Linux release of Fedora 12

After Ubuntu 9.10, Mandriva Linux 2010 and openSUSE 11.2 last week, it is time for Fedora 12 to enter the track at the end of 2009. A proposed free Linux distribution with a new version every six months. Its development is supported by Red Hat and Fedora is often compared to a sandbox versions for companies in the editor.

With the base kernel 2.6.31.5 Linux, Fedora 12 supports default filesystem ext4. It was already the case for Fedora 11, but the GRUB boot loader has been updated to take into account the medium. The proposed office environments are GNOME 2.28 and KDE 4.3.2.

Red Hat announced the release of Fedora 12, highlights the key improvements. The editor cites improvements to PackageKit which allows for easier installation of software packages and supports a browser plugin so that applications can be installed via HTML tags, and therefore from a web browser.

NetworkManager has better support mobile connections, allows to quickly switch to a broadband connection to another. Fedora 12 includes the Theora video codec for 1.1 and Red Hat, "and users will be able to download and play high-definition video using software codecs and formats 100% open and free.

Other improvements are highlighted on Virtualization: best virtual disk performance and detection of storage, changes in hot virtual network interfaces, reduced memory consumption, modern infrastructure network boot.

• Plymouth for a graphic animation to boot
• Support of Moblin
• X86 version optimized for Intel Atom (compiled for i686 architecture)
• Better management of webcams
• Compression XZ for RPMS
• Improving energy management
• Improvements for the PulseAudio sound server
• Bluetooth application
• NetBeans 6.7.1

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