iXsystems Announces Release of PC-BSD Version 7.1, Galileo Edition

Release features FreeBSD 7.1, KDE 4.2.2, and Xorg 7.4

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) April 10, 2009 — iXsystems announced today the release of PC-BSD Version 7.1, Galileo Edition. PC-BSD 7.1 is built upon the FreeBSD 7.1-STABLE operating system. FreeBSD is a UNIX-based operating system that provides a high level of security and stability. The Galileo Edition of PC-BSD includes updated versions of KDE (4.2.2) and Xorg (7.4). The latest version of KDE includes new window effects, screen savers, and better 3D Acceleration. PC-BSD exclusively features the Push Button Installer (PBI), a push-button software installation wizard with a wide range of applications. The latest version of the Push Button Installer improves PBI self-containment to increase reliability.

In addition to updated versions of KDE and Xorg, PC-BSD Galileo features many improvements and bug fixes that enhance PC-BSD's general ease of use:

  • The new KDE 4 printer applet enables users to easily add and manage printers and print jobs without using the CUPS web interface.
  • The Add / Remove Programs tool and the Update Manager have been consolidated into "Software & Updates."
  • The Updater Tray has been modified into a small tray-only applet that shows users when updates are available. This is far less taxing on the CPU than its previous versions.
  • FreeBSD ports and packages can now be created by utilizing the "runports" command.
  • Greater stability for Flash 9 allows users to get higher quality from Flash sites such as Hulu and Youtube.
  • Enhancements have been made to PC-BSD's System Installer, including upgrade functionality for those who wish to install PC-BSD while preserving their user data.
  • Fixes have been made to bugs in the Wi-Fi and Networking tools, as well as to previous Linux Emulation problems.

PC-BSD Galileo also features a native version of the Warden utility for server installations (on your desktop, you can double click the warden icon to install it). The Warden is a graphical front end to FreeBSD jails, or virtualized FreeBSD installations. The Warden makes jail creation and management accessible to a greater number of users, and provides a secure and isolated environment for all sorts of uses, such as a mail server, database server, or webserver, to name a few. Warden configurations, called Inmates, can be used to instantly load pre-configured jails into the Warden.

"Galileo utilizes the latest KDE developments to bring style and functionality to the PC-BSD operating system," says Kris Moore, PC-BSD Software Development Manager, iXsystems. "New KDE visual effects accent the stability and security of the Galileo Edition of PC-BSD. With new printing features and improvements to the Push Button Installer and Warden utility, PC-BSD 7.1 is now even easier to use."

The PC-BSD user community is raving about the Galileo Edition of PC-BSD.

Arthur Koziol, a Student Computing Specialist, states, "Out of curiosity, I've played with all flavors of Unix since the mid 90's onward (BeOS, BSD, QNX, Linux, Plan9, OpenSolaris, etc.) but I've never felt comfortable with using them as a primary OS much less switching full time. That is, until I discovered PC-BSD. Coming from a background of nearly 20 years in Windows, I've always wanted to successfully run BSD and now I've found an extremely robust, comfortable, cutting edge, and secure BSD-based OS that has all the requisite apps and utilities I need to use on a daily basis that works right out of the box. Wine makes running most Windows apps brainlessly easy and using PBIs to install apps is pure genius, succeeding where Linux fails."

PC-BSD Galileo Edition can be downloaded from http://www.pcbsd.org. It is also available for retail sale at http://www.freebsdmall.com in a DVD version, as well as on a USB flash drive, with both regular and network install options.

About PC-BSD:
PC-BSD is a rock solid, fully functional desktop operating system, running FreeBSD version 7.1 with a KDE desktop interface and graphical system installer. Its PBI system, developed exclusively for PC-BSD, lets users download and install their applications in a self-extracting and self-installing format.

About iXsystems, Inc.
iXsystems is the all-around FreeBSD company that builds FreeBSD-certified servers and storage solutions, runs the FreeBSD Mall, and is the corporate sponsor of the PC-BSD Project.