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“That was fast!” said one acquaintance on learning that the first OpenSUSE 10.2 release candidate put in its appearance on Thanksgiving afternoon not three weeks after Beta 2 arrived. The release is currently available for downloading via both ftp and BitTorrent.

“OpenSUSE 10.2 RC1 comes in different medias,” according to Andreas Jaeger, Novell/SUSE’s project manager for SUSE Linux and OpenSUSE, in the release announcement. These include deltas to users with Beta 2, a single DVD ISO, a selection of CD ISOs and ftp trees.

This release, aka Basilisk Lizard, is based on the 2.6.18.2 Linux kernel and gives users a choice of the GNOME 2.16.1 and KDE 3.5.5 desktops. It also includes the usual large selection of open-source applications that comes with SUSE distributions.

Among the highlights in this version are:

  • OpenOffice.org 2.0.4 office suite

  • SeaMonkey 1.0.99 Web application suite
  • MySQL 5.0.26 DBMS
  • Firefox 2.0 web browser
  • GIMP 2.2.13 graphics editor
  • Evolution 2.8.2 groupware

Read the full story on DesktopLinux.com: OpenSUSE 10.2 RC1 Arrives