Build 68 is now available from FTP’s and via the Update Wizard (fixed SVIdir in keytable init script, kdeconfig: LANG support in startkde, changed KDEDIR to /opt/kde2, ktip now shows Desktop/LX Welcome, uses viewlets profile and 48 pixel image, defattr(-, root, root), updated FAQ for helpcenter, added khtml security patch).
Beta Development of Lycoris Desktop/LX Continues
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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test it out….you might like it!
Yes thats right it is much better then build67. The big bug in build67 has been killed so all is good… 🙂
When will they release final? And when will they start a build with KDE 3 in it?
I have an Nvidia Geforce4 Ti 4200 and I when I booted build 66, after the very first screen where I selected “Install” all I got was a garbled screen. Has this been fixed?
I coulda sworn that Joe (& co.) said that Odd numbered builds would be betas, and even numbers would be finals — that was when there was Build 44 (Stable), Build 45 (Beta), Build 46 (Stable). Made sense to me!
ok, so this is, what, the 22nd beta release?? When the hell is a final going to be released? Here’s a novel idea:
Stop adding new stuff and fix what’s in there already.
I felt that build 46 had a lot of promise, and I eagerly anticipated the next stable release. Now it’s been eons in the distro world, and I’m losing interest in Lycoris quickly… <cough> feature creep <cough>
the numbering system used to be like that, but it changed after 46. They also skipped a bunch of builds in the 50’s as those numbers were used for their interconnect product.
there has been no real feature creep in the main distro either. they have simply been focusing on other products that are also a large part of their strategy. They had to focus on the productivity pack becasue as a small company they needed another source of revenue. same with the other products.
their are no more new products planned, and the race is now on for them to make stable update 3 and push out the gamepak.
they’ve never claimed to be bleeding edge, and their target market doesn’t particularly care that kde3 isn’t in it, becasue so long as you have no hardware issue..the distro just works….
I understand the need for a wide offering and more sources of revenue, but to get people to use the “Paks” requires that their core offering — Desktop/LX — has what it takes to keep their prospective customers (and possible future D/LX advocates) interested. Unfortunately for linux vendors, this means keeping up a fast turn-around rate on new releases. Sometimes this may mean just bugfixes and security updates, but it keeps the masses satisfied.
The GamePak, ProductivityPak and InterConnect are in various stages of release and/or development. The Vivitar Certification is in there somwehere, support for more USB devices and PDAs are being thrown in, as well as almost every changelog has the words “added kernel support for”. Don’t get me wrong, these are all great additions! But at what point will there be enough to freeze the build?
I will not use, nor advocate the use of, a beta build on my systems – as I have seen so many users recommend in the forums. I looked at Build 46 a while back, but it could not do everything I wanted. I look forward to seeing if Update 3 will fill the voids, but each new release is another “beta” and the only words I’ve seen about a stable release are “coming soon”. If “the distro just works”, as you said, then how soon is “soon”?
i said “becasue so long as you have no hardware issue..the distro just works”
i have never had a hardware issue with Lycoris, and it has done everything and anything that I have ever wanted it to do as a desktop distro. I’m not a programmer, nor an admin….I’m just your typical average joe schoe that likes messing with puters a bit, and to tell you the truth, most of my needs are still easily satisfied with windows 3.11…LOL.
for the most part, my beta experience with Lycoris has been better than most other distros stable releases. but’s just me….
[…] and to tell you the truth, most of my needs are still easily satisfied with windows 3.11…LOL.
That’s more insightful that you realize, I think. Lycoris seems to have chosen to target users who don’t need the ant’s pants feature-wise, just a stable product that works. And it seems to be a winning strategy so far, although it’s early days yet.
If it’s “just a stable product that works”, then why so many betas?
Because beta testing is how bugs are found and killed.
The more beta’s, the more bugs that we hope get killed.
Why don’t you go check out the http://www.lycoris.org community site, they have just Announced a new beta blitz which is going to start very soon (as in days) and new ways of reporting and tracking bugs which will help to improve future builds quicker. It is very interesting.
Oh and as far as the question of when Update 3 will be out > when it is ready.
Lycoris made the misstake with update 2 of setting a date which ment they where not happy with it when it went gold, there where bugs that given more time would have been fixed (and are now in the current beta’s)
You know even though the current beta’s have the name beta it realy dose not mean it is unstable, for me and many others it is very stable infact more so then update 2.
Build68 is my main OS I use 95% of the time and it is very good. (The other is Windows 98SE)
A comfortable balance has to be found between development time and features/bug fixing. I suspect that Lycoris might end up going the way of the infamous 3D Realms (getting on six years waiting for Duke Nukem Forever), which would be a pity.