Ubuntu Shipit is now open for requesting Ubuntu 6.06 CDs. You can also order Kubuntu and Edubuntu CDs for the first time too. (The login accounts are the same for these sites so you only have to register once.)
They are now shipping only a single CD for each distribution - the Desktop CD which is a LiveCD with a graphical installer.
If you need the text-mode installer - for example for the OEM installation or server installation - you will have to download it or get it from a Freedom Toaster (once 6.06 has released in early June).
A simple guide to installing software on Ubuntu Linux, excerpted from the book Beginning Ubuntu Linux.
The Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Edubuntu Desktop CD has been rereleased in a new Beta 2 version:
The Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and Edubuntu teams are proud to present a second Beta release of Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Edubuntu 6.06 LTS, codenamed “Dapper Drake”. This release corrects some serious flaws in the installer present on the Desktop CD in the first Beta release. Although the text-mode install CD also forms part of this release, it has not been modified since Beta 1.
From the release announcement for Ubuntu 6.06:
On the Desktop
- A new graphical installer is available on the live CD, allowing Ubuntu to be installed quickly and easily to your hard disk
- Faster system startup and login
- Simplified menu organization
- Graphical shutdown process
- Easy access to power management settings with GNOME Power Manager
- Improved support for video playback
- Optional NetworkManager for convenient roaming between different wireless and wired networks
- It is now possible to enable accessibility options from the very first boot screen of the live CD, and thereby use the accessibility features of Ubuntu during installation
- GNOME 2.14.1
- OpenOffice.org 2.0.2
- X.org 7.0 More
Beta versions for the various flavours of Ubuntu 6.06 LTS have been announced.
Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (long-term support) will be the first Ubuntu release to be supported for three years on the desktop, and five years on the server.
Development of this LTS version has had the focus on stability. While previous versions of Ubuntu have been supported for 18 months, this version is targetted at those organisations that can’t upgrade operating systems every six months. More
MEPIS has announced the alpha1 release of SimplyMEPIS 6.0, based on Ubuntu “Dapper”. This was formerly based on Debian, but MEPIS have recently switched to Ubuntu.
The final release of SimplyMEPIS 6.0 will coincide with the release of Ubuntu 6.06 - around 1 June.
Warren Woodford, founder of MEPIS, commented on the work so far, “The MEPIS community has been very helpful with suggestions and the support from the Ubuntu Project has been great. By the time we’ve identified a problem, usually they have already fixed it! This gives us more time to work on integration and improvements. It was a big plus that Ubuntu recently decided to support KDE 3.5.2 for the current build cycle.”
Jerome Gotango blogged this screenshot of the Ubuntu Server 6.06 Flight 6 installer boot options:
“Install a LAMP server” as an option right there in the boot menu will definitely make server deployment easy.
Oracle’s free XE (Express Edition) version is available for Ubuntu.
Oracle Database 10g Express Edition (Oracle Database XE) is an entry-level, small-footprint database based on the Oracle Database 10g Release 2 code base that’s free to develop, deploy, and distribute; fast to download; and simple to administer.
Ubuntu and LPI have announced the Ubuntu Professional Certification, using LPI’s LPIC-1 distro-neutral certification as a base. This exam will provide certification of skills on Ubuntu for system administrators.
The Ubuntu certification will consist of a single exam on top of LPI’s existing 101 and 102 exams. This will give candidates the advantage of an existing global standard, LPIC-1, plus the “Ubuntu Certified Professional” status. The exam is being developed by LPI’s product development team and Ubuntu community members from around the globe. The exam is expected to be completed in early May with the first paper exams being available in mid-May to qualified LPIC-1 candidates who are attending LinuxWorld Johannesburg.
While not at the same level as the RHCE since the LPIC-1 standard is for a junior system administrator, the Ubuntu Professional Certification is a great step forward in helping organisations adopt Ubuntu and Ubuntu-derived distributions such as Impi because they can have a measure of the skillset of their staff.
For entry level user training, there is the ICDL (International Computer Driving Licence).
PenguinLabs founder Morgan Collett holds an LPIC-1 certification and assisted with setting the Ubuntu Professional Certification exam.
