Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 22:30:09 -0700 (MST) From: Dan Burcaw <dburcaw@terraplex.com> To: lwn@lwn.net, news@macintouch.com, jsmith@penguinppc.org, Subject: [yellowdog-announce] Yellow Dog "Ruff Pack" Beta Program Unveiled: YELLOW DOG LINUX "RUFF PACK" COMMUNITY BETA PROGRAM UNVEILED LOVELAND, Colorado.--11 November 1999--Terra Soft Solutions Inc., developer of the Yellow Dog Linux Operating System for Apple Macintosh and IBM RS/6000 systems, today announced an initiative to give developers in the Linux community access to next generation Yellow Dog Linux technology through a new beta program entitled "Ruff Pack". "Our users drive the development of our products through feedback with our staff and developers, and now with the Ruff Pack beta program, users can directly affect future versions of Yellow Dog Linux," said Kai Staats, CEO of Terra Soft. Terra Soft will help facilitate community development by providing public ftp access to the latest builds, anonymous cvs access, and a new development mailing list and website featuring a bug tracking system. Yellow Dog Linux Ruff Pack and its website will be launched on December 1st. Staats continues, "One of our main goals is to ensure that PowerPC Linux gains momentum, recognition, and respect. By providing a means for users to get more involved in the shaping of their operating system, we can improve the awareness of PowerPC Linux and consistently offer a superior product." In addition to the unveiling of Yellow Dog Linux Ruff Pack, Terra Soft will merge beta-versions of their new graphical user interface framework--at the center of the anticipated installer, system configuration, and administration tools to debut with the upcoming release of Yellow Dog Linux "Gone Home"--into the Ruff Pack development tree for public testing before the final product ships. "We're really excited about the technologies that are going to be introduced with Gone Home. Through Yellow Dog Linux Ruff Pack, we hope to iron-out any remaining bugs and incorporate additional features based on the feedback and support of our user community," said Dan Burcaw, Chief Technology Officer of Terra Soft. Yellow Dog Linux Gone Home is expected to be available in early 2000. Gone Home places an emphasis on ease-of-use and productivity. About Terra Soft Solutions, Inc. Based in Loveland, CO, Terra Soft is the developer of Yellow Dog Linux for Apple Power Macintosh and IBM RS/6000 systems. Champion Server, their flagship product, is a highly professional distribution geared toward a wide range of network applications such as ISPs, corporate intra/extranets, web and network servers. Terra Soft is pleased to offer Black Lab Linux Workstations and Clusters through their national distributor Pinacor. For more information visit www.yellowdoglinux.com and www.blacklablinux.com