A few minutes ago, the Ubuntu development team unleashed the sixth and last alpha version of the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system, due for release in late October this year. As usual, we've downloaded a copy of it in order to keep you up-to-date with the latest changes in the Ubuntu 9.10 development.
What's new in Ubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6? Well... first of all, there is no more Usplash (the boot splash screen). So it appears the the team has successfully managed to fulfill their initial plans for making a faster startup where a boot screen is no longer necessary. Therefore, when Ubuntu will start, you will see a black screen, after the BIOS POST, followed by the X-based splash screen (xsplash) that we've presented a few weeks ago. If the login manager is enabled, after login... xsplash will appear again (this time, loading the desktop in the background). Here is the new X-based splash screen everyone was waiting for...
Secondly, the Ubuntu Software Store application is now present and it is available under the System menu. Its appearance has been greatly improved for an easy usage, but the basic software installation, search and removal functions remain. Take a look at the next screenshots to get a better idea...
What's new in Kubuntu and Xubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6? Kubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 contains the newly released KDE 4.3.1 desktop environment and the following applications and features:
· Konqueror Web Browser; · Amarok 2.1.80; · KPackageKit 0.4.2; · K3b 1.66.0 (Alpha 2); · Userconfig 0.9 · QtCurve 0.68.0; · kcm-gtk 0.5.2; · KDE microblogging Plasma widget; · OpenOffice KDE integration; · Firefox installer; · Message Indicator.
The Karmic Koala Release Schedule:
May 14th, 2009 - Alpha 1 release
June 11th, 2009 - Alpha 2 release
July 23rd, 2009 - Alpha 3 release
August 13th, 2009 - Alpha 4 release
September 3rd, 2009 - Alpha 5 release
September 17th, 2009 - Alpha 6 release
October 1st, 2009 - Beta release
October 22nd, 2009 - Release Candidate
October 29th, 2009 - Final release of Ubuntu 9.10
Download Ubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Ubuntu Server 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Kubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Kubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Xubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Edubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Ubuntu Studio 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Download Mythbuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 (Karmic Koala) right now from Softpedia.
Remember that this is an alpha release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only. Please report bugs to the Ubuntu Bug Tracker.