The Fedora Project announced that Fedora Linux 34 Beta is now available. The final release is expected to be released at the end of April. You can download the beta release from the following links:
- Fedora 34 Workstation Beta
- Fedora 34 Server Beta
- Fedora 34 IoT Beta
- Fedora Spins 34 Beta
- Fedora Labs 34 Beta
- Fedora Linux 34 Beta for ARM
Highlights:
BTRFS transparent compression: In the previous version, BTRFS became the default filesystem for desktop variants. Fedora Linux 34 Beta enables transparent compression for more disk space, which increases the lifespan of flash-based media by reducing write amplification for solid-state disks. It also raises the read and write performance for larger files.
Replacing PulseAudio with PipeWire: The Fedora Project decided to transition desktop audio from using PulseAudio to PipeWire to mix and manage audio streams. The Fedora team states that PipeWire is better designed to meet the needs of containers and applications shipped in Flatpaks.
Fedora Workstation: Fedora 34 Workstation Beta includes GNOME 40, which represents a significant rewrite and brings user experience enhancements to the GNOME shell overview. It changes features like search, windows, workspaces, and applications to be more spatially coherent.