Ubuntu Preps Next Release

linuxbeta writes "Ubuntu Linux is getting ready for their next release of their ultra-popular desktop distribution. Their third milestone was recently released, but you don't have to download it to try it out. Head over to these fresh Ubuntu Linux 5.04 Array 3 (Hoary) screenshots to see what Ubuntu has up its sleeve." And if you haven't looked at OSDir for a while, you might be pleasantly surprised; the thumbnail views make it much easier to navigate.

Comments

Not to troll,

[MoOsEb0y]

Where are screenshots of the interesting (i.e. unique) things about this distribution? All I saw was a showcase of Gnome 2.8. About 2 screenshots were of synaptic, and there was absolutely nothing of its installer. That, being a Gentoo user, would be what I am most interested in seeing.

Re:Not to troll,

[gl4ss]

nowhere.
the installer pics are perhaps the same as earlier..

but really, a short text about the new features would have been worth a million pictures in this case.

these screenshot fests are not that useful for anyone. i guess they bring them traffic though.. must be a reason why they're there-

Re:Not to troll,

[dubious9]

I was thinking the same thing. As for Ubuntu itself, it's a very pretty/polished version of debian. For this release, after some digging around I found the main Hoary wiki . On that page there is a link to the main goals of this release.

In short: Gnome 2.9/2.10, Xorg, LiveCD redesign, more package management ie. update notification, KickStart (auto-installation).

There are many smaller improvements (or ones that might not make it in) and of course updated versions of packages. There are no big bombshells and your desktop will likely look the same.

The killer feature I would like to see is the integration of RedHat/Fedora's Anaconda installer. , a la Progeny Linux. Why do we deal with Ncurses based installers anymore? Other than that, keep up the good work, I love the distro.

Re:Not to troll,

[Directrix1]

Well, here are my reasons: 1) You don't need GUI elements for an installer 2) ncurses based UIs are just as effective 3) Linux boot CDs are notorious for not running under an acceptable refresh rate on LCDs 4) You don't always have an X driver for your video card on the distro CD

Well, I am using Hoary right now and....

[poofyhairguy82]

It is really good so far. Its a little buggy (I don't recomend it for most people) but is has lots of software (more than Sarge, a little less than Sid) and the new Gnome looks great.

Anyone that likes Gnome should try out the Preview Release of Hoary coming out in March. All the extra bug reports could make it one of the best distros ever.

It will be a good finished project.

Re:Debian

[poofyhairguy82]

Now I was wondering if that really happened or not?

Ubuntu upstreams the bugfixes for the Debian packages they use. It has been implied to me on the official Ubuntu forum that these bug-fixes are not always used by Debian developers.

Another interesting question is why Ubuntu seems to be able to release frequently and Debian doesn't... the size? because the Ubuntu developers are paid for their work? because they're differently managed (managed, tout court)?

Well, first of all, Ubuntu only supports three archs- AMD64, i386, PPC. Debian supports many more. Also Ubuntu only focuses on Gnome as a desktop, and only "officially" supports 4000 packages. The unsupported packages do get some work, but just like in testing for Debian, some the of the obscure packages might be buggy (never happened to me, I install a lot of stuff). The releases are also quicker because there are less decision makers- which means faster resolution of problems. Hoary gained Xorg with much less pain than Sid will acquire it!

You should try Ubuntu when Hoary comes out. If you like Gnome, its a great version of Debian.

Re:KDE?

[poofyhairguy82]

So, how easy is it to run Ubuntu with KDE instead of Gnome?

Basically it works great. And Hoary will have KDE 3.3.

Here my (wordy) opinion of using the universe KDE.