Ubuntu 6.06 LTS has been released:

The Ubuntu team is proud to announce the release of Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, codenamed "Dapper Drake". This release includes both installable Desktop CDs and alternate text-mode installation CDs for several architectures, for Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Edubuntu.

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 with a few clicks from a global network of mirrors, and professional commercial technical support from Canonical Ltd and hundreds of other companies around the world.

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS will be the first Ubuntu release with a long-term support cycle: free security updates and commercial technical support will be available for three years on the desktop, and five years on the server.

To Get Ubuntu 6.06 LTS
----------------------

Download Ubuntu 6.06 LTS here:

United States:
http://us.releases.ubuntu.com/releases/6.06/

Europe:
http://se.releases.ubuntu.com/6.06/ (Sweden)
http://fr.releases.ubuntu.com/6.06/ (France)
http://releases.ubuntu.com/6.06/ (All)

Rest of the World:
http://releases.ubuntu.com/6.06/

To burn these CD images, you will need 700MB media.

To receive a complimentary copy of the Official Ubuntu 6.06 LTS CD --

or a handful of them to give to your friends, your school or LUG --

place your request at the relevant URL below.

http://shipit.ubuntu.com/
http://shipit.kubuntu.org/
http://shipit.edubuntu.org/


About Ubuntu 6.06 LTS
---------------------

Highlights of this release include:

On the Desktop CD

* A new, very fast, graphical installer based on the Live CD

* Faster system startup and login

* Simplified menu organization

* Graphical shutdown process

* Easy access to power management settings with GNOME Power Manager (Ubuntu)

* Improved support for video playback

* Optional NetworkManager for convenient roaming between different wireless and wired networks

* OpenOffice.org 2.0.2, X.org 7.0

* Support for ongoing translation updates throughout the life of this release, for all supported desktop environments

On the Server

* New kernels targeted at server platforms. The server kernels are tuned differently than the desktop kernels (providing better performance for server applications).

* Both low-end and "big iron" server kernels. The low-end server kernel is generic, and should work on the same equipment that the desktop kernel runs on. The high-end server kernel is geared towards systems with greater than 8 CPUs (ES7000 / Summit / BIGSMP).

* Turn-key LAMP installation for this common deployment scenario

* Improved support for clusters and SANs

* Thin client enhancements, including faster client startup, graphical boot process, reduced memory requirements, and sound device support


Localization

* Automatic setup of non-Latin input methods

* Menu item translations included in language packs, for faster integration of new and updated translations provided through Rosetta

* Ongoing translation updates from the Rosetta web service:
https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/dapper/+translations


Installation and Upgrades

* Ubuntu can now be installed to USB devices, such as removable hard drives and flash memory, using the text-mode installer

* A new upgrade tool is available, for simple, clean and reliable upgrades from one Ubuntu release to the next, starting with Ubuntu 5.10

* The alternate installer now runs in a single stage, rebooting straight into the complete system. This makes it faster, simpler, and more reliable.

"Under the hood"

* GCC 4.0.3

* glibc 2.3.6

* Linux 2.6.15.6

* New live CD infrastructure for improved performance, usability and space-efficiency

* Greatly improved infrastructure for automatic hardware detection and activation

* The system PATH is now set in exactly one place, /etc/environment, for convenient administration

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. More detailed release notes are at

http://wiki.ubuntu.com/DapperReleaseNotes


Helping Shape Ubuntu
--------------------

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/

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but aren't sure, try asking on the #ubuntu channel on IRC.FreeNode.net, 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 and about this release on our websites:

http://www.ubuntu.com/
http://www.kubuntu.org/
http://www.edubuntu.org/


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