FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


June 6, 2014
Contact: David Wilcox <[log in to unmask]>
Read it online: http://bit.ly/1kHhegM

Fedora 4.0 Beta is Now Available!

Fedora 4.0 is ready for the big repository challenges: support for large files; flexible storage options; features to accommodate research data management; native linked open data capabilities and an improved platform for developer interaction

Winchester, MA DuraSpace and the Fedora community of users and developers are pleased to announce the release of Fedora 4.0 Betain conjunction with this year’s Open Repositoriesconference in Helsinki, Finland (June 9-13, 2014). Fedora 4.0 Beta is a stable platform for testing the full Fedora 4.0 feature set, which will not change between the Beta and the full production release planned for later this year. Further releases in the Fedora 4.x line will add more exciting new features based on the project roadmap.  This release, managed by Michael Durbin at the University of Virginia, is the result of a focused and highly collaborative 2-year community effort to make long overdue changes to the robust Fedora framework for building digital repositories. Fedora 4.0 is designed to serve the community for the next decade.  

Download Fedora 4.0 Beta here.


Members of the Fedora community, stewarded by DuraSpace, led planning and development in order to arrive at the launch of Fedora 4.0 after 29 rapid prototyping Alphaand Betadevelopment “sprints”. Each sprint was designed to address the top priorities expressed by the international community that include better performance and scalability, flexible storage options, features to accommodate research data management, native support for linked open data, and an improved platform for developers.

Fedora 4.0 at Open RepositoriesThose attending this year’s Open Repositories conference will have several opportunities to learn more about Fedora 4 and engage with the development team. Andrew Woods, the Fedora Tech Lead, will be hosting an open Fedora committers meetingon June 9. Current Fedora developers as well as those interested in engaging with project development are encouraged to attend. Following the DuraSpace plenary on June 12, the Fedora Steering Group will host an open discussion session to kick off the Fedora interest group track. On June 13, David Wilcox, the Fedora Product Manager, and Andrew Woods will offer a deep dive into Fedora 4 featuresand discuss the roadmap for future releases. A full schedule of all Fedora-related sessions is available online, or stop by the DuraSpace table at Open Repositories to find out more about Fedora 4.0.

How Does DuraSpace Help?
DuraSpace works collaboratively with organizations that use Fedora to advance the design, development and sustainability of the project. As a non-profit, DuraSpace provides business support services that include technical leadership, sustainability planning, fundraising, community development, marketing and communications, collaborations and strategic partnerships and administration.

About Fedora
Fedora is an open source project that provides flexible, extensible and durable digital object management services. First released in 2004, it has hundreds of adopters worldwide, with deep roots in the research, scientific, intellectual and cultural heritage communities. See http://fedora-commons.org/for more information. It is supported by its community of users, and stewarded by DuraSpace.