Parts of the newest version of Red Hat's Linux software slipped onto the Internet Wednesday, nearly a week before the operating system's official release date, giving glimpses of a product with a new focus on mainstream computer users.
Web surfers were able to download software updates and release notes describing what's in the package at a third-party download site, according to postings to a Red Hat mailing list. The site no longer has the packages.
"It's inevitable that packages start to leak out," said Red Hat spokeswoman Leigh Day. The company plans to release the Red Hat 8 software on Monday, including the "ISO" files, from which installation CD-ROMs can easily be made, Day said.
Red Hat 8, called "Psyche," is a significant departure from the current 7.3 "Valhalla" edition. As previously reported, it adds a new "personal desktop" installation option for more mainstream users. The previous installation choices were "workstation" and "server," both for more technically savvy users such as programmers or system administrators.
Red Hat 8, like its predecessors, will be available as a free download. Red Hat also offers a packaged version with technical support and instruction manuals but has changed the pricing. A basic version costs $39.95, lower than the $59.95 price for 7.3. But the higher-end version, with more software and support, costs $249.95 instead of $199.95.
News source: ZDNet
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