GNOME 1.4 Beta 1 Is Out

The folks at GNOME have released GNOME 1.4 beta 1, code name "oops, we did it again". You can find the packages at your favorite mirror. If you're testing, then please fill the bug reports in the "right place" (either Eazel's bugzilla or Ximian Bugzilla). Good work, guys.

Comments

New Features, Fifth Toe, etc.

[Skeezix]

Some of the new features in Gnome 1.4 include:

User level

* Nautilus
* enhanced display manager
* better KDE interoperability
* better support for legacy X applications
* application launch feedback
* improved Panel
* integrated Sawfish window manager
* Improved help browser and help system
* Usability and quality improvements throughout

* Fifth Toe release including a broad collection of apps that run on
GNOME.

Developer level

* gnome-vfs - Virtual file system allowing transparent access to local
and remote files.
* Bonobo component model - technology preview
* xml-i18n-tools - better internationalization and localization tools
* GConf - Advanced configuration/settings system with notification and
pluggable back ends
* Medusa search/indexing system
* Laguage bindings - C++, python, guile, rep

The Fifth Toe is a set of applications that are not part of Gnome proper but work with Gnome. They include office applications, games, a few panel applets, utilities, and chat programs. Here's a list of the current set of Fifth Toe packages:

gmc 4.5.51

Gnumeric 0.61
Dia 0.86
Guppi 0.35.2
AbiWord 0.7.12
GnuCash 1.4.10
Sodipodi 0.21
gnome-db 0.2.3
toutdoux 1.2.4

Anjuta IDE 0.1.2
MemProf 0.4.1
gob 1.0.6
gal 0.5
gtkhtml 0.8.2

The GIMP 1.2.1
eog 0.6

GnomeICU 0.95.5
gabber 0.8.2pre1
galeon 0.9.0
gtm 0.4.5
Pan 0.9.3
Balsa 1.0.0
Firestarter 0.6.0

gnomoku 1.0
bombermaze 0.6.4
XPenguins
Applet 0.9beta1
Atomix 0.4.1

gedit 0.9.4
Glimmer 1.0.1

gfax 0.4.2
Figaro's
Password
Manager 0.53

radioactive 1.1

Merlin's
CPU Fire
Applet 0.1.0
googlizer 0.1

gnorpm 0.96
gnome lokkit 0.43

The Fifth Toe packages can be found (in tarball form) on ftp.gnome.org (and soon they'll propagate to the mirors) in the pub/gnome/stable/betas/gnome-fifth-toe-1.4beta1 directory.
----

Original Announcement and Test Plan

[Carl]

Hi, The original announcement can be found on the Gnome-1.4 mailinglist:
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-1.4-list/2001 -February/msg00100.html

Note that there is a offical test plan at:
http://www.gnome.org/~mjs/gnome-test-plans/

Re:Good stuff

[MartinG]

> Will gnome 1.4 include text anti-aliasing and RGB decimation support?

Gnome 1.4 is based on gtk+ 1.2 just as Gnome 1.2 is. In other words, no. There will be no anti-aliased text support yet.

There are patches available which give aa text to gtk+ 1.2, (ie, gnome 1.2 and 1.4 will have it) but the patches seem unlikely to make it into the main tree. It seems they are not very cleanly implemented. This is because the gdk api for fonts in 1.2 is poorly suited to anything other that old fashioned x-fonts.

In the upcoming gtk+ 2.0 this is MUCH better. Pango is used for all the fonts and will of course give us the long awaited aa text. Unfortunately, source and binary compatibility is broken by gtk+ 2.0, so apps will have to be modified to use it. Gnome 2.0 will use gtk+ 2.0

Ximian Packages

[Anonymous Coward]

Ximian packages are available for at least Red Hat 6 and 7. Get them while they're fresh. Unfortunately they don't include the Fifth Toe packages, which will probably be one of the biggest changes your average user will note over 1.2.