The Fedora Project, a Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) sponsored and community-supported open source collaboration, today announced the availability of Fedora 9, the latest version of its open source operating system distribution. Fedora 9 continues to build upon a tradition of innovation as the community Linux distribution that offers the latest, cutting-edge features with continued delivery of quality and impact. It features the first non-destructive live USB with persistence, and marks the first major KDE 4-based distribution. Other highlights include improvements and enhancements for OpenJDK, GNOME 2.22, NetworkManager, PackageKit, the Anaconda installer and Firefox 3 Beta 5 browser, among others.
The Fedora 9 Live images can now be added to an existing USB key using either a Linux or Windows application, without the need to remove data, repartition or reformat the USB key, resulting in a bootable, portable Fedora system. Using the persistence feature, users can download and store data, and remove and add software as on any normal Fedora system. We believe that this non-destructive, persistent live USB system is the first of its kind, anywhere.
Fedora's KDE team, a community effort led by volunteer contributors, has integrated KDE 4 into Fedora 9. KDE 4 includes a new desktop and panel with many enhanced concepts, an integrated desktop search feature, a new visual style, and a new multimedia API and hardware integration framework. Fedora 9 also includes FreeIPA, a powerful new toolset for system administrators to manage identity policy and auditing across mixed computing environments. These additions to Fedora 9 are a testament to Fedora's focus on leading advancement in free and open source software.
Fedora community developers also integrated OpenJDK6, a completely open source implementation of Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s Java SDK Standard Edition, into Fedora 9. This continues to build upon the inclusion of IcedTea, an implementation of OpenJDK, released in Fedora 8, and the Fedora community's commitment to delivering a stable, free software implementation based on OpenJDK. The work completed by these Fedora developers has already been adopted in other free and open source software communities, demonstrating the effectiveness of Fedora's policy for working cooperatively with upstream projects.
"Fedora has come a long way over the past few years with a broadening user base, influx of innovative ideas and a thriving community," said Paul Frields, Fedora project leader at Red Hat. "Fedora 8 had 35 percent more torrent downloads than Fedora 7, and there have been more than 35,000 downloads purely of our various testing releases. We have more than two million unique IP addresses regularly checking in for updates just for Fedora 8, and that number continues to increase daily."
Other Fedora 9 enhancements include improvements to NetworkManager, which now serves the needs of virtually any system owner with support for mobile broadband, multiple connections and connection editing and sharing. PackageKit is used by default for cross-distribution software package management, affording users the flexibility to enjoy the same tools with any Linux flavor. GNOME 2.22 adds new features including a helpful world time clock, better file system performance, security improvements, power management at the login screen, the ability to dynamically configure displays, better Bluetooth integration and improved podcast support.
The Fedora Project will host a Fedora Users and Developers Conference (FUDCon) from June 19-21, 2008, in Boston. A free event open to all attendees, FUDCon provides an opportunity for community members and key contributors to come together and dedicate time working on challenges of common interest, polishing code and developing new features. For more information on FUDCon, please visit http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FUDCon/FUDConF10.
For more information on Fedora 9, to download the distribution or to join in this community effort, please visit http://fedoraproject.org.
About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat, the world's leading open source solutions provider, is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with over 50 satellite offices spanning the globe. CIOs have ranked Red Hat first for value in Enterprise Software for four consecutive years in the CIO Insight Magazine Vendor Value study. Red Hat provides high-quality, affordable technology with its operating system platform, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, together with applications, management and Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) solutions, including the JBoss Enterprise Middleware Suite. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide. Learn more: http://www.redhat.com.
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- About Red Hat
Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at http://www.redhat.com.
- Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: risks related to delays or reductions in information technology spending; the effects of industry consolidation; the ability of the Company to compete effectively; the integration of acquisitions and the ability to market successfully acquired technologies and products; uncertainty and adverse results in litigation and related settlements; the inability to adequately protect Company intellectual property and the potential for infringement or breach of license claims of or relating to third party intellectual property; the ability to deliver and stimulate demand for new products and technological innovations on a timely basis; risks related to data and information security vulnerabilities; ineffective management of, and control over, the Company’s growth and international operations; fluctuations in exchange rates; and changes in and a dependence on key personnel, as well as other factors contained in our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (copies of which may be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov), including those found therein under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic and political conditions, governmental and public policy changes and the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
