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The openSUSE Project is proud to announce the release of openSUSE 11.1. The openSUSE 11.1 release includes more than 230 new features[1], improvements to YaST, major updates to GNOME, KDE, OpenOffice.org, and more freedom with a brand new license[2], Liberation fonts, and openJDK. This is also the first release built entirely in the openSUSE Build Service.

All of the Sneak Peeks for this release are available at on openSUSE News[3]. You can also find a bevy of screenshots[4], and a list of features[5] found in openSUSE 11.1. You can also find a lengthy list of packages and version numbers on DistroWatch[6].

Let's take a look at some of the specific additions in openSUSE 11.1!

On the Desktop ============================================================================

Desktop users will find a lot to like in this release. Users can choose from the leading edge of GNOME and KDE development with GNOME 2.24.1 and KDE 4.1.3. We've also included KDE 3.5.10 for users who prefer the classic KDE experience.

What's new in GNOME 2.24.1? ============================================================================

GNOME has gotten a good set of improvements since the 11.0 release. GNOME 2.24.1 features tabbed browsing and a new compact view in Nautilus, improvements for Gmail users in Evolution, along with mail templates, a new version of Ekiga, and additional improvements in F-Spot.

This release also includes a brand-new release of the ever-popular Banshee. Banshee 1.4 sports support for Internet radio, compilation albums, a Now Playing window for video and audio, support for syncing to Android phones, and many other features that make Banshee an excellent multimedia player for the Linux desktop.

What's new in KDE 4.1.3? ============================================================================

KDE 4 has a huge number of improvements since openSUSE 11.0. In this release you'll find the KDE-PIM suite back in KDE 4, new games, the KSCD CD player, KSystemLog to keep track of system changes, improvements to Dolphin, Konqueror, and Marble integration with OpenStreetMap. KDE has now standardized on PackageKit for its backend, which means both desktops are using the same update stack.

The openSUSE KDE team has also backported some key features from KDE 4.2, including compositing features for KWin to provide more desktop effects, and auto-hiding of the panel, and power management thanks to PowerDevil.

Classic KDE ============================================================================

If you're not quite ready to make the transition to KDE 4, relax. openSUSE 11.1 includes KDE 3.5.10 for the "classic" KDE experience. Simply install openSUSE 11.1 from the DVD media and choose KDE 3.5.10 from the selection of other window managers in the desktop selection screen.

OpenOffice.org ============================================================================

This release includes OpenOffice.org 3.0, which features many improvements over the 2.4 release found in openSUSE 11.0. OpenOffice.org 3.0 Novell edition provides better Excel interoperability, performance enhancements, 3D slide transitions, and other features not found in upstream OpenOffice.org.

This release also includes support for ODF 1.2, import filters for OOXML, Gstreamer and Mono integration, and a lot more. For developers, this is the first release that includes the split build, making it easier to work on components of OpenOffice.org and get involved in its development.

Under the Hood ============================================================================

openSUSE 11.1 also includes several changes "under the hood," including a new kernel release, updated Glibc, new version of PackageKit, Smolt integration, and many other updated applications and utilities:

* Linux 2.6.27.7

* Glibc 2.9

* Python 2.6

* Perl 5.10

* Mono 2.0

YaST Improvements ============================================================================

The YaST team has been busy with this release, working on a number of improvements including new and re-written modules. openSUSE 11.1 includes a new printer module, redesigned partitioner module, and a security module that allows you to check the overall security of your system.

Media and Download ============================================================================

openSUSE is now available for immediate download[7]. openSUSE 11.1 comes with many choices of installation media.

* openSUSE 11.1 DVD 32-bit

* openSUSE 11.1 DVD 64-bit

* openSUSE 11.1 DVD PowerPC

* openSUSE 11.1 GNOME 32-bit Live CD

* openSUSE 11.1 KDE 4 32-bit Live CD

* openSUSE 11.1 GNOME 64-bit Live CD

* openSUSE 11.1 KDE 4 64-bit Live CD

You can also purchase a retail box[8] with openSUSE 11.1 that includes 90-day installation support, physical media, and a printed Getting Started guide.

Communicate ============================================================================

We want to hear from you! The openSUSE Project has many channels of communication[9]:

* Official openSUSE Forums: forums.opensuse.org[10].

* Mailing Lists: The openSUSE mailing lists[11].

* IRC: #opensuse[12] on irc.freenode.net and and other channels[13].

* Jabber, Usenet, and more[9].

To keep up to date with openSUSE, be sure to keep an eye on openSUSE News[14] and watch Planet SUSE[15] for blog posts from the openSUSE community.

Want to help the openSUSE Project? To get involved with openSUSE see the How to Participate[16] page on the openSUSE wiki. We can use lots of different skills[17] to help the project, so feel free to jump in!

Thanks! ============================================================================

openSUSE 11.1 represents the combined effort of thousands of developers who participate in openSUSE and upstream projects shipped in openSUSE. The contributors, inside and outside the openSUSE Project, should be proud of this release, and they deserve a major "thank you" for all of the hard work and care that have gone into 11.1. We hope that openSUSE 11.1 is the best openSUSE release yet, and that it will help to encourage the use of Linux everywhere! We hope that you _have a lot of fun_ while you use openSUSE 11.1, and we look forward to working with you on 11.2!

[1]: http://en.opensuse.org/Testing:Features_11.1

[2]: http://en.opensuse.org/EULA

[3]: http://news.opensuse.org/category/sneak-peeks/

[4]: http://en.opensuse.org/Screenshots/openSUSE_11.1

[5]: http://en.opensuse.org/Featurelist_11.1

[6]: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=suse

[7]: http://software.opensuse.org/

[8]: http://en.opensuse.org/Buy_openSUSE

[9]: http://en.opensuse.org/Communicate

[10]: http://forums.opensuse.org/

[11]: http://en.opensuse.org/Communicate/Mailinglists

[12]: irc://irc.freenode.net/opensuse

[13]: http://en.opensuse.org/Communicate/IRC

[14]: http://news.opensuse.org/

[15]: http://www.planetsuse.org/

[16]: http://en.opensuse.org/How_to_Participate

[17]: http://en.opensuse.org/How_to_Participate#What_skills_are_necessary