[orca-list] Trisquel GNU/Linux 6.0 LTS is out in pre-release edition

[Dave Hunt <ka1cey gmail com>]

Hi,

I'm pleased to inform you that the long-awaited Trisquel GNU/Linux 6.0 
LTS I18N Edition is almost out, and looks fine!  I installed this thing 
and am using it.  This release includes GNOME 3.4.2, Libreoffice 
3.5.4.2, Mozilla browser 15, exaile music player, pidgin messenger, and 
more, with many more apps in the distro's apt repositories.  The I18N 
edition includes many language packs and media codecs.  Also, Orca is 
activated, out of the box, on this one, as is the case on previous 
Trisquel I18N edition dvds.  Trisquel is a distro that respects, to the 
greatest extent possible, the four freedoms as advocated by the FSF, and 
never recommends non-free software.  For information on the Trisquel 
GNU/Linux project, and links to the current and older releases, visit 
http://trisquel.info.  To get the subject up-coming release,  visit 
http://devel.trisquel.info/makeiso/iso/latest/trisquel_6.0-20121021-i18n_i686.iso


If you try this release, plese share your experience with the community. 
 Now, here's what I found.

After downloading the image, I wrote it to a flash drive in the usual 
manner, with the 'dd' command, in the terminal.  I'm pleased to report 
that the resulting system booted.  After what seemed a long wait, Orca 
came up talking, but all I could do, at this point, was adjust its 
preferences.  The shortcuts for switching applications, bringing up the 
'run' dialogue, moving among system controls, and pulling down the menus 
were not defined.  I could, however, get to a terminal, using 
'ctrl+alt+t'.  From this terminal, I launched gnome-control-center, and 
defined the shortcuts I needed.  Once I did this, I could proceed to 
explore the desktop, panel, and menus.  As with previous versions of 
Trisquel, the default ui is the GNOME fallback, with all the applets on 
the bottom panel, the desktop with a few defaults like 'computer', 
'trash', 'home' and 'network servers'.  On the dvd image, you will have 
the installer as a desktop icon, as well.  When I got to the bottom 
panel, I connected to my wifi network, easily.  When moving among the 
available networks, Orca now indicates the signal strength and whether 
the network is secured (very nice!)  The installer is much like a Ubuntu 
installer, but with the option of adding the proprietary stuff absent. 
The install went swimmingly!  I booted from the hard drive and 
discovered that the login greeter (gdm) has accessibility enabled.  Orca 
launches, with the preferences dialogue focused.  Use 'ctrl+alt+tab' to 
go to the greeter, choose your name, and log in.  You may discover, as I 
have done, that the volume is zeroed out on the login greeter, your 
session, or both, when you start.  Fortunately, my media keys work, and 
I can turn up volumes.  I wish it would stay where I left it, at 
shutdown, though.

I shared my findings with the main Trisquel users' forum, and await 
replies.  It looks like the builds are daily, now, and I'm hoping for 
the final release soon!  Trisquel has historically been 4 to 6 months 
behind Ubuntu, of which it is a derivative.





Excited,





Dave  Hunt