Announcing the Preview Release of edubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger)

[Oliver Grawert]

The Edubuntu team is proud to announce the Preview Release of Edubuntu
5.10 [10 September 2005]

This is the beta release for the new distro, Edubuntu - code named
"Breezy Badger". The Preview Release consists of an Install CD for the
PC (Intel x86), 64-bit PC (AMD64) and PowerPC (Apple iBook and
Powerbook, G4 and G5) architectures.

Edubuntu is being developed as a version of the Ubuntu operating system,
which is suitable for classroom use. The aim is that an educator with
limited technical knowledge and skill will be able to set up a computer
lab, or establish an on-line learning environment, in an hour or less,
and then administer that environment without having to become a
fully-fledged Linux geek. This is our first step towards that goal.

Principal design goals of Edubuntu are centralized management of
configuration, users, and processes, together with facilities for
working collaboratively in a classroom setting. Equally important is the
gathering together of the best available free software and digital
materials for education.

Basically Edubuntu is built on top of the solid and stable Ubuntu
base, and incorporates the LTSP thin client architecture, as well as
Educational specific applications, aimed at the 6-18 age group. It also
focuses on enabling resource poor environments to maximise their
available (older) equipment.

As with Ubuntu, Edubuntu is a Linux distribution for your (education
environment) 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. We will
also be pursuing establishing a network of professional technical
support from many companies around the world.

To Get the Edubuntu 5.10 Preview
--------------------------

Download the Edubuntu 5.10 Preview here (choose the mirror closest to
you):

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

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

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

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

Please download using Bittorrent if possible.

Some of the CD images are larger than 650MB, you will need to ensure
you have 700MB blank CDs and a burner capable of using them.

The final version of Edubuntu 5.10 is expected to be released in 
October 2005.

About the Edubuntu 5.10 Preview
-------------------------

Highlights of Edubuntu include:
(much of what Ubuntu now offers, with some variations and additions)

 On the Desktop 
  * A set of selected educational apps containing
	- most of the kdeedu suite 
	- gcompris
	- scribus desktop publishing
	- blender 3D modelling
	- dia diagram editing
	- and lots more ...
  * Fresh, colourful artwork for the desktop
  * Full ltsp client functionality by default

 On the Server
  * Standalone Classroom server installed by default,
    based on the brand-new Ubuntu thin client
    infrastructure developed in cooperation with LTSP.
  * 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 2.6.12.5 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
  * Automated installation of the thin client environment by default
  * Easy installation of the ltsp server by default with as less  
    questions as possible 
  * Optional workstation install for standalone workstations (just type 
    "workstation" at the CD bootprompt)

 "Under the hood"
  * GCC 4.0.1
  * glibc 2.3.5
  * New early userspace infrastructure based on initramfs-tools
  * More modular X.org packaging

As with Ubuntu, Edubuntu 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.

Community Feedback and Participation
------------------------------------

If you would like to help build and shape Edubuntu, or just find out
some more about the project, take a look at our site:
http://www.edubuntu.org/

Your comments, suggestions, bug reports, patches and artwork
contributions will help us to make Edubuntu the best educational distro
available.

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 #edubuntu IRC channel on FreeNode,
and /or on our Edubuntu-Devel mailing list:
http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-devel

-------

We'd like to thank everybody who has contributed to getting Edubuntu to
this point. Mark Shuttleworth who started everything, Oliver Grawert who
has contributed blood, sweat and tears to this project (I know it has
not been easy!), Matt Zimmerman for his LTSP magic, Colin Watson for
help with cdbuilding and installer changes, Jerome Gotangco for
documentation and Jonathan Carter for Skubuntu, the troubleshooting
guide and many other things, Jeff Elkner for specing and lots of
testing, Paul Flint for - well being Paul Flint!, and indeed everyone
else who has played a role.

Our growing community has been full of good suggestions, discussions and
criticisms. All of these are valued and appreciated. We couldn't do this
with out the community support and feedback. Thanks to those who have
been with us since the starts at our Edubuntu Summit in London in early
July.

Onwards and upwards to the release date!

Contact: Jane Weideman janew at canonical.com +27837797800 (TZ:UTC+2)



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