Ubuntu 5.10RC (Release Candidate) has been released:

With just one more week to go before the final release of Ubuntu 5.10, the Ubuntu team is proud to announce the Ubuntu 5.10 Release Candidate. This is the final milestone before the official 5.10 release, and includes installation CDs, live CDs, and combination DVDs for three architectures.

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution for your desktop or server, with a fast and easy install, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent packages installed by default, every other package you can imagine available from the network, a commitment to security updates for 18 months after each release and professional technical support from many companies around the world.

To Get Ubuntu 5.10RC
--------------------

Download Ubuntu 5.10RC here (choose the mirror closest to you):

United States:
http://us.releases.ubuntu.com/releases/5.10/

Europe:
http://se.releases.ubuntu.com/5.10/

United Kingdom:
http://releases.ubuntu.com/5.10/

Rest of the World:
http://releases.ubuntu.com/5.10/

Note: these release candidate CD images are larger than 650 megabytes, and
require CD media with sufficient capacity.

Please download using Bittorrent if possible.

The final version of Ubuntu 5.10 will be released on October 13th. At that time, we will mail pressed CDs free of charge. To receive a complimentary copy of the Official Breezy Badger CD -- or a handful of them to give to your friends, your school or LUG -- place your request at the URL below. Remember that these CDs won't ship until after the final release.

http://shipit.ubuntu.com/


About Ubuntu 5.10RC
-------------------

To see it all, you'll need to try the CD, but the highlights include:

On the Desktop

* GNOME 2.12.1
* OpenOffice.org 2.0 beta 2
* X.org 6.8.2 with wider hardware support
* An enhanced tool for easily installing new applications
(see "Add Applications" on the Applications menu)
* A new tool which makes it easy to install support for
multiple languages (Language Selector)
* Editable GNOME menus
* Applications are now linked into the Launchpad infrastructure
(new entries on the Help menus for translation and support)
* Support for writing audio CDs (Serpentine)
* Graphical startup process with progress bar (USplash)
* New documentation (Ubuntu 5.10 Quick Tour and Ubuntu 5.10 FAQ Guide)
* Language packs with updates from the Rosetta translation platform,
which makes contributing translations easy for everybody

On the Server

* Plone 2.1 Zope 2.8.1
* PHP5
* Support for automatic storage allocation into LVM volumes
* Built-in thin client functionality produced in cooperation
with the LTSP project (http://wiki.ubuntu.com/ThinClientHowto)
* Simple NFS root setup with automatic hardware detection
through initramfs-tools
* Support for up to 4 gigabytes of RAM by default on 32-bit
architectures
* Kernel support for cluster filesystems (OCFS2 and GFS)

Hardware Support Improvements

* Linux 2.6.12.6 with many updated drivers from third parties
* Further enhancements to laptop support (hot keys,
and working suspend/resume on more models)
* HP all-in-one printer/scanner devices are supported out of
the box
* Bluetooth input devices (such as keyboards and mice) are
supported out of the box
* Multiple audio devices are handled more gracefully (and one
can easily select the default device)
* 64-bit PowerPC kernel available

Installation

* A new OEM mode to simplify the process of preinstalling
Ubuntu on computers for resale or redistribution
* Automatically makes existing hard drive partitions available
to the desktop
* Simple "dual boot" configuration with automatic resizing of
an existing installed OS
* The second stage of the installation now has a progress bar

"Under the hood"

* GCC 4.0.1
* glibc 2.3.5
* New early userspace infrastructure based on initramfs-tools
* More modular X.org packaging
* Python 2.4.2

As always, Ubuntu includes the very best of the 100% free/libre application software world, and each new release incorporates countless new features and bugfixes from the global development community.

Feedback and Helping
--------------------

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways you can participate at

http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/

Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help ensure that Ubuntu 5.10 is the best release of Ubuntu ever. Please report bugs through Bugzilla:

http://bugzilla.ubuntu.com/

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but aren't sure, first try asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel on Freenode, on the Ubuntu Users mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums:

http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/


More Information
----------------

You can find out more about Ubuntu on our website, IRC channel and wiki. If you're new to Ubuntu, please visit:

http://www.ubuntu.com/

To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu's very low volume announcement list at:

http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce