iXsystems announced today the latest release of PC-BSD™, Version 8.0, Hubble Edition. This fully functional open source desktop operating system is built upon the new FreeBSD 8.0 release. FreeBSD is one of the most widely used UNIX-based operating systems, providing advanced performance and high levels of security and stability. The Hubble Edition contains a number of improvements and additions that make this release rock solid. The most notable features of PC-BSD 8.0 include a new system installer, integrated software manager, and a ports jail.
The new system installer is highly scriptable and contains many new features. Users may now upgrade from the previous release or restore from a backup created with Life-Preserver. With a single click, users can choose between the installation of PC-BSD or the traditional FreeBSD operating system. In addition, the installer provides support for ZFS on root partitions, Gmirroring of disks, and allows Geli disk encryption. This installer is perfect for a user installing on one machine or an Administrator installing on hundreds.
“PC-BSD Hubble Edition greatly enhances the users’ overall desktop experience, while offering new features for power users to take advantage of FreeBSD 8.0 improvements”, says Kris Moore, PC-BSD Software Development Manager, iXsystems.
PC-BSD Hubble also features the ports console, which allows users to build and install ports in a jail environment without breaking the working desktop setup. The integrated Software Manager enhances PC-BSD’s general ease of use by allowing users to browse and install PBIs without launching a browser. The software manager also keeps the applications updated and allows users to recreate desktop icons at any time.
Among the listed notable features, PC-BSD 8.0 Hubble Edition will offer fixes and enhancements to the desktop and system including:
- The addition of the FreeBSD 8.0 install option
- KDE 4.3.5 with a new desktop theme and visual improvements
- nVIDIA 195.22 drivers for both i386 & AMD64
- Installation logging and error reporting
- Improved USB device support
- nVIDIA drivers now support 3D acceleration and SLI(Scalable Link Interface) on AMD64
- Support for installing and running 32bit PBIs on 64bit Operating Systems, such as Wine
- Life-Preserver utility, allows backup of system to remote rsync+ssh server
We added a handful of appearance enhancements to PC-BSD Hubble,” says James T. Nixon III, PC-BSD Project Committer. “The new look includes an iconset, Hubble Edition wallpaper pack, a dozen aesthetic changes, and default settings for commonly used programs and effects.
Members of the PC-BSD community are praising the new edition of PC-BSD Hubble and its user-friendly functionality improvements.
For more information about PC-BSD 8.0 visit www.pcbsd.org. PC-BSD Hubble 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.
PC-BSD 8.0 is the fastest way to deploy a fully-functional modern KDE desktop based on FreeBSD 8.0,” says Michael Bybee, Senior Database Administor. “PC-BSD 8.0 delivers a highly polished Live CD based on FreeBSD 8.0 with all the features I need.
About PC-BSD
PC-BSD is a rock solid, fully functional desktop operating system, running FreeBSD version 8.0 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.
