Announcing Edubuntu 7.04 - Feisty for Education

Thu Apr 19 14:23:32 UTC 2007

The Edubuntu team is proud to announce the release of Edubuntu 7.04,
codenamed "Feisty Fawn". This release includes both Desktop CDs and
Server CDs for several architectures.

* Edubuntu 7.04 Desktop CD

The Edubuntu Desktop CD allows you to try Edubuntu without changing your
computer, and an option to install it permanently later. This type of CD
is what most people will want to use.

* Edubuntu 7.04 Classroom Server CD

The Edubuntu Classroom Server CD allows you to install Edubuntu
permanently on a computer as either a Server or Workstation. It includes
LTSP (Linux Terminal Server Project) support, providing out-of-the-box
thin client support.

* Edubuntu 7.04 Classroom Server Add-on CD

The Edubuntu Classroom Server Add-on CD contains additional packages
that may be useful in conjunction with the Classroom Server CD.

About Edubuntu
--------------

Edubuntu is a Linux distribution for education, designed for a teacher
or network administrator to setup a classroom quickly and easily. It is
a complete operating system built on Ubuntu and includes educational
applications bundled in addition to the office suite, web browser,
communication and productivity tools.

Edubuntu 7.04 will be supported for 18 months on both desktops and
servers. Note that the previous stable release (6.06 LTS) is a long-term
support release, and so users requiring a longer support lifetime may
choose to continue using that version rather than upgrade to or install
7.04.

To Get Edubuntu 7.04
--------------------

Request a CD from ShipIt here:
https://shipit.edubuntu.org/

Download Edubuntu 7.04 here:
http://www.edubuntu.org/Download

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

About Edubuntu 7.04
-------------------

Highlights of this release include:

* Edubuntu LTSP Thin Client

Edubuntu 7.04 integrates the latest thin client technology out of the
box for a simple LTSP server setup. The thin client boot-speed is
improved in the new release, and LTSP sound support now enables volume
control while providing sound to many more applications.

* Edubuntu on 2 CDs

Edubuntu Classroom Server consists of two CDs; a server image and a
server add-on imageap with additional educational applications and
languages.

* Edubuntu Documentation

Recognizing that the use of technology by educators is more important
than the technology itself, the distribution has improved documentation
featuring The Edubuntu Handbook with tips and best practices for
educators and educational IT administrators.

On the Desktop
--------------

* Edubuntu 7.04 uses the recent GNOME 2.18 desktop environment

In addition to the recent versions of well known free educational
software, newly included in the applist available on the 7.04 Classroom
Server Add-on CD is: 

* RasmMol : Scientific Molecular Visualise

RasMol is a powerful and easy-to-use application for looking at
macromolecular structure and its relation to function.

* QCad : CAD program

QCad is an application for computer aided drafting in two dimensions.
With QCad you can create technical drawings such as plans for buildings,
interiors, mechanical parts or schemas and diagrams.

>From our Ubuntu 7.04 Base
-------------------------

Edubuntu 7.04 is based on Ubuntu 7.04, and enhancements in the Ubuntu
desktop edition include a ground-breaking Windows migration assistant,
excellent wireless networking support and improved multimedia support.

The latest version of Ubuntu includes the following new features:

* Windows migration tool

The new migration tool recognizes Internet Explorer bookmarks, Firefox
favorites, desktop wallpaper, AOL IM and Yahoo IM contacts, and imports
them all into Ubuntu during installation. This offers easier and faster
migration for new users of Ubuntu and individuals wanting to run a
dual-boot system.

* Simpler multimedia

A new guided wizard for automatically installing multimedia codecs not
shipped with Ubuntu gives users a safe and easy way to view music and
videos.

* Plug and play network sharing with Avahi

This new feature allows users to automatically discover and join a
wireless network to share music, find printers and more.

Thin Client - LTSP
------------------

The Edubuntu classroom server install builds on the functionality from
the previous release simplifying common Linux classroom server
deployment processes. It includes the very latest thin client software,
LTSP-5. Thin client deployments offers clients a lower TCO (total cost
of ownership), simpler installation and easier maintenance than typical
IT deployments. With all data stored on the server, administrators have
substantially eliminated the cost of updating individual workstations to
ensure their security.

Installing from the CD will provide you with an out of the box working
thin client environment, including sound and thin client block device
support.

Features of the integration work for LTSP-5 in Edubuntu include for the
thin client: 

* improved boot-speed in the new release

* reboot button on log-in screen

* sound now works through alsa - fixes many earlier sound problems

* volume control enabled

* sound support for many more applications

* Jetpipe printing architecture

* language and keymap settings automatically set to the servers settings

* python bindings for programmers added to ease the coding of ltsp
management apps

Thin Client Manager
-------------------

Thin Client Manager is the new name for a completely reworked Student
Control Panel

Localisation
------------

* All language packs available in the ubuntu archive are now available
on the Edubuntu Classroom Server Add-on CD 

Under the Hood
--------------

* Linux 2.6.20 Kernel

* LTSP 5.0.7

Free Software Applications and Repositories
-------------------------------------------

As always, 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.

Once installed, click on the [Application] menu item [Add/Remove] to
find a searchable list of the available applications.

Take the Tour
-------------

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/704tour

Release Notes
-------------

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/704

Release Announcement
--------------------

http://www.edubuntu.org/news/7.04-release

Helping Shape Edubuntu
----------------------

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

  http://www.edubuntu.org/Community

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but
aren't sure, try asking on:

* The #edubuntu channel on irc.freenode.net

* The Edubuntu Users or Edubuntu Developers mailing list:
  http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-users

* The Edubuntu Developers mailing list:
  http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-devel

* Or on the Ubuntu forums:
  http://www.ubuntuforums.org

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

You can find out more about Edubuntu and about this release on our
website:

  http://www.edubuntu.org/

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

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

-- 
Richard Weideman
richard at ubuntu.com

Ubuntu Education Programme Manager
http://www.edubuntu.org
http://www.ubuntu.com