Fedora Releases Alpha Preview of Next Gen Linux
The Fedora community has pushed out its first alpha test release of the upcoming Fedora 10 Linux. The developer preview still has a ways to go before it’s ready for everyday use, but already there are some marked improvements in audio handling and a new security and intrusion-detection system called SecTool.
The first alpha also includes a new WiFi tool that reportedly makes it easy to set up ad-hoc networks. All you need is a PC with a network connection and a wireless card. That means that, so long as one machine has a connection — wired, extra WiFik card or even 3G — the new NetworkManager features can set up an ad-hoc network for any other nearby machines using the first PC’s WiFi card.
Network admins will no doubt appreciate SecTool, which offers both command-line and GUI-based network sniffing and intrusion detecting tools. According to the Fedora team, SecTool is easy to script, meaning you can set up your own tests to fit your network.
Although they aren’t part of this first alpha, Fedora 10 also has some cool new tools like native Microsoft Exchange support (using OpenChange), Haskell support and better webcam support on its planned feature list.
Fedora 10 is due to arrive at the end of October 2008, with the first betas available at the beginning of September (see the Fedora schedule). If you’d like to test this new alpha, head on over to the Fedora download page. And be sure to file reports if you run across bugs.
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