The beta version of the upcoming Ubuntu 8.10 (codename Intrepid Ibex), which is scheduled for release in late October this year, arrived a few minutes ago and, as usual, we intend to keep you up-to-date with the latest changes in the Ubuntu 8.10 development. Compared with the sixth alpha, which brought Firefox 3.0.2, Samba 3.2 and GNOME 2.24 Beta 2, this version comes with the final and stable GNOME 2.24 desktop, a brand new wallpaper, Firefox 3.0.3, PAM authentication framework and a BBC plugin for Totem (the default movie player in Ubuntu). But first, let's take a quick look at the included applications:

· Mozilla Firefox 3.0.3 · OpenOffice.org 2.4.1 · The GIMP 2.4.7 · F-Spot 0.4.4 · Pidgin 2.5.1 · Brasero 0.8.2 · Transmission 1.34 · Rhythmbox 0.11.6 · Ekiga 2.0.12 · Evolution 2.24.0 · Nautilus 2.24.0 · Vinagre 2.24.0

Under the hood:

· Kernel 2.6.27-4 (based on Linux kernel 2.6.27 RC) · X.Org 7.4 and X.Org Server 1.5 (with automatic configuration for keyboard and mice) · Network Manager 0.7 (with 3G wireless support) · Apache 2.2 · PostgreSQL 8.3 · PHP 5.2.6 · LTSP 5.1 · GCC 4.3.2 · glibc 2.8 · Python 2.5

For the Intrepid Ibex, the development team will prepare an unbelievable desktop, with amazing performance, that will work on mostly any computer (be it a high-end workstation or an old and dusty Pentium III machine). Another major feature planned for Ubuntu 8.10 is the ability to be connected to the Internet (wireless connections) wherever you go: "We want you to be able to move from the office, to the train, and home, staying connected all the way," said Mark Shuttleworth.

In this beta, the development team introduces a new tool called pam-auth-update, which allows you to manage the PAM authentication configuration for both servers and workstations. Moreover, the Ubuntu movie player, Totem, features another interesting plugin that will fetch digital content from BBC. Here is the screenshot tour of this beta release of Ubuntu 8.10:

As you can see from the above screenshots, there's a brand new wallpaper and like it or not, this will be the default one for the final release of Ubuntu 8.10. The theme is still Human-Murrine and there's no "Encrypt system" option in the Live Installer, but something did change in the installer (again):

As I mentioned in the previous screenshot tour, the new GNOME 2.24 desktop brings a lot of fresh and interesting features. Here are a few of them:

· You can now mount archives! What is that? Let's say for example that you don't want to extract an archive, you just wanna take a peek inside it or copy just two files from there... with a simple right click on the archive, you can select the 'Open with "Archive Mounter"' option and voila; · The system will automatically shut down in 60 seconds if you just hit the shutdown button. I've tested it and the system shuts down in 60 seconds... However, I don't see any reason for this function, except that it's somehow cool; · Private (encrypted) Directory really works, but you have to work some "magic" in the terminal to set it up!; · The 'Create Archive' window has some new features, such as "Password protection", "Encryption" and "File Splitting"; · The 'Extracting files from archive' window has changed, and it will show you in real time what it does; · New, cool and amazing desktop effects for you to play with!

Here's the release schedule for Intrepid Ibex:

June 27th, 2008 - Alpha 1 release July 11th, 2008 - Alpha 2 release July 24th, 2008 - Alpha 3 release August 14th, 2008 - Alpha 4 release September 5th, 2008 - Alpha 5 release September 18th, 2008 - Alpha 6 release October 2nd, 2008 - Beta release October 23rd, 2008 - Release Candidate October 30th, 2008 - Final release of Ubuntu 8.10.

About Ubuntu: Ubuntu is a Linux distribution for your desktop or server, with a fast and easy install, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent applications installed by default, every other package you can imagine available, network and professional technical support from Canonical Ltd and hundreds of other companies in the world.

Remember that this is a beta release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only. Please report bugs to the Ubuntu Bug Tracker.

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