Ubuntu 9.04 RC Released

Mohamed Zaian writes "The Ubuntu team has released the release candidate for Ubuntu 9.04; 'The Ubuntu team is happy to bring you the latest and greatest software the Open Source community has to offer. This is their latest result, the Ubuntu 9.04 release candidate, which brings a host of excellent new features.' The various other Ubuntu-derived distributions, like Kubuntu, have also had their RCs released."

blah

[nrgy (835451)]

Eclipse 3.2.2 still? When do they plan on upgrading it? I mean they upgraded to PulseAudio and we all know how stable that thing is. *sigh*

I've tried running Eclipse builds from other repositories and seem to always have issues with them. It would be nice if they updated to a later version.

Re:blah

[setagllib (753300)]

Nobody I know uses the Ubuntu Eclipse package anyway. Just unpack Eclipse from eclipse.org somewhere and make a launcher for it. I also prefer to use the real JDK rather than OpenJDK, at least as long as OpenJDK has Swing bugs.

Re:blah

[BlackCreek (1004083)]

I second that. Eclipse can be a mess, downloading and installing it directly is, by far, the best option.

I have a bunch of co-workers using Eclipse and Ubuntu. Nobody even considers using the Ubuntu distributed version. The age of this bug should make it clear how much attention Eclipse gets in Ubuntu https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/eclipse/+bug/81900 [launchpad.net]

I was going to say that for Java development you are normally better off by downloading and setting up everything yourself, but I guess that is also true for all other programming languages. At least I did that also when developing with Python.

upgraded yesterday

[wizardforce (1005805)]

So far so good, bootime looks good, speed seems reasonable. No problems with stability to speak of yet.

Re:upgraded yesterday

[rite_m (787216)]

Love the new notification system (NotifyOSD) [ubuntu.com]

ubuntu gets best practices paradigms-as-a-service!

[gandhi_2 (1108023)]

FeatureList-> here [ubuntu.com]

Among the features are "cloud computing" and "turn-key" email servers. *groan*. You guys have been saying "linux needs an advertising dept"...well this is what happens.

Let's have some fun with this

[77Punker (673758)]

I'm in the mood to get reckless and use experimental software to handle my upgrade. I know I'm not the only one using apt-p2p tonight!

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=6058308 [ubuntuforums.org]

Re:

[drinkypoo (153816)]

I used apt-p2p to upgrade to the beta a day or two ago. So far everything is great except that Ubuntu still hasn't figured out audio. I had to install Pulseaudio and follow PerfectSetup to get audio working. The nVidia 180.44 driver is working great for me, and your problem with it is almost guaranteed to be nVidia's fault.

The pluses and the minuses from two weeks' usage

[Pausanias (681077)]

I've been running 9.04 on my Dell laptop for a few weeks now. Like every new release, it's a mixed bag.
Pluses:

• Really, super, extra fast boot (10 seconds on my newish Dell)
• Fixes a lot of bugs (in GNOME mainly) from the previous release, Intrepid, which was their worst ever
• Includes the ext4 file system---having upgraded to ext4, I'm really noticing the performance upgrade.

Minuses:

• Evolution suckage continues. This version of the mail client crashed on me on startup, plus the "remove duplicate email" plugin no longer works with it. I've had it with Evolution. I've migrated to Thunderbird, and am vastly more happy. I continue to use Evolution's calendaring system, but only as a way to get my google calendar onto the GNOME panel.
• Broken NVIDIA binary blob drivers. Yet again. The intrepid drivers were OK, but now there's something toxic about the combination of either 173 or 180 and the Jaunty kernel. On 173 twinview locks up on me, and on 180 I get random hard lockups once a week. I have really had it with this nvidia binary blob garbage---I am anxiously awaiting some kind of dual monitor support in Nouveau, so I can ditch this piece of rubbish---a goblin that keeps on breaking Linux for many more people than just me, and always will, as long as the binary blob keeps on going.

Re:The pluses and the minuses from two weeks' usag

[spasm (79260)]

The 'Lightning' add-on for Thunderbird lets you subscribe to multiple Google calendars & shows them as a sidebar to Thunderbird's mail window. Not quite the same as having it in Gnome panel, but I thought you might be curious to check it out if you weren't already aware of it.

Re:

[Darkk (1296127)]

You can actually install the Lightning add-on for Thunderbird which will give you calender functions. I totally agree Evolution suck a$$ and do wish they make Thunderbird de facto standard just like Firefox.

What is really nice about Thunderbird the fact there are Linux and Windows versions which can both read the SAME data files without any kind of conversion. Really slick. I was doing that for awhile until I finally weaned myself off of WinXP for good.

Re:The pluses and the minuses from two weeks' usag

[iammani (1392285)]

Includes the ext4 file system---having upgraded to ext4, I'm really noticing the performance upgrade.

Be warned that the ext4 implementation in the RC is buggy. See Known Issues [ubuntu.com]. It is expected to be fixed in the final release. So, stay will ext3, and upgrade to ext4 once the final release comes out.

Re:

[sakdoctor (1087155)]

That's not what it said.

...is expected that a fix for this problem will be made available as a post-release update

Even the final release will be affected by this bug.

Re:

[Zebedeu (739988)]

Even the final release will be affected by this bug.

I checked the page and it says:

When using the ext4 filesystem, accessing large files can trigger a kernel panic and filesystem corruption. The fix for this problem will be included in the final 9.04 release. Users installing from the Ubuntu 9.04 Release Candidate may wish to avoid this problem by using the default ext3 filesystem and converting it to ext4 after release.

Maybe that page changed meanwhile.

Intel video drivers suck!

[MindlessAutomata (1282944)]

Woe to anyone using an intel video card! Right now we're experiencing random lockups, and performance has generally been subpar for a lot of people. I'm not sure how stable UXA is yet, earlier it was causing a lot of lockups.

Re:

[andy.ruddock (821066)]

I'm running 64-bits with an ATI card, works for me.

ATI restricted drivers no longer support X600

[zoward (188110)]

I'm running the Jaunty beta right now, and will probably regress to 8.10 soon because of the ATI drivers. The problem, AFAIK, is that the version of X.org 9.04 is shipping with will only support Catalyst 9.4 (currently in beta for linux). Catalyst 9.4 dropped support for a large number of older chipsets, basically anything earlier than R600, deferring to the always-improving open source ati drivers to support these. The open source driver is wonderful for 2D acceleration. It seems to handle all of the desktop effects with ease. The problem is that it's miles behind the fglrx (proprietary/Catalyst) drivers for 3D support. The reports I was able to scrounge online seem to indicate that open source ati 3D support is a good year away from general availability.

Re:

[ameyer17 (935373)]

Well, I mean X/the kernel has been mostly stable, with a couple issues related to resuming from hibernation. PulseAudio's still a bit stability-challenged, though.

Seems pretty rough

[Radhruin (875377)]

I just upgraded, and I gotta say, it's been pretty painful.

• Had to reinstall sound drivers and get them working again (involves choosing a few settings here and there) and figure I need to restart to see any changes. Not the end of the world, but quite annoying, but then the fun began.
• My System menu lacks a "Quit" option (no kidding).
• During shutdown, my system speaker blared very quick (and LOUD) beeps during the entire shutdown process. When the final screen showed up, it changed to a constant tone for a couple seconds before dying away.
• Booting up is very slow as it pauses at one place for 10 or more seconds, then the load screen bails. It says something about an IO error. Eventually it boots normally.
• The monitor will not go to sleep. Instead the entire screen turns pure white. Thankfully the login box is there, you just can't see it, so it's possible to log in and clear the issue.

There's also been a million smaller gripes here and there, and this is only after an hour or so. Basically, the user experience could use a major amount of work in my estimation :(

Re:

[dotancohen (1015143)]

Those sound like show-stoppers, especially the beeping. Please link to the bugs that you filed so that I could triage them on my equipment. Thanks.

Re:Seems pretty rough

[andy.ruddock (821066)]

The missing quit option is by design - look in the user-switcher menu. (I think it's stupid too.)

Just upgraded!

[radimvice (762083)]

I just finished my upgrade. Everything seems to be running great, stability is rock solid, no probl

doesn't even boot

[speedtux (1307149)]

9.04 doesn't even boot on my laptop (an HP DV2, some kind of SATA driver problem).

Furthermore, I can't figure out where to report this. What's the point of having a beta or an RC if it's difficult for users to give feedback?

Re:Anyone have a list?

[Dreadneck (982170)]

Ubuntu 9.04 Technical Overview [ubuntu.com]

Re:

[noundi (1044080)]

You can check the changelog of every own project/application if you're looking for specific features. I doubt they would compile an all-inclusive list like that. Besides I doubt you would even read it if they did, considering the size.

Re:

[Aphoxema (1088507)]

I haven't found a very comprehensive list, but I've been using the beta on my Wind for weeks. The focus seems to be mostly on free video drivers, migrating to ext4, and as always, polishing up usability. There's supposed to be some big improvement on boot time, but I haven't really noticed it. Maybe I'll have to reinstall from scratch after the final release to see it.

I want to see an LPIA LiveCD, but all there is is the alternative install. With the alt installer I can't access the USB stick I install from

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

I've noticed a large improvement in boot times with ext4 on my thinkpad x21 and compaq ev0 n610. The compaq has gone from 2+ minutes to approximately 1 minute, so smiles all round for jaunty from me.

Re:

[jabithew (1340853)]

I've recently installed the 9.04 beta fresh with ext4 and I haven't noticed an improvement in the bootime over 8.10, despite an upgrade from a Pentium D to Q6600.

Re:Gotta upgrade to 8.10 first

[tpgp (48001)]

And that means rebooting.

Erm? Why is a reboot a problem?

Do you run Ubuntu on your server? (In which case, why would you be considering a Release Candidate?)

Or do you never reboot your home PC? (Surely you can afford a scheduled reboot overnight when you're sleeping).

Or are you just after uptime bragging rights? (That's really a bit sad on a home computer that isn't under heavy load)

Re:

[fractoid (1076465)]

And that means rebooting.

Erm? Why is a reboot a problem?

He was making a 'joke', or humerous implication that as a Linux user, rebooting is both an extremely rare occurrence, and something inconvenient enough to avoid (which it generally is, if you have the option to avoid it).

Re:

[Gavagai80 (1275204)]

When I go to bed I usually have a dozen untitled kwrite windows with short notes in them, several browsers whose auto-reloading of tabs I don't 100% trust to keep half-typed forum posts and the like (though FF seems better lately), and various programs like korganizer which I've been too lazy to figure out how to schedule to automatically join the system tray at startup. So rebooting is a pain, yes.

Re:

[ozphx (1061292)]

Yeah thats why I tend to keep all my notes in OneNote. *ducks*

Re:Gotta upgrade to 8.10 first

[tpgp (48001)]

Ubuntu is linux-based, not Windows. We're not used to rebooting all the time.

Every 18 months is not "all the time".

Re:Gotta upgrade to 8.10 first

[seizurebattlerobot (265408)]

You are just being silly, right? Ubuntu 8.10 has had 5 kernel security updates in the 6 months since its release. Each one requires a reboot to be activated. Keeping a Linux installation secure requires frequent reboots.

I prefer running Linux instead of other operating systems, but I find it disheartening to read silly statements like this. Let Linux stand on its own merits; there is no need to lie on its behalf.

Here's that list in case you're curious:
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-751-1
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-715-1
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-679-1
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-662-1
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-661-1

Re:

[Jamamala (983884)]

If you're really determined though, you can always use ksplice to patch, and avoid rebooting.
One more thing Linux has on Windows.

Re:

[RiotingPacifist (1228016)]

Instant security updates are a pretty good thing, if ksplice is as good as it sounds, it won't take long for distros to integrate it into their update system. It's not limited to the kernel either so webservers can also be instantly patched with no downtime.

Re:Gotta upgrade to 8.10 first

[physicsphairy (720718)]

Takes effort to startup the programs that I keep running all the time on it. Takes more effort to script them so I don't have to spend effort starting them up on every reboot.

How did you ever get Linux on your system in the first place?

My present hypothesis is that your system crashed and the Ubuntu CD was marginally closer to your workstation than the Windows reinstall disk.

Re:

[emj (15659)]

Actually, for me it was: Windows crashes I try to install it again but Windows fails to activate correctly and I can't use my license key anymore without calling support. That made me return to Linux, I should always be able to use my computer even if I can't get onto the net for a month of two.

Ubuntu being usable as a desktop by default was a strong argument as well.

Re:Gotta upgrade to 8.10 first

[QuantumG (50515)]

no, they restart automatically.. I mean, hey! I don't have any...........

Re:

[xaxa (988988)]

+1. I'm not sure why so many geeks like to brag about how much electricity they use.

I shut down my PC when I'm not using it. Sometimes I shut it down immediately, but usually at night I listen to some music, and tell the PC to shut down when it's done.

I have a function:
musicshutdowninminutes () {
sleep ${1}m && \
dcop amarok MainApplication-Interface quit;

Re:Beauty is still wanting

[wizardforce (1005805)]

http://www.gnome-look.org/ [gnome-look.org]

http://www.kde-look.org/ [kde-look.org]

no matter what the ubuntu devs choose for the default theme, someone is going to be unhappy and that is why we have whole domains devoted to hosting various shiny things to put on your *nix box to customize to your liking.

Re:

[tpgp (48001)]

I am aware that I will get tones of flak for this...I am ready so go right ahead.

I'll bet you're ready!

After all, you've had plenty [slashdot.org] of [slashdot.org] practice [slashdot.org] trolling [slashdot.org] linux users haven't you?

Linux is becoming beautiful!

[mcrbids (148650)]

I upgraded a while ago to Fedora Core 10, running KDE with the HW accelerated desktop, Compiz and effects turned on. It almost never ceases to draw a surprise when I'm working while on display and casually turn the whole desktop into a cube, rotate it to a blank side, and put it back down!

It's damned good looking and makes even OSX 10.5 look dated! I use OSX and didn't really notice it until I went to buy a new screen and saw OSX on display.

Windows is about as exciting as watching bread turn green, but even

Re:

[mcrbids (148650)]

Here are a few shortcomings:

1) Can't drag a submenu directly on the task bar, only menu items.

2) Cross-desktop task list is (apparently) nowhere to be found. So when I have 2,3,4 desktops with tasks on them, I have to hunt through the desktops to find a particular one. Worse, the task bar at the bottom doesn't follow Compiz cube desktop, so I have to go to each desktop, select, wait for the task bar to update, and then go to the next one. (sigh) Perhaps this is because I only like tasks from the current des

Re:

[Erikderzweite (1146485)]

>But then what about not having to use Anti-Virus
on Linux? Speed boost, eh?

Well, antivirus tends to trash the hard disk which is the performance bottleneck of most PCs. Speaking of which, ext4 is rather nice and fast IMO.

>I'm not concerned with look and feel. I just want my computer to run optimally.

Why ubuntu then, you may want to try xubuntu perhaps?

>My CPU is an early Pentium 4 and a recent upgrade to 1.5GB from 512MB of RDRAM.

That should be more than enough for Ubuntu, my aunt has Linux (albeit

Re:

[Abreu (173023)]

That was a strange poem...

Re:

[Ash-Fox (726320)]

Everything worked for me with no tweaking. Drivers, X, wireless, everything!

Re:

[mcelrath (8027)]

The current audio daemon being distributed by Ubuntu is pulseaudio. This has, for the last several releases, been a horrible pain in the ass. After the pain that was esd and artsd, I don't know why anyone decided to try another one. It appears the pulseaudio developers released an unfinished codebase into the world, and managed to get it into ubuntu. So for the last several releases (8.04 and 8.10 at least) audio has been a massive pain. Apps would crash, pulseaudio would crash, sound would not be pres

Re:

[DaleGlass (1068434)]

Look in /etc/pulse/daemon.conf, there are priority and realtime settings there.

Re:

[mcelrath (8027)]

It looks like it's also necessary to add a line to /etc/security/limits.conf otherwise you still won't be able to grab realtime priority.

Thanks! I'm running real-time now. Now to do something dumb and make it swap...or I'll just wait a couple days until firefox goes over 2GB memory usage. (yes!)