Pardus Linux, a popular independent distribution funded and developed by the Scientific & Technological Research Council of Turkey, will be releasing version 2011 in the coming weeks and with it lots of nice updates and improvements.

Package Manager

Pardus features its own package management system, PiSi, and the easy-to-use graphical front-end has received some attention this developmental cycle. The most noticeable change is the addition of Tabs. These new tabs make it easier to navigate the various operations supported in the Pardus Package Manager such as viewing All Packages, Installable Packages, and Upgradeable Packages. Not only is this easier for the users, but it also saves precious screen space. Like Sabayon and Linux Mint, Pardus has incorporated a scoring system into the Package Manager. When the rating stars are clicked, another new feature is revealed: a semi-transparent overlay widget pops up with the package information and application screenshot. Similar overlays appear at various times in the course of using the Pardus Package Manager such as when searches are conducted or packages are being installed. This widget gives Pardus a modern look and feel while actually improving usability for the user by obscuring distracting background images. Underneath, improvements have been made to speed up all aspects of package management.

Pardus "Yet Another Linux Installer"

Pardus has always offered an attractive installer interface that usually matched the theme of the release it was installing. Some reviewers have declared it the prettiest they've seen. Well, this release brings the usual theme updates as well as some interface changes and added capabilities. Beyond the interface, with this release LVM and RAID support has been added. Also new is an expanded manual disc partitioning screen as well as changing to more traditional universal Linux mount points.

Other Interesting Updates

* The boot splash has been revamped with the use of Plymouth graphical boot system. A prettier theme and extra customizations are part of the line-up. * LibreOffice is offered to users accustomed to OpenOffice.org. * The latest KDE, 4.5.2 at this time, will be the featured desktop. * The most recently Firefox 4.0 release, currently Beta 6, as well as alternative web browsers such as Chromium and Rekonq. * Linux 2.6.36. Pardus performs well and is quite stable with a wide variety of hardware. Each release gets better than the one before, and 2011 is looking really good so far. Keep your eyes open for the final release announcement, which is estimated to be toward the end of November.

Pardus Linux Homepage

Download developmental releases