Beta of Linux-Mandrake 7.1 Available for Download and Testing

A beta version of the upcoming version 7.1 of the Linux-Mandrake distribution is now available from MandrakeSoft. Several new features have been slated for the new release, including:

• Enhanced USB support
• Support for i810-based video cards
• ATA 66 (UDMA 66) interface
• DrakX graphic installation procedure has been improved to ease installation it now fully handles multi-CD installation
• If Windows is also on the computer, DrakFont gives the user access to his Windows fonts under Linux.
• DrakBoot allows for easy graphical configuration of boot loader (lilo and grub)
• PrinterDrake (printer configuration) now supports more printer types and options.
• All Helix Code GNOME improvements incorporated
• New menu system. Menus now look the same under all graphical environments and updates automatically when new packages are installed.
• Modified Qt library (foundation of KDE applications) supporting Chinese
• Now includes brand new XFree 4.0 servers, with new modular architecture.
• For professional environments, now shipping ReiserFS, a new journalized file system.

The beta, codenamed "Hydrogen," can be downloaded at Linux-Mandrake's Web site. Note that this is a beta version, so it's still experimental, but it's a great way to see where Linux distributions are headed.