Fedora 13 beta goes live
"Goddard" takes flight
Today the Fedora Project announced the launch of Fedora 13 beta, codenamed Goddard, after the rocket scientist of the same name.
"Rather than spend our time inefficiently trying to depart from the collaborative model, we embrace it. That means that our distribution serves as a force to better integrate technology from upstream -- not hack around it," said Paul Frields, Fedora Project Leader.
With Goddard comes a number of updates and new features for end users and developers alike. For the first time in Fedora history it's possible to install a Python 3 stack in parallel to the current Python 2.6, allowing developers to better optimize and increase the compatibility of their work.
Another treat for developers is an improved GNU debugger that allows unified information for C/C++ libraries and Python, all in the same running process.
Sys admins can now roll back entire file system states thanks to improvements to the btrfs file system.
In addition to plenty of improvements for developers and sys admins, The new release includes some new features for end users. Zarafa replaces Exchange as the included email client and PackageKit, an entirely new application, detects a user's actions and offers to install software assistants.
These automated features help to make Fedora more accessible, something Frields and his team strive for with each release of the OS. "I'm very excited about the improvements we've made to how the hardware 'just works' in Fedora."
Included in the beta are open source drivers for most NVidia, ATI and Intel video cards, automatic print driver support, automatic codec installation, and automatic content syncing for music devices –– yes, even for the iPhone and iPod line. The Fedora 13 beta runs the Gnome 2.30 desktop as its default UI.
The beta, documentation, and wiki can be found here. Frields says the beta period will last through May 4 and recommends that people interested in the beta create a live USB key. Instructions on how to do that can be found here.
"The feedback we get from community testers is a vital part of open source development. We can't fix bugs we don't know about," he said.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
Re: Errors
A clarification would help, but it's not an outright error.
How's this: Included for the first time in Fedora's history Zarafa. Zarafa can serve as a drop-in groupware replacement for Exchange and features the standard email, calendar and other collaboration tools we've come to expect from an email client.
Few mistakes in article
First, Zarafa is email server, competition to MS Exchange.
It cannot replace Exchange in Fedora as Exchange is proprietary windows-only software.
Gnome in F13 is 2.30 not 2.3