Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) Alpha 2

(2010.01.14)

Introduction
The Ubuntu developers are moving quickly to bring you the absolute latest and greatest software the Open Source community has to offer. The Lucid Lynx Alpha 2 is the second alpha release of Ubuntu 10.04, bringing with it the earliest new features for the next version of Ubuntu.

This is an alpha release. Do not install it on production machines. The final stable version will be released on April 29, 2010.

Upgrading from Ubuntu 9.10 or Ubuntu 8.04 LTS
To upgrade from Ubuntu 9.10 on a desktop system, press Alt+F2 and type in "update-manager -d" (without the quotes) into the command box. Update Manager should open up and tell you: New distribution release '10.04' is available. Click Upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions.

To upgrade from Ubuntu 9.10 on a server system: install the update-manager-core package if it is not already installed; edit /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades and set Prompt=normal; launch the upgrade tool with the command sudo do-release-upgrade -d; and follow the on-screen instructions.

New features in Lucid
Feature development for Lucid is happening with full speed. Please see the Lucid blueprint list for details.

Please test and report any bugs you find:

    http://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs

Updated Packages
As with every new release, packages--applications and software of all kinds--are being updated at a rapid pace. Many of these packages come from an automatic sync from Debian's Testing branch. For a list of all packages being accepted for 10.04 Lucid Lynx, please subscribe to lucid-changes:

    https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/lucid-changes

GNOME
Ubuntu Lucid Alpha 2 includes the latest GNOME desktop environment with a number of great new features.

Linux kernel 2.6.32
Alpha 2 includes the 2.6.32-10.14 kernel based on 2.6.32.

KDE SC 4.4 RC 1
Alpha 2 of Kubuntu features the new KDE SC 4.4 RC 1. For more information about new features in Kubuntu, see https://wiki.kubuntu.org/LucidLynx/Alpha2/Kubuntu.

Hal removal
Lucid Alpha 2 sports full removal of the hal package, making Ubuntu faster to boot and faster to resume from suspend.

Major new version of likewise-open
The likewise-open package, which provides Active Directory authentication and server support for Linux, has been updated to version 5.4. The package supports upgrades from both the officially supported versions 4.0 (Ubuntu 8.04 LTS) and 4.1 (Ubuntu 9.10), as well as the likewise-open5 packages from universe. Since this upgrade involves a lot of configuration file changes and in-place database upgrades, testing and feedback is appreciated.

Improved support for nVidia proprietary graphics drivers
Three different NVIDIA proprietary drivers are currently available: nvidia-current (190.53), nvidia-173, and nvidia-96. Thanks to a new alternatives system, it is now possible to install all three of these packages at the same time (although it is only possible to have one configured for use at a time).

New features for Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC)
The Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud installer has been vastly improved in order to support alternative installation topologies. UEC components are now automatically discovered and registered, including for complex topologies. Finally, UEC is now powered by Eucalyptus 1.6.2 codebase.

Download Alpha 2
Get it while it's hot. ISOs and torrents are available at:
(Ubuntu Desktop and Server)
(Ubuntu Server for UEC and EC2)
(Ubuntu ARM)
(Kubuntu Desktop and Netbook Remix)
(Xubuntu)
(Edubuntu)
(Mythbuntu)

Known issues
As is to be expected at this stage of the release process, there are several known bugs that users are likely to run into with Lucid Alpha 2. We have documented them here for your convenience along with any known workarounds, so that you don't need to spend time reporting these bugs again:

    * The wacom-tools driver cannot be used with Lucid Alpha 2. It is no longer supported for xserver 1.7, and also requires HAL for configuration which is no longer available. A new driver xf86-input-wacom is under development upstream but was not yet available in time for this milestone release. This is expected to be resolved for the final release of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.

    * The Kubuntu alpha 2 desktop ISOs are too large to fit on a CD. They can be burned to a DVD or USB stick, or you can install using the alternate ISOs.

    * The notify-osd notification system has "debug mode" turned on to help people find erroneously urgent notifications. The bubbles appear like so. This is the expected behavior at this point in the development cycle.

    * Ubuntu Netbook Edition and other derivatives using gdm don't handle the default session gracefully (Bug#507121). After the first reboot on installation you can either:
o log out from your session, choose "Ubuntu Netbook Edition" (or other) on gdm and then log in again, or
o run sudo /usr/lib/gdm/gdm-set-default-session --keep-old une (substituting xubuntu or mythbuntu for une as appropriate)

    * On video hardware that supports KMS, the live CD sometimes does not reboot successfully, instead displaying the boot logo indefinitely. To work around this, you will need to power down the system manually. Investigation of this issue is ongoing. As a workaround, users can boot from a USB stick instead of from a CD. (506418)

    * On video hardware that does not support KMS, using the "full disk with encryption" installation option will result in a boot failure because the prompt for the passphrase needed for decrypting the disk will not be shown. As a workaround for this issue, users should boot without the splash option. (506717)

    * When running on Ubuntu Server, the plymouth boot splash screen does not exit after the system is booted. To get to a console login after boot, you must press Ctrl-Alt-F1 to switch to VT1. Work on correcting this for the 10.04 release is ongoing. (506297)

    * Manual partitioning fails in the graphical installer due to a bug in ubiquity: you can select existing partitions to use as targets for installation, but you can neither create new partitions nor delete existing partitions. As a workaround, users can install using the alternate CDs. This issue will be resolved for Alpha 3. (506585, 507012)

    * Jockey (Ubuntu's restricted driver manager) doesn't yet support the new alternatives system used by the nvidia driver packages, so in order to install nvidia drivers you will have to install them from the command line:
        - sudo apt-get install nvidia-current (or nvidia-173 or nvidia-96)
        - select the alternative that matches the driver that you have installed
                (e.g. /usr/lib/nvidia-current/ld.so.conf for nvidia-current):
                sudo update-alternatives --config gl_conf
        - update the ld cache:
                sudo ldconfig
        - then configure your xorg.conf with:
                sudo nvidia-config
        - And restart your computer.

    * Because of the new alternatives system, the nvidia installer from NVIDIA's website currently doesn't work.

    * The fglrx binary driver for ATI video chipsets does not yet support the X server in Lucid. As a workaround, users should use the open source -ati driver instead. (506656)

    * Attempting to run 32bit applications which make use of 3D acceleration in a 64bit system will result in a failure. See (506435) and (506437). This is expected to be resolved for Alpha 3.

    * Alpha 2 does not include Wubi, the Ubuntu installer for Windows. It will be included going forward from Alpha 3. (498453)

   * LTSP can't be installed from Edubuntu's the text installer. If you want a LTSP setup, please use Ubuntu Alternate and then add the required Edubuntu packages using the Ubuntu Software Center. This is caused by the ongoing effort to drop the text installer off the Edubuntu DVD and move LTSP in the live environment. (507663)