[PC-BSD Testing] Release Announcement: 9.0-BETA1

[Kris Moore]

The PC-BSD team is pleased to announce the availability of the first 
beta release in the new 9.x series. 9.0-BETA1 is now available for 
download from www.pcbsd.org.

-- Caution --

This is a BETA release, for early adopters and testers. Please use 
caution deploying in production environments. Additionally only a small 
number of apps are currently packaged and available in the new AppCafe. 
We will be releasing more in the upcoming weeks, but users who rely on a 
particular application may wish to wait until 9.0-Release before upgrading.


-- Major Changes --

* Now supports multiple Window Managers, such as:
   - KDE 4
   - GNOME 2
   - XFCE 4
   - LXDE
   - And many more!
* Support for "meta-pkgs", allowing the user to customize their 
installed system with a variety of software.
* Improved PBI system, allows sharing of files / libraries between 
applications for reduced disk / runtime space.
* New AppCafe, allow easy browsing, installing and managing Applications
* Updated to the installer, allowing easy setup of ZFS, GELI encryption 
and more!
* Many improvements to networking setup GUIs
* New system-update utility, support for "freebsd-update" and upgrading 
from point-release to point-release. (I.E. 9.0 -> 9.1)
* Revamped "Life-Preserver" backup utility, makes it easier than ever to 
backup to FreeNAS or any remote ssh+rsync server.
* New PC-BSD Control Panel, provides one-stop access to a variety of 
system-configuration options.

-- Reporting Bugs --

Since this is a beta release, please feel assist us by reporting and 
fixing bugs. Users are encouraged to discuss their findings on the 
"Testers" mailing list, or via the PC-BSD Forums.

-- Notes --

There are a greater variety of ways to install PC-BSD in the 9.x series. 
Please take a moment and refer to the snapshot documentation to pick the 
right one for you.

http://wiki.pcbsd.org/index.php/PC-BSD_9.0_TODO#PC-BSD_9.0_Snapshots


-- 
Kris Moore
PC-BSD Software
iXsystems