| Epidemic GNU/Linux 3.1 Beta3 now available |
| Friday, 11 December 2009 00:00 | |
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The Epidemic Development Team is pleased to announce the launch of Epidemic GNU/Linux 3.1 Beta 3 (Codename: "Freedom").
Although the development of this new version of Epidemic is focused on bug fixes and polishing the system, there are some important changes that have been made such as a new boot option that allows you to start Epidemic from an ISO image on your HD. Improvements in the boot process makes it much cleaner, plus the elimination of text messaging and integration with the ESU Knotification (the KDE 4 reporting system) are also included.
Along with the changes implemented in Betas 1, 2 and 3, Epidemic 3.1 also includes the following updates making it the latest stable version.
1 – New boot parameter Using the parameter “bootfrom=/partition/path” you can start Epidemic from an ISO image located anywhere on the HD without having to create a DVD. This is very handy for testing the system.
2 - ESU development ESU is a new application created by Team Epidemic in the form of a PAM (Pluggable Authentication Module). It includes a module for Systemsettings (the KDE/Epidemic Unified Control Center), providing the system administrator greater freedom in choosing how other users must authenticate in order to perform actions that depend on administrative privileges.
3 - GRUB Legacy replaced with GRUB 2 Epidemic GNU/Linux 3.1 replaces GRUB Legacy with GRUB 2. This important change was made because the development of GRUB Legacy has been discontinued in favor of GRUB 2, leaving GRUB Legacy with only minor bug fixes being offered.
4 - Introducing support for Ext4 Beginning with Epidemic GNU/Linux 3.1, the ext4 file system is being adopted by default. Ext4 is a great improvement over Ext3, modifying important data structures to directly enhance computer performance and system reliability.
5 - New Kernel Epidemic GNU/Linux 3.1 comes with Linux Kernel 2.6.30-2-686, optimized for i686 architecture, with support for Nvidia and ATI 3d drivers along with several new wireless cards.
6 - KDE 4.3 and Compiz Fusion (Running from the LiveDVD) Epidemic GNU/Linux 3.1 offers the very latest in desktop environments, with KDE 4.3 (the newest version of this world class desktop) and Compiz Fusion now running directly from the LiveDVD. This combination provides an easy to use and fun way of interacting with the operating system while providing speed, incredible utility and stunning desktop effects.
7 - Improvements in eInstaller We’ve made several improvements in eInstaller, with a focus on new options for installing GRUB.
8 - New graphical boot system (Plymouth) We’ve replaced Bootsplash with Plymouth, allowing Epidemic to use the standard Debian kernel without needing to apply any patch, thereby greatly increasing compatibility with its parent distribution.
9 - New start up system Launch of boot scripts dealing with dependencies and in parallel results in a significant reduction in boot time, especially with multi-core processors.
10 - Unification of boot options Epidemic’s boot options for Nvidia and ATI video cards, including choosing the most appropriate drivers, are now automatically made by the system.
11 - Nvidia legacy driver support Support for legacy nvidia drivers, 173.14.xx, 71.86.xx, 96.43.xx, and of course the latest driver, 190.42, comes pre-installed and configured, running directly from the LiveDVD.
12 - Internationalization We’re beginning to add internationalization to the system, with the English translation done by Otto R. Heredia de Sá.
If you enjoy testing programs still under development, please download Epidemic GNU/Linux 3.1 Beta 3 by clicking the icon below or on one of the links listed in our downloads page. That way you can see for yourself what this latest version of Epidemic GNU/Linux is all about!
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