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Nexradix™ 1.16 Released!
Tue, 07/21/2009 - 10:54pm
Nexradix™ 1.16 has been officially released, and is available for download or purchase.
Release Summary:
Upgrades from prior versions (except 1.10) are now supported directly from the installation DVD, without requiring any internet access. Simply browse to the "nxr-upgrade" directory, and execute the "Upgrade_Nexradix" script, and you will be guided through the upgrade.
A "tools" directory was added to the base DVD directory. Inside is a tool called Ext2Fsd -- it provides driver support for ext2/ext3 under Microsoft Windows®. This was added to provide the ability to access files on a Nexradix™ partition in a dual-boot scenario.
Upgraded Iceweasel to version 3.5, which provides a large number of new features, including native support for Ogg Theora playback, a private browsing mode, and many huge speed improvements.
Improved the OEM configuration utilities with a new graphical interface. Admins can now completely custome new user settings via the graphical environment, as well as backup and restore these settings. Simply log in under the "oem" user, and the tools will be on the desktop automatically.
Added a backup archive of the default new user profile settings, which can be easily restored if needed.
EXE files are now displayed with their native icons (when available).
Added the Wine Gecko HTML rendering engine, allowing Wine to render HTML pages without a separate download.
Removed the Transmission Bittorrent Client, and replaced it with Deluge -- the new client adds dozens of improvements, including vastly improved interface integration, support for filtering sites, and various performance improvements. Deluge is also cross-platform, making it a better choice for users switching to GNU/Linux for the first time.
Torrent files now have their own icons.
Set the Ctrl-Alt-Escape shortcut to "xkill" -- a program that changes your cursor in to an "X" that will close any application you click on.
Set the Alt-F11 shortcut combination to make the current window fullscreen (with no title bar).
Added a set of Nautilus templates, which make it quick and easy to create new files by right-clicking on the desktop.
When running the file browser as root (admin), you can now graphically create hardlinks via a right-click menu option.
Replaced F-Spot with GThumb -- GThumb has fewer dependencies, is lighter-weight, and provides comparable features to F-Spot.
Added a new, dark GNOME Forest theme that uses the default Nexradix™ color scheme, but with a darker look.
Added a menu item to allow the quick and easy launch of a "guest session" for temporary users.
Added a new graphical utility to aid in the backup and restore of Icedove email profiles.
Improved the startup splash screen with a new design that looks better on a wider range of displays.
A set of default xorg.conf files are now included in /etc/X11, allowing admins easy access to basic templates when troubleshooting.
Upgraded all major packages and components to match upstream release of 9.04 (jaunty).
...and a variety of bug fixes and misc. improvements
Fri, 08/28/2009 - 9:38pm
#2
Please forgive the slow reply. Our forum is still relatively new, and as such traffic is still very light. As such, we don't always check it every day. For more immediate support, feel free to email us at "support at twistedlincoln dot com".
Xorg, GNOME, and the kernel are the same versions as Jaunty. We only sync with the base version (rather than the updates) in order to keep troubleshooting easy for users, as tutorials for Ubuntu are mostly still applicable.
Most of our customizations and improvements are to the end-user applications. The list is long (and we're working on a comprehensive comparison), but highlights include:
- Icedove (unbranded Thunderbird) instead of Evolution
- GUI based font management and preview
- Wine installed by default, and integrated into GNOME (complete with support for displaying the Windows icons for exe files)
- GUI incremental backup application added (Flyback)
- Dia (diagrams), Inkscape (vector graphics), Kompozer (HTML), and Audacity (audio) applications installed by default. These apps are also found on our FreedomSampler CD, and their selection was made due to the fact that they all have Windows versions available -- that way user's can switch to Nexradix slowly by first learning apps on the Windows side.
- Numerous OEM integration options, including GUI based new user setup configuration
- Open any nautilus browser window as root using the GUI, with custom settings for adminstration purposes (ie set hardlinks graphically by right-clicking on a file).
- Far fewer system resources required -- while we only officially support installation on systems with 384mb of Ram, I've personally see someone install it on a PII 450mhz laptop with 128mb, and the system is actually usable.
- Trademarks license very liberal, allowing you to use, sell or promote Nexradix in a variety of commercial ways.
As for the issue of media files, our policy is basically the same as Fedora's and Ubuntu's: only formats that are not encumbered by software patents work out of the box. This is done for a variety of reasons: 1st, Twisted Lincoln, Inc is a U.S. based company, and as such is subject to U.S. patent laws. 2nd, we want Nexradix to be usable (and distributable) for commercial purposes -- companies are not going to want to adopt our distro unless they are reasonably sure they can do so legally.
Thanks again for your interest in Nexradix. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you in your Free Software endeavors.
Sun, 08/30/2009 - 3:54am
#3
It's been about two hours since starting to use Nexadrix, and while not nearly as much eye-candy as Linux Mint (At least not until I added some themes ;]), there is a notable speed improvement, and my computer is quieter during tasks such as playing music.
Despite the minor chore of getting MP3 codecs, it has been a very smooth process, and I'm more than willing to trade the need to get codecs for the lack of installing WINE.
I was incredibly surprised to notice a RPM to DEB convertor! I'll be excited to have that when it's needed.
Even the benchmark tools I had a little fun with. :)
I got a mass of updates upon first connecting, and noticed a lot of things I wished Ubuntu updated to.
I've got one question, however. When I start my computer, I get this blinking cursor for a long moment, before it begins a countdown to boot. How can I remove the cursor, and shorten/remove the countdown?
It'd be much appreciated!
Thank you so much for this distrobution! I'm enjoying it very much!
Sun, 08/30/2009 - 8:15pm
#4
We have experienced the blinking cursor phenomenon, but can't determine what causes it. It doesn't happen on every PC, making us think it has to do with GRUB, and how the BIOS turns boot control over to it.
As for changing the countdown, you can adjust this using the "StartUp-Manager" program, located in System -> Administration. However we think that a 3 second timeout isn't too long :)
Any recommendations on themes? We'll be adding some "eye candy" to the next major release, so input in that area is quite welcome.
I ran by this on Softpedia, and quickly was interested.
In fact, I'm downloading it now - it seems to be the most fitting, at least by description, distribution for me. However, since they aren't directly stated, I thought I should ask what Xorg, Gnome, and Kernel version it comes with. Forgive me if they're simply the same as the default with Jaunty, except I'm fairly new with Linux and am uncertain if by 'major packages and components' you meant these. x3
I'm plenty excited for this! Thank you!
EDIT: I'm also curious about what media files are supported from install.