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karmic-koala posts

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Canonical

Millions of Karmic Koalas descend on the 'net as Ubuntu 9.10 downloads go live

Linuxby Lee Mathews Oct 29th 2009


We've been looking at Ubuntu 9.10 for a while now in anticipation of the big day. It's finally here, and the full release of Karmic Koala is now available for download.

As usual, there are plenty of ways to get your hands on the new OS. Unlike Windows 7, that includes certified, honest to goodness torrents straight from Canonical. They're already fairly well seeded, so P2P downloads should be nice and speedy.

To save you sifting through the massive list of links, here are the three big ones:
There's also a new release of WUBI [direct download] for those of you who want to do a hands-free Ubuntu 9.10 install from the comfort of your current Windows desktop.

Tags: karmic, karmic koala, karmic-koala, KarmicKoala, ubuntu, ubuntu-9.10

Filed under: Linux, Open Source, Canonical

CouchDB dev unwittingly gives Ubuntu users cloud-based nightmares

Linuxby Lee Mathews Oct 15th 2009

You've likely heard about Ubuntu One by now - we've mentioned it a couple times here on Download Squad, and it's now making regular appearances on Karmic Koala beta desktops everywhere.

Canonical made it clear from the get-go that Ubuntu 9.10 was going to pack plenty of cloud functionality for both desktops and servers. One piece of that puzzle is CouchDB, which developer Elliot Murphy was overjoyed to announce has slipped in under the wire to beat the Karmic code freeze.

In his exuberance, he made the following statement:
"...and by the time Ubuntu 9.10 is released on October 29th every single Ubuntu user will have an address book stored in CouchDB that replicates with one.ubuntu.com, and Tomboy notes that are replicated via a web API at the application but then stored in CouchDB and carried along in the CouchDB replication that we have set up."
What Elliot meant, unfortunately, was that every Ubuntu user can -- not will -- have their data replicate. That tiny slip-up touched off a bit of crapstorm, with users at LWN reacting strongly to the implication that their data would be piped to Ubuntu's servers. Murphy later added a revised comment to the thread at LWN apologizing for the confusion.

Moral of the story: be extra careful when talking about private user data and cloud storage -- seems like it might still be a bit of a touchy subject.

Tags: cloud, couchdb, karmic-koala, privacy, ubuntu-one, ubuntuone

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Open Source, Canonical

Ubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 adds software store, improves boot speed

Linuxby Lee Mathews Sep 18th 2009

Canonical has some pretty ambitious goals for Karmic Koala: faster startup times, tight cloud integration, an improved experience for netbooks, a Ubuntu software store, and much more. Some of these changes in recent alpha builds and yesterday's 9.10 alpha 6 continues to bring things into focus.

As you can see from the header clip, the old usplash boot animation has been replaced by xsplash which (unsurprisingly) uses X to draw the screens. In the demo, the full desktop is loaded around the 21 second mark - a very respectable time. Don't forget, Canonical hopes to cut that time in half in Ubuntu 10.04.

Also making its debut this go-ground is the Software Store. It's been added to the system menu and brings a more user-friendly program installation experience to Ubuntu. Sure, Synaptic and Ubuntu's own add/remove system are good, but the Software Store is a nice gesture to new Linux converts and less computer-savy users.

The beta release of Ubuntu 9.10 is slated for October 1st and the final release on the 29th. You can upgrade via apt-get or the Ubuntu Update Manager or download the new builds from Canonical. In addition to the flagship distribution, KUbuntu, Xubuntu, EDUbuntu, UbuntuStudio, and Mythbuntu are also available.

Tags: edubuntu, karmic-koala, kubuntu, linux, ubuntu 9.10, ubuntu-9.10, Ubuntu9.10, xubuntu

Filed under: Linux, Canonical

Ubuntu 9.10 alpha 5 available for download, gears up for October release

Linuxby Lee Mathews Sep 4th 2009

With the final version of Karmic Koala due in less than two months, things are looking good for Ubuntu 9.10. Alpha 5 has been officially released and is now available for download from the usual channels.

The new alpha brings with it kernel 2.6.31-9.29, Gnome 2.27.91, GCC 4.4, and a lengthy list of additional updated packages. KUbuntu has been bumped to KDE 4.3.1 and its first Netbook Remix has also been released this time around.

Karmic's installer now sports a series of panels that showcase apps like FSpot, OpenOffice, and Rhythmbox. It's a nice touch -- if only as a reassurance to new users that yes, you can do these things on Linux. Though it's still touted as Ubuntu's default IM application during the install process (see the slides after the break), Pidgin has now been replaced by Empathy. Canonical's Ubuntu One cloud sync app is now included by default.

The usual alpha software caveats apply here: it's not recommended for use on critical systems and may contain bugs that could be hazardous to your computing health.

Now that that's out of the way...The alpha builds have been a lot of fun to play with so far, so check them out. Share your thoughts with us in the comments if you've given 9.10 a shot already!

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Tags: alpha, karmic-koala, linux, ubuntu

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Open Source, Canonical

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala alpha is ready for download

Linuxby Lee Mathews May 14th 2009

It's official - just under a month after the official release of Jaunty Jackalope, Canonical is ready for users to test drive the first alpha of Karmic Koala. As Brad previously mentioned, Ubuntu v9.10 will focus on cloud computing and netbook systems. The alpha is built on kernel 2.6.30 and the latest Gnome dev release, version 2.27.1.

Canonical, of course, does not recommend running any alpha software on production machines. To play it safe, install the OS in a virtual machine or on some scrap metal you have lying around. Intrepid types, however, are welcome to boot the ISO and install away.

Torrent downloads for 9.10 area available for x86 alternative and amd64 (and as direct downloads), while you can download Xubuntu and Kubuntu from their respective pages.

The torrents are well seeded and downloading quickly, so fire up your client and go get Karmic now!

Update: will try to have some screenshots up soon. So far, Karmic is incredibly zippy. Well done, Ubuntu devs!
Update: screenshots after the break...

Read more →

Tags: karmic-koala, ubuntu

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala to focus on cloud computing, netbooks

Linuxby Brad Linder Feb 20th 2009

KoalaCanonical founder Mark Shuttleworth has announced the codename for Ubuntu 9.10, which is scheduled for release in October: Karmic Koala. Sure, the team still needs to put the finishing touches on Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope which will be out in a April. But it's never too early to start planning for your future, right?

Shuttleworth says one goal is to speed up the boot process in Ubuntu 9.10, while possibly using a new splashscreen. Canonical will also be refining the Ubuntu Netbook Remix interface for mini-laptops like the Dell Inspiron Mini.

The server edition of Karmic Koala will feature support for Amazon's EC2 APIs, and will also use the Eucalyptus project to allow you to host cloud based apps in your own data center.

Canonical will host an Ubuntu Developer Summit in Barcelona, Spain in May to determine other priorities for Karmic Koala.

[via OStatic]

Tags: karmic-koala, ubuntu, ubuntu-9.10

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