Ubuntu 9.10, codenamed Karmic Koala, is the next major release of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution. Karmic is scheduled to arrive in October, but developers can get an early look by testing the latest alpha release, which was made available for download last week. Although Karmic is still at a very early stage of development, several major features have already arrived.

I tested the alpha release myself in VirtualBox on my main desktop computer. I was able to install and run alpha 2 without encountering any difficulties. The installation went smoothly and the new version of GRUB (GNU's GRUB bootloader) is working fine.

The roadmap for Ubuntu 9.10 was originally announced in February. Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth declared that some of the prominent features will include extensive support for cloud computing and netbook compatibility improvements. During the recent Ubuntu Developer Summit in Barcelona, the developers also discussed some other experimental features that are tentatively planned for the Karmic release.

These include support for running Android applications, integration of social networking software, improved development tools, the inclusion of Firefox 3.5, and usability enhancements. Ubuntu will also begin taking major steps towards reducing boot time so that the developers' ambitious ten-second startup goal can be achieved in 10.04, the next major release after Karmic.

The latest packages have been synchronized from Debian unstable, as is customary at the start of each Ubuntu development cycle. It includes GNOME 2.27, a development version that will be replaced by 2.28 in the final Ubuntu 9.10 release. Karmic alpha 2 also ships with version 2.6.30 of the Linux kernel.

There are several major changes under the hood that users can look forward to in Karmic. Ext4, a new version of the standard Linux filesystem, is used by default for new installations. This is a step forward from Ubuntu 9.04, which only made Ext4 available as an option. Previous versions of Ext4 suffered from a controversial data corruption flaw and was not considered reliable enough for default use until now.

The bootloader is another major component that has been rolled over to the next generation in Karmic. The alpha 2 release ships with GRUB 2, the next-generation of GNU's GRUB bootloader. It has been rewritten from scratch to deliver significantly greater flexibility and important features like localization support.

There are still some aspects of GRUB 2 that are not yet working properly in this alpha release, the most notable of which is support for booting other operating systems. Users with multiboot configurations are encouraged to wait for alpha 3 or use a workaround to install GRUB 1. The Ubuntu developers are seeking help from the community to test the new version of GRUB on a wide range of hardware configurations. Testing instructions and a growing list of results can be found at the Ubuntu wiki.

If you want to test alpha 2 yourself, you can download a CD image from the Ubuntu website.