Ark Linux 2006.1-rc2 and Ark Linux Live 2006.1-rc2 released

Ark Linux 2006.1-rc2 and Ark Linux Live 2006.1-rc2 released
===========================================================

The Ark Linux team is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Ark
Linux 2006.1-rc2 and Ark Linux Live 2006.1-rc2. Both releases can be
downloaded at http://www.arklinux.org/.

This is the last release candidate of Ark Linux 2006.1, which will be
 released as soon as OpenOffice.org 2.0.3 and kernel 2.6.17 are released and
integrated. The current release candidate includes prerelease versions of
those.

There have been numerous changes since the first release candidate.
 Highlights include KDE 3.5.3, X.Org 7.1 and amaroK 1.4.0a - and we've fixed
 numerous bugs, especially in the Live version.

We have decided to add Voice-over-IP software to Ark Linux - this release
candidate contains KPhone, Twinkle and OpenWengo for testing. We aren't
planning to duplicate functionality -- in 2006.1 final, only one of them will
be present (the others will remain available in the extra download
repositories). If you prefer one of them over the others, please discuss it
in the forums - we need some input on which one to make the default.

About Ark Linux Home
====================
Ark Linux Home is a GNU/Linux distribution designed especially for desktop
use, easy to use even for people without prior Linux (or computing)
experience while still powerful enough for power users. The main goals of Ark
Linux Home are:
* Being easy to learn and use
* Including all tools and applications the typical desktop user will need
* Including _only_ tools and applications the typical desktop user will need
 - avoid becoming "bloated"
* Making installation of additional software as easy and fast as possible
* Being a technically sane development environment

Ark Linux Home is fully Free Software and Open Source - meaning, basically,
you can freely download, use and redistribute it in both modified and
unmodified form.

About Ark Linux Live
====================
Ark Linux Live is a "Live CD" version of Ark Linux Home, meaning it can be
booted directly from the CD, without needing installation.

The primary uses of a Live CD are:
* Recovering a normal system after a big hardware or software failure (Ark
  Linux will launch a special live CD for this purpose later, with more
  recovery tools and fewer other tools)
* Checking the system out without any risk
* Showing others what Linux is like, on their own hardware
* Taking your favorite operating system with you - e.g. to get on the net
 with Linux even if you're on vacation and the only internet cafe in town is
 a Microsoft shop

While it is possible to use Ark Linux Live as your primary operating system,
that is not recommended -- a live CD is always slower than an installed
system because CD/DVD drives are slower than harddisks, and the compression
needed to fit 2.5 GB of data on a CD takes up processor time. Use Ark Linux
Home instead.

Supporting Ark Linux
====================
Ark Linux is a Free Software project that exists and grows only because of
 the help of many volunteers that donate their time and effort. Ark Linux is
 always looking for new volunteers and contributions, whether it's help with
 coding, bug fixing or reporting, helping with support, writing
 documentation, translations, promotion, money, hardware, etc. All
 contributions are gratefully appreciated and eagerly accepted. We look
 forward to hearing from you soon!

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