Announcing Ubuntu 6.06 LTS

The Ubuntu team is proud to announce the release of Ubuntu 6.06 LTS,
codenamed "Dapper Drake". This release includes both installable
Desktop CDs and alternate text-mode installation CDs for several
architectures, for Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Edubuntu.

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

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS will be the first Ubuntu release with a long-term
support cycle: free security updates and commercial technical support
will be available for three years on the desktop, and five years on
the server.

About Ubuntu 6.06 LTS
Highlights of this release include:

On the Desktop CD


• A new, very fast, graphical installer based on the Live CD


• Faster system startup and login


• Simplified menu organization


• Graphical shutdown process


• Easy access to power management settings with GNOME Power


• Manager (Ubuntu)


• Improved support for video playback


• Optional NetworkManager for convenient roaming between different
  wireless and wired networks


• OpenOffice.org 2.0.2, X.org 7.0


• Support for ongoing translation updates throughout the life of
  this release, for all supported desktop environments

On the Server


• New kernels targeted at server platforms. The server kernels are tuned differently than the desktop kernels (providing better performance for server applications).


• Both low-end and "big iron" server kernels. The low-end server kernel is generic, and should work on the same equipment that the desktop kernel runs on. The high-end server kernel is geared towards systems with greater than 8 CPUs (ES7000 / Summit/ BIGSMP).
  


• Turn-key LAMP installation for this common deployment scenario


• Improved support for clusters and SANs


• Thin client enhancements, including faster client startup, graphical boot process, reduced memory requirements, and sound device support
  

Localization

• Automatic setup of non-Latin input methods


• Menu item translations included in language packs, for faster integration of new and updated translations provided through Rosetta


• Ongoing translation updates from the Rosetta web service:

Installation and Upgrades

• Ubuntu can now be installed to USB devices, such as removable hard drives and flash memory, using the text-mode installer


• A new upgrade tool is available, for simple, clean and reliable upgrades from one Ubuntu release to the next, starting with Ubuntu 5.10


• The alternate installer now runs in a single stage, rebooting straight into the complete system. This makes it faster, simpler, and more reliable.

"Under the hood"

• GCC 4.0.3


• glibc 2.3.6


• Linux 2.6.15.6


• New live CD infrastructure for improved performance, usability and space-efficiency


• Greatly improved infrastructure for automatic hardware detection and activation


• The system PATH is now set in exactly one place, /etc/environment, for convenient administration

As always, Ubuntu includes the very best of the 100% Free / Libre
application software world, and each new release incorporates
countless new features and bugfixes from the global development
community. More detailed release notes are at Dapper Release Notes


[tags] ubuntu, linux, dapper, 6.06, released [/tags]