| First Mandriva Linux 2007 beta available |
Jul. 31, 2006
In the final days of July, French Linux distributor Mandriva released the first beta of the next version of its Linux desktop: Mandriva Linux 2007, codenamed "Thor." This comes on the heels of the June 2006 release of Mandriva One 2006.
This new version, based on a 2.6.17 kernel, comes with a choice of either the KDE 3.5.3 or GNOME 2.16 (beta) desktops. It's also available for both the 32-bit i586 and the x86_64 platforms.
The new Mandriva desktop includes new network popup notifications to keep you up-to-date on your network status, and better WiFi encryption via drakroam, Mandriva's WiFi utility. Mandriva is also switching its menus to a style based on the Portland Project's XDG standards.
The betas are available as both live CDs and installation CDs (or a DVD). At 4.3 GB, the DVD is only for users with very fast Internet connections.
This beta distribution only includes GPLed software. Therefore, if you need proprietary drivers or firmware for your system, such as ATI or NVIDA graphic drivers or Centrino WiFi, you'll need to have those in hand to get the most from your PC.
The new beta may also be a bit rougher than some people might expect. For example, the GUI-based software installer, rpmdrake, is broken. You can still install new programs, but you need to use command line tools to do the job. In addition, many menu entries are not yet displayed because the XDG migration isn't finished.
Still, the brave can download Mandriva Linux 2007 Beta 1 Thor via ftp or http, here. The distribution is not available via BitTorrent at this time.
A screenshot tour, courtesy of OSDir, is available here.
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