After more than 70 percent of the year has passed, the second versions of the year of the most important distributions arrive. While we wait for Ubuntu's release next month, let's take a look at how to test out Fedora 41 Beta.
Remember that a Beta version is still in development and They may have bugs and security issues so they should not be used as substitutes for regular operating systems in environments that require stability.
What's new in Fedora 41
We must keep in mind that in addition to the desktop version, Fedora has versions for servers and other uses, so not all the new features will be of interest to the home user.
GNOME 47
The main release of Fedora will come with version 47 of the GNOME desktop which Among other things, it will allow you to customize the main colors, smoother video playback, better performance and updates to the look and feel of core applications.
Redis leaves and Valkey enters
An example of what I said above has to do with an application that allows large amounts of data to be stored in memory instead of on disk. Redis was open source but changed its license and A group of developers created Valkey from the latest free version. This is what Fedora 41 will include in the repositories.
Python 3 only
Python 3 has been with us for years. But since many libraries had not been updated, version 2 was still supported. Starting with Fedora 41 you will need to use other libraries or run older versions Fedora in a container or virtual machine.
Installing the proprietary Nvidia driver from the GNOME Software Center
Whether you are a gamer or an Artificial Intelligence specialist, If you're using Nvidia hardware, you'll want it to run at its best. The proprietary driver now supports Windows Secure Boot, which means it can be installed from the software center.
package managers
Both DNF and RPM, Fedora's two package managers, are updated to new versions making downloading and installation faster.
Compiling RPM packages
It is now possible for packages built from the same source code to look and behave the same.
Repository query
A new repository query tool has been included to allow faster repository querying.
New derivative
A new KDE-based version with an interface suitable for phones, tablets and 2-in-1 laptops.
New version of the LxQt desktop
Version 2.0 includes experimental support for Wayland and more applications ported to the Qt6 libraries.
Another new derivative
This version is based on the Miracle window manager (based on the Mir graphical server) and includes support for a manual tiling algorithm, a floating window manager, several Wayland protocols and proprietary Nvidia drivers.
How to test Fedora 41 Beta
If you want to try Fedora 41 Beta you can find the download links at this direction.
If you are going to install it on a physical disk, it is best to do so with Fedora Media Writer. It is installed in Flathub format with:
flatpak install flathub org.fedoraproject.MediaWriter
Once you have downloaded it, start the program and select Automatically download. Then click on Next.
Then select in Official editions and opt for version 41 Beta. Please note that you will need to have connected a storage device on which the downloaded image will be saved. You can also download and burn it as you do with any other installation media creation tool.
If you do not have an installation media you can install it on a virtual machine. For this you just have to go to this page and follow the instructions for your version of Linux. Virtualbox is available in the Ubuntu repositories, which is the most popular virtualization solution. Also if you use the GNOME desktop you can use Boxes, which is also available in the repositories.
To be able to enjoy the final version we will have to wait until October 22nd