Fedora 15 “Lovelock” Beta Highlights the Newest Features in Desktop Linux

The Fedora Project is proud to announce the beta release of its cutting-edge operating system, Fedora 15. Codenamed “Lovelock,” we hope you love Fedora 15 as much as we do. Fedora strives to be the best free and open source technology, integrated into a Linux distribution that anyone can freely download, use, modify, and redistribute. This beta preview release, in particular, highlights some very visible changes in the Linux desktop.

The Fedora Project is a worldwide community of more than 20,000 collaborators who help advance the cause of software freedom. These contributors interact to create a vibrant, growing community dedicated to the advancement of free and open source software. The most anticipated product of this community is Fedora, the operating system released by the project approximately every six months. Fedora represents the culmination of work by hundreds of engineers and thousands of contributors from many different locations and many different walks of life.

The Beta release marks the point where software enthusiasts are encouraged to download the release and help identify items that need attention before the final release. With the beta release, the software is relatively stable, but real-world use and reports from users helps identify any lingering bugs so they can be addressed before the final Fedora 15 release.

Here are just a few of the notable features you can test out in the Fedora 15 Beta:

• Gnome Shell and the Gnome 3 desktop

  Gnome 3 is the next major version of the Gnome desktop. After many years of a largely unchanged Gnome 2.x experience, Gnome 3 brings a fresh look and feel with gnome-shell. There are also many changes under the surfaces.

• The systemd initialization system

  systemd is a replacement for SysVinit and Upstart that acts as a system and session manager and will provide a quicker boot up experience.

• Dynamic firewall

  The dynamic firewall mode aims to make it possible to change firewall settings without the need to restart the firewall and to make persistent connections possible.

• LibreOffice® productivity suite

  LibreOffice® is a fork of OpenOffice® with the support of the OpenOffice.org® community and many major software backers, including Red Hat.

Download the Beta today and let us know what you think. Look out for the general availability of Fedora 15 anticipated in late spring.