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On October 29, Canonical is set to release Ubuntu 9.10 (codenamed “Karmic Koala”), the newest installment in the Ubuntu product line. In anticipation of this release, we took the release candidate (RC) for a test drive. Ubuntu 9.10 RC comes on a LiveCD just like its predecessors and allows you to test a fully-functional installation of the operating system without installing it. The boot process looks very different from previous versions, especially since the old progress bar has been replaced with one that just moves from left to right while providing very little useful boot progress information. However, the boot process is still extremely fast compared to many other distros and you always have the option of disabling the boot splash screen if you want to see detailed boot information.
Additionally, the installation process now automatically sets your system time from an online time server and now includes a slideshow to introduce you to the features of Ubuntu as the system installs. And for the first time, Ubuntu now allows you to encrypt your home directory out of the box by providing a new option for it during the setup process.
Ubuntu 9.04 comes with Linux kernel 2.6.31 and GNOME 2.28. There are lots of other under-the-hood changes that may not be immediately obvious. HAL (hardware extraction layer) is in the process of being deprecated, so this functionality is now handled by DeviceKit and Udev. The Intel graphics driver has been modified to fix some of the reported problems it had in 9.04.
AppArmor security software has been improved, and GRUB 2 is now the default bootloader for new installations. Existing installations will continue to use legacy GRUB since replacing the bootloader is risky business From 9.10 onward, ext4 will be the new default filesystem in new installations instead of ext3. Existing ext3-based installations will remain unchanged if you decide to upgrade from 9.04 since changing the filesystem would require a complete reformat.
Comments are closed on this article
nsk chaos
November 01, 2009 at 6:53pm
LIES!!@!! not really but KK takes twice as long as JJ and even after boot up freezes up like crazy. help?
running my laptop with an 1.4 ghz centrino and a half-gig of ram
gendoikari1
October 27, 2009 at 2:53pm
The only things that I'll hate having to do on my new Karmic install are to reinstall all the packages I downloaded (2000 or so) and to recompile the kernel (compiling the 2.6.31.4 kernel on a Pentium M would take 4 hours even WITH distcc).
penguinboy
October 26, 2009 at 7:07pm
FYI, you can change ext3 to ext4 without a reformat. I've done it without any trouble. But, be warned, I don't think they have a way to go back. Anyway, see here for the simple instructions.
You can still mount an ext3 file system with the ext4 file system driver and see performance improvements just from using the new core.
zippzom
October 26, 2009 at 5:50pm
Is there decent support for wireless drivers? If there is, it might be the first time i use linux on my laptop (i can't find any drivers for my wi-fi card)...
Xyphus
October 30, 2009 at 5:10am
Since it is a Live CD, I'd say pop it in and give it a go. If the WiFi doesn't work, reboot and you're back to normal. :)
thege128
October 26, 2009 at 6:38pm
I installed the RC 9.10 release on a Pentium III, 900Mhz, 256Mb RAM, 40 GB HD. Runs great, and recognized my Netgear WNDA3100 wireless-N USB adapter out of the box. So YES, wireless support is improved in this next release.
QUINTIX256
October 26, 2009 at 5:53pm
Will it support non-"free" formats out of the box?
The MP3 codec, for example, doesn't require a paid license for individual (non-commercial) use.Will it have non-"free" drivers builtin?
Just about every Linux distro has Compiz preinstalled with no way to use it (no hardware opengl) with the default install or from the liveCD. Even worse, installation of such non-"free" drivers can be downright painful. I had a kernel recompile required for an nVidia kernel patch/driver brick an install because it invalidated the info in GRUB.I just don't understand the attitude of those behind the GNU project. If the end user doesn't have to pay a dime for something commonly used, like hardware video or MP3s, then there should be no problem including it on disc. Just because it isn't "open source" or it doesn't give the end user "full freedom" doesn't mean it should be avoided like the plague.
You can have your recession. I'm not participating.
gendoikari1
October 27, 2009 at 2:56pm
Well, the first thing can be fixed by apt-get install *buntu-restricted-extras (be it ubuntu, kubuntu or xubuntu).
damicatz
October 26, 2009 at 10:47pm
Just because you can download something for free doesn't mean you also have the legal right to redistribute it.
In addition, Canonical, being a company, is subject to a lot more liability. Patent holders don't waste time going after individuals but they will go after a company, especially one with as much money as Canonical.
I suggest simply using free formats instead. Vorbis is superior to MP3 as a lossy compression codec in just about every way. You could also use FLAC.
roninnder
October 29, 2009 at 4:04pm
You're right, Vorbis is superior to MP3 in JUST ABOUT every way... The exception of course being decent hardware support.
Devo85x
October 26, 2009 at 5:39pm
I love using Ubuntu, however when I updated to the beta of 9.10, my computer refused to shut down out of linux... no hardware problem since I could boot and shutdown in XP/Vista/7 (I have a quad boot) without a problem, but whenever I tried to reboot/shutdown from linux it would hang... not anything I can b**** about too much but still anoying when I wanted to play a game or left the room hoping it would reboot
arch20002013
October 26, 2009 at 5:32pm
I must say I love Linux and the Ubuntu Flavor. I have had nothing but problems with the RC though. I have been trying to install it on a Dell Latitude d600 and everytime I try to do a fresh install. It says that the hard drive is not found once the install is complete. I have tried previous versions and had no problems with it. I have even tried an upgrade from version 9.04(which I did not want to do) with the same result after I restarted. Anyone have any suggesions?
thefuzz4
October 27, 2009 at 8:04am
When your boot menu is up edit the grub entry for your linux install it is possible that it got the wrong hd number in there. I have this happen all the time with mine where it get's the wrong number for my windows install and I have to go in there and change it to the right number. Just remember that editing the boot menu here will not be saved if you find that this was the case remember that after you get it booted back up you will have to go edit it as root and save it.
Morichalion
October 26, 2009 at 4:33pm
This article was a pretty convenient way to catch up on it. Thanks.
The world was ruled by religion, and they call it "The Dark Ages"
nsk chaos
October 26, 2009 at 4:02pm
agh! zomg! it's linux!!! =) i luv meh ubuntu laptop. keep it up for the open source guys! yeah
lol gonna test .10 soon...
lunchbox73
October 27, 2009 at 5:42am
Is this intentional and are you trying to be funny or is this really how you communicate using the english language?
