Ubuntu Unleashed

Upgrading from Ubuntu 8.10

To upgrade from Ubuntu 8.10, 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 '9.04' is available. Click Upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions.

New features in Jaunty

These features are showcased for your attention. Please test them and report any bugs you find on Launchpad:

http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu

Updated packages

As with every new release, packages--applications and software of all kinds--are being updated at a rapid pace. For a list of all packages being accepted for 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope, please subscribe to Jaunty-changes:

https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/jaunty-changes

X.Org server 1.6

The latest X.Org server, version 1.6, is available in Jaunty. For a little while, this will again cause increased instability for some users while the proprietary video drivers catch up.
Font size optimization

Font dot-per-inch settings are now optimized based on your monitor's capabilities, rather than defaulting to 96 dpi. You can further customize your dpi settings via System → Preferences → Appearance → Fonts → Details...
New style for notifications and notification preferences

Included in Jaunty is a simple menu which can be used to set preferences for notification icons, such as where they pop up on the taskbar. There is a possibility that Ubuntu 9.04 will get a whole new notification system, as shown in the Flash movie here:

http://www.markshuttleworth.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/jaunty904_notifications_example1_web_092.swf
Linux kernel 2.6.28

Alpha 5 includes the 2.6.28-8.26 kernel based on 2.6.28.7.
Ext4 filesystem support

Alpha 5 supports the option of installing the new ext4 file system. ext3 will remain the default filesystem for Jaunty, and we will consider ext4 as the default for the next release based on user feedback.

Alpha 5 adds Ext4 support to gparted (Curtis Gedak).
Download Alpha 5

Get it while it's hot. ISOs and torrents are available at:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/ (Ubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/edubuntu/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/ (Ubuntu Education Edition)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/ (Kubuntu) Kubuntu release notes
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/ (Xubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/ (UbuntuStudio)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/mythbuntu/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/ (Mythbuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-netbook-remix/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/ (Ubuntu Netbook Remix)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mid/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/ (Ubuntu MID)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/netboot/jaunty/alpha-5/ (Ubuntu ARM)

Known issues

As is to be expected at this stage of the release process, there are several known bugs that users are likely to run into with Jaunty Alpha 5. We have documented them here for your convenience along with any known workarounds, so that you don't need to spend time reporting these bugs again:

The installer sometimes fails to tell the kernel to reload the partition table during partitioning. This is a race condition, so not everyone will be affected, but if you are then you may have to re-try partitioning a few times before it completes successfully. We believe that the main problem lies in udev, and will be fixing that immediately after Alpha 5. 334278

A new XServer, version 1.6, is included in Alpha 4. The binary proprietary fglrx driver is not yet supported for this server and will exhibit various serious issues if run against it. Users of this driver are encouraged to wait or to switch to the open source -ati driver in the meantime. 313027

Users of Intel i845 or i865 video chipsets are unable to load X, getting an error message of "Fatal server error: Couldn't bind memory for BO front buffer". Users on these systems are advised to wait for a resolution to this bug before upgrading. 304871

OEM configuration fails in Jaunty Alpha 5 due to a repeating error pop-up when setting up the end user. This bug will be resolved for Jaunty Alpha 6. 334281


Users testing the ARM images on NSLU2 systems will need to take special measures to avoid time-consuming locale generation. Use the 'Go back' button in the installer, select "Change debconf priority" from the main menu, and select medium priority; once at the detailed locale selection screen, de-select all locales. Detailed instructions can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/NSLU2. In Jaunty Alpha 6, this will be handled by default.

Ctrl-Alt-Backspace is now disabled, to reduce issues experienced by users who accidentally trigger the key combo. Users who do want this function can enable it in their xorg.conf, or via the command dontzap --disable.

Font sizes may be abnormally small or large on monitors which mis-report their capabilities. If you suspect this may be the case, please see X/Troubleshooting/HugeFonts for steps to troubleshoot this issue.

Reporting bugs

It should come as no surprise that this alpha release of Jaunty Jackalope contains other bugs. Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help fix bugs and improve future releases. Please report bugs through the Ubuntu bugtracker

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

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