Mandrakesoft releases version 10.1 of the Mandrakelinux OS

___ For Immediate Release ___

Mandrakesoft releases version 10.1 of the Mandrakelinux OS

Mandrakesoft is proud to announce the release of its newest and most advanced operating system to date: Mandrakelinux 10.1 Community. The enhanced usability, hardware support and performance make this release a milestone on the way to widespread Linux adoption.

Mandrakelinux 10.1 Community is designed for those who want the best and latest software and want it as soon as possible. The release of Community is soon to be followed by the release of a rock-solid Mandrakelinux 10.1 Official, on which Mandrakesoft's range of products for home users will be based.

*Strong emphasis on hardware support*

Hardware support is an area where Mandrakesoft's products are generally recognized to be superior. This new release includes many advances in that respect, and especially in support for mobile devices. Mandrakelinux now officially supports IntelTM Centrino® chipsets, Wi-Fi roaming and BlueTooth devices. Users now have access to the full scale of mobility applications under Linux - from easy wireless networking to PDA and smartphone synchronization. But Mandrakesoft's commitment to Linux mobility does not stop there. Mandrakelinux 10.1 Community also sports enhanced laptop support. Mandrakelinux thus becomes the first Linux distribution to include advanced yet user-friendly power management.

Real usability implies, for an operating system, that hardware should be detected and configured automatically whenever it is both possible and sensible to do so. This has always been Mandrakesoft's policy. Mandrakelinux has seamless hardware detection, including automatic detection of network printers thanks to state-of-the-art CUPS support, another Mandrakelinux asset.

*Superior usability and performance*

Mandrakesoft's main focus in Linux development has always been usability. To this end we have developed a unique set of configuration tools that save Mandrakelinux users most of the hassles of system administration. It also makes Community an efficient system to work with for advanced users because they do not have to edit configuration files, but they can if they want to. Also for those users, 10.1 Community brings many improvements to the Mandrakelinux suite of development tools, with new versions of GCC (a C, C++, Java and Fortran compiler), Kdevelop (an advanced IDE) and GDB (a debugger).

To ensure an optimal desktop experience for users, Mandrakelinux 10.1 Community carries both KDE 3.2.3 (KDE 3.3 will be available as an optional install) and GNOME 2.6. These two popular choices are Linux's friendly face. All the power of a Unix environment is now just a few clicks away. Other notable software upgrades include new versions of Mozilla (a browser and email suite), OpenOffice.org (an office suite) and the GIMP 2.0 (an image manipulation program) by default.

There are also many changes under-the-hood, but that does not make them any less important.

Mandrakesoft's own package managing system, urpmi, now in version 4.5, retains and accentuates its lead in power and user-friendliness. And thanks to a new C compiler and a fine-tuned kernel, Mandrakelinux 10.1 Community makes for a snappy desktop and a high-performance server. Users keen on all things 'advanced' need not look any further.

"The wonderful thing about Linux is how fast and how regularly it keeps on improving, while other systems stagnate or even regress. We pride ourselves on being one of the forces behind that. This new release shows how far Mandrakesoft's continued commitment to an open development process can bring our products." declared François Bancilhon, Mandrakesoft's CEO.

*Availability*

Mandrakelinux 10.1 Community is available:

- Immediately as a download for Mandrakeclub Members and contributors. Additionally, ISO images which contain KDE 3.3 and commercial applications such as Acrobat® Reader®, Real PlayerTM, NVIDIA® Drivers and others, are available for "Silver" and above Club members. Join Mandrakeclub to download Mandrakelinux 1.1 today: http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/club/

- Immediately as a DVD set which includes KDE 3.3 and commercial applications such as Acrobat® Reader®, Real PlayerTM, NVIDIA® Drivers and more. The 10.1 Community DVD set can be pre-ordered now exclusively from Mandrakestore: http://www.mandrakestore.com

- Following the initial release, a download edition of Mandrakelinux 10.1 Community will be made available on a number of public FTP mirrors

*Mandrakelinux 10.1 Official*

Mandrakelinux 10.1 Official will be available in November, as part of the complete range of Mandrakelinux 10.1 Official retail packs which include support, printed documentation and new Mandrakesoft services and tools. Official retail packs include:

- Discovery, "Your First Linux Desktop"

- PowerPack, "The Ultimate Linux Desktop"

- PowerPack+, "The Linux Solution for Desktops and Servers"

- Mandrakelinux 10.1 for x86-64, the latest technology available to everyone

*Press contact*

Simon Barthelmé / Gaël Duval press at mandrakesoft dot com

*About Mandrakesoft*

Mandrakesoft is the publisher of the popular Mandrakelinux operating system, one of the most full-featured and easy to use Linux systems available. The company offers its enterprise, government and educational customers a complete range of GNU/Linux and Open Source software and related services. Mandrakesoft products are available in more than 120 countries through dedicated channels and also from Mandrakestore.com, the company's online store. Number 1 in several countries, Mandrakesofthas won many awards for quality and technical innovation. "Born on the Internet" in late 1998, Mandrakesoft has offices in the United States and France. Mandrakesoft is traded on Paris Euronext March Libre (ISIN Code: FR0004159382/MLMAN; Reuters code: MAKE.PA) and the US OTC market (stock symbol MDKFF). http://www.mandrakesoft.com