What's new in SnowBird Linux 20
Dec 26, 2013
- SnowBird Labs is pleased to announce the release of SnowBird Linux 20 ("Misha") based on Fedora 20 (âHeisenbugâ). This release coincides with the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Fedora Project, Xmas and first anniversary of SnowBird Labs, so it calls for a triple celebration.
- SnowBird Linux 20 is built on top of the Linux 3.11 kernel, sports the Gnome 3.10 desktop and an improved Network Manager. Gnome 3.10 brings quite a few new features, applications and a significant visual refreshing change to the desktop. The first noticeable change is the new look of the windows. Gnome 3.10 features a new "Header Bar", which collapses a windowâs title bar and toolbar into a single element, saving a bit of vertical screen space and giving Gnome windows a slightly less cluttered look.
- These visual refreshes are felt throughout Gnome 3.10, but nowhere as noticeable as in the file browser, Nautilus which looks slick and clutter free. Perhaps the best visual tweak in Gnome 3.10 is the new system menu that, like so much of the Gnome interface, is designed to be clean and simple, staying out of the way until needed. Most of the Gnome Shell indicators and applets like Wi-Fi, Blue-tooth, Volume, Battery, Brightness have been condensed into a single drop-down menu thatâs hidden away until you click the system menu icon in the upper right corner.
- SnowBird Linux 20 features the tweaks and customization you would expect to find in a modern desktop. We have bundled a new theme along with the much loved Faenza icon set, true type fonts, the increasingly popular LibreOffice suite, audio and video codecs, full burning support, telephone and social applications, the most popular browsers including Firefox and itâs add-ons, productivity and graphics software, development tools and the small utilities that simplify our life, enhanced hardware support along with the latest and greatest repositories pre-configured.
- It will take a while before all the mirrors are in sync for downloads, so have a merry Xmas while looking forward to lay your hands on this awesome release.
New in SnowBird Linux 20 Beta (Dec 3, 2013)
- Major Changes:
- Based on Fedora 20 (Beta)
- Gnome 3.10 Desktop Environment
- Dropped Packages:
- gstreamer-plugins-entrans (non-free)
- Fedora CDRtools (Official)
- Flash Plugin (Official)
- Mirall (owncloud) in favour of Gnome online accounts
- gnome-phone-manager
- plymouth-theme-solar
- New Packages:
- Google Earth
- Alacarte (Menu editor)
- Gnome Activity
- Gnome Schedule (Cron front-end)
- Acrobat Reader
- HP Linux Imaging and Printing
- Epson USB Scanners
- Epson Printer drivers
- Samsung Printer drivers
- CDRtools (negativo17)
- Latest Flash Plugin (negativo17)
- Additional Fonts
- Additional Audio Codecs
- DevAssistant
- Test Packages:
- numix-common
- numix-gtk2-theme
- numix-gtk3-theme
- numix-metacity-theme
- Updates:
- Bleachbit 1.0
- Flareget
- Project Libre
- Flash Plugin
- Libdvdcss
- Handbrake
- Google Chrome
- Google Talk Plugin
- Grub Customizer
- Rosa Media Player
- System:
- Added SnowBird Linux repository
- Inserted yum fix for broken repositories.
- Fixed Window grouping bug.
- Fixed Anaconda icon not showing up in dash.
- Fixed GWeather
New in SnowBird Linux 19.2 (Oct 17, 2013)
- I'm pleased to announce the second update (19.2) to SnowBird Linux 19 (New Dawn).
- Following closely on the heels of the first update (19.1) released on the 16th of September, we have incorporated further updates/bug fixes from Fedora, Gnome, LibreOffice and Google.
- This update brings enhanced support for printers, scanners, burning Dual Layer and Blu-Ray discs, new audio and video codecs along with the latest version of Flash.
- Some new applications like Google Earth, Acrobat Reader, Gnome Activity, Gnome Phone Manager and Gnome Schedule have made their way into our application library.
- This release also sports a new desktop/icon theme which may be the default in SnowBird Linux 20. We have switched the font configuration to Infinality to offer smooth crispy rendering which should not pass unnoticed.
- We have also fixed minor issues that cropped into previous releases and added a SnowBird Linux repository for pushing updates in a more timely and convenient way.
- As always, if you have SnowBird Linux 19 installed you don't need to re-install your system but if you're planning new deployments then you should grab the latest update.
- We are working on a long term release (LTS) which will appear sometime next year to ease the number of upgrades required with cutting edge distributions like Fedora and SnowBird Linux.
- SnowBird Linux 20 (Misha) is currently in an Alpha state, so stay tuned as there is plenty to come before Christmas.
New in SnowBird Linux 20 Alpha (Oct 4, 2013)
- Major Changes:
- Based on Fedora 20 Branched (Alpha)
- Gnome 3.10 Desktop Environment
- Dropped Packages:
- gstreamer-plugins-entrans (non-free)
- Fedora CDRtools (Official)
- Flash Plugin (Official)
- New Packages:
- Google Earth
- Alacarte (Menu editor)
- Gnome Activity
- Gnome Phone Manager
- Gnome Schedule (Cron front-end)
- Acrobat Reader
- HP Linux Imaging and Printing
- Epson USB Scanners
- Epson Printer drivers
- Samsung Printer drivers
- CDRtools (negativo17)
- Latest Flash Plugin (negativo17)
- Updates:
- Bleachbit 1.0 (beta)
- Flareget
- Project Libre
- Flash Plugin
- Libdvdcss
- Handbrake
- Google Chrome
- Google Talk Plugin
- Grub Customizer
- Rosa Media Player
- System:
- Added SnowBird Linux repository
- Inserted yum fix for broken repositories. Neither Open Printing, Remi nor Russian Fedora repositories cause yum to fail if unavailable.
- Fixed Window grouping bug.
- Fixed Anaconda icon not showing up in dash.
- Fixed GWeather
- Gnome Weather extension has not yet been updated for Gnome 3.10