It's been almost a year since the last release, but a raft
of updates make this new Linux distribution well worth checking out
The latest release of the world's most
powerful and flexible Linux Distribution brings you speed-ups across the board
with a faster storage layer in Linux 3.4 and accelerated functions in glibc and
Qt, giving a more fluid and responsive KDE desktop. The infrastructure below
openSUSE has evolved, bringing in mature new technologies like GRUB2 and
Plymouth and the first steps in the direction of a revised and simplified UNIX
file system hierarchy. Users will also notice the added polish to existing
features bringing an improved user experience all over. The novel Btrfs file
system comes with improved error handling and recovery tools, GNOME 3.4,
developing rapidly, brings smooth scrolling to all applications and features a
reworked System Settings and Contacts manager while XFCE has an enhanced
application finder. It's still less than a year since we
saw the launch of openSuse 12.1.
The openSUSE project is a community
program sponsored by Novell. Promoting the use of Linux everywhere, this
program provides free, easy access to openSUSE, a complete Linux distribution.
The openSUSE project has three main goals: make openSUSE the easiest Linux for
anyone to obtain and the most widely used Linux distribution; leverage open
source collaboration to make openSUSE the world's most usable Linux
distribution and desktop environment for new and experienced Linux users;
dramatically simplify and open the development and packaging processes to make
openSUSE the platform of choice for Linux developers and software vendors.
"Now,
faster speeds, an improved infrastructure, and fresh polish on existing
features are all among the enhancements this latest version brings", says Poortvliet who is currently the openSUSE community manager.
Ready
for a quick rundown? Here are five key new improvements you'll find in the new
release of this popular Linux distribution.
1.
Speed times four
Improvements in four areas are behind openSuse 12.2's faster speeds. First is the addition of the Linux 3.4 kernel, which includes "a faster storage layer to prevent blocking during large transfers," Poortvliet said. Meanwhile, glibc 2.15 boosts the performance of many functions, particularly on 64-bit systems, and Systemd 44 enables faster booting. Last but not least, KDE 4.8.4 makes the desktop more responsive, he added.
Improvements in four areas are behind openSuse 12.2's faster speeds. First is the addition of the Linux 3.4 kernel, which includes "a faster storage layer to prevent blocking during large transfers," Poortvliet said. Meanwhile, glibc 2.15 boosts the performance of many functions, particularly on 64-bit systems, and Systemd 44 enables faster booting. Last but not least, KDE 4.8.4 makes the desktop more responsive, he added.
2.
A more advanced infrastructure
openSUSE adopts the latest developments in Linux distribution technology as they mature. “The GRUB2 bootloader is now the default, we’ve begun the process of revising and simplifying the UNIX filesystem hierarchy to improve compatibility across distributions, and during startup and and shutdown Plymouth 0.8.6.1 provides flicker-free transitions and attractive animations.” Poortvliet explained.
openSUSE adopts the latest developments in Linux distribution technology as they mature. “The GRUB2 bootloader is now the default, we’ve begun the process of revising and simplifying the UNIX filesystem hierarchy to improve compatibility across distributions, and during startup and and shutdown Plymouth 0.8.6.1 provides flicker-free transitions and attractive animations.” Poortvliet explained.
3.
A more polished desktop
Along with Gnome 3.4 comes smooth scrolling, a reworked System Settings app, and an improved Contacts manager, Poortvliet noted. Xfce 4.10, meanwhile, offers an improved application finder, while the Dolphin file manager is "both prettier and faster," Poortvliet said. Then, too, there's the Btrfs file system, which comes with improved error handling and recovery tools.
Along with Gnome 3.4 comes smooth scrolling, a reworked System Settings app, and an improved Contacts manager, Poortvliet noted. Xfce 4.10, meanwhile, offers an improved application finder, while the Dolphin file manager is "both prettier and faster," Poortvliet said. Then, too, there's the Btrfs file system, which comes with improved error handling and recovery tools.
4.
A raft of apps
XOrg 1.12 introduces support for multitouch input devices, and multi-seat deployments. Mozilla Firefox supports the latest Web technologies. The llvmpipe software 3D renderer enables Gnome Shell and virtual machines to use compositing even where no 3D hardware is present. GIMP 2.8 and Krita 2.4 make Free image processing and natural media painting competitive with proprietary tools. Tomahawk Player promises to make listening to music on your computer a social experience.
XOrg 1.12 introduces support for multitouch input devices, and multi-seat deployments. Mozilla Firefox supports the latest Web technologies. The llvmpipe software 3D renderer enables Gnome Shell and virtual machines to use compositing even where no 3D hardware is present. GIMP 2.8 and Krita 2.4 make Free image processing and natural media painting competitive with proprietary tools. Tomahawk Player promises to make listening to music on your computer a social experience.
5.
Cool stuff
Last but not least, openSuse 12.2 includes a number of cool scientific tools offering math applications such as numeric computation, plotting, and visualization, for example. The Stellarium astronomical simulator "lets you explore the night sky without a telescope," Poortvliet explained, while "programmers will enjoy version 1.0.2 of Google's Go language as well as the latest C++ language standards implemented in GCC 4.7.1 and Qt Creator 2.5."
Last but not least, openSuse 12.2 includes a number of cool scientific tools offering math applications such as numeric computation, plotting, and visualization, for example. The Stellarium astronomical simulator "lets you explore the night sky without a telescope," Poortvliet explained, while "programmers will enjoy version 1.0.2 of Google's Go language as well as the latest C++ language standards implemented in GCC 4.7.1 and Qt Creator 2.5."
Aside from these
technical changes, the documentation team has made a major revision of the
reference manuals, and has introduced changes to make it easier for community
contributors to write openSUSE documentation.
For more details
about the latest innovations in openSUSE 12.2 visit opensuse.org/12.2.
Ready
to take openSuse Linux 12.2 for a test drive?
You can download it for free from the project site.
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