JackLab Audio Distribution 1.0 Announcement

September 15th, 2007 saw the release of the first stable version of the JackLab Audio Distribution (aka JAD), a totally free GNU/Linux based operating system which ushers in a new, open and free age in computing and media production. JackLab can be used as a complete replacement for MS Windows, as it includes WINE which allows you to run many Windows programs full-speed (some actually run FASTER under JackLab/WINE than under genuine Windows!) or you can have JackLab and Windows simultaneously installed on one PC if you wish.

Why is JackLab better than other versions of Linux? One of the longest standing criticisms of other Linux distributions has been their poor multimedia support 'out-of-the-box'- unless you knew what extra programs were required AND had a fast internet connection to download them then most versions of Linux offered only very basic, crippled multimedia support. This, however, is exactly the area in which JAD excels as it offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date selection of open source audio and multimedia software thus far- literally hundreds of programs are included on the JAD DVD. JAD is also the first version of Linux to offer full support for ASIO via wineasio, which allows musicians to use their VST plug-ins under both Linux and Windows music programs.

Immediately after installing JAD, you can:

* Playback, edit and convert MP3s, WAVS, OGGS and any other audio format
* Multi-track recording of music with lower latency than either MacOSX or Windows
* MIDI sequencing, real-time audio synthesis and FX, samplers etc.
* Capture video from DV, HDV, DVB, TV and analogue sources such as VHS
* Edit and convert video
* Rip, playback, edit and author DVDs
* Stream audio and video over the internet
* Scan, print, convert and manipulate bitmap and vector graphics
* Easily update and download 1000's more free programs from the internet
* Word processing, Desktop Publishing, internet and more are also catered for

Alongside offering optimal performance for music producers, another key goal of the JackLab project was to make the system as easy to use as possible and this is why we chose openSUSE 10.2 as its base. Thanks to openSUSE's graphical control centre- YasT, the most powerful of its kind for Linux- all system configuration tasks are easily achieved in a few clicks. To further ease the process of learning to use JackLab, it is recommended you read the JAD Introduction which explains the main differences between using JAD and MS Windows, lists the most important applications and gives handy tips on their usage:

http://wiki.jacklab.net/index.php/JAD_introduction

You can find out for yourself today why it is that Hollywood, Google, Yahoo and the world of supercomputing have standardised on the "Universal OS of the internet" that is GNU/Linux. Say goodbye to the viruses, spyware/malware, corporate control and forced upgrades that are the bane of Windows users and regain full control of your computer by downloading JackLab today. We hope you enjoy using JackLab and look forward to hearing your feedback!

http://jacklab.org/