Introduction

The Ubuntu developers are moving quickly to bring you the absolute latest and greatest software the Open Source community has to offer. The Quantal Quetzal Beta 2 Release of Ubuntu 12.10 give you a preview of the next version of Ubuntu.

Get Ubuntu 12.10

Upgrading from Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

To upgrade from Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on a desktop system:

• Open Software Sources.

• Switch to the Updates tab and set Notify me of a new Ubuntu version to For any new version.

• Press Alt+F2 and type in "update-manager -d" (without the quotes) into the command box.
• Update Manager should open up and tell you: New distribution release '12.10' is available.
• Click Upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions.

To upgrade from Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on a server system:

• Ensure that /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades includes Prompt=Normal.

• Install the update-manager-core package if it is not already installed.

• Launch the upgrade tool with the command sudo do-release-upgrade -d.

• Follow the on-screen instructions.

Note that the server upgrade will utilize GNU screen and automatically re-attach in case of e.g. dropped connection problems.

Offline upgrade options via alternate CDs are no longer offered for Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server. Please ensure you have network connectivity to one of the official mirrors or to a locally accessible mirror and follow the instructions above.

Download the Beta 2

Beta 2 images can be downloaded from a location near you.
Note: The Ubuntu Desktop images are now bigger than a standard CD, and you should use a USB or DVD for installation. Some image consolidation has occurred as well.

You can download Beta 2 ISOs from:

http://releases.ubuntu.com/12.10/ (Ubuntu Desktop and Server)
http://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/12.10/beta-2/ (Ubuntu Cloud Server)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/netboot/12.10/ (Ubuntu Netboot)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-core/releases/12.10/beta-2/ (Ubuntu Core)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/12.10/beta-2/ (Kubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu-active/releases/12.10/beta-2/ (Kubuntu Active)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/12.10/beta-2/ (Lubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/edubuntu/releases/12.10/beta-2/ (Edubuntu DVD)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/12.10/beta-2/ (Ubuntu Studio)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/12.10/beta-2/ (Xubuntu)

New features in Quantal

Please see the Quantal blueprint list for details.

Please test and report any bugs you find:

• http://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs

Updated Packages

As with every new release, packages--applications and software of all kinds--are being updated at a rapid pace. Many of these packages came from an automatic sync from Debian's unstable branch; others have been explicitly pulled in for 12.10 Quantal Quetzal.

For a list of all packages being accepted for 12.10 Quantal Quetzal, please subscribe to quantal-changes: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/quantal-changes .

Linux kernel 3.5.4

Quantal Beta-2 includes the 3.5.0-15.23 Ubuntu Linux kernel which was based on the v3.5.4 upstream Linux kernel. This is an update from the 3.5.0-13.14 Ubuntu kernel which shipped in the Quantal Beta-1 release and was based on the v3.5.3 upstream Linux kernel. Key changes with the Quantal Beta-2 kernel includes upstream bug fixes for audio and eCryptfs, an updated and re-enabled AUFS, mei driver udpates, additional support for Hawsell graphics, and misc config changes and bug fixes. As with the Quantal Alpha and Beta-1 releases, the Ubuntu kernel continues to include the transitioning of the i386 generic-pae flavor to become the generic flavor offering, collapsing of the virtual flavor back into the generic flavor, and standardizing of the entire linux-meta package.

Python 3.2

We eventually intend to ship only Python 3 with the Ubuntu desktop image, not Python 2. Beta-2 continues this process, although we will not be able to convert everything to Python 3 for Ubuntu 12.10.

If you have your own programs based on Python 2, fear not! Python 2 will continue to be available (as the python package) for the foreseeable future. However, to best support future versions of Ubuntu you should consider porting your code to Python 3. Python/3 has some advice and resources on this.

General

Until Ubuntu 11.10, the Unix group for administrators with root privileges through sudo had been admin. Starting with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, it is now sudo, for compatibility with Debian and sudo itself. However, for backwards compatibility, admin group members are still recognized as administrators.

Automatic Apport crash reporting has been enabled by default again to catch problems early on. It now checks for duplicates on the client side, which will avoid uploading debug data and creating Launchpad bug reports unnecessarily in many cases now.

Ubuntu

There is no longer a traditional CD-sized image, DVD or alternate image, but rather a single 800MB Ubuntu image that can be used from USB or DVD. Users who previously installed using LVM or full-disk encryption via the alternate CD will find that these installation targets are supported by the consolidated image in 12.10.

Update Manager has been streamlined and renamed Software Updater. It also now checks for updates when launched.

A new X.org stack has been introduced which includes xserver 1.13 candidate versions, mesa 9.0, and updated X libs and drivers. The new xserver provides improved multiseat support, better smooth scrolling, and a large variety of bug fixes. The proprietary -nvidia driver now supports the RANDR standard for monitor configuration.

Compiz with GLES support landed, making unity-3d work again on the pandaboard.

Unity was updated to version 6.6 including support for

• Addition of 'More Suggestions' category which delivers commercial content to the Dash via the 'Unity Shopping Lens'
• Numerous fixes and refinements to the dash

• Support addition of webapps in the launcher by default (including Amazon & Ubuntu One Music stores)

• An updated indicator-messages including a new libmessaging-menu api (deprecating the old libindicate library)
• All launcher icons (except the BFB and Trash) should now be movable
• Added the ability to unlock removable-storage icons from the launcher to de-clutter it
• When in spread mode (Super+W) it's possible to close windows by clicking the close button revealed when hovering over them
• Gwibber lens now features preview support in the dash
• Webapps can now trigger package downloads where required by compliant websites visited by the user
• Additional icons have been added to the filesystem lens to enable dragging and dropping filesystems (such as USB sticks) into the launcher
• Previews in the video lens now show details for remote Amazon videos
• Unity and unity-panel have been ported to atk-bridge for accessibility

Other notable updates include:

• Jockey has been deprecated in favor of a "Drivers" component in software-properties.

• Libreoffice was updated to 3.6.1 with built-in menubar & HUD support without needing a separate plugin.

• GNOME has been updated to 3.5.92 for most components (some to 3.6.0)
• Accessibility is turned on by default.

Ubuntu Server

Unlike the Desktop flavour, we are currently targeting the 12.10 Server image to fit onto a standard cd image (703MB).

Notable updates:

• Juju Charm Store policy implementation, and Charm maintainer assignment and Charm Quality Ratings implemented.

• Ceph updated to 0.48.1 (upstream argonaut stable release):
  • RADOS Gateway (S3 and Swift Compatible) now available.
  • Performance improvements on x86 architectures through use of gperftools.
• Floodlight (Openflow Network Controller) and mininet (Network Simulation) packages available.

• OpenStack Folsom testing packages available.

• Openstack instance architecture detection support added, and heterogeneous scheduler for ARM done.
• armhf cloud images are available.
• cloud-init support for "config drive v2" from Openstack Folsom.

• Ubuntu now has native packaging for Amazon AWS RDS (rdscli), Identity Management (iamcli), Elastic LoadBalancing (elbcli), ElastiCache (elasticache), and CloudWatch (moncli) in the Multiverse and Universe archive areas. Additionally newer versions of EC2 API (ec2-api-tools) and AMI (ec2-ami-tools) are avialable.

• https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com now has Quick Start buttons to enable Quick Start like function for Amazon AWS images.

• Cloud Images no longer have a five second boot time out. Additionally, the "record_fail" time out -- where a failed boot would result in a hung Grub console -- has been eliminated. This specifically affects KVM, Amazon AWS HVM images, and Windows Azure Images.
• Starting with Ubuntu 12.10, the Ubuntu Cloud Images no longer have the 'ubuntu' user pre-populated in the images. The 'ubuntu' user is now created on first boot by cloud-init unless instructed otherwise. This allows easy creation of instances with no 'ubuntu' user and even no users.
• Ubuntu 12.10 provides Apache Tomcat 7 as the default, supported version of Tomcat. Existing installations of tomcat6 will continue to function; its recommended that users upgrade to the tomcat7 package as soon as possible.
• New version of MAAS is available. This realease has dropped the usage of maas-provision, and features its own, MAAS managed, DNS and DHCP server.
• Due to a binary naming issue between the node and nodejs packages, nodejs now ships with its binary installed to /usr/bin/nodejs. Users of nodejs applications sourced from outside of the Ubuntu distribution should either use the nodejs-legacy package (which continues to provide /usr/bin/node) or migrate their applications to use the /usr/bin/nodejs interpreter.

Kubuntu

Kubuntu now comes on 1GB images for a USB drive or DVD. The addition of encrypted and LVM partitioning options means we no longer are including alternate text installer images with this release.

Other notable updates:

• KDE Plasma and Applications 4.9 add many new features and fixes
• Calligra's Krita adds a world class painting application while Kexi is a full featured database app
• New login manager LightDM adds a guest session feature for letting your friends use your computer quickly
• Telepathy-KDE becomes the default chat program offering easier set up to modern networks like Facebook and GTalk
• New applications on the images include Skanlite for scanning, Kamoso for webcam images, tablet config, GTK config and Print Manager

• Digikam 2.8 adds better photo handling http://www.digikam.org/drupal/node/661.

• The release of Rekonq 1 gives Kubuntu the stable web browser it deserves.
• A Facebook resources in Kontact means you can get calendar and contact information from your Facebook account.
• While a Google resource means you can get calendar information from your Google account .

• OwnCloud 4 gives many web applications in your own remote or local cloud

More information can be found at: https://wiki.kubuntu.org/QuantalQuetzal/Beta2/Kubuntu

Xubuntu

Xubuntu fits a standard CD image for Beta 2 and targets to fit one for the final release. There is no alternate images or Wubi support for Xubuntu 12.10.

New features in Xubuntu Beta 2 include:

• Updated artwork, including new wallpaper, documentation looks and updates to LightDM, Greybird and Ubiquity slideshow
• Completely rewritten offline documentation
• New versions of Catfish and Parole

Edubuntu

• Since Unity 2D is no longer available in the archives, the Gnome Fallback session (also known as the "Ubuntu Classic") will now be made default when LTSP is selected.
• Certain packages which are default in Ubuntu aren't installed in Edubuntu. These are avoided during installation, but due to current technical limits, can't be avoided during upgrades and may have to be manually removed after an upgrade. These packages include: icoutils, qt3-assistant, unity-lens-shopping and virtuoso-minimal.
• A new package called 'edubuntu-netboot' is introduced. This package now provides the functionality previously provided by ltsp-live and will also be used for casper-netboot.
• Language packs have now been moved off from the live image to a pool on the disc. This greatly improves install times at the cost of using more RAM in a live session when a local language is specified.
• Tomboy has been re-introduced and Gnote has been removed.

Lubuntu

Notable updates include:

• Update of the visual identity of Lubuntu, including :
  • A completely new icon theme.
  • A new wallpaper and improvements to the current theme.
  • A selection of community wallpapers.
  • Improving integration of many applications with the new artwork.
• A new version of the session manager is available, including more customizations and integration options (not enable by default, but available for testing).
• A new version of pcmanfm (file manager), including at lot of bug fixes, external thumbnailer support, multiple screen support.
• notification-daemon have been replaced for xfce4-notifyd on the default installation, to display notifications.
• catfish, a searching utility, have been added to the default installation.

• There is an error with X starting reported on alternate ppc and also on Desktop i386, Bug 1041625 has the details on this bug.

Ubuntu Studio

Notable updates for 12.10 include:

• A new web page is out. The help button on the main menu points there.
• Add/fix text plymouth theme for those video cards that won't see graphics so it says Ubuntu studio
• The menu has been fixed moving audio production tools out of Media Playback.
• Add qmidiroute to audio workflow to cover missing functionality
• A MIDI router and MIDI tools menu have been added.
• Task Manager has been switched to System Monitor for better memory use display.
• A main menu tool has been added to setting to allow the user to change their menu.
• Set up Software Center menu items for our workflows
• Created bug team in launchpad
• Added open-clip-art package to graphics seed
• Move mixer applications from media playback menu to audio menu
• Fixed submenu icons for accessories, education and network
• Installed #ubuntustudio (and other) channel by default for xchat
• Nautilus is default file manager for everything now

Known issues

As is to be expected, at this stage of the release process, there are some significant known bugs that users may run into with the Quantal Beta 2 Release. The ones we know about at this point (and some of the workarounds), are documented here so you don't need to spend time reporting these bugs again:

Boot, installation and post-install

• Ubiquity displays scrollbars inside of slideshow. (1008717)

• On ARM server images the device detection hangs if an USB key that is used as target device contains an extended partition (1028905). You can work around this if you zero the partition table of the USB key.

• Installation instructions for ARM based systems can be found here.

• The consolidated desktop image does not support installation to software RAID configurations. Users wishing to install to such a configuration are advised to use the mini.iso image available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/netboot/12.10/, or use the 12.04 LTS alternate CD and upgrade. (1042999)

Migration

• ...

Graphics and Display

• On systems with an ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card the system will boot to a black screen. As a work around edit the kernel command line in the boot loader and add "nomodeset". (725580)

• On some systems, gnome-settings-daemon crashed with SIGSEGV in xft_settings_set_xsettings(). (948347)

Desktop

• The system service to manage device color profiles is crashing on some systems. (1026520)

Kernel

• On omap4 kernels you might see random oopses from the smsc95xx network card driver (746137)

• iPXE kills kvm with KVM: entry failed, hardware error 0x80000021 (1045027)

• graphics fail to initialise correctly, in kvm with cirrus graphics (after LUKS install) (1038055)

Ubuntu Server

• [1057635] installation to iscsi root may fail to boot

Kubuntu

• Manual partitioning in installer crashes (1038522)

• KIMPanel is not set up. (475530)

Edubuntu

• On LTSP, Unity fails to load on old hardware due to LLVM fallback not being automatically selected, (1039155)

Xubuntu

• The messaging indicator is not available in 12.10
• Duplicate partitions might be shown at Thunar sidebar

Lubuntu

• Installation will fail if you want to install grub on anything else that the first drive (sda or sda1) (1015880)

• Current theme has some visual bugs (black borders) (1043129)

For a listing of more known issues, please refer to the Quantal Quetzal bug tracker in Launchpad.

Reporting bugs

It should come as no surprise that this Beta 2 release of Quantal Quetzal contains other bugs. Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help fix bugs and improve the quality of future releases. Please report bugs using the tools provided.

If you want to help out with bugs, the Bug Squad is always looking for help.

Participate in Ubuntu

These images were able to be made available to you thanks to the help of our QA Community

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 the Ubuntu website and Ubuntu 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