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Fedora 12 (Constantine) Alpha:
Fedora 12 "Constantine" Alpha release is available! What's next for the free operating system that shows off the best new technology of tomorrow? You can see the future now at:
 
When Fedora 11 was released, users and press alike gushed: "Slick and stable... has a rock solid feel."  "Fast and easy."  "A great release."  What's next for the free operating system that shows off the best new technology of tomorrow? You can find out at:


http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease
http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease


For this release, we slightly changed the way Fedora is distributed to the public. Instead of releasing an Alpha, Beta, Preview Release and Final version, we will only provide Alpha, Beta and Final versions for Fedora 12. Alpha in Fedora now means essentially the same as industry-wide, in our case "feature-complete and testable". That means that Alpha is publicly testable, not by just an anointed few. Beta now means "code-complete and as bug-free as possible". We all know that bugs happen, but Beta should be as close to a final release as humanly possible.
What's an Alpha release? The Alpha release contains all the features of Fedora 12 in a form that anyone can help test. This testing, guided by the Fedora QA team, helps us target and identify bugs. When these bugs are fixed, we make a Beta release available. A Beta release is code-complete, and bears a very strong resemblance to the third and final release. The final release of Fedora 12 is due in November.


To achive that goal, we also hope to repeat the crazy success of Fedora 11's Beta contest! Test five things in the Alpha that are important to you as a user. If you find a bug *and* report it, you get the free attention of a package maintainer on a problem personally important to you!  Do your part to make Fedora 11 that much better.
We need your help to make Fedora 12 the best release yet, so please take a moment of your time to download and try out the Alpha and make sure the things that are important to you are working. If you find a bug, please report it - every bug you uncover is a chance to improve the experience for millions of Fedora users worldwide. Together, we can make Fedora a rock-solid distribution.


https://bugzilla.redhat.com/
https://bugzilla.redhat.com


Among the top features of this ground-breaking release:
Among the top features for end users, we have:


* '''Automatic Fonts & Mime Installer''' - Allows programs on the desktop to automatically install applications, fonts, multimedia capabilities, and clipart.
* '''Better webcam support''' - Out of the box support for a lot of new webcams has been extended further than ever.
* '''Fingerprint Readers''' - Better experience for systems with fingerprint readers, including support through the graphical Authentication Configuration tool and gnome-about-me.
* '''Empathy as default IM client''' - Empathy is an instant messenger client replacing Pidgin, featuring better integration with the GNOME Desktop.
* '''Intel, ATI, and Nvidia kernel modesetting''' - Fedora 10 provided the first steps by a major distribution in using the kernel modesetting (KMS) feature to speed up graphical boot. Fedora 11 has increased the video card coverage of the KMS feature, with more to come.  
* '''GNOME 2.27.90 beta and KDE 4.3''' - The latest code from the two main desktop environments and their many bundled supporting applications are part of this release. GNOME 2.27.90 is the latest GNOME version as of the Alpha release; GNOME 2.28 is planned for the final release.
* '''Virt Console''' - Fedora 11 provides more accurate mouse pointer positioning and higher screen resolutions for virtual machine consoles, along with other improvements such as simpler use of USB devices.
* '''Network Manager Mobile Broadband''' - By providing a database of preconfigured mobile broadband providers, supporting more hardware and permit to scan GSM networks, NetworkManager makes the use of mobile broadband much easier.
* '''MinGW Cross-compiler''' - Build and test full-featured Microsoft Windows programs, from the comfort of a Fedora system, without needing to use that "other OS."
* '''Better Free Video Codec''' - The latest technology is found in the improved, free Ogg Theora video encoder, codenamed "Thusnelda."  Encoded video at very high definition now can meet or exceed the expectations of the most demanding viewer and material.
* '''Volume Control''' - The multimedia experience of Fedora users is improved by an easily understandable and much more flexible volume control.
* '''PackageKit improvements''' - PackageKit now has plugins to install applications from a web browser, and from the command line if a user tries a command from a package not yet installed.
* '''PulseAudio improvements''' - The PulseAudio volume control applet has been extended to support profiles, input switching and easy speaker setup.
* '''Better power management''' - This release offers better power management features regarding CPU, disk and network I/O.


But wait, there's more!  For developers there are all sorts of goodies:
For developers there are all sorts of additional goodies:


* '''Python 2.6''' - This new version in Fedora is a precursor to Python 3000 (3.0), including many compatibility measures to help developers get their code prepared for the next generation of Python.
* '''NetBeans 6.7''' - NetBeans 6.7 is the most recent version of Sun's IDE.
* '''NetBeans 6.5''' - NetBeans IDE 6.5 is a significant update of NetBeans IDE 6.1 that includes improved JavaScript, AJAX, Ruby, and database support.
* '''PHP 5.3''' - PHP 5.3 has been integrated as the popular web language.
* '''gcc 4.4''' - The gcc compiler suite has been updated to the latest version, featuring better error detection for the latest in safety and execution.
* '''Eclipse 3.5.0''' - The latest release of the popular, open, and extensible development platform is included.
* '''Eclipse profiling tools''' - Add the power of various native profiling tools into the Eclipse IDE and integrate with the rest of the development environment.  
* '''SystemTap''' - Updates to this debugging capability include better documentation, tools, and examples; support for kernel tracepoint and modern gcc debuginfo ("dwarf") output; and Eclipse support for launching traces and graphing results.


Peek under the hood and there is still more:
Peek under the hood and there is still more:


* '''Desktop Environments''' - Updates to Gnome 2.26 and KDE 4.2.1 bring the latest innovations and functionality to desktop users.  Xfce and Sugar have also been updated.
* '''Better IPv6 in NetworkManager''' - NetworkManager has been extended to fully support IPv6 configurations through the GUI.
* '''Anaconda Storage''' - New storage code for the Anaconda installer improves the ability to handle new types of storage. The rewrite does not change the user interface.
* '''Automatic Bug Reporting Tool''' - This release provides ABRT, a service that automatically reports application crashed to Fedora, without requiring the end user to have any special knowledge on error reporting.
* '''Minimal Platform''' - New installer features make it much easier to create very small installations for embedded applications, such as for a server or desktop appliance.
* '''RPM XZ payload''' - All the software packages in Fedora have been switched from Gzip to the more efficient XZ (LZMA) compression method, to save space on mirrors and reduce download times.
* '''Control groups''' - Allows system administrator to partition the system resources into different sub groups, and dedicate these sub groups resources to different applications' need.
* '''x86 optimized for Atom''' - The 32 bit version of this release will be compiled for i686 with a specific optimization for Intel Atom processors used in many netbooks.
* '''DeviceKit''' - A simple, modular system service to manage devices and designed to partially replace HAL. Users gain a graphical disk management application that integrates nicely into the desktop.  
* '''GRUB ext4 support''' - Fedora 11 included Ext4 by default, however GRUB in that version did not support Ext4 and hence required a separate boot partition formatted as Ext3 or Ext2. This release includes an updated version of GRUB with Ext4 support.
* '''DNS Security''' - DNSSEC (DNS SECurity) is a mechanism that can prove integrity and authenticity of DNS data.  
* '''Bluetooth Service On Demand''' - In order to support Bluetooth devices, the Bluetooth background service was started by default in previous versions of Fedora. In this release, the Bluetooth service is started on demand when needed, and automatically stops 30 seconds after last device use, reducing initial startup time and resources.
* '''ext4 filesystem''' - ext4 is the new default file system for Fedora 11 (replacing ext3) allowing for larger file system support and better performance by providing real-time fragmentation prevention and smarter data allocations.
* '''KVM improvements''' - Many improvements in KVM virtualization are found in this release: reduced memory consumption and improved performance, NIC hotplug, better disk I/O, modern PXE booting, support for flexible network configurations, and much more.
* '''sVirt MAC''' - sVirt integrates SELinux with the Fedora virtualization stack to allow Mandatory Access Control (MAC) security be applied to guest virtual machines
* '''Power Management''' - Fedora 11 includes new power monitoring utilities and a new system daemon that automatically adjusts power settings to reflect the current system use.  There is also a facility to review the system and make suggestions on improving power consumption.
* '''IBus input method''' - Ibus has been rewritten in C, and provides a simple, clean default system for changing the way international users input information into a Fedora system.
 
And that is only the beginning. A more complete list and details of each new cited feature is available:
 
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/11/FeatureList
 
For release information, including common and known bugs, please refer to the
release notes:


http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_11_Beta_release_notes
And that is only the beginning. A more complete list and details of each new cited feature is available here:


Since this is a Beta release, there may still be some rough spots still in the polishing phase. Some of them are already known and in the process of fixing.  If you find a problem, please check the list of known issues and then file a bug:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/12/FeatureList


http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_11_Beta_release_notes#Known_Issues
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:


https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_12_Alpha_release_notes


Thank you, and we hope to see you in the Fedora project!


[[Category:Docs Project]]
[[Category:F12]]
[[Category:Draft Documentation]]
[[Category:F11]]

Latest revision as of 18:10, 21 November 2009

Fedora 12 "Constantine" Alpha release is available! What's next for the free operating system that shows off the best new technology of tomorrow? You can see the future now at:

http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease

What's an Alpha release? The Alpha release contains all the features of Fedora 12 in a form that anyone can help test. This testing, guided by the Fedora QA team, helps us target and identify bugs. When these bugs are fixed, we make a Beta release available. A Beta release is code-complete, and bears a very strong resemblance to the third and final release. The final release of Fedora 12 is due in November.

We need your help to make Fedora 12 the best release yet, so please take a moment of your time to download and try out the Alpha and make sure the things that are important to you are working. If you find a bug, please report it - every bug you uncover is a chance to improve the experience for millions of Fedora users worldwide. Together, we can make Fedora a rock-solid distribution.

https://bugzilla.redhat.com

Among the top features for end users, we have:

  • Better webcam support - Out of the box support for a lot of new webcams has been extended further than ever.
  • Empathy as default IM client - Empathy is an instant messenger client replacing Pidgin, featuring better integration with the GNOME Desktop.
  • GNOME 2.27.90 beta and KDE 4.3 - The latest code from the two main desktop environments and their many bundled supporting applications are part of this release. GNOME 2.27.90 is the latest GNOME version as of the Alpha release; GNOME 2.28 is planned for the final release.
  • Network Manager Mobile Broadband - By providing a database of preconfigured mobile broadband providers, supporting more hardware and permit to scan GSM networks, NetworkManager makes the use of mobile broadband much easier.
  • Better Free Video Codec - The latest technology is found in the improved, free Ogg Theora video encoder, codenamed "Thusnelda." Encoded video at very high definition now can meet or exceed the expectations of the most demanding viewer and material.
  • PackageKit improvements - PackageKit now has plugins to install applications from a web browser, and from the command line if a user tries a command from a package not yet installed.
  • PulseAudio improvements - The PulseAudio volume control applet has been extended to support profiles, input switching and easy speaker setup.
  • Better power management - This release offers better power management features regarding CPU, disk and network I/O.

For developers there are all sorts of additional goodies:

  • NetBeans 6.7 - NetBeans 6.7 is the most recent version of Sun's IDE.
  • PHP 5.3 - PHP 5.3 has been integrated as the popular web language.
  • Eclipse 3.5.0 - The latest release of the popular, open, and extensible development platform is included.
  • SystemTap - Updates to this debugging capability include better documentation, tools, and examples; support for kernel tracepoint and modern gcc debuginfo ("dwarf") output; and Eclipse support for launching traces and graphing results.

Peek under the hood and there is still more:

  • Better IPv6 in NetworkManager - NetworkManager has been extended to fully support IPv6 configurations through the GUI.
  • Automatic Bug Reporting Tool - This release provides ABRT, a service that automatically reports application crashed to Fedora, without requiring the end user to have any special knowledge on error reporting.
  • RPM XZ payload - All the software packages in Fedora have been switched from Gzip to the more efficient XZ (LZMA) compression method, to save space on mirrors and reduce download times.
  • x86 optimized for Atom - The 32 bit version of this release will be compiled for i686 with a specific optimization for Intel Atom processors used in many netbooks.
  • GRUB ext4 support - Fedora 11 included Ext4 by default, however GRUB in that version did not support Ext4 and hence required a separate boot partition formatted as Ext3 or Ext2. This release includes an updated version of GRUB with Ext4 support.
  • Bluetooth Service On Demand - In order to support Bluetooth devices, the Bluetooth background service was started by default in previous versions of Fedora. In this release, the Bluetooth service is started on demand when needed, and automatically stops 30 seconds after last device use, reducing initial startup time and resources.
  • KVM improvements - Many improvements in KVM virtualization are found in this release: reduced memory consumption and improved performance, NIC hotplug, better disk I/O, modern PXE booting, support for flexible network configurations, and much more.

And that is only the beginning. A more complete list and details of each new cited feature is available here:

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/12/FeatureList

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:

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_12_Alpha_release_notes

Thank you, and we hope to see you in the Fedora project!