slitaz-doc view slitaz/relnotes.en.html @ rev 19
Add Releases Notes for 2.0 - En, fr and pt (Thanks folks)
| author | Christophe Lincoln <pankso@slitaz.org> |
|---|---|
| date | Wed Apr 08 00:05:54 2009 +0200 (2009-04-08) |
| parents | |
| children | bea687ed0ab9 |
line source
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5 <title>SliTaz GNU/Linux 2.0 - Release Notes</title>
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23 <h1><font color="#3e1220">SliTaz GNU/Linux 2.0</font></h1>
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28 <div class="content-right"></div>
30 <h2><font color="#df8f06">Releases notes</font></h2>
32 <ul>
33 <li><a href="#overview">Overview.</a></li>
34 <li><a href="#hardware">Supported Hardware.</a></li>
35 <li><a href="#livecd">LiveCD Flavors.</a></li>
36 <li><a href="#gpxe">Network startup (gPXE).</a></li>
37 <li><a href="#install">Installation.</a></li>
38 <li><a href="#kernel">Linux Kernel.</a></li>
39 <li><a href="#packages">Software Packages.</a></li>
40 <li><a href="#desktop">Graphical Desktops.</a></li>
41 <li><a href="#support">Support and Documentation.</a></li>
42 <li><a href="#security">Security.</a></li>
43 <li><a href="#upgrade">From 1.0 to 2.0.</a></li>
44 <li><a href="#people">People of the Project.</a></li>
45 </ul>
47 <a name="overview"></a>
48 <h3><font color="#6c0023"></font>Overview</h3>
49 <p>
50 SliTaz GNU/Linux Version 2.0 was released on April 18 2009 after a year
51 of hard work. Based on Version 1.0 (published 22 March 2008), SliTaz comprises
52 of 1400 (up 900) software packages easily installable via the "Tazpkg"
53 package manager. The LiveCD can be fully configured to taste, to easily
54 create a custom distribution specifically for tasks such as multimedia,
55 graphics or development. Some of the new features in this release include:
56 </p>
57 <ul>
58 <li>Better hardware support for wifi, windows drivers, NTFS and low
59 memory systems (through flavors)</li>
60 <li>Easier customization to roll your own distro</li>
61 <li>Web Boot support</li>
62 <li>Openbox replaces jwm as window manager</li>
63 <li>More tiny graphical utilities for administration, setting preferences,
64 system upgrade, etc</li>
65 </ul>
66 <p>
67 Technical support is provided to users via the mailing list and the official
68 forum. The "SliTaz Handbook" is an instructive manual on how to use and finely
69 configure the system. SliTaz can be updated easily via the graphic installer or
70 by using the simple and fast text installer.
71 SliTaz can also be installed to your hard drive, or used with USB media
72 - with "TazUSB" or the GUI "TazUSBbox" you are only a few simple commands
73 away from a fully formatted and configured USB device, ready to boot.
74 </p>
75 <p>
76 The system is now configurable via a graphical control center and
77 packages can be managed with the "Tazpkgbox" GUI package manager. The
78 project has also created several different GUIs to command line tools to
79 facilitate the use of the system.
80 </p>
81 <p>
82 The distribution is available in English, German, French and Portuguese -
83 in all 26 keymappings are available. The project website and documentation
84 are also available in different languages and other language packs (locale)
85 can be installed via the package manager.
86 </p>
87 <p>
88 SliTaz is published as a LiveCD or bootable cdrom, all software packages
89 are available via a direct download or DVD image. SliTaz 2.0 offers a fast,
90 simple, elegant desktop respecting the standards of Freedesktop.org. The
91 system was built from the GNU toolchain: glibc-2.7, gcc-4.2.3,
92 binutils-2.17.50 and offers the Linux 2.6.25.5 kernel. The core
93 of the LiveCD proposes replacing PHP with Perl as the programming
94 language. Hardinfo system tools and LXTask provide knowledge and
95 monitoring equipment. NTFS support is also included on the cdrom and Windows
96 drives can be easily browsed through the file manager.
97 </p>
99 <a name="hardware"></a>
100 <h3><font color="#6c0023">Supported Hardware</font></h3>
101 <p>
102 SliTaz GNU/Linux supports all machines based on i486 or x86 Intel compatible
103 processors. A minimum 256MB of memory is recommended to use the main LiveCD.
104 64MB is needed for the "slitaz-loram" flavor and 16MB for the
105 "slitaz-loram-cdrom" flavor.
106 </p>
107 <p>
108 With the slitaz-loram flavor, the system is less responsive, but allows you to
109 graphically install SliTaz on very old machines. Once installed, SliTaz works
110 well with a minimum of 16MB memory, but forget about using Firefox to surf the
111 web - you'll have to use the text based 'links' for example.
112 </p>
113 <p>
114 SliTaz 2.0 provides partial support for wireless network cards (WiFi), some
115 cards work directly with a kernel module and others need non-free firmware
116 and additional drivers. These can easily be automatically
117 installed using a GUI created for the distribution.
118 </p>
119 <p>
120 Most network and sound card drivers are supported in the Kernel. Presently,
121 power management is enabled by default with ACPI and support for laptops is
122 enabled with the "ac" and "battery" modules ("thermal", "processor" and "dock"
123 are built into the kernel; "fan" and "button" are also available as modules).
124 </p>
126 <a name="livecd"></a>
127 <h3><font color="#6c0023">LiveCD Flavors</font></h3>
128 <p>
129 SliTaz GNU/Linux is distributed as a bootable LiveCD allowing you to
130 graphically install to the hard drive and retain the use of your previous
131 system including all settings, applications, documents, etc.
132 </p>
133 <p>
134 The project distributes an ISO image called "core", which is the body of the
135 system, providing a selection of multi-use packages for surfing the web,
136 listening to music, audio editing, image manipulation, developing (including
137 PHP/SQL), editing ISOs or burning to optical media. It's just one click in the
138 application menu to find software installed by category.
139 </p>
140 <p>
141 The official flavors of SliTaz can be directly downloaded from the mirrors
142 of the project. The base flavor (~6MB) provides a minimal system in text mode
143 and the JustX flavor (~14 MB) offers a minimal graphical desktop respecting
144 standard drag and drop with GTK2 libraries and tools for installing additional
145 applications with a few clicks of the mouse.
146 </p>
147 <p>
148 The "core" LiveCD can also be customised and rebuilt both graphically or from
149 the command line. Install your own custom set of packages, or simply use one
150 of the preset flavors on the mirror. Then simply generate your distribution
151 with the "Tazlito" tool.
152 </p>
154 <a name="gpxe"></a>
155 <h3>Network startup (gPXE)</h3>
156 <p>
157 SliTaz is able to boot from the internet, launching the system into RAM during
158 system startup. This feature allows you to boot computers with no hard drive
159 as a thin client. Full instructions for using this service are available at:
160 <a href="http://boot.slitaz.org">http://boot.slitaz.org</a>
161 </p>
163 <a name="install"></a>
164 <h3><font color="#6c0023">Installation</font></h3>
165 <p>
166 The installation is fully automated and can be done graphically or in text
167 mode. The prerequisite material and other useful information can be found in the
168 Manual and Handbook.
169 </p>
170 <p>
171 If you want to partition a disk before installation, you can quickly use
172 Gparted in LiveCD mode or use a flavor containing the partitioning tool. At
173 the end of the installation it is possible to setup the "GRUB" bootloader which
174 is capable of starting almost all operating systems. This allows SliTaz to
175 co-exist with a previously installed operating system, such as Windows.
176 </p>
178 <a name="kernel"></a>
179 <h3><font color="#6c0023">Linux Kernel</font></h3>
180 <p>
181 SliTaz GNU/Linux 2.0 is distributed with the Linux Kernel 2.6.25.5, patched for
182 LZMA compression support and display correction for the virtual console. The
183 support for IDE and SCSI is integrated, as are the filesystems ext2 and ext3.
184 The kernel in SliTaz 2.0 is split into several different packages, this allows
185 you to install only the specific modules required for the machine on which
186 SliTaz operates. All packages can be installed via the package manager and
187 dependancies are handled automatically.
188 </p>
189 <p>
190 Most network cards are supported either directly or as loadable modules with
191 'modprobe'. Video capture, if needed, requires the ieee1394, raw1394 and
192 ohci1394 modules installed. The management of the sound card drivers is obtained
193 with 'soundconf'.
194 </p>
195 <p>
196 The configuration of startup modules is located in /etc/rcS.conf. In
197 LiveCD/LiveUSB mode you can use 'modprobe=mod1, mod2' to load various modules
198 at boot time.
199 </p>
200 <p>
201 The Linux Kernel configuration of SliTaz is available in the compressed file
202 /proc/config.gz and also in the Mercurial repositories.
203 </p>
205 <a name="packages"></a>
206 <h3><font color="#6c0023">Software Packages</font></h3>
207 <p>
208 The management of software packages is done with the custom package manager
209 "Tazpkg". It's simple, fast, stable and offers an interactive mode. Among the
210 1400 packages available you will find anything you need to transform your
211 machine to a complete graphical desktop (e17), a graphics studio with The Gimp
212 or Inkscape, or to a video editor with Kino. You can experience the world wide
213 web with instant messaging, VOIP, email and of course through a web browser.
214 </p>
215 <p>
216 SliTaz is also designed to function as a powerful web server, using the stable
217 LightTPD/PHP package (not installed by default), supporting CGI, Perl and Python.
218 Apache and Squid are also available.
219 </p>
220 <p>
221 Rsync is used for incremental backup and iptables functions as the firewall.
222 SliTaz can of course also provide a complete development environment with the
223 GCC 4.2.3 compiler, Geany IDE, Mercurial Repostitories and all development
224 libraries. Packages can be found through the search function of Tazpkg or via
225 the website: <a href="http://www.slitaz.org/en/packages/">http://www.slitaz.org/en/packages/</a>
226 </p>
227 <p>
228 The binary packages on the mirror can all be compiled by using the "wok" or
229 "Tazwok" to cook. All of the developer documentation is contained in the
230 "SliTaz Cookbook" and is available online.
231 </p>
233 <a name="desktop"></a>
234 <h3><font color="#6c0023">Graphical Desktops</font></h3>
235 <p>
236 By default, the SliTaz LiveCD uses the very light and stable Openbox window manager.
237 Openbox is widely themeable and configurable using the ObConf utility.
238 The integration of the taskbar "LXpanel" makes it possible to dynamically
239 provide a menu based on the Freedesktop standards. The principle is to have a
240 small menu accessible via a screen click with the favorites, windows effects,
241 LiveCD and LiveUSB tools, Openbox configuration and system actions made available.
242 Applications can also be accessed through the menu supplied by LXpanel. The
243 managment of the Desktop and icons are entrusted to file manager PCmanFM.
244 </p>
245 <p>
246 Through the support of a LiveCD flavor or an installed system you can install
247 the Enlightenment (e17) desktop environment or the window managers JWM and DWM .
248 The different sessions can be selected via the F1 key when using the "Slim"
249 login window. To change the default session you can use 'tazx' or manually edit
250 the ~/.Xinitrc file.
251 </p>
253 <a name="support"></a>
254 <h3><font color="#6c0023">Support and Documentation</font></h3>
255 <p>
256 The SliTaz project offers various means of help and support to users of the
257 system, using the mailing list, forum or IRC channel. User documentation
258 is contained in the SliTaz Handbook, making it possible to configure SliTaz
259 to some degree. The Handbook is also available on the web site. The manuals
260 of the standard tools are installed on the system and are available through the
261 documentation menu - they describe all the various commands made possible by
262 the tools. The development of the operating system and the use of the wok and
263 receipts are described in the "SliTaz Cookbook". The books, manuals and release notes
264 are all available online:
265 <a href="http://www.slitaz.org/en/doc/">http://www.slitaz.org/en/doc/</a>
266 </p>
268 <a name="security"></a>
269 <h3><font color="#6c0023">Security</font></h3>
270 <p>
271 The stable versions enjoy security updates,
272 for the benefit of a safe and secure system it's important to recharge and
273 update packages regularly. The Firewall is provided by iptables, and the
274 LightTPD and Apache servers support authentication by encrypted passwords and Dropbear
275 provides a secure SSH client and server. The passwords for the users of the
276 system are encrypted and only the root administrator can modify system files.
277 For information about how to configure the firewall, you can refer to the
278 Handbook. The packages related to security are all classified under the topic:
279 Security.
280 </p>
282 <a name="upgrade"></a>
283 <h3><font color="#6c0023">From 1.0 to 2.0</font></h3>
284 <p>
285 The SliTaz GNU/linux installer offers an update function allowing you to
286 upgrade from a '1.0' to '2.0' version. To upgrade the system you first
287 need to boot the 'Stable' LiveCD, launch the installer, select upgrade and then
288 specify the partition containing the system that you want to update. The
289 installer will then clean out the system and reinstall all the packages not
290 present on the CD from the mirror. When this has finished you can reboot
291 with your new version of SliTaz. Note that this method can also be used to
292 rebuild an already installed system, while retaining the selection of packages
293 already installed.
294 </p>
295 <p>
296 Note that the installer will keep a copy of the list of packages and a complete
297 archive of the /etc directory (etc.tar.gz) in /var/lib/slitaz-install.
298 </p>
299 <p>
300 To upgrade a 1.0 to 2.0 it is also possible to use the package manager "Tazpkg"
301 via the 'set-release' function, but beware this is not yet proven and may require some
302 manual intervention.
303 </p>
305 <a name="people"></a>
306 <h3><font color="#6c0023">People of the Project</font></h3>
307 <p>
308 SliTaz is proud to be an international community project. The people of the
309 project are the ones who develop the distribution, correct the website,
310 develop the HG repositories and write the official documentation. Passing
311 through Switzerland, France, Brazil, Quebec, China, Russia, England,
312 and the U.S.
313 </p>
314 <ul>
315 <li>Christophe Lincoln</li>
316 <li>Pascal Bellard</li>
317 <li>Eric Joseph-Alexandre</li>
318 <li>Paul Issott</li>
319 <li>Julien Rabier</li>
320 <li>Pierre-Jean Fichet</li>
321 <li>Dominique Corbex</li>
322 <li>Mallory Mollo</li>
323 <li>Mike D. Smith</li>
324 <li>Claudinei Pereira</li>
325 <li>Allan Pinto</li>
326 <li>Alice Ayanami</li>
327 <li>F. Steiner</li>
328 <li>Chen Yufei</li>
329 <li>Bill Nagel</li>
330 <li>Michael Dupont</li>
331 <li>Franco Azzano</li>
332 <li>Fabrice Thiroux</li>
333 <li>Eduardo Suarez-Santana</li>
334 <li>Tom Frankland</li>
335 <li>Sandeep Srinivasa</li>
336 <li>David Ozura</li>
337 <li>Pierre Romillon</li>
338 <li>Rohit Joshi </li>
339 </ul>
340 <p>
341 The project also wishes to thank all the reviewers, testers, hackers and users
342 who have taken the time to help advance the distribution.
343 </p>
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