14 DAY TRIAL // Welcome to the 99th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!
The following Linux-based operating systems were announced last week: Slackware 13.1, Fedora 13, StressLinux 0.5.113, OpenSuSE 11.3 Milestone 7, SME Server 7.5 and Zenwalk Linux 6.4. In other news: Google releases the first stable version of Google Chrome 5.0 web browser; Canonical releases Landscape 1.5, the Ubuntu system management tool; KDE developers prepared for testing the first alpha version of KDE SC 4.5; AMD releases ATI Catalyst 10.5, with initial support for SLED/SLES 11 SP1. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated and the development releases.
Summary:
On May 24th, Patrick Volkerding proudly announced the immediate availability of the ever-popular Slackware 13.1 Linux distribution. It comes with some of the newest packages in the Linux world, while still keeping a clear focus on stability and simplicity. Slackware 13.1 is now powered by the modern Linux kernel 2.6.33.4 and the latest stable build of the KDE SC 4.4.3.
Highlights of Slackware 13.1:
· Linux kernel 2.6.33.4; · KDE SC 4.4.3; · Xfce 4.6.1; · GNU C Library (GLIBC) 2.11.1; · GCC 4.4.4; · Konqueror 4.4.3, · Mozilla SeaMonkey 2.0.4; · Mozilla Firefox 3.6.3; · Mozilla Thunderbird 3.0.4; · Apache web server 2.2.15; · Pidgin 2.7.0; · The GIMP 2.6.8; · GKrelIm 2.3.4; · gXine 0.5.903.
Download Slackware 13.1 right now from Softpedia.
On May 25th, Fedora Project announced the release of the Fedora 13 operating system. Dubbed Goddard, the brand-new Fedora 13 operating system is a solid release with major improvements and enhancements.
Highlights of Fedora 13:
· Linux Kernel 2.6.32; · KDE SC 4.4; · Support for webcams; · Mozilla Firefox 3.6 web browser; · Enhanced Init System; · Topology Awareness; · Improved Anaconda Installer; · Improved software management; · 3D Support for Nvidia Systems; · Automatic installation of printer drivers; · Language packs are automatically installed; · Revamped user management interface; · Improved NetworkManager; · Color management; · SystemTap static probes; · Zarafa Groupware; · NetBeans 6.8; · Python 3 support; · Btrfs snapshots integration.
Download Fedora 13 now from Softpedia.
Download Fedora 13 GNOME Live CD now from Softpedia.
Download Fedora 13 KDE4 Live CD now from Softpedia.
Also on May 26th, Carsten Schöne announced the latest release of StressLinux 0.5.113, which fixes the Memtest entry of the boot menu. StressLinux 0.5.113 is based on the openSUSE 11.2 Linux distribution and includes now the mprime application that allows users to calculate Mersenne primes.
StressLinux is a minimalistic Linux-based operating system aimed at stress-testing PCs under the best conditions. It can also be used to monitor the health of the user's computer. Because StressLinux doesn’t come with any desktop environment or other graphical user interface, they should be comfortable or at least familiar with the Linux console. Since the distribution has a very pure purpose, all they really need to know is how to launch the various utilities included.
Download StressLinux 0.5.113 right now from Softpedia.
Also on May 26th, Andreas Jaeger announced the final testing release of the upcoming openSUSE 11.3 operating system. openSUSE 11.3 Milestone 7 continues on the path set by the previous milestone and focuses on bug fixing and stability. Considering that the final release is just around the corner, this was to be expected. Still, it comes with a new kernel and a few finishing touches like more translations and revamped artwork.
With the announcement, the openSUSE team also revealed the broader plans for the final release. Some of the highlights of the upcoming openSUSE 11.3 include better netbook support with both the KDE environment as well as Moblin. The Btrfs file system will be supported out-of-the-box and can be configured in the install phase.
Download openSUSE 11.3 Milestone 7 right 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.
Also on May 26th, Ian Wells announced the release of SME Server 7.5, the final, stable version in the legacy tree of the Linux distribution. It’s based on CentOS 4.8, the most recent release, and brings quite a number of changes and updates to all the core packages. It also features better localization with translations for a number of new languages. The SME Server 7.x line is intended for companies that are not ready or are unable to switch to the newer SME Server 8.0.
Highlights of SME Server 7.5:
Backups: · many backups in the same day are now allowed; · won’t restore if all needed backups are not available; · won’t restore from a partial backup. File Server: · a patch was added to support multiple samba roles. Mail Server: · Transport Layer Security (TLS) authentication available for incoming smtp ehlo requests; · qpsmtpd 0.83; · ClamAV 0.96.1. Webmail and Groupware: · Horde, IMP, Turba and Ingo updated. Web Server: · SSL Certificates now use a SHA1 and a 2048-bits key size. Localization: · translations for Thai, Polish, Romanian, Estonian, Chinese, Norwegian (Bokmal), Russian; · improved translation for existing supported languages.
Download SME Server 7.5 right now from Softpedia.
On May 27th, Jean-Philippe Guillemin proudly announced the immediate availability of the Zenwalk Linux 6.4 operating system. The new release is powered by Linux kernel 2.6.33.4, with the BFS scheduler, and the new XFCE 4.6.2 desktop environment. Cutting-edge packages and overall performance improvements are also present in this new release of the lightweight Zenwalk Linux distribution.
Highlights of Zenwalk Linux 6.4:
· Linux kernel 2.6.33.4; · X.Org 7.5; · XFCE 4.6.2 desktop environment; · Beautiful, new artwork; · udev was updated to version 151, which provides a faster boot; · OpenOffice.org office suite 3.2.0 (optimized for speed); · Improved internationalization; · Updated GStreamer to version 0.10.28; · Updated almost all the included packages; · Fixed many issues from previous releases!
Download Zenwalk Linux 6.4 right now from Softpedia.
· Google launched on May 25th Google Chrome 5.0.375.55, the first stable release for the Linux platform and the fastest and most feature-rich Chrome browser yet. With a lot of work going into the fit and finish, Google finally believes it has a rock-solid browser for the Linux crowd. Read more about it here.
· Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, released on May 25th an updated version of its Landscape management tool for enterprises. With the new Landscape 1.5, which comes on the trails of the latest Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, system administrators can set up a profile for a machine dedicated to a certain task and then replicate it across all the machines that should be set up in the same way. This includes the list of packages that need to be present and various configuration options. Read more about it here.
· The first beta release of the upcoming KDE Software Compilation (KDE SC) 4.5.0 was announced on May 26th, by the KDE developers. Dubbed cucumber, KDE SC 4.5.0 Beta 1 brings many improvements and new features. KDE Software Compilation 4.5 is composed of the KDE Plasma Workspace, the KDE Applications and the KDE Development Platform, and this beta release is intended to be used by testers and advanced users who want to take a peek at what's coming on their favorite desktop environment. The final release of KDE SC 4.5.0 will be available in August 2010. Read more about it here.
· On May 26th, AMD released the latest ATI graphics drivers, to satisfy the needs of the Linux users out there. ATI Catalyst 10.5 comes with preliminary support for SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop and Server 11 Service Pack 1. It also fixes quite a lot of Linux-specific issues and bugs. Other than that, it’s just a regular evolutionary update. Read more about it here.
Video Clip of the Week: New system tray and notifications KDE 4.5
· For this week, we've posted a video clip that showcases the new system tray and notifications of the upcoming KDE Software Compilation 4.5. The video has 1 minute and 52 seconds, and was posted by madsheytan. Enjoy!
· AOGOS Linux i686 1.0 · Community Fedora Remix 13.1
Distributions Updated Last Week:
· LiveAndroid 0.3 · MeeGo 1.0 · Peppermint One 05222010 · Qimo 4 Kids 2.0 · DigAnTel 3.0 · Scentlinux 1021 · nFlux Debian Squeeze i686 Final · nFlux ubuntu 10.04 i686 Final · nFlux Slackware 13/current i686 Final
· Nexenta OS 3.0 RC1 · Caixa Magica Live CD 15 Beta · Caixa Magica 15 Beta · Salix OS 13.1 RC1 · sidux 2010-01 Preview 1 · Tiny Core Linux 3.0 Alpha 5 · Linux Mint LXDE 9 RC
See you again next Monday, June 7th, for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.