The first update pack has been released for Manjaro 0.8.12, the latest version of the distribution released only a couple of weeks ago. Numerous components have been upgraded, including some of the core ones.

Manjaro is a Linux distribution based on Arch Linux, which is also 100% compatible with the repositories of that distribution. That doesn't mean that the developers won't push for some better packages and that's exactly what's happening with these update packs. The frequency of the updates seems to have increased in the last six months, but that is actually a good thing.

It's also worth mentioning that users won't have to do anything special in order to get these packages. If they upgrade their systems on a regular basis, they won't have to take any extra steps. They would already have everything in place.

First update for Manjaro 0.8.12 is a big one

While everyone was looking forward for Manjaro 0.9.0, the developers chose to release a small upgrade that pushed the version number to 0.8.12. It's not a big jump and that's pretty obvious from the features, but it's a good way to try out some of the latest packages before the next change.

"With this update we added KDE 4.14.5 and KDE Apps 14.12.2. Mesa got updated to 10.4.4 and now supports DirectX 9. Kernel-wise we have 3.10.68, 3.12.37, 3.13.11.15, 3.14.32, 3.16.7.5, 3.18.6 and 3.19.0 featuring all BFQ-Scheduler v7r7. This update also features NetworkManager 1.0.0, which fixes some issues we had with our last updates regarding openrc. We are sorry for blocking your updates," wrote the developers.

Also, Firefox 35.0.1, Pamac 2.1, LXQT 0.9, Flash plugin 11.2.202.442, and Plasma 5.2 have been added. You can download Manjaro 0.8.12 right now from Softpedia and upgrade your system through the regular channels.

You can download Manjaro Xfce 0.8.12 right now from Softpedia, for the Xfce Edition, KDE Edition, and Net Edition. This is a Live CD and it works beautifully, no matter the medium you’re using.