LinuxPPC Beta Test Version Now Available

The public beta test version of LinuxPPC is now available for users of almost any Linux on PowerPC distribution.

The new beta includes the latest versions of Helix Code's GNOME, KDE 2.0, XFree 4.0, Mozilla 5.0, and glibc. The installation process is simple and can be done over the Internet with a new Updater utility. While the whole beta is approximately 1.5 gigabytes, the base installation is 500 megabytes. Installation has been successfully tested on several Linux/PPC distributions, including LinuxPPC February 1998, LinuxPPC Release 4, LinuxPPC 1999 and 2000, as well as SuSE 6.0. However, Debian users must use an installer program rather than the updater program if they wish to install the beta. Before installing, users should read the pre and post-installation notes. After installing, the user will need to configure the system. Keyboard emulation of the middle and right mouse buttons is now radically different than in previous distributions, and users must boot from a new kernel that ships with the beta.

Some files must be deleted to implement all of the software. Full documentation on this will be available in the near future. The public beta is available on more than two dozen FTP servers, including servers located in Australia, Europe and Japan. The updater utility can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.linuxppc.com/linuxppc-halloween/. Installation notes are available at http://linuxppc.com/support/updates/product/2000publicbeta.php3. LinuxPPC Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The company's most recent release features a bootable CD-ROM and Linux's first graphical installer. The company is preparing to enter a major new phase in its evolution. More information about this restructuring will be available in the near future on the company web site.