| Karmic Koala beta ships, praised for fast boots |
Oct. 07, 2009
 The Ubuntu project has released the first beta of Ubuntu Linux 9.10 (Karmic Koala), which has already been favorably previewed, especially for its fast boot time. Based on Linux 2.6.31, Karmic Koala offers GNOME 2.28 and Ext4 as defaults, and adds "cloud" features and improved installation.
As we reported in early September when the Alpha 5 version of Ubuntu 9.10 was released, Karmic Koala adds support for the new Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) and Ubuntu Cloud file-sharing service. Defaults have been switched to the GCC 4.4 compiler, the Ext4 filesystem, and the GRUB 2 boot-loader. Meanwhile, underlying technology for power management, laptop hotkeys, and storage handling has moved from "Hal" (which is in the process of being deprecated) to "DeviceKit-power," says the Canonical-backed Ubuntu project.
Other major features in Karmic Koala include a new Intel video driver, which has switched from "EXA" to "UXA" acceleration, thereby solving "major performance problems" of Ubuntu 9.04 ("Jaunty Jackalope"). In addition, the KDE-focused Kubuntu is now available in its first netbook release, Social from the Start, says the project.
The beta release is built upon on the new Linux 2.6.31 kernel, as well as the recently released GNOME 2.28, which is offered as the default desktop. GNOME 2.28 provides a new windowing and UI layer called Sonar, and adds various fixes and usability enhancements, including an improved contact interface in the Empathy messaging client, a new geolocation feature, and a switch from Gecko to WebKit for the Epiphany web browser.
The overall installation process for Ubuntu 9.1 has been improved, including an enhanced iSCSI installation process. There's also a new Ubuntu Software Center app store that is said to offer streamlined access to optional installations.
Faster Boots
Karmic Koala's boot performance, as well as the start-up "look and feel" have also been improved, says the project. Ubuntu has moved to new boot technology called Upstart, an event-based replacement for the /sbin/init daemon which handles the launching of tasks and services during boot. In addition, AppArmor in the beta version offers an improved parser that uses cache files, greatly speeding up initialization on boot, and Libvirt now contains AppArmor integration when using KVM or QEMU, says the project.
Additional touted enhancements include improvements to the "Uncomplicated Firewall," non-eXecutable emulation, blocking module loading, and position-independent executables features. There is also an app called "Quickly" that "makes it easy for developers to make new applications for Ubuntu, and to share those application with other Ubuntu users via .deb packages or personal package archives," says the project.
"Seriously good stuff"
Shortly after the Ubuntu 9.10 beta shipped this week, the early previews started rolling out, and so far they appear to be positive. While the Ubuntu project doesn't say much about its new installation process, over at DaniWeb, Ken Hess writes that Karmic Koala's installer is "the best I've ever seen on any Linux distribution." Hess praises the installer for being fast, as well as "nice to look at and, most important of all, it's easy."
Hess also gives high marks to Ubuntu 9.10's fast boot times, an area where he notes that numerous Linux distros have been improving considerably of late. The writer concludes that Karmic Koala is not only "super," but "seriously good stuff."
Over at ComputerWorld, meanwhile, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, who notes that he is far from an "Ubuntu fanboy," says that the 9.10 beta is "remarkably attractive and smooth-running." Like Hess, self-proclaimed "cyber cynic" and DesktopLinux alum Vaughan-Nichols lauds the product for its fast boot times and installation, which "automatically detected and set-up all the hardware." He also praises the new Ubuntu Software Center, which "makes it mindlessly easy for people to find and install software." Vaughan-Nichols concludes that Karmic Koala is "very strong" and "sure looking great so far."
Shuttleworth steps in it
If the reviews have been positive for Ubuntu 9.10, the same can't be said for a recent speech at LinuxCon about software release cycles by Ubuntu founder and Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth. The former amateur astronaut has been widely criticized for making sexual and sexist comments during the speech, especially since he has refused to apologize.
Mark Shuttleworth |
On LinuxToday, well-known Linux developer and book author Carla Schroder chides Shuttleworth for the "unfortunate thread of exclusion and sexism that runs the entire length of the talk." The key complaint was over the statement, as quoted by Schroder, "If we approach this from the perspective of saying, 'How do we make this just awesome for end users' then we'll have less trouble explaining to girls what we actually do." However, she also details a continual reference to "guys" and "men," as well as one or two "girls" and "grandmas" that could be construed as having an exclusionary taint. No "women" appear to have been mentioned.
To the typical Linux developer working in an all-male shop, all this might seem like pretty tame stuff, and indeed similar talk can be found in other technology speeches. (The speech itself, which is linked to below, is hardly scintillating stuff unless you're deep into the minutiae of testing and release cycles.) But perhaps we're so accustomed to the macho focus, that we hardly even hear the sexism. Reading Schroder's piece enables us to interpret the speech anew from the perspective of women developers, who often feel they have trouble being taken seriously in the tech world.
It is debatable (and often debated) whether the Linux development community is more or less sexist than the Windows, Mac or Unix worlds, but it does seem that high-sounding words from FOSS developers about openness and freedom often ring a bit hollow considering the widespread sexism in the industry. Comments such as Shuttleworth's may not only further discourage women from joining Linux development communities, but especially importantly for Ubuntu and Canonical, it could dissuade some women customers from downloading Ubuntu. For a distro that aims to be the first to break free from the Linux user stereotype of the male geek, a little more sensitivity might be in order.
Availability
The Ubuntu 9.10 beta announcement page, with links to numerous download sites, may be found here.
The DaniWeb preview of the beta may be found here, and the ComputerWorld preview should be here.
Carla Schroder's blog about Shuttleworth's LinuxCon speech should be here, and the video of the speech, posted by Linux Magazine, should be here.
-- Eric Brown
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