Ubuntu 8.04 Alpha 5 :Makes Installation Easy !

The Ubuntu developers are moving very quickly to bring you the absolute latest and greatest software the Open Source Community has to offer. Hardy Heron Alpha 5 is the fourth alpha release of Ubuntu 8.04, and with this new alpha release comes a whole host of excellent new features.

Features : –

1. Xorg 7.3 : – The latest Xorg is available in Hardy, Xorg 7.3, with an emphasis on better autoconfiguration with a minimal configuration file.
2. Linux kernel 2.6.24 : – Alpha 4 includes the 2.6.24-5.8 (2.6.24-rc8-based) kernel. This brings in significant enhancements and fixes that have been merged in the last few months into the mainline kernel. Among these is the introduction of dynticks support for amd64, bringing the same power savings already available on 32-bit systems to 64-bit laptops and desktops.
3. PulseAudio : – Alpha 4 includes [WWW] PulseAudio enabled by default. Some non-GNOME applications still need to be changed to output to pulse/esd by default and the volume control tools are still not integrated.
4. umenu : – WinFOSS and the Windows open source software have been replaced by umenu, a simple launcher that lets the user install Ubuntu from Windows using Wubi (see below), install Ubuntu to a partition without having to make their CD-ROM the first boot device, and find out more about Ubuntu at the Ubuntu Home Page | Ubuntu website.
   

5. Wubi :- There is a new installation option for Windows users. Wubi allows users to install and uninstall Ubuntu like any other Windows application. It does not require a dedicated partition, nor does it affect the existing bootloader, yet users can experience a dual-boot setup almost identical to a full installation. Wubi works with a physical CD or in stand-alone mode, by downloading an appropriate ISO to install from. It can be found on the root of the CD as Wubi.exe. A full installation within a dedicated partition is still recommended, but Wubi is a great way to try Ubuntu for a few days and weeks before committing dedicated disk resources.
   
6. PolicyKit : –With Alpha 4, PolicyKit integration is visible in the administrative user interfaces. PolicyKit makes it possible to run administrative applications as a normal user, and have them get a particular set of extra privileges for certain operations, which allows fine-grained control over user permissions and enhances usability, as well as eliminating the security implications of running the whole application as root.

Firefox 3 Beta 3 : –The latest Firefox 3 beta is packaged in the repositories, bringing much better system integration including icon and colour theming that matches the system, as well as GTK2 form buttons and open dialog.

Transmission : –The GTK version of the popular Transmission BitTorrent client comes with Alpha 5. It’s set to replace the Gnome BitTorrent downloader.

Vinagre :-The new Vinagre VNC client is installed by default in Alpha 5, replacing xvnc4viewer.Vinagre allows the user to view multiple machines simultaneously, can discover VNC servers on the network via Avahi, and can keep track of recently used and favorite connections.

Brasero :-The Brasero CD/DVD burning application, which will complement the CD/DVD burning functions of Nautilus and replace the Serpentine audio CD burning utility, is installed by default in Alpha 5.

World Clock Applet :-Integrating the features of the intlclock applet, the GNOME panel clock in Alpha 5 can display the time and weather in multiple locations.

GVFS :-Nautilus 2.21.6 in Alpha 5 uses GVFS, the virtual filesystem abstraction layer that’s set to replace the aging GnomeVFS in GNOME 2.22, as its backend. In the near future, GVFS will make it possible to fix shortcomings of Nautilus such as the inability to restore files from trash, pause and undo file operations, and make it possible to escalate user privileges for certain operations using PolicyKit for authentication. It also brings a significant performance boost to many operations.

GNOME System Monitor : –The GNOME System Monitor has a revamped “Resources” tab, with Cairo graphs that scroll and scale smoothly, and brand new widgets.

Virtualization :-

• KVM is now officially maintained within the Ubuntu kernel.
• libvirt and virt-manager have been adapted to Ubuntu. They allow for easy guest creation and basic management out of the box. Virt-manager can be used to remotely administer guests on a remote server. They also work with XEN, even though it is not officially maintained.
• The kernel also includes the virtio modifications which should greatly improve guest I/O access.

Firewall .:-ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall) is a new firewall application designed to make administering a firewall easier for end-users while not getting in the way of network administrators. Currently, ufw is a command-line interface for administering host-based firewalls.

Download: – *

1. Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) Alpha 5 (Ubuntu)
2. Kubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) Alpha 5 (Kubuntu)
3. Edubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) Alpha 5 (Edubuntu)
4. Ubuntu-JeOS 8.04 (Hardy Heron) Alpha 5 (Ubuntu JeOS)
5. Xubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) Alpha 5 (Xubuntu)
6. Gobuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) Alpha 5 (Gobuntu)
7. Ubuntu-Studio 8.04 (Hardy Heron) Alpha 5 (UbuntuStudio)