| Fedora 8 proves popular and powerful |
Nov. 14, 2007
It took just three days before 54,000 copies of Fedora 8, the Red-Hat-sponsored and community-supported Linux distribution, were up and running.
Fedora 8 was released on Nov. 8. Fedora 8 enhancements include the expanded ability for users to create custom spins or appliances, increased security features, a new look and feel, and numerous technical advances.
If you don't like how Fedora 8 looks, works, or what's inside it, you can always create your own custom '”spin'” of Fedora. A spin is a combination of specific software to meet an individual user's requirements. This feature was first introduced in Fedora 7. In Fedora 8, the default system comes with four new spins: Games, Developer, Electronic Lab and KDE, which uses the popular desktop in place of Fedora's default GNOME desktop interface.
Users can also create their own Fedora spins. So, for example, if you wanted a small office standard desktop distribution, you could easily build one with OpenOffice, Firefox and Thunderbird for your essential office jobs, while leaving out everything else.
After the spin tools were introduced with Fedora 7, "they were championed by the community, effectively making freedom a feature of the distribution," said Jack Aboutboul, a community engineer for Fedora at Red Hat, in a statement. "The customization allows for massive time savings that allows engineers and community contributors to focus less on how to build the distribution and more on driving innovation."
Speaking of innovation, Fedora is a cutting-edge Linux distribution: It uses the newest Linux kernel, 2.6.23.1, and the new GNOME 2.20.1 and KDE 3.5.8. If you're not comfortable running with the newest of the new Linux and its applications, you might want to steer clear of Fedora 8.
On the other hand, the Fedora 8 download offers the option of GNOME, KDE-based Live CDs or a general-purpose installable DVD. The DVD also includes the software needed for workstations and servers.
Fedora 8 also includes improved Live USB support. With this, you can boot and run the entire distribution off of a USB key without touching the computer's hard disk at all. This enhancement makes Fedora attractive to those who wish to experiment with Linux without risking their data.
In a DesktopLinux interview, Fedora project leader Max Spevack said he thought this was one of Fedora 8's coolest features. "Since the entire distro can fit on a USB drive, everywhere I can go, I can take my desktop."
Fedora 8 also incorporates PulseAudio. This is a sound server that acts as a proxy for all of your audio applications. With PulseAudio, you can set different volumes for different applications, enable hot-plugging support for USB sound devices and send audio over your network.
The new Fedora also includes improved graphical tools for firewall configuration, enhanced printer management and an update for Bluetooth integration. Network Manager, the popular and easy-to-use wireless configuration tool, has also been updated.
As is customary with recent releases, Fedora 8 boasts an entirely new default look and feel on the desktop, all based on community artwork. The Fedora 8 theme of "infinity" includes a default background that changes shades, growing brighter or darker in accordance with the time of day. "It's a small thing," said Spevack, "but it, with the rest of the community-based art, looks great and adds some eye-candy spiffiness without requiring much of anything from a user's PC graphics.
—Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Do you have comments on this story?
Talkback here
NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.
Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.
Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.
Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.
Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.
Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.
Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.
SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.
Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.
Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed
