New openSUSE Packages: KDE 4.0 RC1, KOffice 2 Alpha5, Firefox 3.0 Beta

The release of KDE 4.0 RC1, KOffice 2 Alpha 5, and Firefox 3.0 Beta 1 were all announced in the last week. As always, openSUSE packages are available in the openSUSE Build Service via 1-Click-Install. The openSUSE-based KDE development live CD “KDE Four Live” has also been updated.

KDE4’s First Release Candidate

The KDE project released the first release candidate of the long-awaited KDE 4.0. The release includes many fixes to Plasma, the ported and familiar Kickoff KDE menu, and an incredible amount of updates to virtually every KDE application. While openSUSE users will already have a taste of KDE 4 in openSUSE 10.3, you can now very easily get a full overview of the KDE 4 desktop as it progresses. You can try out applications such as: Dolphin, the new file manager; get a fresh view of Oxygen, the new style and icon theme; and so much more.

To get the latest KDE4 packages head over to the KDE4 wiki page; alternatively, you might want to try the openSUSE-based KDE4 Live CD. On openSUSE 10.3 you can use 1-click-install to get a typical KDE 4.0 RC1 desktop:

Adventurous users should feel encouraged to try out and help out in polishing the release. There is a selection of helpful documentation available, as well as weekly KDE 4 “Krush” days on Saturdays, where everyone can help out. Full KOffice packages are also in the KDE4 Repository.

Firefox 3.0 Beta 1

The popular web browser have just released the first beta version of their next big release. Firefox 3 Beta 1 is a developer preview release of Mozilla’s next generation Firefox browser and is being made available for testing purposes only. It includes a range of new, helpful and exciting features such as:

• Firefox’s HTML engine, Gecko, being pushed to version 1.9, improving performance, stability, and thousands of outstanding issues.

• “One click site info: Click the site favicon in the location bar to see who owns the site. Identity verification is prominently displayed and easier to understand. In later versions, Extended Validation SSL certificate information will be displayed.”

• Easier password management: an information bar replaces the old password dialog so you can now save passwords after a successful login.

• Simplified add-on installation: the add-ons whitelist has been removed making it possible to install extensions from third-party sites in fewer clicks.

• New Download Manager: the revised download manager makes it much easier to locate downloaded files.

For openSUSE 10.3 you can use 1-Click-Install: