New development release: Ubuntu 7.10 Beta

[dfwjacker]

Ubuntu developers have just released the first beta of Ubuntu 7.10 (7.10 is scheduled for release in October). This development release brings in several features new to Ubuntu including:

The latest GNOME 2.20

Desktop 3D effects - Compiz Fusion is enabled by default.

Desktop search - Powered by the Tracker indexer.

Fast user switching - Makes switching between users faster than ever.

Ubuntu Firefox plugin - Integrated plugin finder wizard that allows users to search and install packaged plugins easily.

Dynamic screen configuration - ATI, nVidia, and Intel graphics chips now support the X Resize and Rotate Extension (xrandr). This enables dynamic monitor detection, and resizing and rotating of video output, for no-fuss support for projectors and external monitors.

Graphical configuration tool for X - Configure what driver you want to use for your graphic card, change the default resolution for all users or change your monitor's refresh rate without having to turn to the terminal.

Fully automatic printer installation - Printers are now automatically configured by merely plugging them in and turning them on.

Handling of non-free device drivers - Restricted-manager can now handle drivers which are free in themselves, but which require non-free firmware or other packages to operate.

NTFS writing - Fully supported read/write access to Windows (NTFS) partitions.

Power consumption - Kernel includes dynticks. Which allows the processor to use less power and produce less heat. For laptops this means more battery life and burn-free laps and for desktops and media center PCs, a quieter, cooler environment.

AppArmor security framework - Limits the resources an application is allowed to access and can be used to provide an added layer of protection against undiscovered security vulnerabilities in applications.

Additional installation profiles for Ubuntu Server - Pre-configured installation options have been added to the Ubuntu Server CD. Mail Server, File Server, Print Server, and Database Server options join existing LAMP and DNS options for pre-configured installations, easing the deployment of common server configurations.

Profile-based Authentication Configuration - Deploying authentication configuration has become a lot easier with the addition of auth-client-config. Files may be added to the profiles database, allowing for an administrator to set up a single profile for site-wide network authentication roll-outs.

Improved thin-client support - The speed of LTSP thin clients has been greatly improved through the use of compressed images, and LDM, the thin-client login manager included in Edubuntu, also now has support for autologin, multiple servers, and unencrypted graphics transport as an additional speed boost.

I've found this release to be highly stable. But, as with most development releases, it's not recommended you run this on production systems ubless of couse you are the adventurous, self confident type. Also, be sure to read the Caveats section before installing.

Check here for download and more info:
http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/gutsybeta

***If you have previously installed one of the 7.10 Alpha releases there is no need for you to install this release. Just keep your system updated and you will have all the features of the latest release.

 

[3nipples]

Thanks for the update! I've been happy with the last few releases of Ubuntu, I'm sure this one won't disappoint!
Unfortunately my notebook is having graphics problems so I don't think the 3d effects will work.... I think I'll start looking around for a new one, if only I could find one without having to pay for any preinstalled windows versions.

 

[dfwjacker]

Thanks for the update! I've been happy with the last few releases of Ubuntu, I'm sure this one won't disappoint!
Unfortunately my notebook is having graphics problems so I don't think the 3d effects will work.... I think I'll start looking around for a new one, if only I could find one without having to pay for any preinstalled windows versions.

Dell is offering systems here in the U.S. with Ubuntu pre-installed so you don't have to pay for Windows if you don't want it. Though, I'm not sure if that is an option for you in Switzerland. You could also checkout http://system76.com they sell some pretty good systems with Ubuntu pre-installed as well.

 

[SantaCBear]

Just got 7.10 Beta installed and zippin around with Epiphany. Posting with it now -- My test box is old so 7.10 is abit sluggest compared to the real lite weight distros. I like the 'look' !

The best/fastest 'full' distro on this box is SimplyMempis...

Ubuntu Rocks tho

 

[3nipples]

Thanks for the links. Your suspicion was correct that they aren't available here with Linux. I found it surprising that the prices were so high though, it seems I could get a better deal by just buying a Vista one over here and replacing it with Linux, but that's not the point: I don't want to pay for Vista.

Interesting, I just heard at work about a frenchman who successfully sued his retailer for a refund because he didn't want to use Windows. This could open the door to alternate operating systems in Europe and eventually also in Switzerland (we're always behind...).

For the present, I'm considering the lesser evil: getting a Mac notebook and installing Linux on the side with Parallels... if I can just wake up enough, I'm going to drag myself to the Mac store to look at what they have.

 

[Jannus]

^Dell PCs featuring ubuntu instead of Windows are (allegedly) available in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Two models of Dell are available, the Inspiron 6400n laptop and the Inspiron 530n desktop.


For full information about Dell on Ubuntu see www.ubuntu.com/dell

For Ubuntu in France see (from August 8th) www.dell.fr/ubuntu

For Ubuntu in Germany see (from August 8th) www.dell.de/ubuntu

For Ubuntu in United Kingdom see (from August 8th) www.dell.co.uk/ubuntu


http://www.ubuntu.com/news/dell-available-in-europe

 

[MidnightPrism]

Just got 7.10 Beta installed and zippin around with Epiphany. Posting with it now -- My test box is old so 7.10 is abit sluggest compared to the real lite weight distros. I like the 'look' !

Ubuntu Rocks tho

I just updated for 7.04 to 7.10. It is a little slower, but I expect that with a BETA version.

Compiz Fusion is neat-o

 

[dfwjacker]

Just a reminder to everyone... Help spread the word.

 

[SantaCBear]

 

[dfwjacker]

Thanks for posting an updated reminder SantaCBear.

There have been many updates since the beta release. It looks like most of the obvious bugs have been fixed at this point, but I'm sure there will be many more updates in the days to come before the release.

By the way, anyone wanting to try this out at this point should wait until tomorrow 10/11/2007 unless you are absolutely dying to get started. Why??? A release candidate of Ubuntu 7.10 is due out tomorrow. That means a lot of bugs will be fixed on the Live CD and if you want to install you will get all the current updates. Whereas, if you install from the current beta, you will then have several hundred MB of updates to subsequently install.