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Late last month, Red Hat released the latest beta of its Red Hat Linux distribution, code-named Severn, which is likely to become Red Hat 10 when its released.
Red Hat Linux now supports ACPI, or Advanced Configuration and Power Interface, and a new laptop mode, in which the system batches disk I/O to allow hard drive power-saving features to operate better.
The distribution also now supports a feature called Exec-Shield, which marks portions of the software stack as nonexecutable to bolster system security.
Severn includes a new graphical startup sequence, along with a handful of utilities to make Linux more desktop-friendly. Among these is a tool for changing screen resolutions without having to log out and back in, as was required in previous versions (see screen, above). I was able to lower the screen resolution on my test system, but the tool did not properly adjust my display back to a higher resolution—I had to log out and log back in for that. However, this is a beta release, and I expect this to be fixed in the final release.
Severn can be downloaded for free from one of Red Hats FTP mirrors listed at redhat.com/download/mirror.html.