Today we have some great news for our Ubuntu Linux readers, as Canonical recently published the release schedule for the upcoming Ubuntu 17.04 (Zesty Zapus) operating system.

So, if you've been wondering when you'll be able to get your hands on the first Alpha build, which will be made available only for opt-in flavors, such as Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu GNOME, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, or Lubuntu, or when the final release of Ubuntu 17.04 is hitting the streets, we have fresh news for you.

Work on Ubuntu 17.04, which Canonical and Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth dubbed as Zesty Zapus - the mouse that jumped - started last month, on October 24, when the toolchain was uploaded and the first daily ISO builds were generated. And it now looks like the Ubuntu 17.04 Alpha 1 for opt-in flavors is planned for December 29, 2016.

Ubuntu 17.04 is currently scheduled for an April 13 release

The development cycle of Ubuntu 17.04 will continue in January 2017 with the second Alpha milestone, which should arrive for public testing on the 26th. Then, the Feature Freeze and Debian Import Freeze stages are set for February 16, followed by the Beta 1 Freeze stage and Ubuntu 17.04 Beta 1 release on February 23, 2017.

Of course, both Alpha 2 and Beta 1 builds will be only for opt-in flavors, as mentioned above, and you'll finally be able to get your hands on the Final Beta release of the upcoming Ubuntu 17.04 (Zesty Zapus) operating system on Monday, March 23, which also marks the beginning of the Final Beta Freeze stage.

While the Kernel Freeze is set for March 30, it appears that the Final Freeze stage is planned for April 6, 2017, along with an internal (optional) Release Candidate version. The final build of Ubuntu 17.04 (Zesty Zapus) is currently scheduled for an April 13 release.

Ubuntu 17.04 is a normal version (not LTS), which means that it will receive support for only nine months, until January 2018. We expect it to ship with the Linux 4.10 kernel, an evolved Unity 8 session, as well as up-to-date Open Source applications and GNU/Linux technologies. Stay tuned for more Ubuntu 17.04 coverage in December.