14 DAY TRIAL // The release schedule for Ubuntu 15.10 (Wily Werewolf) has been finalized, and we now have all the intermediary steps and the launch date for the next operating system from Canonical.
One of the reasons Ubuntu is so popular is the fact that a new version arrives every six months, like clockwork. It might not seem like a big deal, but it is. It's very hard to give a precise date for a launch, especially when it's an operating system. It means that developers usually have less than six months to make all changes they want and need.
At the beginning of a new Ubuntu cycle, the OS brings all the latest packages from the Debian testing branch and the work starts, almost immediately after the previous launch. It takes at least a couple of months to see any major differences, although it's quite likely that nothing out of the ordinary will be implemented in all this time. The Ubuntu development is done with small little steps, not with big leaps. Each new release might seem a little boring when compared with the previous version, but it should be compared with something released two years back, and the differences will be more than obvious.
Ubuntu 15.10 to land on October 22
In case you didn't already know, Ubuntu version numbers are actually indicative of the launch date. For example, Ubuntu 15.10 means that the system will be launched in 2015, in October (the tenth month). Ubuntu 16.04 means that it will be released in 2016, in April.
The preliminary release for Ubuntu 15.10 has been published for a week now, but the devs needed to know if something could have gotten in the way of their releases, like conferences or other events. From the looks of it, the schedule hasn't changed, and Ubuntu 15.10 will arrive on October 22.
Ubuntu no longer has intermediate releases, with just one exception
There are many different Ubuntu flavors, and they each do their own thing. Some of them still follow the regular releases, with Alphas and Betas, others don't. Ubuntu has a single Beta release near the end of the cycle.
The first Alpha version for Ubuntu flavors will land on June 25, the second Alpha on July 30, and the first Beta should be ready on August 27. The last Beta in the series, which will also include the officially flavor, will land on September 24.
Enjoy!