F12 Beta Announcement

Fedora 11 added many development improvements, enhancements in automation, a step improvement in virtualization, and greatly enhanced security. If you just can't wait to see what Fedora 12 will have to offer, you can now get a peek at:

http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease

Of course, this is a beta release, so there might be things not quite right. Should you trip across one of them, be sure it gets fixed before release by reporting your discovery at:

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/

What can I expect in Fedora 12?

• Smaller and Faster updates - Fedora is used in a wide range of circumstances, and not all have the luxury of a high speed broadband connection with unlimited downloads. This presents a number of challenges, not the least of which is making it easier for users to get updates which will help ensure their system is secure and stable. In Fedora 11, Presto Yum plugin was made available which reduced update size by transmitting only the changes in the updated RPM packages. Going one step further in Fedora 12, Presto Yum plugin is installed by default. In Fedora 12, RPMs have switched from using gzip to XZ for compression, providing smaller package sizes without the memory and CPU penalties associated with bzip2. Not only does this result in smaller downloads, but it also allows for more software to be squeezed into the final release, and less space to be taken up on our mirrors, making their administrators' lives a little easier.

• NetworkManager broadband and other enhancements - NetworkManager, originally developed by Dan Williams at Red Hat was introduced in Fedora 7, has become the de facto network configuration solution for distributions everywhere. Fedora 12 includes enhancements to NetworkManager to make both system-wide connections and mobile broadband connections easier than ever. Signal strength and network selection are available for choosing the best mobile broadband connection when you're on the road. And if you're at a system that requires an always-on connection or static addressing, NetworkManager will now allow you to configure that connection directly from the desktop, and includes PolicyKit integration so configuration management can be done via central policy where needed. It also has improved IPV6 support.

• Next-generation Ogg Theora video For several years, the open, free, and patent-unencumbered Theora format has provided a way for freedom-loving users to share video. Fedora 12 includes the new Theora 1.1, which achieves near-H.264 quality in a completely free and open codec and format. Already, as a direct result of Red Hat sponsoring Christopher Montgomery at Xiph foundation, original creators Ogg (Theora and Vorbis) and Mozilla, users of the Firefox 3.5 browser can immediately enjoy free media on the web, using the Ogg Theora video and Ogg Vorbis audio formats. With the introduction of Theora 1.1, the quality of free video can meet or exceed user expectations, delivering crisp, vibrant media in both streaming and downloadable form.

• Virtualization Improvements - Not content with all the improvements in Fedora 11, virtualization has been kicked up another notch in Fedora 12. There are improvements allowing virtual machines to better share resources, performance improvements, and management improvements. And of course, still more security improvements.

• Improved Dual-Monitor Support - In Fedora 11, a desktop spanning multiple monitors worked with some video cards and some drivers. In Fedora 12, that support is extended to most video cards.

• Better Webcam Support - While Fedora 11 improved webcam support, in Fedora 12 you can expect even better video quality, especially for less expensive webcams.

• GNOME 2.28 - Fedora 12 includes the latest version of the GNOME desktop. A lighter Gnote now replaces Tomboy as the default note application, and Empathy replaces Pidgin as the default instant messenger. The new preview of GNOME Shell gives you a taste of GNOME 3.

• KDE 4.3 - The new KDE has an updated "Air" appearance, with improved performance, and new desktop effects.

• Bluetooth on demand - In order to support Bluetooth devices, Bluetooth background service was started by default in previous versions of Fedora. In this release, Bluetooth service is started on demand when needed and automatically stops 30 seconds after last device use instead reducing initial startup time and resources.

• Fedora Studio - All the audio and video applications are categorized better on the menu, making it easier to find a specific application.

• Still more security improvements - Daemons which run as root have all been reviewed and patched to run with lower capabilities. This makes it even harder for an attacker to exploit a weakness in an application.

• Clustered Samba - Multiple instances of Samba running on different nodes in a cluster can now export a single filesystem to provide higher availability.

OK, go try it. You know you can't wait.