Intrepid was the first release to include the Ubuntu Live USB creator. Guest sessions were also introduced to provide a temporary user account with restricted privileges with the idea that one could lend a computer to a friend or colleague for simple tasks like a quick email check. Encrypted private directories with the use of the ecryptfs package provided users with an alternative to the drawbacks inherit to the optional full-partition encryption using LVM and LUKS.

Intrepid did all of this and more using Gnome 2.24 and the Linux 2.6.27 kernel. As much as Intrepid forged ahead, it has finally reached the end of its 18 month life cycle. Users will be encouraged to upgrade their Intrepid installations to at least 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope to continue receiving security updates and critical bug fixes.

MatBoy: mhh, 9.10 upgrade on a eeepc 901 is not that easy with ssd
MatBoy: where does the 9.10 upgrade needs 1,5GB space ?
MatBoy: in /tmp ?
MatBoy: someone running 9.10 on a eeepc 901 with ssd ?
MatBoy: mhh, I can’t upgrade from 9.04 to 9.10… space issue of 1,5GB it says
MatBoy: LOL I removed my /home because I wanted to gpart the drives… which is ofcourse seperated :)
MatBoy: my install is on the 4GB part, so that might be too small by default…. I’m wondering if I move /tmp to the second drive if it works
MatBoy: I think I need a new install :(

Upgrading from Jaunty to Karmic through the Update Manager presented an interesting challenge on my Asus Eee PC 701. Since my / partition was only 4GB in size, there wasn’t enough room to download all of the necessary packages. Since there was no reason, or space, to put /var onto its own partition, the upgrade process was reliant on what the / partition contained. Fortunately, the Linux file system is very versatile making this more of an annoyance than a show-stopper.

Luckily for me, I had upgraded the SSD to a 32GB drive. I had it partitioned so that /home had its own 20GB partition. This gave me the option of “borrowing” space on that partition. Packages are downloaded to /var/cache/apt/archives/ regardless if they’re regular updates or part of a full system upgrade. What I did was create a symbolic link to a new location on the /home partition.

First, I had apt-get clean out any old updates. This would remove any old packages from the archives directory and free up a little more space on the / partition.

sudo apt-get clean

Next, I created the new temporary location with the included partial sub-directory and lock file.

sudo mkdir -p /home/temp_apt_cache/partial
sudo touch /home/temp_apt_cache/lock

Then, I temporarily changed the original location’s name to maintain a backup.

sudo mv /var/cache/apt/archives /var/cache/apt/archives_old

Lastly, I created a symbolic link to the new location.

sudo ln -s /home/temp_apt_cache /var/cache/apt/archives

I now had plenty of room for all of Karmic’s packages. The link does exactly what it sounds like, linking one location to another. When the upgrade process began downloading packages to the /var/cache/apt/archives/ directory, it was really saving them to the new /home location.

Since I wasn’t expecting to ever borrow more than about 1-1.5GB worth of space from my /home partition, I left it set up that way. To reverse the changes, I would remove the link, remove the temporary location, and rename the original location.

sudo rm /var/cache/apt/archives
sudo rm -rf /home/temp_apt_archive
sudo mv /var/cache/apt/archives_old /var/cache/apt/archives

sudo apt-get install firefox-3.5

You can also install by way of Synaptic by searching for the firefox-3.5 package name.

That’s assuming one has the universe repository enabled. This will install FF 3.5 as Shiretoko, it’s developmental codename. It was decided to retain the Shiretoko name to differentiate it from FF 3.0 which is the default browser for Jaunty. It is planned that FF 3.5 will be the default for Karmic.

When FF 3.5 (Shiretoko) is first run, it will make a copy of your current ~/.mozilla/firefox directory to ~/.mozilla/firefox-3.5 so that all of your settings, preferences, add-ons, etc. from FF 3.0 will be the same in FF 3.5. Although, as in the past, new versions of Firefox may prevent some previous extensions from being seen as compatible. There is a workaround for this which I’ll cover briefly in my next post.

You’ll see it listed in the Internet menu as Shiretoko Web Broswer with a Firefox-less globe icon. Once installed, both versions will coexist happily on your computer. The only thing to remember is that any changes you make to one will not be mirrored by the other since they won’t share the same settings directory.

For the more advanced users who are brave enough, one can move the new directory to a new name and create a symbolic link to the original so that settings are shared between the two.

mv ~/.mozilla/firefox-3.5 ~/.mozilla/firefox-3.5-original
ln -s firefox firefox-3.5

Whenever Shiretoko looks to ~/.mozilla/firefox-3.5 it will actually find the ~/.mozilla/firefox directory. The only drawback to this is FF 3.0 and FF 3.5 constantly checking plugins when switching from one to the other.

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/PPA_OpenOffice.org.list

Copy and paste the following deb lines:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

This website’s formatting may split those lines. Each line from “deb” to “main” should be unbroken. Change jaunty in each entry to either intrepid or hardy accordingly for your own Intrepid or Hardy installation.

CTRL-O to write to the file.
CTRL-X to exit.

nano ppa_keys

Copy and paste the PGP Public Key Block for the OpenOffice.org Scribblers PPA from HERE.

CTRL-O to write to the file.
CTRL-X to exit.

sudo apt-key add ppa_keys

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Answer yes when prompted. Wait for the packages to download and set up and enjoy OO.o 3.1 on your Hardy, Intrepid, or Jaunty Ubuntu installation.

As an added bonus, if you don’t already have the full OpenOffice.org suite, as some unnecessary packages are left off of the install CDs, just tell apt-get to get them:

sudo apt-get install openoffice.org

This is an interim release meaning that it will receive support through security fixes and updates for a total of 18 months from the day of its official release. This is opposed to the LTS desktop releases which get an additional 18 months of support.

As is usual during release time, Ubuntu’s servers are under heavy loads as users are determined to be among the first to download the new install CDs and DVDs. You can download your own copy from the Get Ubuntu page. However, users who have use of a bit torrent client (Transmission, Deluge, Ktorrent, uTorrent, Azureus/Vuze etc) are encouraged to take advantage of Jaunty’s torrent files, which can be found on the Complete Download Options List page, to help alleviate the strain on Ubuntu’s servers.

Those looking for a mirror close to or in their own country can look at the Complete Download Mirror List.

Using the torrents should give you the best download speeds. Currently, I’m helping to seed the torrents from my home server. I’m among 4037 other seeds on the desktop i386 ISO, so anyone downloading from that torrent ought to get it quickly.

Unfortunately, they left no additional options for downloading the Netbook Remix edition. On top of that, it’s not easy to find. Users interested in downloading the UNR can get the USB image from one of Jaunty’s release pages, or simply by clicking HERE. For instructions on how to make and use the UNR image, see the Ubuntu’s USB Image Writing Guide. The guide also includes Windows instructions.

EDIT:
I should’ve linked two more important pages. First is the 9.04 Release Notes while the second is Ubuntu 9.04 Technical Overview. These two pages have more information about the 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope release that anyone wanting to use it should read.

I haven’t shown off in a while, so here are some “obligatory” screenshots:
Lenovo Thinkpad T61p “obsidian”, showing off Compiz.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE “osiris”, using UNR, showing off the new notifications.

Of course, the look and feel in the screenshots above are not Jaunty defaults.

Next up: Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala, coming this October.

I’ve been running Jaunty since the start of the Beta cycle and I’m quite pleased with it. Jaunty was first installed on my Eee PC 701 with all the other 8.10 Intrepid installs being replaced shortly afterwards. Besides the increases in speed, Gnome 2.26 keeps getting better and more tightly integrated.

The new notification system that Canonical has developed has been received with mixed reactions. Issues that some users have include style and placement, or its use at all. Some application’s default settings have been changed in order to take advantage of the new system which may cause confusion for some users. For instance, pidgin is set to never show an icon in the taskbar. The notification system applet is to handle the function of displaying your “hidden” buddy list. Evolution’s blinking new mail envelope is gone with the notification applet taking its place as well. It only took me the better part of day to get used to this new design.

The flashplugin-nonfree package now installs Adobe’s latest Flash Player 10. It’s also become a transitional dummy package with the flashplugin-installer package taking over the installation of the plugin. There’s still no 64-bit flavor with nspluginwrapper providing the i386 wrapper. Crashes still occur on a semi-regular basis on my 64-bit installs. Read that as “more of the same”.

Boot times are tremendous. My Thinkpad T61p boots in 30 seconds. If it weren’t for my slow, half-asleep typing skills when entering the encryption passphrase during the boot sequence, I could cut that down by another ten seconds. My new Eee PC 1000HE boots in under 21 seconds while my hand-built desktop takes 31 seconds. I think my desktop’s slowness can be attributed to how I have the file system set up. The next time I have an opportunity, I’ll set it up with a fresh install of Jaunty on a more efficient file system.

Speaking of file system’s, Jaunty introduces the option of the ext4 file system, ext3’s eventual replacement. It comes with some anxiety from the delayed allocation times for writing to the hard drive. It poses the possibility for corrupted files in the case of a premature shutdown or crash. This has made Ubuntu keep Jaunty’s default as ext3 with ext4 as an option during installation. Theodore T’so, ext3’s and ext4’s creator, blames poor application programming rather than the file system design. Either way, patches have been issued to limit some of the delay which will be included in the next stable kernel, 2.6.30. Ubuntu has mentioned they will incorporate those patches into Jaunty’s 2.6.28 kernel.

I’ve taken the strategy of having my /home on a separate ext3 partition with everything else using ext4. This keeps my personal data in a more secure location while everything else is pretty much replaceable should a data loss event occur.

In the end, I’ve taken the Jaunty plunge for good. My mix includes a couple of Hardy Heron server installs surrounded by Jaunty Jackalope desktop installs. Intrepid Ibex was fun for the time inbetween, but Jaunty offers much more than Intrepid ever did. Hit the links at the top to grab a copy of your own Jackalope.

• January 22: Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Hardy Heron, starts the year off by reaching it’s second point release (8.04.2).
• April: Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon, reaches it’s End Of Life status ending support and security updates. Users are urged to upgrade to a newer version to continue receiving security fixes.
• April 23: Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope, officially released into the wild after its six month build process.
• June: Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Dapper Drake, Ubuntu’s first LTS reaches its End Of Life status for the Desktop edition. This includes each of its two subsequent point releases. The Server edition will be supported for another two years until 2011. Desktop users will be urged to upgrade to continue receiving security fixes.
• July: Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Hardy Heron, reaches it’s third point release (8.04.3) with one more scheduled in 2010 before the next LTS version.
• October: Ubuntu 9.10, whose codename is yet to be determined, should be released to the public.

The dates shown above are taken from various www.ubuntu.com and wiki.ubuntu.com pages, and are considered tentative. Official announcements can be followed at Ubuntu’s News page or by subscribing to their latest news RSS feed.

Ubuntu’s releases get updates and security fixes for 18 months following their release dates. LTS (Long Term Support) releases get support for 3 years for the Desktop edition and 5 years for the Server edition.

LTS releases also reach milestones called “point releases” where, among certain bug fixes and enhancements, the packages on the install CD/DVDs are brought up to date with their current versions. There is some confusion for new users who think that these represent brand new releases. They’re only meant to reduce the amount of updates required from the repositories in order to bring new installations up to date. Current installations will reach these point releases automatically throughout the regular use of the update process.

An excellent graph showing the release cycle of up-coming versions can be found here.

“On a western hillside, a pack of hungry coyotes flushed their prey from a thicket of scrub mesquite. With gleeful yips, they began pursuing what first appeared to be a large jack rabbit. But what was this thing? In between its long ears, the animal was sporting a set of small antlers similar to those of an antelope. Darting first to the left, and then to the right, it reached the bottom of the hill where it put on a burst of speed and quickly outran the trailing coyotes. Once at a safe distance, the creature stopped, turned around and emitted several coyote-like yips in a rude mockery of its hapless pursuers. The sounds seemed to linger tauntingly upon the air as the discouraged pack abandoned the chase. From this small episode, the artful and elusive jackalope emerged from the shadows of an Old West legend.”
– “Song of the Jackalope”, Roy Campbell

The soon to be Ubuntu 9.04 took its first step today with the first of six alpha releases. Outside of a re-merge with changes from Debian, there’s not much difference between Jaunty and Intrepid, yet. There’s also been some focus on building for the ARM architecture, in which Canonical announced its future development of on November 13, but an installable image won’t be available until a future alpha release.

Since this a pre-release, it should not be used in any situation where stability is required as bugs, instability, and frequent breakage are expected. If you’re interested in developing, testing, reporting and fixing bugs, you can find the download pages for the various alphas at the following locations.

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/jaunty/alpha-1/ (Ubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/jaunty/alpha-1/ (Kubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/jaunty/alpha-1/ (Xubuntu)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntustudio/releases/jaunty/alpha-1/ (Ubuntu Studio)

Only the alternate and server images are available as the desktop image hasn’t been finished, yet. Some images, like the Kubuntu flavor, are larger than a CD requiring the use of a DVD or virtual machine. A desktop CD should be available in Alpha 2. The release schedule shows the following dates for the upcoming milestones.

• Alpha 2 – December 18, 2008
• Alpha 3 – January 15, 2009
• Alpha 4 – February 5, 2009
• Alpha 5 – February 26, 2009
• Alpha 6 – March 12, 2009
• Beta – March 26, 2009
• RC – April 16, 2009
• Final – April 23, 2009

Personally, I took the Alpha 1 ISO, burned it and installed it on my spare Thinkpad T41. While there’s been available updates already, it’s still stable enough for me to write this all out while using it.

Even though the timing of events are unusual, it hasn’t stopped the dev team from moving forward. Jaunty’s technical overview page has been posted with links to the eventual Alpha 1 ISOs. Along with the release schedule, Jaunty’s repository having been built, and the start of the bug list, we are well on our way to the official release date of April 23, 2009.

As always, don’t install alpha releases on machines that you depend on.