Introduction to Ubuntu 8.04 Beta

The Ubuntu developers are moving very quickly to bring you the absolute latest and greatest software the open source community has to offer. This is the Ubuntu 8.04 beta release, which brings a host of excellent new features.

Note: This is still a beta release. Do not install it on production machines. The final stable version will be released in April 2008.

Upgrading from Ubuntu 7.10

If you are upgrading from Ubuntu 7.10 or Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HardyUpgrades.

New Features since Ubuntu 7.10

Xorg 7.3

The latest [http://www.x.org Xorg], Xorg 7.3, is available in Hardy, with an emphasis on better autoconfiguration with a minimal configuration file. This Beta brings a new Screen Resolution utility that allows users to dynamically configure the resolution, refresh rate, and rotation of a second monitor. This will be particularly handy for laptop users that connect to a projector or external monitor.

Linux kernel 2.6.24

This Beta includes the 2.6.24-12.13 [http://kernel.org kernel] based on 2.6.24.3. This brings in significant enhancements and fixes that have been merged in the last few months into the mainline kernel, including:

• dynticks support for amd64, bringing the same power savings already available on 32-bit systems to 64-bit laptops and desktops
• the "Completely Fair Scheduler", a new process scheduler introduced in Linux 2.6.23 that provides improved interactive performance.

GNOME 2.22

Hardy Heron Beta brings you the latest and greatest [http://www.gnome.org/start/2.22/notes/en/ GNOME 2.22] with lots of new features and improvements, such as a new [http://www.gnome.org/projects/nautilus/ Nautilus] that uses GVFS as its backend. GVFS makes it possible to fix shortcomings of Nautilus such as the inability to restore files from trash, pause and undo file operations, and will make it possible to escalate user privileges for certain operations using PolicyKit for authentication. It also brings a significant performance boost to many operations.

attachment:nautilus-gvfs.jpg

PolicyKit

PolicyKit is now integrated in the administrative user interfaces. PolicyKit allows fine-grained control over user permissions and enhances usability and security, by allowing administrative applications to be run as a normal user and gaining extra privileges dynamically only for privileged operations instead of requiring the whole application to run as root.

attachment:beta_polkit.png

PulseAudio

[http://pulseaudio.org PulseAudio] is now enabled by default. Some non-GNOME applications still need to be changed to output to pulse/esd by default and the volume control tools are not yet integrated.

Firefox 3 Beta 4

[http://www.mozilla.com/firefox Firefox 3] Beta 4 replaces Firefox 2 as the default browser, bringing much better system integration including GTK2 form buttons and common dialogs. and icon theming that matches the system.

attachment:fx3alpha6.png

Transmission

The GTK version of the popular [http://www.transmissionbt.com/ Transmission] BitTorrent client comes preinstalled in Ubuntu, replacing the Gnome BitTorrent downloader.

attachment:transmission-gtk.png

Vinagre

The new [http://www.gnome.org/projects/vinagre/ Vinagre] VNC client is installed by default in Beta, replacing xvnc4viewer.

attachment:vinagre.png

Vinagre allows the user to view multiple machines simultaneously, can discover VNC servers on the network via Avahi, and can keep track of recently used and favorite connections.

Brasero

The [http://www.gnome.org/projects/brasero/ Brasero] CD/DVD burning application, which will complement the CD/DVD burning functions of Nautilus and replace the Serpentine audio CD burning utility, is installed by default in Beta.

attachment:brasero.png

World Clock Applet

Integrating the features of the [http://live.gnome.org/GnomePanel/Intlclock intlclock] applet, the GNOME panel clock in Beta can display the time and weather in multiple locations.

attachment:intlclock.png

Virtualization

KVM is now officially maintained within the Ubuntu kernel.

[http://virt-manager.et.redhat.com/ libvirt and virt-manager] have been integrated in Ubuntu. They allow for easy guest creation and basic management of virtual machines out of the box. Virt-manager can be used to administer guests on a remote server. They also work with XEN, even though it is not officially maintained.

The kernel also includes virtio greatly improving I/O performance in guests.

ActiveDirectory integration

[http://likewisesoftware.com/products/likewise_open/ Likewise Open] is available from the universe repository. It enables seamless integration of Ubuntu within an Active Directory network. Users can use their AD credentials to log on Ubuntu machines and access any kerberized services provided by an Ubuntu Server.

iSCSI support

iSCSI Initiator has been fully integrated in the kernel, allowing Ubuntu to mount iSCSI targets as a block device. iSCSI is available in the Ubuntu Server installer if iscsi=true is passed on the kernel command line at the beginning of the install process.

Firewall

ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall) is a new firewall application designed to make administering a firewall easier for end-users while not getting in the way of network administrators. Currently, ufw is a command-line interface for administering host-based firewalls.

For more details, read the UbuntuFirewall specification.

Memory Protection

Additional access checks have been added so that /dev/mem and /dev/kmem can only be used to access device memory. These changes will help defend against rootkits and other malicious code.

The lower 64K of system memory is no longer addressable by default. This will help defend against malicious code that attempts to leverage kernel bugs into security vulnerabilities.

Applications compiled as Position Independent Executables (PIE) are now placed into memory in unpredictable locations, making it harder for security vulnerabilities to be exploited.

umenu

WinFOSS and the Windows open source software have been replaced by umenu, a simple launcher that lets the user install Ubuntu from Windows using Wubi (see below), install Ubuntu to a partition without having to make their CD-ROM the first boot device, and find out more about Ubuntu at the www.ubuntu.com website.

attachment:umenu.png

Wubi

There is a new installation option for Windows users. [http://wubi-installer.org/ Wubi] allows users to install and uninstall Ubuntu like any other Windows application. It does not require a dedicated partition, nor does it affect the existing bootloader, yet users can experience a dual-boot setup almost identical to a full installation. Wubi works with a physical CD or in stand-alone mode, by downloading an appropriate ISO to install from. It can be found on the root of the CD as Wubi.exe. A full installation within a dedicated partition is still recommended, but Wubi is a great way to try Ubuntu for a few days and weeks before committing dedicated disk resources.

attachment:wubi.png

New Look

Ubuntu 8.04 has a slightly changed standard theme. attachment:imagetheme.jpg

Installation

In the alternate and server CDs, most file systems are now mounted with the relatime mount option by default, for improved performance. This is not yet done by the desktop CD installer, but that will be in place by beta.

Download

Get it while it's hot. ISOs and torrents are available at:

• http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/8.04 (Ubuntu) BR http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/kubuntu/8.04 (Kubuntu) BR http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/kubuntu-kde4/8.04 (Kubuntu with KDE4) BR http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/edubuntu/8.04 (Edubuntu) BR http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/jeos/releases/8.04/beta (Ubuntu JeOS) BR http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/8.04/beta (Xubuntu) BR http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/gobuntu/releases/8.04/beta (Gobuntu) BR http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/8.04/beta (UbuntuStudio) BR

Local mirrors are also available:

• FIXME: import up-to-date local mirror list

Caveats

There are several known bugs that users may run into with Ubuntu 8.04 Beta. We have documented them here for your convenience along with any known workarounds:

• The kernel in this beta is unable to access CD-ROM devices in some configurations, which may prevent users who were previously able to install Ubuntu from installing this beta from CD media. As a workaround, users can boot the installer with the additional "all_generic_ide" boot option. [https://launchpad.net/bugs/181561]

• Video problems have been reported with the 64-bit (amd64) version of Edubuntu desktop. As a workaround, users can manually specify a video resolution at the boot menu. [https://launchpad.net/bugs/173130]

• Installation from the Live CD using the "auto-resize" partitioning option prompts for a password to mount partitions and triggers an error message. Investigation of this issue is ongoing. [https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/199129]

• When installing from the Live CD, selecting a point on the timezone map is difficult as the map moves too quickly. [https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/195159]

• Hibernation does not work in a Wubi installation. Even if this option is available on the desktop, you should avoid using it.

Reporting Bugs

Hardy Heron beta has bugs! Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help fix bugs and improve future releases. After reading the [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs bug-reporting guidelines], please report bugs through [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bugs the Ubuntu bug tracking system].

If you want to help with bugs, the [http://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad Bug Squad] is always looking for help.

If you plan to do an installation of Hardy Beta, be sure to head to the [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing Testing] page. With just a few minutes of your time, you can really help to improve Ubuntu. We have two different tests; one takes just a short time, and the other is more thorough.

Participate in Ubuntu

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways you can participate at

• http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/

More Information

You can find out more about Ubuntu on our [http://www.ubuntu.com website] and [http://wiki.ubuntu.com wiki].

To sign up for future Ubuntu development announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu's development announcement list at:

• http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-announce