For a list of the new features since 9. 10 see Lucid Lynx Review: New features since Ubuntu 9.10

Very Important: This is a beta release. Do not install it on production machines. The final stable version will be released on April 29, 2010.

Upgrading from Ubuntu 9.10 or Ubuntu 8.04 LTS

To upgrade from Ubuntu 9.10 on a desktop system, 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 ’10.04′ is available. Click Upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions.

To upgrade from Ubuntu 9.10 on a server system: install the update-manager-core package if it is not already installed; edit /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades and set Prompt=normal; launch the upgrade tool with the command sudo do-release-upgrade -d; and follow the on-screen instructions.

To upgrade from Ubuntu 8.04 LTS on a server system: follow the same instructions as for Ubuntu 9.10, but set Prompt=lts instead of Prompt=normal.

Download Links

ISOs and torrents are available at:

http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/10.04/ (Ubuntu Desktop and Server)
http://uec-images.ubuntu.com/releases/10.04/beta-1/ (Ubuntu Server for UEC and EC2)
http://releases.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/10.04/ (Kubuntu Desktop and Netbook Remix)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/lucid/beta-1/ (Xubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/edubuntu/releases/lucid/beta-1/ (Edubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/mythbuntu/releases/lucid/beta-1/ (Mythbuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/lucid/beta-1/ (Ubuntu Studio)

Local mirrors:
Africa

* http://ubuntu.saix.net/ubuntu-releases/ (South Africa)

Asia

* http://ftp.mtu.ru/pub/ubuntu/releases/ (Russian Federation)
* http://mirror.yandex.ru/ubuntu-releases/ (Russian Federation)
* http://tw.releases.ubuntu.com/ (Taiwan)
* http://ubuntutym2.u-toyama.ac.jp/ubuntu/ (Japan)
* http://ftp.linux.org.tr/ubuntu-releases/ (Turkey)
* http://mirror.khlug.org/ubuntu-releases/ (Korea, Republic of)

Europe

* http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/ubuntu-releases/ (Ireland)
* http://mirror.switch.ch/ftp/mirror/ubuntu-cdimage/ (Switzerland)
* http://ubuntu.mirror.tudos.de/ubuntu-releases/ (Germany)
* http://se.releases.ubuntu.com/ (Sweden)
* http://ubuntu.ipacct.com/releases/ (Bulgaria)
* http://nl.releases.ubuntu.com/releases/ (Netherlands)

North America

* http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/ubuntu-releases/ (Canada)
* http://mirror.yellowfiber.net/ubuntu/ (United States)
* http://mirrors.ccs.neu.edu/releases.ubuntu.com/ (United States)
* http://mirrors.gigenet.com/ubuntu/ (United States)
* http://mirrors.rit.edu/ubuntu-releases/ (United States)
* http://ubuntu.media.mit.edu/ubuntu-releases/ (United States)

South America

* http://mirror.pop-sc.rnp.br/mirror/ubuntu/ (Brazil)
* http://mirror.pop-sc.rnp.br/mirror/ubuntu-releases/ (Brazil)
* http://ubuntu.c3sl.ufpr.br/releases/ (Brazil)
* http://ubuntu-cd.innova-red.net/ (Argentina)
* http://mirror.greennet.gl/releases/ (Greenland)

Ubuntu Lucid Alpha 3 includes the latest GNOME desktop environment with a number of great new features.
Mozilla

Default search engine has been changed to Yahoo! Default Home Page will use either Google or Yahoo! depending on user setting.
Linux kernel 2.6.32

Alpha 3 includes the 2.6.32-14.20 kernel based on 2.6.32.8.
KDE SC 4.4

Alpha 3 of Kubuntu features the new KDE SC 4.4. For more information about new features in Kubuntu, see https://wiki.kubuntu.org/LucidLynx/Alpha3/Kubuntu.
Hal removal

Lucid Alpha 3 sports full removal of the hal package, making Ubuntu faster to boot and faster to resume from suspend.
Major new version of likewise-open

The likewise-open package, which provides Active Directory authentication and server support for Linux, has been updated to version 5.4. The package supports upgrades from both the officially supported versions 4.0 (Ubuntu 8.04 LTS) and 4.1 (Ubuntu 9.10), as well as the likewise-open5 packages from universe.

Since this upgrade involves a lot of configuration file changes and in-place database upgrades, testing and feedback is appreciated.
New default open source driver for nVidia hardware

The Nouveau video driver is now the default for nVidia hardware. This driver provides kernel mode setting, which will give improved resolution detection. This driver provides hardware accelerated 2D functionality, like the -nv driver it replaces. The nouveau driver is being actively developed upstream and we anticipate this will enable faster bug fixes for problems encountered.
Improved support for nVidia proprietary graphics drivers

Three different NVIDIA proprietary drivers are currently available: nvidia-current (190.53), nvidia-173, and nvidia-96. Thanks to a new alternatives system, it is now possible to install all three of these packages at the same time (although it is only possible to have one configured for use at a time).
Social By Default

We now feature built in integration with Twitter, identi.ca, Facebook, and other social networks with the MeMenu in the panel, which is built upon the Gwibber project, which has a completely new, more reliable backend built on top of desktopcouch. Gwibber now also supports a multi-column view for monitoring multiple feeds simultaneously.
New features for Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC)

The Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud installer has been vastly improved in order to support alternative installation topologies. UEC components are now automatically discovered and registered, including for complex topologies. Finally, UEC is now powered by Eucalyptus 1.6.2 codebase.

Check out this video review

Download Alpha 3
ISOs and torrents are available at:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/lucid/alpha-3/ (Ubuntu Desktop and Server)
http://uec-images.ubuntu.com/releases/lucid/alpha-3/ (Ubuntu Server for UEC and EC2)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/lucid/alpha-3/ (Kubuntu Desktop and Netbook Remix)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/lucid/alpha-3/ (Xubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/edubuntu/releases/lucid/alpha-3/ (Edubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/mythbuntu/releases/lucid/alpha-3/ (Mythbuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/lucid/alpha-3/ (Ubuntu Studio)

Valuable tips to making your Ubuntu experience the best it can be!

Having already made a review on the newly released Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope, I would like to express a number of basic Ubuntu tips, which many of you may have heard of before but for the sake of the Ubuntu beginners, bear with me! These tips and tricks which I am going to explain will work practically on most Ubuntu distro’s, but not on all of them.

Right, let’s start. Also, before I commence, if you have any other tips and tricks that would be useful to newcomers, feel free to leave it in the comments below!

Alter the colour of your Ubuntu

In order to change the colour of your Ubuntu, use the following command:

sudo apt-get install gnome-color-chooser

In future you can then discover the colours, under System >> Preferences.

How to convert Ext2/Ext3 file system to Ext4 (in 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope)

- Make sure you have Ubuntu 9.04 installed so that you have an Ext3 file-system.

- Back-up all of your valued data.

- To convert the partition, reboot from the real CD, and run this code:

sudo bash
tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index /dev/sda1
e2fsck -pf /dev/sda1

In this case, the partiton you need to convert is /dev/sda1.

- Next, you must change Ext3 to Ext4 quite simply like below,

# /dev/sda1
UUID=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  /           ext3
relatime,errors=remount-ro 0          1

Change this code to:

# /dev/sda1
UUID=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  /           ext4
relatime,errors=remount-ro 0          1

No doubt you can tell that all that has changed is Ext3 and Ext4! You now MUST save the changes.

If you are upgrading from ext2 to ext4, when converting the partition use this code instead:

sudo bashtune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index,has_journal /dev/sda1
e2fsck -pf /dev/sda1

That should be it for most people, all you need to restart your computer and voila, you are now running from an Ext 4 file system. However, if you come across the dreaded error 13 when restarting, it might be because it did not like one of the updates. This might help though,

sudo bashmount /dev/sda1 /mnt
grub-install /dev/sda --root-directory=/mnt --recheck

You have now successfully completed the conversion!

Finding valuable system information

To find useful system information:

Applications>> System Tools >> System Monitor

Or

sudo apt-get install sysinfo

How to download YouTube videos, and then convert them from .flv to .avi

sudo apt-get install youtube-dl ffmpeg

- Then use this code to download the video,

youtube-dl -o example.flv "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQyZLehrIUw"

- To convert the video to .avi format

ffmpeg -i example.flv example.avi

Just to let you know, you should edit the name of the video and video link. Mine is just an example, however it is a good video on one of the Britain’s Got Talent shows exposing the new hit wonder, DJ Talent. =)

How to kill processes rapidly

Many users tend to use the conventional kill, ps|aux or killall commands like

sudo killall firefox

However, there is a much better command that is a lot quicker and responsive, PKILL. If PKill searches for “Firefox”, it will amazingly find any process related to Firefox and dispose of it straight away. In addition to PKILL, pstree is a similar command that puts all the processes in a tree-like order, systematized by whoever is the program owner.

Initiate OpenOffice even more briskly

OpenOffice matches Ubuntu perfectly, a cost-free program with great features. Though, it also has the tendency to open very slowly in comparison to other programs; this really does agitate users. To make OpenOffice open faster, all you need to do is go to Start-up manager, well that is what it is called in version 9.04, and in other distro’s it is normally named the Sessions program.

System >> Preferences >> Startup Applications in order to find the program.

Then, add a new entry and in the command field, put in

openoffice -nodefault -nologo

The only thing that required now is to restart your system. It is now cached, so when the Gnome desktop begins, OpenOffice will also start, as it is basically moving it to a start up program and therefore making it start up super-fast.

Again, feel free to share new, valuable tips in the comment box below, as well as feedback on the tips and tricks I have composed.

Ubuntu 9.04 includes the latest 2.6.28.8 kernel as well as many other features

Ubuntu sponsors, Canonical , announced the release of Ubuntu 9.04 destop version that can be downloaded for free now!

Ubuntu is an open source operating system with the intention of supplying an up-to-date, stable operating system for the normal computer user. In addition to stablility Ubuntu try to target ease of use and installation. Ubuntu can be used on almost anything including Desktops, Business PC’s, Notebooks and many others that are able to support x86 CPU or ARM CPUs, this has only been adapted in the 9.04 version.

One standard, but remarkable (because it outdoes Vista) feature of Ubuntu is the Compiz Fusion 3D desktop, which has enables some really cool effects. Of course, for this feature to function you need a 3D accelerated graphics card.

In terms of ease of use, Ubuntu outshines Vista without a doubt. But it is arguably limited when it comes to software. Most applications written for Windows have not been ported with Linux, and therefore you may not be able to get your favourite programs running on Ubuntu. However, I don’t think this is much of a problem, as there is a whole world of open source out there, which sometimes provide even better functionality.

An ideal alternative is VMware. They have created a server version of their software which is free. It essentially allows you to run multiple operating systems at the same time, by creating a virtual machine. So, you could have Vista and Ubuntu running at the same time, which can improve efficiency greatly, if you have to use both OS’.

Canonical Jane Silber who is chief operating officer quoted,

“With every release, we see Ubuntu Desktop Edition make significant steps forward in appealing to mainstream computer users. With access to the latest office productivity suite, support for Skype and Adobe Flash, and faster boot times, we’re confident that Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition will see more people join millions of others and make the switch to an open platform.”

Product Features- Ubuntu 9.04 includes the latest 2.6.28.8 kernel, and a multitude of features. Here is a taste:

• OpenOffice 3.0
• Latest Skype
• Latest Adobe Flash
• Faster boot times
• Gnome 2.26
• Brasero 2.26 (all-in-one CD burning application)
• More intuitive multi-monitor support
• X.Org server 1.6
• More uniform notifications and system messages
• Ext4 file system support
• A Netbook Remix version, which offers:
  • Even faster boot speeds
  • Enhanced power management
  • Easier network switching
• A Server Edition

Get the full technical overview here

Read Canonical’s press release on Ubuntu 9.04 here

You can download Ubuntu here.

Our Opinion

Pros

- Includes OpenOffice 3.0, which has been vastly improved

 - Can read/write to all Windows hard drive formats

- Easy to use and install

- Vastly improved boot times

- Evolution PIM and mail client now features even better Microsoft compatibility

- Variety of Versions

- Trouble free operations

- Ubuntu’s notorious ‘wiry fonts’ have been changed- now the font makes for more solid glyphs

- Significant server platform developments

Cons

- Not enough new features

- Lack of Game support

- Program on the System –> Preferences menu which was supposed to allow control over the notifications is not included in the final release for unknown reasons

Conclusion

To be honest, this is probably the least ground-breaking release of Ubuntu so far. There just aren’t enough new features. The netbook remix of Ubuntu 9.04, however, offers significant improvements over previous releases, and is worth a try if you use a netbook. Having said all this, Ubuntu is still miles ahead of any other desktop version of Linux, and this release does have some significant server platform developments. Personally, I think Ubuntu is on the same level as Windows and OS X. We’ll just have to wait and see where Ubuntu goes from now on.

Ubuntu 9.04 Screenshots

Better colour scheme, font and overall interface for the desktop

So much cleaner and more efficient than Vista...

Installation page finally allowed to go full screen!

Puppy Linux

Puppy linux is a portable operating system which is less than 100 MB(around 93 MB) and can be put up on any CD or a USB drive.It supports Live booting from a CD’s DVD’s USB flash drives and other portable media. This operating system is so easy to get used to, even an Windows user can use it without any hassle. Most people use it to just browse the web, it also has many features like Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Image editors and a lot more. The boot time isn’t so slow, it is mostly between 30-60 seconds. It automatically detects hardware and installs drivers for it which makes it even more easier for any user to use it.

Ubuntu

Ubuntu, the powerful and popular Linux operating system can be burned to disk and can be used in any computer which has an optical drive. The size of Ubuntu is near 699 mb which makes it burnable to a CD. Ubuntu already has pre-installed programs like the Open Office which is similar to other office suites like Microsoft Office, Mozzila firefox, Ecolution and a lot more. As you can see above, the pictures show that it is very easy to install almost any Application you want that meets your need. System Requirements: The Alternate installation CD’s require at least 256 MB of RAM (the standard installation CD requires 384MB of RAM). Installing Ubuntu requires at least 3 GB of disk space. Ubuntu can also be installed on a Microsoft Virtual Machine or Vmware.

Slax

This slim customizable operating system is not as popular as Ubuntu. But, it has great amount of features which a Linux fan has always wanted. With over 1,000 modules to select from their site Slax is proven to be an amazing portable operating system. Slax is completely customizable & also very easy to use. Slax can be installed easily on CD, USB Flash Key, MP3 Player, Camera or on your Computer.

The operating which mainly concentrates on your security. Black Track is another great operating system released by which can also be run from a live CD. It can be installed on a CD, USB flash drive, or can even be run as a virtual machine, or on your computer just like the other Linux operating systems.  It comes with over 300 pre-installed applications The producers of black track now made black track support more hardware and its popularity is growing day by day.

Damn Small Linux

Damn Small Linux, as the name states it is very damn small. It is very small yet very powerful. It’s a very light weight linux OS which weighs about 50 MB. It has the basic applications that you would get in any other portable operating system like the Slax. Just like any other Linux operating system DSL is free of charge and includes many different applications like an ftp client, word processor, image editor, and other common programs you would want to have. It can be run as a Live CD, USB flash drive/pen drive. Can be run on a computer which has more than 128 MB or ram with a blazing speed!

Crunchbag is a Ubuntu based distribution which has been built from Ubuntu and customized from it. Any software you will be wanting to have can be installed from the Ubuntu repository. It runs better when installed on a Hard Disk. Running Crunchbag  from your Hard Disk is better than Running it from running it from a Live CD. It is very well built but the disadvantage of installing Crunchbag on an old computer is that you get low performance which was reported by many users ro Crunchbag’s website. Installing it on a new computer is proven to work a lot better than installing it on an old computer. This lightweight operating system earned the name “A Faster Ubuntu“.

Many People always wanted Ubuntu. Ubuntu has many things like Open Office which can edit Microsoft office documents and Desktop effects like wobbling effects and a lot more! This Tutorial is going to teach you how to install linux on your computer. More specifically how to install Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, or Mythbuntu on your Windows based computer.

Requirements:

Memory 256 MB memory

Hard disk Space 5 GB

Operating System Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista

There is an easy way of installing Ubuntu rather than installing it by a process known as dual booting you can install Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, or even Mythbuntu on your Windows based computer which includes Windows 98, 2000, XP, and Vista. Before installing Ubuntu you’re gonna have to create a new Hard Disk drive partition. Follow these below steps to install Ubuntu or others like Xubuntu.
1. Download Wubi from http://www.wubi-installer.org

2. Make a new partition. For more info on how to make a new partition click here.

3. Open the wubi installer and select the New partition u made Under installation Drive

4. Select the desktop environment you want and the language you want and finally enter the password twice then click on Install.

After clicking on install wubi will download the Desktop Environment you’ve selected and it will ask you to restart after its done.

After you restart your computer you’ll have to select the operating system you want to login to. Also known as dual booting.

This tutorial goes through the process of dual booting and shows you how to dual boot on your computer. To dual boot an operating system you need the .ISO image of the the operating system you want to install. For example you want to install “Ubuntu” on your computer which has Windows Xp or Windows Vista you can download the .ISO image from http://www.ubuntu.com/download and burn it to a disk. You may also want to try the new windows 7 beta which u can download from torrents.

If you would like to dual boot your computer with Windows 7 beta you can just Google“Windows 7 beta build 7000 torrent” and select one of the results to download the torrent. you need to have a torrent client like “utorrent” or “Bit torrent” to download torrents. If you would like to get more info on that click here.

If you don’t know what your doing then don’t do this! You can mess up your whole computer if you don’t know what you are doing.

NOTE: If you want to install UBUNTU then download wubi from  here. Wubi installs ubuntu as a program in Windows so it is recommended that you install it this way.

To burn an .ISO image to a disk you need to have the right program to burn it to. Tech combo recommends that you use infra-recorder to burn the ISO file and burn it to an empty disk. You may burn the ISO image to a CD or DVD. if the ISO image is “less than” 700 MB then you can use a CD if it’s more than 700 MB then you should use a DVD, if its more than that then you’re gonna have to use a dual layer DVD which can hold up to 8.54 gigabytes. We are going to use Infra recorder (which you can download from here to burn the image. To burn an ISO image just follow the below steps

1. Put an empty CD or DVD in your Optical drive  (place where you put your CD or DVD)

2. Open Infra recorder and click on “Write Image”

3. Select the .ISO image and click open.

4. For write speed select the lowest speed possible to get
better results ( the higher the speed of burning process the greater the chance
of disk unfunctionality is possible)

5. Then click OK and wait for it to finish

After that make a new partition.

***Note: If you cancel the process your CD or DVD may not be usable again unless it is a CD-RW or DVD-RW.

To make a new partition follow these steps:

This process applies to Windows Xp and Windows Vista.

(You can also open run by Pressing Windows key+R on your keyboard if you’re on XP)

1. Click on start

2. Right click on Computer and click on “Manage”

3. from the left side bar click on “DISK MANAGEMENT”

which is Under Storage.

4. After that right click on your main hard disk

drive(”C drive”) and click on “Shrink Volume”

5. Then enter the amount of space you want to shrink it to (15 GB or more is recommended).

After you’ve made a new partition & burned the CD put it in the OPTICAL DRIVE or the place where you put CD or DVD, and change your boot order to DVD drive. If you don’t know how to change the boot order then click here. After you change the boot order press any key on the keyboard when it says “press any key to continue…” to boot it from CD. While installing make sure you install it on the “NEW PARTITION”. If you install it on your main hard disk drive then you’ll loose all your data on that drive.

Then follow steps and install the operating you want to install.

If you have any questions or comments leave them below.