14 DAY TRIAL // Manjaro Xfce 0.8.11 RC2, a Linux distribution based on well-tested snapshots of the Arch Linux repositories and 100% compatible with Arch, has been released and users can now test the new version and see what's new for themselves.
A lot of people have been waiting for the new Manjaro release and there was some hope that it might be more than just 0.8.11, which looks like a small evolution over 0.8.10.
The truth is that the new release is a very big update and lots of changes and improvements have been made, so don't get discouraged by the version number and make sure to check it out.
When users see that a Linux distro is based on Xfce, they pretty much know what to expect. A lightweight operating system, with a simple launcher and a few tools and applications. Most of the time, when you see an Xfce distro, you've seen them all.
Some default applications might be different and the core components won't be the same, but it's usually the same experience. This is a good thing because users need some stability.
On the other hand, the Manjaro devs have customized the desktop pretty much and they have made numerous changes, all in the interest of making the desktop stand apart. It's safe to say that they managed to do that, for the most part.
Manjaro Xfce 0.8.11 RC2 is a refined experience
The previous RC in the series was pretty impressive and the devs are now working to improve upon that release. That means lots of changes are inbound and that can be easily seen from the announcement.
"I’m happy to announce the second release candidate for our 0.8.11 Xfce installation media! Thanks to the Manjaro community for testing and reporting issues with the first release candidate, and a shout out to the Xfce community as well for their feedback!" reads the official announcement.
The developers say that the key shortcuts have been updated, the power battery icon has been tweaked, and the Linux kernel has been upgraded to version 3.16.7.1 (from upstream). This will be the last Release Candidate and the final version should arrive any time now.
More details about this release can be found in the official announcement. You can download Manjaro Xfce 0.8.11 RC2 right now from Softpedia.
The Live CD works very well, either in a virtual environment or from a USB stick. This isn't a stable version, so it would be advisable to not install it on a production machine.
