Kubuntu 6.10 - Taking You To The Edge

October 26 2006 - Kubuntu 6.10 has been released and is available for download now.

Kubuntu 6.10 brings a bit of edginess to this release, including a new and improved desktop, artwork, applications and much more. The goal for Kubuntu 6.10, codenamed Edgy Eft, is to create a secure and stable environment featuring some of today's leading applications and technology in order to be the foundation for future releases of Kubuntu. The development team has succeeded and is very happy to bring you this new release. We hope you enjoy your Kubuntu 6.10 system.

To download Kubuntu 6.10, go to:

http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php

New in Kubuntu 6.10

Here is what's new in Kubuntu 6.10

Desktop

The K Desktop Environment, a powerful graphical desktop environment, combines the ease of use, contemporary functionality, and outstanding graphical design with the technological superiority of the Kubuntu operating system. KDE version 3.5.5 is the current stable release and Kubuntu 6.10 is the first distribution to include it.

Photo Management

Digikam is now included by default. This advanced digital photo management application provides you with the tools necessary to view, manage, edit, enhance, organise, tag and share photographs. Organising both photos and photo albums is a snap with Digikam as it allows you to sort chronologically, by directory layout, or by custom collections.

Power Management

Kubuntu received a new power management overhaul with the latest release. Guidance, the power management system, allows users to select various functions to control the power of their portable computing system, whether it is controlling the brightness of the display during low battery, locking the system upon closing the lid or controlling access to multiple batteries.

Hardware Database Client

The Hardware Database Client allows you to go through and profile your system from a basic set of questions and upload the details to the Ubuntu Hardware Database, in turn allowing you to link to your system when reporting support issues and/or bugs. This helps the members of the community who triage and support to decide the route needed in order to solve an issue that may rise.

Laptop Buttons

Nowadays, portable computers ship with a variety of buttons that are used to control the various functions built into the computer. Whether it is controlling your volume, your multimedia applications or your email and Internet access, Kubuntu now supports many laptop buttons without setup.

Easy Networking and Printer Sharing

Zeroconf and print sharing let you browse the local network for available services. Both are now simple to setup and maintain requiring nothing more than ticking a box to enable the feature.

Accessibility Profiles

Kubuntu now offers users the ability to use a preconfigured accessibility profile depending on the type of disability right from the initial point of setup. This provides users the accessibility features they need in order to not only install the Kubuntu 6.10 operating system but to use the system on a daily basis for all of their computing needs. Press F5 at the CD boot screen to choose a profile.

System Settings

System Settings has been improved with Kubuntu 6.10. The layout was redesigned, simplifying the structure and flow, providing users with an easier system administration environment. System settings modules are now split into two categories. The main category which you see upon opening System Settings is the General settings, and the second category is the Advanced settings.

WinFOSS - Windows Free Software

Not only can you use Kubuntu and install Kubuntu from the Desktop CD or the DVD, but you also have some popular Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) available to install on your Microsoft Windows operating system. Advantages of this software include being absolutely free of charge, being free to modify, and being free to copy and distribute. Some of the applications provided are: KDE-PIM, the Personal Information Manager from KDE; Scribus, an advanced desktop publishing application; Mozilla Firefox, a secure and fast web browser; and Mozilla Thunderbird, a full-featured email client - Reclaim your inbox!

Localisation

https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/edgy/+translations

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

Server

The Ubuntu server edition builds on the functionality from the previous release simplifying common Linux server deployments. It also includes a pre-release of the upcoming LTSP-5 (Linux Terminal Server Project). LTSP-5 offers clients a lower TCO (total cost of ownership), simpler installation and easier maintenance than typical IT deployments. With all data stored on the server, administrators have substantially eliminated the cost of updating individual workstations to ensure their security.

Under the Hood

GCC 4.1
Glibc 2.4
Linux 2.6.17

Downloading

http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php
Please download using Bittorrent if possible - Thank You!

Requirements

CDs require 700MB media
Desktop install requires at least 256MB of RAM and 3GB of available hard drive space
Server install requires at least 64MB of RAM and 500MB of available hard drive space

Kubuntu is available for download on two types of images. These images are:

Desktop CD: The desktop CD includes a live system which allows you to try Kubuntu without changing your computer at all, and provides you with the option to install it permanently. This is the most common type of CD image that is downloaded, as the installation process is easier for new users. You will need at least 256MB of RAM to install from this CD.
Alternate CD: The alternate CD allows you perform custom, or expert, installations of Kubuntu. It is required for setting up automated deployments, upgrading from older installations without network access, LVM and/or RAID partitioning, installing GRUB (Boot Loader) to a location other than the Master Boot Record, and for systems with less than 256MB of RAM.

There are three different architectures available for each type of CD image. These computer types are:

PC (i386): for almost all PCs, including machines with Intel and AMD processors, which are the most common systems running Microsoft Windows. If you are unsure of your system architecture, then this is almost certainly the correct choice.
Mac (PowerPC): for Apple Macintosh G3, G4, and G5 computers, including iBooks and PowerBooks.
64-bit PC (AMD64): for computers based on the AMD64 or EM64T architecture (e.g., Athlon64, EM64T Intel Xeon). This is for 64-bit systems only.

There are three various file types for each image. These file types are:

ISO: This is the actual CD image and will be downloaded directly from a mirror server.
Torrent: This is a Torrent file, which is seeded by people around the world using BitTorrent clients. This is the recommended download type, as it usually proves to be quicker during heavy traffic times.
Jigdo: This is Jigsaw Download, jigdo for short, which is a tool designed to ease the distribution of very large files over the internet.

Once you have downloaded the correct CD image, you will need to burn it utilizing a CD Burner (CD-RW). For assistance in burning the image to a CD, please review https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto.

Upgrading from 6.06 LTS

Users of Kubuntu 6.06 LTS can upgrade to 6.10 over the internet by following these instructions:

NOTE: This procedure upgrades your system over the Internet, which requires a large download of several hundred megabytes.
In Konqueror go to /etc/apt, right click on sources.list and choose Actions -> Edit as Root
Change all instances of dapper to edgy
Launch a console with KMenu -> System -> Konsole
In the console run: sudo apt-get update
In the console run: sudo apt-get dist-upgrade and follow the prompts to upgrade
In the console run: sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop python-qt3 python-kde3 ubuntu-minimal and follow the prompts to install
Reboot your computer

If you have a Kubuntu 6.10 CD, put it in the drive, and run apt-cdrom from the command line. Then follow the instructions above.

Feedback and Helping

We welcome feedback and help with making the next version of Kubuntu.

Comments can be left on https://wiki.kubuntu.org/KubuntuEdgyReleaseComments

Any known problems can be found at https://wiki.kubuntu.org/KubuntuEdgyKnownProblems

For support and/or bug issues, report them on Launchpad:

Bugs - http://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bugs
Support - https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+tickets

If you have questions, please try asking on one of the following:

IRC - Server irc.ubuntu.com, Channel #kubuntu
Kubuntu Users Mailing List - http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kubuntu-users
Kubuntu Forums - http://www.kubuntuforums.net

Visit https://wiki.kubuntu.org/HelpingKubuntu if you are interested in helping the Kubuntu team.