14 DAY TRIAL // The Ubuntu GNOME developers have released the second and final Beta version of the 14.10 branch, and they are getting closer to the stable version of the distribution.
Ubuntu GNOME is a relatively new distribution in the Ubuntu ecosystem, but its developers have made a great job and they managed to gather a lot of fans. They’ve also managed to stick to the fixed Ubuntu schedule, despite having some difficulties at first.
This is the second and last Beta release for Ubuntu GNOME. The next version made available by them will be the stable one, on October 23, so until then, users have more than enough time to test this release and report any problems they might face.
How new is Ubuntu GNOME
Despite what new users might think, Ubuntu GNOME doesn't not include the latest GNOME packages and there is a good reason for it, which we explained in a previous article. The fact is that Ubuntu GNOME 14.10 will ship with GNOME 3.12. This is not as bad as it sounds, because users will be able to upgrade from a PPA after the official release.
"We're preparing Ubuntu GNOME Utopic Unicorn (14.10) for distribution in October 23rd, 2014. With this Beta 2 (final beta) pre-release, you can see what we are trying out in preparation for our next (stable) version. We have some interesting things happening," note the devs in the official announcement.
The main feature of this distribution, besides being based on Ubuntu, is the integration of the GNOME 3.12 packages, including GNOME Shell. A few other applications are also now available by default, like the new GNOME Maps and GNOME Weather.
The developers have also explained that there still are some problems that affect the distribution, but that will be fixed in time for the official release. For example, the Ubiquity installer now freezes during partition formatting, the password for LVM encryption is not accepted, the Ubuntu GNOME Utopic live session boots to TTY prompt, and a few others.
These problems alone should prevent anyone from running Ubuntu GNOME 14.10 Beta on a production machine, which is definitely not recommended. You will also notice that Ubuntu GNOME has graphical problems when running in a virtual machine, so make sure that you use a USB key.
Where to get Ubuntu GNOME 14.10 Beta 2
Unlike the previous Ubuntu GNOME 14.04 release, which is supported for a period of three years, the current release will feature nine months of support.
Users can download the latest Ubuntu GNOME 14.10 Beta 2 from Softpedia. It's a Beta release, so hold off on the fireworks and be careful with it.
