And we’re off! The first Alpha in the Ubuntu 12.10 development cycle has been released.

Now before anyone get’s too excited I will temper enthusiasm: there aren’t a wealth of forward-facing changes for you to see. Like most Alpha releases of Ubuntu the changes are, at this stage, inward facing and in their initial stages.

You’ll find updated packages for most major applications, including the latest beta of Firefox 14; an updated Rhythmbox sporting minor cosmetic adjustments; and ‘Update Manager’ has been renamed to ‘Software Updater’.

Alpha releases are NOT recommended for you to install. Instead, if you’re curious, take them for a spin in the safety of a virtual machine.

Images for 32bit, 64 bit, Power PC and ARM are behind the button below.

[button size=”medium” color=”orange” url=”http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/quantal/alpha-1/”] Download Ubuntu 12.10 Alpha [/button]