None other than the father of Ubuntu Linux himself, Mark Shuttleworth, has announced the codename and the goals of the next version of his marvelous operating system, Ubuntu 9.04 (codename Jaunty Jackalope), scheduled for release in April 2009. "Jaunty, the code name for what will most likely become Ubuntu 9.04, will be the focus of our efforts from November through to April next year. We will be gathering forces in Mountain View on 8th - 12th December to survey the upstream landscape and finalize Jaunty plans, enjoying the excellent hospitality of Google and Silicon Valley's abundance of talent and innovation." - said Mark Shuttleworth in the official announcement.

For the Jaunty Jackalope, the development team will focus their efforts to fulfill certain tasks that are intended to make Ubuntu 9.04 the reflection of the most efficient understanding of the open source ensemble. The first one is the boot time decrease, mostly when the OS is tailored to a specific device, but also in the standard case. Another declared goal is the intention to blur desktop tools and web services, so that the former better integrate the web. And last, but certainly not least, all of Ubuntu will migrate to Bazaar, giving developers the unprecedented possibility to publish their changes and branch any Ubuntu package with a simple bzr command.

OK, OK.... so what's this so-called Jackalope, you are probably wondering? Well, according to Wikipedia, the Jackalope is a cross between an antelope and a jackrabbit, living in southwestern U.S.A. "Some believe that the tales of jackalopes were inspired by sightings of rabbits infected with the Shope papillomavirus, which causes the growth of horn- and antler-like tumors in various places on the rabbit's head and body."

Ubuntu 9.04 or, should I say, "The Jackalope," will be the tenth release of the Ubuntu operating system, but until then, we have another version that should attract our attention and invade our computers, Ubuntu 8.10 (dubbed Intrepid Ibex), which will be available on October 30, 2008. You can read the full announcement here.

About Ubuntu:

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution for your desktop or server, with a fast and easy install, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent packages installed by default, every other package you can imagine available from the network, and professional technical support from Canonical Ltd and hundreds of other companies around the world.

Download the current stable version, Ubuntu 8.04.1 (Hardy Heron), right now from Softpedia.

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