The software provides an easy to use web interface to search geospatial data across multiple catalogs, combine distributed map services in the embedded map viewer, send annotated interactive maps to friends by email, publish geospatial data using the online metadata editing tools and optionally the embedded GeoServer map server. Administrators have the option to manage user and group accounts, configure the server through web based and desktop utilities and schedule metadata harvesting from other catalogs. 
 
You will find support for a number of metadata formats (ISO19115/19119 following ISO19139, FGDC and Dublin Core), a number of catalog interfaces (CSW2.0 ISO profile client and server, OAI-PMH client and server, GeoRSS server, GEO OpenSearch server, WebDAV harvesting, GeoNetwork to GeoNetwork harvesting support). 
 
A single, platform independent installer allows to install and run the software on a PC or a server on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. The installer can be downloaded as an executable Windows file or as a platform independent .jar installer. It creates a Start menu on Windows computers. Command line installations are also possible for remote installations. Please refer to chapter 6 of the manual for detailed installation instructions. 
 
The GeoNetwork community has been expanding quickly over the last years. The current release has been possible because of all those that contributed to the project through code contributions, testing, bug reports and fixes as well as many suggestions.  
 
This release is also the milestone for the Open Source Geospatial Foudation (OSGeo, http://www.osgeo.org) incubation process the project is going through. The GeoNetwork Project Steering Committee will now ask OSGeo to graduate the project. 
 
Thanks and congratulations to the all community members! 
 
Enjoy!  
Jeroen Ticheler