The Ubuntu development community announced today the availability of Ubuntu 10.04 alpha 2, a new prerelease of the next major version of the Ubuntu Linux distribution. This alpha is the first Ubuntu release to completely omit HAL, a Linux hardware abstraction layer that is being deprecated in favor of DeviceKit.

The alpha release introduces a few new applications, including the Pitivi video editing tool and the GBrainy game. Some of the other planned changes to the default application set have not yet been made. The GIMP, which is scheduled for removal from the default installation during this development cycle, is still included in alpha 2. Some other applications that are planned for inclusion in 10.04, such as Gwibber, aren't ready yet and have been pushed back to alpha 3.

The Pitivi video editor

The latest version of the GNOME desktop environment is included in alpha 2, bringing some noteworthy improvements to the Nautilus file manager. It has gained support for a dual-pane file view and the tabs have been moved to the bottom of the window.

Nautilus file manager with a dual-pane view in Ubuntu 10.04 alpha 2

Last month, we gave you an inside look at Canonical's plan to overhaul the GNOME panel. The Ubuntu developers adopted KDE's Status Notifier specification with the goal of helping to build consensus around a compelling cross-desktop solution. The panel overhaul is underway and some of the earliest work on that effort is visible in alpha 2. Rhythmbox is the first application to include a new status notifier menu.

Rhythmbox music player with new status notifier menu

One of the major goals for Ubuntu 10.04 is an improved startup experience, with a ten-second boot time. Considerable progress on boot performance has been made over the past year, but the goal still hasn't been reached yet in alpha 2. Other facets of the boot experience improvement effort have landed, such as the migration from usplash to Plymouth.

Ubuntu 10.04 is a long-term support (LTS) release, which means that it will be supported on the desktop for three years and on the server for five years. The primary focus of the development cycle is stability rather than feature enhancements. It will enter feature freeze earlier than average Ubuntu releases and will also have a longer beta test period.

The alpha release is available for download from the Ubuntu website, but it's not yet ready for use in production environments. For additional details about the alpha release and a complete list of known issues, you can refer to the official release notes.