Download information: Stable source for GNOME 1.4 is
available from the
GNOME site. The page linked provides an automated mirror
selection tool, instructions for the proper build order, and
instructions on how to launch it. Please take advantage of the
mirrors. Users on RPM-based systems who’d like to build their own
RPM’s from the source packages may be interested to know that many
of GNOME source packages include spec files that permit generation
of RPM’s with the command rpm -tb
packagename.tar.gz.
PRESS RELEASE — The GNOME Foundation announces the release of
GNOME 1.4. The release offers a stable, powerful and tightly
integrated platform that features the most extensive documentation
to date, making the help features very user-friendly. GNOME 1.4
includes Nautilus, the new graphical shell for GNOME that features
advanced file and Internet browsing capabilities. Developers will
find a set of new and updated tools, making GNOME the ideal
programming platform.
“GNOME 1.4 has a wealth of new features, from an updated Sawfish
window manager to enhanced support and interoperability with other
desktop environments.” said Havoc Pennington, GNOME Foundation
board chair. “This release represents a major leap forward in the
GNOME desktop environment. Users will instantly see an improvement
in the usability and power of components like Nautilus. Developers
will enjoy the strategic advantages of improvements to the
component architecture and streamlined tools for greater
internationalization and localization of GNOME-based programs.”
New or enhanced features of the GNOME 1.4 desktop environment
include:
- Nautilus – a new file manager and desktop environment that
allows users to easily manage their files, browse the web and
access web-based services through a sophisticated, customizable
interface. For example, GNOME users can select any word in a text
document and do a Google search on that term or look up the word in
an online dictionary. - Better support and interoperability with KDE and legacy X
applications - New Application Launch Feedback lets the user know when a
program is in the process of being loaded. - Sawfish window manager is now a standard part of GNOME. All
aspects of the user interface are customizable through Sawfish,
including complete configuration of the look and feel of the
desktop. - Easier to use and more intuitive help browser and help system,
boasting extensive documentation covering all aspects of GNOME
operations. - GNOME Fifth Toe, a broad collection of applications that run on
GNOME. - Medusa, the new GNOME searching/indexing package. Medusa is a
content and file indexing system that performs quick searches of a
user’s hard drive.
GNOME 1.4 will also include a number of enhancements for
developers, including:
- GNOME-VFS – The GNOME Virtual File System provides an
abstraction to common file system operations like reading, writing
and copying files, listing directories and so on. GNOME-VFS is
extensible and usable from any application on the GNOME
desktop. - Updated Bonobo Component Model – 1.4 will include developments
in the interfaces that provide standard component programming and
program interoperability in Linux and Unix. - Xml-i18n-tools – a set of tools for better internationalization
and localization of GNOME. Xml-i18n-tools contain some utility
scripts for internationalizing various kinds of XML files. In
addition, it has a merging feature, which will be extended to
handle desktop and MIME files in the future. - GConf, a sophisticated system for storing configuration
information. It provides a notification service so applications can
be notified when a configuration setting changes. changes. Gconf
also allows for pluggable storage backends (text files, databases,
etc.) and gives administrators control over default and mandatory
settings. - Enhanced Language Bindings – facilitating the use of GNOME from
a number of programming languages. Language bindings included with
GNOME 1.4 for Gtk+ include C, C++, Objective C, Ada, Perl, Python,
Guile, TOM, Eiffel, Dylan, JavaScript, Pike, Pascal and Haskell.
Many of these languages also have support for GNOME widgets
available. - Enhanced GNOME Display Manager – A re-implementation of the
well-known xdm (X Display Manager) program that features X
authentication, default and per-display initialization scripts, pre
and post-session scripts, pluggable authentication modules and TCP
wrappers for access control.
“Since the GNOME project is a free software project, we were
able to incorporate advances from some of the most talented
programmers in the world,” said Maciej Stachowiak, head of the 1.4
Release Team. “Hundreds of people from every part of the world
contributed to this release. The result is a mature, stable,
powerful and fun-to-use desktop, with the promise of a host of new
killer applications, due to the programming enhancements.”
GNOME is a free software project that is developing a complete,
easy to use desktop for GNU/Linux (more commonly known as Linux),
BSD and a variety of other Unix and Unix-like operating systems.
The GNOME desktop is used by millions of people around the world.
More than 500 computer developers, including over 100 full-time,
paid developers, contribute their time and effort to the
project.