Table of Contents |
We’re preparing Lubuntu 13.10, the Saucy Salamander, for distribution in October 2013. With this initial Beta release, you can see what we are trying out in preparation for our next version. We have some interesting things happening, so read on for highlights and information.
NOTE: This is an beta pre-release. Lubuntu Pre-releases are NOT recommended for:
- Regular users who are not aware of pre-release issues
- Anyone who needs a stable system
- Anyone uncomfortable running a possibly frequently broken system
- Anyone in a production environment with data or workflows that need to be reliable
Lubuntu Pre-releases ARE recommended for:
- Regular users who want to help us test by finding, reporting, and/or fixing bugs
- Lubuntu developers
Getting Lubuntu 13.10 Beta 2
Download a Disk Image
Instructions for burning the image to a DVD or USB flash drive can be found on the Burning ISO Howto.
We recommend you learn how to check your image file so your pre-release is as it’s supposed to be. Compare your MD5 checksum with the correct ones found alongside the images.
Beta 2 Highlights
Infrastructure
Linux Kernel
The Beta 2 Saucy Salamander snapshot includes the 3.11.0.8 Ubuntu Linux kernel which is based on the the upstream v3.11.1 Linux kernel.
Known Problems
Lubuntu Desktop
Unexpected freezes may happen when installing Desktop ISO or running an installed system, on a system with low amount of RAM (see bug:1227202 for details and news about its resolution). To workaround this :
- If you want to install Beta2, you can use alternate ISO instead.
- On an installed system, remove zram support by doing "sudo apt-get remove zram-config" and reboot your system.
Installation and Updates
In some cases, when installing to a disk that was previously partitioned, the installer (both text and GUI versions) will give an error about being unable to inform the kernel about partition changes. The workaround for this is to remove the partition table entirely and then reboot back into the installer. (1229432)
The desktop image installer cannot unlock existing encrypted (LUKS) volumes. If you need to make use of existing encrypted volumes during partitioning, then use the "Try Ubuntu without installing" boot option to start a live session, open the encrypted volumes (for example, by clicking on their icons in the Unity launcher), enter your password when prompted to unlock them, close them again, and run ubiquity to start the installer. (1066480)
When using installer to upgrade or reinstall an existing installation with encrypted swap, the installer may fail to reuse the partition. A warning will be shown, however the installation can be completed. The installed system will not have swap activated and users are advised to recreate swap on their systems. Please see advice about adding and activating swap at: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwapFaq (LP: #1172002)
Installs on very small memory systems may fail to start or exit without completing with no error. It is recommended that swap be created before install for such systems. Please see advice about adding and activating swap at: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwapFaq (LP: #1172161)
In rare circumstances the 'Next' button on the installer 'Install Type' screen is non-functional. This is intermittent and may be resolved by hitting 'Back' and retrying. (LP: #1172572)
Networking
In order to improve compatibility with other local nameserver packages, NetworkManager now assigns IP address 127.0.1.1 to the local nameserver process that it controls instead of 127.0.0.1. If the system's /etc/resolv.conf is absent or is a static file instead of the symbolic link to ../run/resolvconf/resolv.conf installed by default then this static file will have to be updated by the administrator in order to continue using the NetworkManager-controlled nameserver.
- There are issues with usb-creator.
Alternate Installer
Guided partitioning shortcut "max" gives minimum space instead - https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/debian-installer/+bug/1163908
PPC Issues
powerpc: error while running 'modprobe -v yenta_socket' - https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-ppc/+bug/1153972
PPC - no graphics after installation - https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/1195386
Feedback
Development of Lubuntu 13.10, the Saucy Salamander is ongoing and bugs are fixed every day. Before reporting bugs, please ensure your system is up to date. For verifying installation related bugs, updated disk images are available from Daily bootable images for standard PCs/laptops/netbooks.
Please feel free to contact us with feedback.