Today is the day! Fedora 11 is finally released! Here are a few of the changes that have been made to it. To get the full list, check out the release notes:

• 20 Second Startup – Make Fedora boot and shut down faster. The goal is to be at the login screen in 20 seconds and then to be as fast as possible after the login (gnome-session).
• ext4 Default file system – Make ext4 the default files system for anaconda-driven installs (replacing ext3). User should notice generally better performance, and benefit from things like persistent preallocation when using updated torrent clients, etc.
• Fingerprint – Better Out-of-the-box experience for systems with fingerprint readers. Support for one more piece of frequently found hardware. Configuration now available through graphical Authentication Configuration (authconfig).
• Firefox 3.1 – Upgrade Firefox to the latest release in the Mozilla 1.9.1 series (Firefox 3.1).
• Gnome 2.26 – Update to Gnome 2.26 to ensure that Fedora stays in sync with the upstream version of the Gnome desktop. The user experience should be largely unchanged.
• KDE4.2 – Rebase to KDE 4.2 and offer new features such as PolicyKit-KDE, NetworkManager plasma applet etc.
• Minimal Platform – Enable small installations for a server or desktop appliance
• OpenChange – Natively access Microsoft Exchange using OpenChange
• Power Management – Improve the current state of power management, especially in regard to userland
• Thunderbird 3 – Upgrade Thunderbird to the latest release in the Mozilla 1.9.1 series which is Thunderbird 3
• VolumeControl – The multimedia experience of Fedora users is improved by an easily understandable and much more flexible volume control model
• Xfce4.6 – Update Xfce to the upstream 4.6 release with many new improvements and features

While you are at it remember to check out Fedora Revisor which lets you customize your distribution to fit your personal needs.

Check It Out> Project Fedora, Download Fedora, Fedora Revisor

One of the most annoying things for those of us that are constantly reinstalling operating systems is having to reconfigure the system from the ground up every time.  Thankfully there is an excellent solution for Linux users that let’s us customize and build our own distribution.

The latest application to be making the rounds is Revisor and comes with the latest versions of Fedora by default.  Not to be outdone Suse also has a project called Suse Studio that while still in Alpha stage is getting some good feedback.

Revisor and Suse Studio are both excellent solutions but I have to admit that personally I prefer the Suse Studio.  It uses a web interface and includes many more options including the sharing of your custom distribution.

Check It Out> Fedora Revisor, Suse Studio

Today the Fedora team proudly announces the beta release of Leonidas, the beta of Fedora 11.  This release comes packed with features including Ext4 and KDE 4.2.1.  The final release is scheduled for May 26th which is subject to change but the release of this beta is a good sign they are on track for that date.

Full release notes can be found at the Fedora 11 Wiki and you can download the beta via torrent from HERE.