First, start off with a snazzy paragraph about what Fedora is all about. As contributors, we know that Fedora is the most awesome free software distribution. This is a great opportunity to sell Fedora as an operating system and a community to the user base. Focus on what makes Fedora great overall while bragging about how awesome this new release will be. Keep it brief though! Under 100 words is great.
What's New in Fedora #?
For desktop users
Insert a Spherical Cow based desktop pun here:
- MATE Desktop The MATE desktop provides users with a classic GNOME 2.x style user interface. This desktop is perfect for users that have been running Gnome Classic, or other window managers like XFCE.
- Cinnamon Fedora users now have the option of using Cinnamon, an advanced desktop environment based on GNOME3. Cinnamon takes advantage of advanced features provided by the GNOME backend while providing users with a more traditional desktop experience.
- Gnome 3.6 The newest version of the Gnome desktop provides an enhanced Messaging Tray, support for Microsoft Exchange and Skydrive, and many more new features. For more information visit the Gnome release notes.
For developers
For developers there are all sorts of mootivating goodies:
- DragonEgg optimizes GCC DragonEgg is a plugin for the GCC compilers to allow use of the LLVM optimization and code generation framework. DragonEgg provides software developers with more optimization and code generation options for use with the GCC compilers. DragonEgg also allows GCC to be used for cross-compilation to target architectures supported by LLVM without requiring any special cross-compilation compiler packages.
For system administrators
And don't think we forgot fake services for the system administrators:
- Upgrade with fedUP Fedup is a new tool for upgrading Fedora installations that is replacing preupgrade and the DVD methods of upgrading that have been used in previous Fedora releases. It utilizes systemd for much of the upgrade functionality and will eventually be able to source packages from a DVD and use the regular install repos instead of needing a specially created side repo.
And that's only the beginning. A more complete list with details of all the new features on board Fedora Number is available at:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/18/FeatureList
OK, go get it. You know you can't wait.
If you are upgrading from a previous release of Fedora, refer to
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Upgrading
In particular, Fedora has made preupgrade a more robust solution and pushed several bug fixes to older releases of Fedora to enable an easy upgrade to Fedora Number.
For an quick tour of features in Fedora Number and pictures of many friends of Fedora, check out our "short-form" release notes:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fnumber_one_page_release_notes
Fedora number full release notes and guides for several languages are available at:
http://docs.fedoraproject.org/
Fedora number common bugs are documented at:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common_Fnumber_bugs
Fedora Spins
Fedora spins are alternate version of Fedora tailored for various types of users via hand-picked application set or customizations. Mention popular spins and new spins for Fedora number release. With spins there is something for everyone. More information on these spins and much more is available at
http://spins.fedoraproject.org
Feature Deprecation
Fedora has always been full of great features but some times we need to phase one out. Saying goodbye to a feature is a delicate issue since it will be a deal breaker for some users in the Fedora community. Explain if it is an upsteam issue. Offer work-arounds or alternatives wherever possible. If a spin still covers this need, say so. Encourage the die-hard community to participate in the unofficial support of this feature.
Contributing
For more information including common and known bugs, tips on how to report bugs, and the official release schedule, please refer to the release notes:
There are many ways to contribute beyond bug reporting. You can help translate software and content, test and give feedback on software updates, write and edit documentation, design and do artwork, help with all sorts of promotional activities, and package free software for use by millions of Fedora users worldwide. To get started, visit http://join.fedoraproject.org today!
Fedora number +1
Even as we continue to provide updates with enhancements and bug fixes to improve the Fedora number experience, our next release, Fedora number+1, is already being developed in parallel, and has been open for active development for several months already. We have an early schedule for an end of May/October year release:
Contact information
If you are a journalist or reporter, you can find additional information at: