Ubuntu 8.10 is available for download today. And because Ubuntu Linux is open source software and we've been following its development for the last 6 months, there aren't a ton of surprises. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't download it if you're running Ubuntu 8.04 or if you're looking for a new Linux distro to try. Because it does include a number of tweaks, bug fixes, and improvements. Here are just a few:

• Improved support for connecting to 3G wireless networks
• A utility for loading a fully working Ubuntu installation on a USB disk
• There's a new System Cleaner utility that will help identify abandoned software packages (which could address one of my biggest pet peeves about most Linux distributions)
• The Nautilus file manager now supports tabs

In addition to Ubuntu 8.10, you can also download the latest version of Kubuntu today. Kubuntu is basically Ubuntu with the KDE desktop environment instead of GNOME. Xubuntu 8.10, which uses the Xfce desktop environment is also available today.

Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex is due out on October 30th. But if you just can't wait that long, you can download the release candidate. If no major bugs are found between today and next Thursday, this release candidate will effectively become the final version of Ubuntu 8.10. So you'll be able to tell all your friends that you've been using it for almost a week longer than they have. And they'll just look at you funny and ask you "what's A Buntu?"

If you're using Ubuntu 8.04, you can also upgrade automatically. You can find instructions in the release notes.

Intrepid Ibex features a number of updates since Ubuntu 8.04, although not enough to make the entire operating system unrecognizable. Users should notice a new version of the GNOME desktop environment with support for tabs in the file manager, and a bunch of bug fixes. There are also new optional desktop themes.

If you're using Ubuntu Studio to edit audio and video, it's recommended that you not upgrade to Ubuntu 8.10 yet, since it uses Linux kernel 2.6.27 which can cause some latency problems.

In ten days, Canonical will officially launch Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex, the next version of the popular operating system. But you don't have to wait until October 30th to take it for a spin. The beta version of Ubuntu 8.10 is available today, and for all intents and purposes, it's pretty close to the version that will be available in a week and a half, and you can always install it now and update files and settings as necessary when the time comes.

But what if you're not ready to devote valuable hard drive space to a new operating system? Fortunately, you can download the Ubuntu 8.10 LiveCD today and try the operating system out without making any changes to your hard disk. But you also can't make any changes to the CD. In other words, you can't install any applications or alter any settings and expect them to be there next time you boot from a CD.

But you can install Ubuntu 8.10 (and a number of other Linux distributions) on a USB flash drive which will allow you to save any changes. Pen Drive Linux has a set of instructions, but in a nutshell what you need to do is download the Ubuntu LiveCD, burn it to a disc and reboot your computer from the CD. Then you follow a set of instructions to copy the files you need from the CD to your 1GB or larger flash drive, tweak a few settings, and voila! You can run Ubuntu from your USB stick.

This can come in handy if you want to try out the operating system without committing to it. But it can also be useful if you tend to wander back and forth between a number of computers, because you can carry your entire operating system with all of your preferred programs and settings in your pocket.

Canonical has released the first beta versions of Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex and its KDE counterpart, Kubuntu 8.10. Both feature a whole slew of new features and updates. But first thing's first. I don't recommend installing this operating system on your laptop unless you:

1. Know what you're doing.
2. Are willing to risk frying your LAN card.

As we reported last week, a bug in the latest version of the Linux Kernel used by Ubuntu 8.10 not only causes some Ethernet cards to stop working, but it also kills them dead. Basically, if your Ethernet hardware uses the Intel 82566 or 82567, do not install Intrepid Ibex yet. Because it could corrupt data on your hardware. There is a patch available to address this issue, but Canonical hasn't incorporated that patch yet. It should be in place by the time Ubuntu 8.10 final is released.

So if you do decide to go ahead and install Ubuntu 8.10, what will you see? Intrepid Ibex includes Gnome 2.24 with a number of improvements including tabbed browsing in the latest version of the Nautilus file manager. You also get a new version of the network manager which provides a 3G connection manager, among other things. The OS also uses X.Org 7.4, which has improved support for hot-pluggable input devices like keyboards, mice and tablets.

Update: If I'd spent a few more seconds reading the release notes, I would have told you that the offending component has been disabled so as not to fry anybody's Ethernet card. That's the good news. The bad news is that means you may not be able to access the internet via a LAN using this build. The issue should be addressed by the time Ubuntu 8.10 final is ready to go.

Check out some more of the highlights after the break.

The wacky developers behind the popular Ubuntu linux distribution have chosen a code name for Ubuntu 8.10, or the version that will be released after the next version. Following the longstanding tradition of giving each new version a two word name with an adjective followed by an animal, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth has announced that Ubuntu 8.10 will be known as Intrepid Ibex. No, really.

We admit, it's not easy to come up with good animal names starting with the letter I. But if you take a look at the list of proposed code names, we're pretty sure you could come up with a better name than that by throwing darts at your computer screen. Now, it's possible that the whole point of choosing a difficult to remember/pronounce name is to wean us off the habit of referring to Ubuntu distributions by their code names instead of their release numbers. Or maybe this is just some sort of cruel joke.

Anyway, Intrepid Ibex is scheduled for an October release, about 6 months after Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron's scheduled April launch.

[via Digg]