After a number of delays, the beta of the Fedora 18 Linux-based distribution has been released.
The beta release date had been extended six times over the past two months, mostly due to an underestimation of the amount of work required to rewrite the Anaconda software, which is used to install or upgrade Fedora.
“It was a one-time aberration,” said Robyn Bergeron, who leads the Fedora Project.
The final release of Fedora 18, which was named code-named “Spherical Cow,” is now set for Jan. 8, 2013, almost two months after the original ship date, and about seven months after the release of Fedora 17.
Given the sensitive nature of Anaconda, to install a new OS on a machine while keeping all the user’s data intact, the Fedora team wanted to make sure everything worked correctly, Bergeron said.
“It was important to get it right,” she said. “Once you start heading down that road, backing out is not really an option.”
The new Anaconda addresses a wider range of potential users by streamlining the installation process and offering more helpful error messages. When it is completed, “Anaconda will be more intuitive and easier to use,” Bergeron said.
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