Ubuntu Karmic Koala in First Alpha
The first alpha release of the successor to Ubuntu 9.04 is available for download. Ubuntu 9.10, code-named Karmic Koala, includes Kernel 2.6.30 and GNOME 2.27.1.
Karmic Koala, aka Ubuntu 9.10, is expected to appear in its final version some time in October of this year. Developer Martin Pitt announced its first alpha only weeks after Ubuntu 9.04 shipped.
Alpha 1 is first and foremost for developers only, albeit stable, and as a rule includes a whole bunch of bugs. A collection of prior postings and a chance to subscribe for posting new ones are on the Karmic-changes page.
The alpha currently has the developer version of Kernel 2.9.30, GNOME 2.27.1 and the driver architecture for Intel processors that should migrate from the EXA to UXA acceleration method over the course of the Karmic Koala release cycle.
Ubuntu especially needs testing of the new "kernel mode setting" feature designed to reduce the flicker of video mode switching at boot-up and speed up suspend/resume. Karmic Koala also uses GCC 4.4 as the default compiler, which also went through some fundamental changes.
CD images are available for Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu. There are also images for ubuntu versions for ARM processors, Netbook Remix, MIDs and server systems. Live CD versions are unfortunately not yet available because Kernel 2.6.30 lacks support for the aufs filesystem.
Issue 266/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux newsletters
News
-
Alpine Linux 3.17 Now Available to the General Public
The developers of Alpine Linux have officially announced the release of the latest version of the security-focused Linux distribution.
-
The New StarFighter Linux Laptop Now Available for Preorder
A new, completely customizable Linux laptop is now available to preorder from Star Labs.
-
Critical Escalation Vulnerability Found in the Linux Kernel
A new local privilege escalation vulnerability has been discovered in the Linux kernel and users are encouraged to upgrade/patch immediately.
-
AlmaLinux 8.7 Now Available
The developers of AlmaLinux have released the latest version of the OS, named Stone Smilodon, to the general public.
-
New Arch-Based Linux Distribution Aims to be Beginner-Friendly
CachyOS has been created to serve as a Linux distribution for everyone, even while being based on the more complex Arch Linux.
-
elementary OS 7 Getting Closer to Release
The team behind elementary OS has announced they are now focused on putting the finishing touches on the next major release of the Linux distribution.
-
Nitrux 2.5 Released with Kernel 6.0 and KDE Plasma 5.26
Nitrux 2.5 has been officially released and is the first systemd-free distribution to include both kernel 6.0 and KDE Plasma 5.26.
-
Zorin OS 16.02 Now Available
Zorin OS 16.2 has been officially released just seven months after the first point release of the user-friendly Linux operating system.
-
Linus Torvalds Considers Dropping i486 Support
In a message to the Linux kernel mailing list, creator Linus Torvalds indicates that it's time to jettison support for i486 machines in with Linux kernel.
-
Firefox 106 Lands with Back-Forward Swipe Gesture Support
The latest release of Firefox is out, and it adds two important new features to the open source browser.