandrivaSync; · New Mandriva Package Manager; · LibreOffice 3.4.2; · Mozilla Firefox 5.0.1; · Mozilla Thunderbird 5.0; · Clementine audio player; · PiTiVi video editor; · Shotwell photo management; · NetworkManager and Knetworkmanager applets; · Added VirtualBox guest additions; · More Intel and Atheros network cards are now supported; · Better support for Epson, HP and Lexmark printers; · Better support for USB 3G drives.
Download Mandriva Linux 2011 now from Softpedia.
Also on August 28th, Phil Miller proudly announced the final release of the Chakra GNU/Linux 2011.09 operating system. The major touting points of the latest release are migrations to newer underpinnings, like the fresh Linux kernel 3.0 and the KDE SC 4.7.0 desktop environment and software stack.
Highlights of Chakra GNU/Linux 2011.09:
· KDE 4.7.0; · Linux 3.0.3; · Minimal image you can build your desktop on; · The tribe installer has been updated to work with KDE 4.7; · Initscripts updated with the option to test systemd; · Xorg 7.6; · Mesa 7.11; · Xorg-Server 1.10.4; · Updated Xorg Drivers; · Heimdal replaced by krb5 (including rebuilds of depending pkgs); · Fixed burg theme; · Burg saves last boot-state; · Fixes for kvm and virtualbox; · Updated networkmanagement.
Download Chakra GNU/Linux 2011.09 now from Softpedia.
On September 1st, Canonical announced the first Beta version of the upcoming Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system. Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 features improved handling of 32-bit compatibility on 64-bit machines, thanks to the multiarch support.
Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 is now powered by Linux kernel 3.0.3, GNOME 3.1.5, Mozilla Thunderbird 7 and Mozilla Firefox 7. For more features please visit our in-depth article with the Top 10 Ubuntu 11.10 features.
Download Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 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.
Also on September 1st, Bryen Yunashko announced the immediate availability of the fifth milestone of the upcoming openSUSE 12.1 operating system. The latest testing release comes with updated packages, bug fixes and makes several more steps towards completing the goals for the final release.
openSUSE 12.1 will make the switch to the GNOME 3 desktop environment, that's proven quite controversial in some circles. Of course, any major reboot of a project is going to have its critics. By the time openSUSE comes along, GNOME 3.2 should be ready. openSUSE 12.1 Milestone 5 comes with the experimental GNOME 3.1.5, not the recent beta, GNOME 3.1.9.
Download openSUSE 12.1 Milestone 5 now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a development release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only.
· On August 30th, we took a quick look at the interesting features that were included in the Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 release. Ubuntu 11.10 is dubbed Oneiric Ocelot and will include new and breathtaking "under the hood" technologies, such as Linux kernel 3.0, multi-arch support, GNOME 3.2 desktop environment, GTK3, Python 3.2, GCC 4.6.1, Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS) 1.5.0, and lots more. Read more about it here.
· On August 31st, The Document Foundation company unleashed the third maintenance release of the LibreOffice 3.4 open source office suite software for Linux, Windows and Macintosh platforms, bringing several bugfixes. LibreOffice 3.4.3 is here to fix various important bugs found in the previous releases. Fixes include bugs found in the Calc, Impress, Writer, SDK, and the core libraries of LibreOffice. Read more about it here.
· On September 1st, the GNOME Project announced the first beta release for the upcoming GNOME 3.2 desktop environment. GNOME 3.2 Beta 1 (3.1.90) comes with plenty of updated apps as well as new features and fixes. One new feature included in the new beta is support for creating web application shortcuts. The Epiphany web browser can run in 'web app' mode, without any GUI elements. Read more about it here.
Review of the Week: Battle for Wesnoth 1.8.6
· Before getting to the actual gameplay and other similar characteristics, we must say that Battle for Wesnoth is a turn based strategy (TBS) that is played on a hex map, much like the dreaded old Panzer games. Skepticism is the first response of any serious gamer, but this game has a way of getting people hooked with its charm.
Battle for Wesnoth is what we consider and old game. It was developed initially by David White and it first saw the light of day in 2003, which means it has over nine years of age. Its style and gameplay hasn't changed much over time, but the addiction level has increased exponentially.
Read the entire review here.
Video Clip of the Week: Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot Beta 1 Review
· For this week we've posted an 720p HD video clip that showcases some of the features of the newly released Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 operating system. The video has 7 minutes and 33 seconds, and it was posted by quidsup. Enjoy!
Distributions Updated Last Week:
· BlankOn 7.0 · Dream Studio 11.04 · SlimPup 3.3 · BOSS 4.0 · Puppy Linux "Wary" 5.1.4 · ALT Linux 6.0.0 · Tiny Core Linux 3.8.4 · 4MLinux 3.0
· Lubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 · Mythbuntu 11.10 Beta 1 · Edubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 · Xubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 · Kubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 · Ubuntu Cloud 11.10 Beta 1 · Ubuntu Server 11.10 Beta 1 · Clonezilla LiveCD 1.2.10-9
See you again at the end of next week for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.