Pardus 2007 release notes

1. Welcome to Pardus 2007

We would like to welcome you to Pardus version 2007, at which you will find an easy to install and use operating system with providing many useful, compatible and secure developments over the K Desktop Environment (KDE). With Pardus, you can connect to Internet, read your e-mail messages, securely communicate with your friends and exploit your computer's multimedia capability while listening to music and watching movies. We kindly invite you to visit www.pardus.org.tr/eng to discover how Pardus can answer your computing needs.

1.1 Feedback

You can use bugs.pardus.org.tr, aka Pardus bug tracking system to send a bug, bug fix or any suggestion related to Pardus. We would like to thank you for your kind interest and support with reporting a problem, suggesting a new packet or requesting a feature for the next release.

Also, you would use the feedback application that comes with Pardus 2007 to send your ideas about Pardus over Internet.

2. Basic features

This section describes the basic features of Pardus 2007.

2.1 Desktop usability (KDE 3.5.5)

The K Desktop environment version 3.5.5, that comes together with Pardus 2007, fulfils the requirements and expectations of the computer literate users with the new color scheme, menu design, localization support for more than 65 languages, fast access to multimedia applications, easy connection to Internet and many more. Around 1500 major and minor improvements were made with this version of KDE. The most highlighted one is the total installation time which is 20% faster. And there are some new features added up to the components KMail, Akregator, Kopete and KPDF.

2.2 Communication and compatibility with Windows

Pardus 2007 is compatible to work with other operating systems on the network. It can use hard disks, printers or the other peripherals shared from windows platform. The hard disks used by Pardus 2007 would be shared to windows platforms in the same manner.

2.3 Java support

Sun Microsystems Java development platform comes together with Pardus 2007. Java based, platform independent applications can run through this additional platform, and also it is possible accessing directly to a wide Java library over the world.

2.4 Games and entertainment

Many games that come together with Pardus 2007 provide you to spend your time joyfully. Furthermore, you can download and play tens of games with connecting to Pardus depots by a few clicks.

2.5 Network services

Pardus can be used as a service provider for the network services below.
  • File server (With Samba software)
  • Print server (With Cups software)
  • Web server (With Apache software)
  • E-mail server (With Postfix software)
  • FTP server (With Vsftpd software)
  • OpenLDAP server (With Openldap software)

3. Installation requirements

You can run the Pardus over an average hardware. We suggest you at least 512 MB RAM (memory) and 1200 MHz processor to get an effective performance. The basic hardware components that provide the Pardus to run in a comfort environment are mentioned below:
  • 256 MB memory (suggested to be 512 MB)
  • 800 MHz Intel or AMD processor (suggested to be at least 1200 MHz)
  • 4 GB free hard disk space

4. Improvements in this version

Pardus 2007 arise with a development period of more than 6 months. This version includes the improvements made upon the feedbacks coming from end users, which are listed below.

4.1 Pardus firewall

Pardus firewall designed to be easy to use software which aims to guard against the attacks that would come outside the system. It continuously run on the system and protects your computer against the attacks. With Pardus firewall, you can disable connections to the machine, close a specific port or monitor current connections.

4.2 Improved package management system

PISI now uses LZMA algorithm, resulting in a 30% speed improvement, thus leaving more space for applications. With this improvement, PISI packages and the softwares downloaded by end users are decreased in size and it is possible to distribute more software with in Pardus 2007.

4.3 New software management interface

PISI package management interface substituted with its easy to use successor (package manager). This new software provides to install, uninstall and update the programs easily and effectively.

4.4 Improvements in installer system YALI

Some of the bugs have been fixed up in YALI and it is configured to work with COMAR and PISI infrastructure. Furthermore, YALI interface justified and make up with new colors.

4.5 New and improved Pardus startup system

The processes between the kernel starts to operate with the login screen appeared to the user are managed by the startup system. This includes mounting the file system, discovering the hardware information and installing their drivers, basic network configuration and starting up system services. Also it is responsible for stopping the services, unmounting the file systems with caring their consistency while shutting down the computer.

The source of Pardus startup system is rewritten from scratch caused of the startup system in Pardus 1.0 that was too slow to operate and unsatisfied to discover the hardware. The new system comes up with "mudur" (which means "manager" in English) that is a basic startup script written with Python and "muavin" (which means "assistant" in English) that is responsible to look for hardware modules and install them respectively which is also written in Python. Scripts of system services are managed by Comar thus provides the advantage of parallel processing and easy usage. With this improvement,
  • A significant decrease provided at the booting up and shutting down durations.
  • Pardus 2007 has become much more flexible and easy to maintain distribution with the power of Python.
  • Services are designed and programmed with giving capability of being managed by command prompt or controlled easily with in TASMA.

4.6 More hardware identification

The new hardware identification system peculiar to Pardus allows handlingnearly the complete hardware types on the market and works in harmony with them. Since it minimizes the manual identification of the hardware, no requisites remain to the end user to set up drivers. Pardus can identify and configure the hardware automatically while booting up the system.

The hardware identification system named as Muavin prevents to load unneeded modules resulting in a significant saving on the memory. Furthermore, instead of using hotplug system which is an old technology, the newer and more flexible technology named as udev is used for dynamic device naming.

4.7 Fixed up more than 1200 bugs

More than 1200 bug reports sent to the bug tracking system of Pardus, examined and fixed up carefully by developers after release 1.0 thus providing a strong, more stable and targeted to be used by end users.

4.8 New 2.6.18 kernel

Most of the hardware problems solved with the latest 2.6.18 kernel that comes with Pardus. Support for USB ADSL modem that comes together with this kernel, provides possibility to identify more USB ADSL modems than the old release. Furthermore, the boot problem is solved caused by APIC/ACPI with the old machines. The kernel boot up duration is decreased 3 seconds with the patch for identifying the IDE hard disks.

Some of the supported new hardwares:
  • New SATA devices
  • USB ADSL modem support
  • Enhanced wireless network devices support
  • Support for more cameras, scanners and printers

4.9 New icon sets

One of the most common characteristic property to be liked with Pardus 1.0 was "Tulliana" icon sets. These sets are enhanced with Pardus 2007 and extra icons are added. Named as Tulliana 2.0 icon set, it includes more conformity with Pardus desktop and other applications and provides you to spend your time with your desktop joyfully.

4.10 Renewed user management program

As of 2007, "user-kga" changed into "user manager" which can be used to add a new user to the Pardus. This new tool provides easy to manage user rights like using CD driver, listening to music and playing games. This way, administrators can easily assign roles to users. A user with administrative rights now becomes an administrator, and can do the system management jobs without knowing the root password.

4.11 New application: Service manager

A service manger comes together with Pardus 2007 to easily manage the server and the services being started at the boot up. With this service manager, the status of the services being started at the boot time would be managed and moreover any service would be started or stopped when needed.

4.12 Software updates (xorg, gcc, ..)

With Pardus 2007, many bugs are fixed related to Xorg and important updates made for display cards. Latest stable release of 3.4 series of GNU C compiler (gcc) is included with Pardus 2007. This release includes pretty good properties for C++ software programmers. Glibc and binutils packages are being compiled with the new patches (-Bdirect, -hashvals, -dynsort), therefore a startup performance acceleration for the programs are expected. (You can find the whole package list from here.)

4.13 Improvements in Skype, Kopete and other communication tools

Skype is a complete IP telephony solution which uses H.323 protocol. You can make phone calls with Skype that comes together with Pardus. Furthermore, you can attach a camera with a supported device driver and make video conferences with other users over Kopete.

4.14 Localization support

Pardus 2007 now supports English, Turkish, German and Dutch from the installation through the desktop. Support for more languages will follow after Pardus 2007.

4.15 New release of OpenOffice.org 2.0.4

This new release of OpenOffice.org includes many fixes and also it provides a 23% performance gain with the Calc application. With providing more competency to work on MS Office file types in OpenOffice.org 2.0.4, many more facilities are also presented to manage PDF files before print them out. Another feature with this release is the competency with MS Basic in spreadsheet and read-only MS Access compatibility within database module.

4.16 New build farm

With Pardus 2007, all prepared PISI packages are finalized in a build farm hence they are ready to be downloaded in a short period of time. Build farm consists of two strong machines and provides processor power with open access to all Pardus developers. Once a new version of a package is released, it enters a testing stage by Pardus test team, where potential bugs are fixed, and then sent to the update cycle.

Information and documents on Pardus web pages can be used freely anywhere with original source credit.
For information and suggestion(s) please write to info_at_pardus.org.tr
TÜBİTAK - UEKAE, PK.74 41470, Gebze / Kocaeli.