Planet Lowyat

OpenSUSE 11.0 Alpha 3 is out for testing!

Here are some changes to this release.

• Linux 2.6.25-rc5
• gcc 4.3 final
• updated binutils 2.18.50 SVN
• updated gdb 6.7.50 SVN
• continued work on the installation work flow
• libzypp uses a new much faster solver
• CUPS 1.3.6
• D-Bus 1.1.20
• updated NetworkManager 0.7 SVN
• PackageKit 0.1.9.1
• PolicyKit 0.7
• PulseAudio 0.9.9
• Zypper 0.10.2
• KDE 4.0.2/3.5.9
• GNOME 2.22 final
• Compiz 0.7.2

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Previously I posted about Ubuntu Hardy 8.04 Alpha 4  and now Ubuntu bring you the absolute latest and greatest software Ubuntu Hardy 8.04 beta with features:

• GNOME 2.22
• Linux kernel 2.6.24
• Firefox 3 beta 4
• Xorg 7.3
• PolicyKit is now integrated in the administrative user interfaces
• PulseAudio is enabled by default
• The Brasero CD/DVD burning application
• The new Vinagre VNC client is installed by default in Beta, replacing xvnc4viewer
• The GTK version of the popular Transmission BitTorrent client comes preinstalled in Ubuntu, replacing the Gnome BitTorrent download
• Active Directory Integration
• ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall), a new host-based firewall application configurable from the command line which is designed to make administering a firewall easier for end users while not getting in the way of network administrators
• iSCSI Initiator has been fully integrated in the kernel, allowing Ubuntu to mount iSCSI targets as a block device
• To ease the transition of Windows users, it includes Wubi, which allows users to install and uninstall Ubuntu like any other Windows application
• It does not require a dedicated partition, nor does it affect the existing bootloader, yet users can experience a dual-boot setup almost identical to a full installation
• WinFOSS and the Windows open source software have been replaced by umenu, a simple launcher that lets the user install Ubuntu from Windows using Wubi, install Ubuntu to a partition without having to make their CD-ROM the first boot device

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Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Beta is available for download.

Microsoft is on track to deliver Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V virtualization by August 2008. Hyper-V RC is a feature-complete version and has three main enhancements from the beta release:

• An expanded list of tested and qualified guest operating systems including: Windows Server 2003 SP2, Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1, Windows Vista SP1, and Windows XP SP3. (How about other Linux Distro?)

• Host server and language support has been expanded to include the 64-bit (x64) versions of Windows Server 2008 Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter - with English, partial German, and partial Japanese language options now available and the ability to enable the English version of Hyper-V on other locales.

• Improved performance & stability for scalability and throughput workloads.

“Delivering the high-quality Hyper-V beta earlier than expected allows our customers and partners to begin evaluating this feature of Windows Server 2008 and provide us with valuable feedback as we march toward final release”, said Bill Laing, general manager of the Windows Server Division at Microsoft. “Along with Hyper-V, Windows Server 2008 offers cost-effective and flexible licensing for virtualization so that customers and partners can extend the savings realized through server consolidation and deliver on the vision of Dynamic IT.”

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For the past 2 months, we have uploaded some of our e-books and NDS game collections into Rapidshare. Hope you like it!

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GNOME 2.22 is the latest version of the GNOME Desktop: a popular, multi-platform desktop environment for your computer. GNOME’s focus is ease of use, stability, and first class internationalization and accessibility support. GNOME is Free and Open Source Software and provides all of the common tools computer users expect of a modern computing environment, such as email, groupware, web browsing, file management, multimedia, and games. Furthermore, GNOME provides a flexible and powerful platform for software developers, both on the desktop and in mobile applications.

The GNOME Desktop is released every six months and contains many new features, improvements, bug fixes, and translations. GNOME 2.22 continues this tradition. To learn more about GNOME and the qualities that distinguish it from other computer desktop environments (such as usability, accessibility, internationalization, and freedom) visit the About GNOME page on our website.

The GNOME Project’s focus on users and usability continues in GNOME 2.22 with its hundreds of bug fixes and user-requested improvements.

What’s News?

GNOME 2.22 introduces a new application, Cheese. Cheese lets you take photos and make videos using your computer’s webcam. You can apply a range of different effects like mauve, noir/blanc, shagadelic, and warp. You can share these photos and videos with your friends, load them into F-Spot, or set them as your account photo.

GNOME 2.22 introduces window compositing on capable platforms. Fitting with GNOME’s “keeping it simple” policy, the features are very low key. The most noticeable changes are drop shadows on windows, live previews when switching windows with Alt+Tab, and transparency effects.

GNOME 2.22 introduces GVFS: a new network-transparent virtual filesystem layer for GTK+. GVFS is designed to overcome the shortcomings of the older GNOME-VFS system. Improvements over GNOME-VFS include remembering login credentials for the entire session and being more resilient to failures. Many GNOME applications are already using GVFS, including all of the core applications.

GNOME’s Movie Player now offers improved support for DVD playback as well as support for digital television (DVB). Also appearing in 2.22 is a selection of new plugins, including support for MythTV, Youtube, and Tracker-based searching. This release also features playlist sharing and the ability to select subtitles for files.

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