Ubuntu's Maverick Meerkat sees beta release

By Eric Brown
2010-09-03

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The Canonical-backed Ubuntu project announced the beta release of Ubuntu 10.10 ("Maverick Meerkat"). This latest version of the popular Linux distribution features Linux kernel 2.6.35, GNOME 2.31, and Evolution 2.30.2, among other updates, and also offers an enhanced Software Centre, a new sound app, and a Netbook Edition revamped with Canonical's "Unity" UI stack.

The beta release of Maverick Meerkat is ahead of schedule, building upon an Alpha 3 release early last month. The final version, however, is still slated for Oct. 10, says the project. The release follows the Ubuntu 10.04 ("Lucid Lynx") final, which appeared in April with faster boot times, a new MeMenu social networking interface, and greater integration with the Ubuntu One cloud service.

Revised Ambient theme in Ubuntu 10.10 beta with GNOME 2.31
Source: WebUpd8

Beta releases have also been issued for Ubuntu variants Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu Studio, and Ubuntu Netbook Edition (UNE). We will focus on the mainstream Ubuntu Desktop Edition, however, as well as UNE, which has received a new Unity UI stack (see farther below).

Ubuntu 10.10's new Software Center
Source: WebUpd8

The 10.10 version of the Ubuntu Desktop Edition is notable for the Ubuntu Software Center's revamped UI, as shown in the WebUpd8 screenshot above (link at end of story). This includes new "Featured" and "What's New" views, as well as an enhanced package description view, says the project. In addition, a "For Purchase" software category is now said to be available, as well as new plugin support, and streamlined access to package installation history.

Maverick Meerkat also offers improvements to the Sound Indicator, which now offers upgraded music player controls. Meanwhile, the entire Ubuntu interface has been enhanced with new themes, icons, and wallpaper options, says the Ubuntu team. The boot process is now said to be "cleaner and faster."

Cloud technology continues to mature

Maverick Meerkat builds upon more dramatic improvements to Ubuntu's cloud-oriented features found in recent releases. On the desktop side, the consumer-oriented Ubuntu One cloud service has been enhanced with a more polished desktop integration, as well as a new sign up and sign in process, says the team.

Ubuntu One is also said to offer tighter integration with Ubuntu SSO, as well as Nautilus enhancements for managing folder sync preferences. File sync has also been speeded up, says the project, and users can now share links to music in the Ubuntu One Music Store.

The Server Edition of Ubuntu 10.10 has an upgraded configurable initialization process for Ubuntu Server cloud images, says the Ubuntu team. This process now includes pluggable hooks, the Ext4 file-system, and EBSmount for Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Storage). In addition, cloud image instances can now manage their own kernel and upgrade kernels with APT using Amazon's PV-Grub.

Linux 2.6.35 and GNOME 2.31

Meerkat is based on the latest Linux 2.6.35 kernel, which adds improvements to multicore support, network scalability, memory management, power management, and the Btrfs file-system I/O, among other enhancements.

The default GNOME desktop environment, meanwhile, has moved up to the current 2.31 version. New features are said to include a new Dconf and Gsettings API. The Evolution email and calendaring app for the GNOME desktop has been updated to the 2.30 version, and operates much faster, according to the Ubuntu team.

F-Spot has lost its spot to Shotwell as the default photo manager in Ubuntu 10.10. The open source Twitter alternative Gwibber, meanwhile, has been updated to support the recent change in Twitter's authentication system, says the project. Gwibber is also said to feature enhanced back end storage, with improved performance.

Ubuntu Netbook Edition gets unified

The Ubuntu Netbook Edition (UNE) now features a new Unity interface. Announced in May, along with a Unity-driven fast-boot version of Ubuntu called Ubuntu Light, Unity includes a global menu bar as part of the default interface on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the UNE date/time indicator "now has a real calendar widget," says the Ubuntu team.

Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.10 beta with Unity UI
Source: WebUpd8

Also in UNE 10.10, as in the desktop version, the standard photo management application has been switched to Shotwell, says the project. Evolution Express is now available in the default launcher, which is said to feature an interface that is more optimized for the netbook experience.

Last month, Canonical released a multitouch and gesture stack for Ubuntu 10.10 that is related to Unity. The uTouch 1.0 stack offers a gesture API and recognition engine for Meerkat.

Availability

The beta version of Ubuntu 10.10 is available now for free download and testing. The release announcement may be found here, and the release notes may be found here.

The WebUpd8 story with the Meerkat beta screenshots may be found here.

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