Yoper Linux the high powered distro focused on the 686 processor family just released a the 3.0.1 manteinance version, a.k.a. as Titanium.
Kernel version is 2.6.21.1, the GUI is KDE and according to Tobias Gerschner’s announcement, the new release is full of packages on the techology’s cutting edge, with some 500 plus new packages added since the last release.
Two iso images are available for download: the installation only mini-CD (142 MB) and the LiveCD (678 MB). The full release announcement as well as download links can be found at this page in Yoper’s website.
OpenSUSE 10.3 , the latest community version of Novell’s SUSE Linux, is available for download today from the usual mirrors and ftp servers.
The new features include:
- KDE 4, not the full thing but the first available elements of KDE’s new desktop.
- A stronger emphasis on virtualziation. The Xen virtual machine’s been available in the last few releases but the new thing is to make OpenSUSE 10.3 THE distro for virtual machin implementation. So now you get Xen, Quemu, Virtualbox and KVM.
- Single disk install. Instead of juggling around with the usual 5 or 6 installation disks, now all you need in order to get started is one single disk for the GUI of your choice (Gnome or KDE) and then you can use the rest of the disks for additional software.
- Network installation, according to OpenSUSE’s website, just works.
- Native support for multimedia codecs is now available, and for those that are not natively supported installation is just one click away with a new automatic codec installer.
These new release’s new features show the influence of the controversial Novell-MS Deal on one hand, and the pressure that Ubuntu’s usability is putting even in the most solid distros on the other –will there be a LiveDVD/installer OpenSUSE 10.4?
Puppy Linux, one of the most efficient Linux distros released the new 3.0 version today.
Despite being a fully independent, developed-from-scratch, distro, one of the new features in Barry Krauler’s puppy is binary compatibilization with Slackware 12.0 for package managment and install.
The new release’s kernel is 2.6.21.7, and the new initial ramdisk format now is cpio (like Ubuntu). It allows the user to use an older kernel in order to avoid some hardware detection problems common in some newer kernels. Also, true flush to flash drives is now available.
The .iso image for download is less than 100 MB so I couldn’t resist to just get it and try it out on an old PIII laptop with 256 MB RAM. I think it’s been the best LiveCD I’ve tried so far in so old a machine as far as performance is concerned. But hardware detection is a real problem.
Red Flag Linux is one of the partners in the asian consortium developing Asianux in order to use it in their own products, and this is one of them. Red Flag Linux 6.0 is the new RF version, based on Asianux. It’s oriented towards desktop use and to allow for an easy transition from other desktop systems. It includes a set of Windowslike tools and it supports NTFS partitions natively –writing access too, which is still not so common– and OpenOffice 2.0.
The GUI is KDE 3.5.7. For the first time in a Red Flag release, it includes a 3D desktop through Beryl.
Kernel’s version is 2.6.22 with a generous dose of modules to use with a wide range of hardware. Other features are: dual boot configuration, rpm packages comptibility and management and automatic mounting for massive storage devices.
It’s availble in two .iso images and an extra software one.
October arrived this year, the way it usually does, except that this time is full of good news and anticipation for Linux geeks. Three mayor distros will release new versions in the next 30 days (OpenSUSE, Mandriva and Ubuntu).
Ubuntu will release version 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon, good news for the world wide fanbase of millions the distro has managed to gain in the last few years. Anticipation is bound to grow now that Ubuntu is being offered by Dell with their systems.
Just a few days away is the new 10.3 by OpenSUSE, one of the oldest and versatile distros –and recently, one of the more controversial ones, since the MS deal– is sure to get a fair share of attention over the next few weeks.
And there’s also the new Mandriva. This is the one I know the least, but is a big one so it merits mention.
Other distros which will get things moving these month will be: Musix, Parsix, Kiwi, Fluxbuntu and Yoper, among others.
October will have something to offer for every possible kind of user from those who want a black box ready for mail checks to the more demanding webmaster. This will be a busy month so, get your VMs ready!
