Ubuntu 8.10 x64

As a line is drawn under October 2008, a new chapter in the life of Ubuntu opens in the form of Intrepid Ibex.  This is a “normal release” from Canonical, rather than a “Long term support” release and that usually means that it is a bit more adventurous than their LTS bretheren.  That said, when Hardy Heron was released it shipped with a beta version of Firefox 3, so even then they’re not exactly playing it cautious.

2008 has seen the rise of the “netbook”, a low powered, very cheap and very small laptop who’s only purpose is to get you onto the internet as cheaply and as conveniently as possible.  Linux has managed to find its way onto most of the netbooks on the market, whether it be the Asus EEE and its Xandros distro or the Acer Aspire with its Linpus distro and unsurprisingly, Canonical felt they were missing out on the action.

Needless to say Ubuntu 8.10 has turned its attention to connectivity.  The wifi configuration dialogues have been reworked and will now connect to 3G networks when the appropriate hardware is present.  It seems to connect to my home common-or-garden wifi connection quicker too.  Whether you have a wifi connection or enjoy the choice between downloading a photo with a 3g connection or paying the rent/mortgage, Intrepid Ibex will get you onto the internet.

Overall system responsiveness seems to have taken a step in the right direction too, it feels noticably quicker, boots a bit faster and shuts down a little quicker.  It is using the 2.6.27 version of the linux kernel as well, so it’ll detect and work with the GTX 200 series of Nvidia GPU’s, which is nice.  I have a GTX 260 and under 8.04 I was frustratingly limited to 800×600 on a 22″ screen and I gave up all hope of installing the drivers from the Nvidia website.

The bundled apps haven’t changed an awful lot, but there is now an option to create a USB version of your installation, rather like you’ll find on Fedora 9 and Mandriva.  There is a new network manager and Canonical have done a deal with the BBC to deliver content through the Totem app.

8.10 does come with a great new theme.  It looks like a cross between the Ubuntu studio theme and the standard “human” theme.  It is now my theme of choice, as is the funky new background image.

So far, Intrepid is a quicker, more polished and rock stable addition to the Ubuntu family and deserves it’s place as my laptop and desktop OS.