Ubuntu 8.04.1 LTS (Hardy Heron)

Ubuntu is a community developed, linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more. Ubuntu is free software. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.

Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing. We issue a new desktop and server release every six months. That means you'll always have the the latest and greatest applications that the open source world has to offer. Everything you need on one CD, which provides a complete working environment. Additional software is available online.

Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hundreds of companies around the world. Ubuntu includes the very best translations and accessibility infrastructure that the free software community has to offer. Ubuntu CDs contain only free software applications; we encourage you to use free and open source software, improve it and pass it on.

With Ubuntu Desktop Edition you can surf the web, read email, create documents and spreadsheets, edit images and much more. Ubuntu has a fast and easy graphical installer right on the Desktop CD. On a typical computer the installation should take you less than 25 minutes. The graphical installer enables you to get up and running quickly and easily. On the desktop you have a full set of productivity, internet, drawing and graphics applications, and games.

The Server Edition - built on the solid foundation of Debian which is known for its robust server installations — has a strong heritage for reliable performance and predictable evolution. As your business grows, so does your network. More applications need to be deployed and more servers are required. Ubuntu Server Edition offers support for several common configurations, and simplifies common Linux server deployment processes. It provides a well-integrated platform enabling you to quickly and easily deploy a new server with any of the standard internet services: mail, web, DNS, file serving or database management. A key lesson from its Debian heritage is that of security by default. The Ubuntu Server has no open ports after the installation and contains only the essential software needed to build a secure server.

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Download (Size: 697 MB)

It would be easier to request a free CD from the site. The CD will be mailed to you as soon as it can take. Forget about downloading if you are using Stremyx!

yeah! yet get free ubuntu stickers and a Beanie hat for lucky fella like me.

off topic:

8.10 will be release in few more days

Ubuntu 8.10

Welcome to the big Ubuntu release day! The long-awaited stable release of Ubuntu 8.10, code name "Intrepid Ibex", is now out: "The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop and Server, continuing Ubuntu's tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution. New Features since Ubuntu 8.04 LTS: GNOME 2.24; X.Org 7.4; Linux kernel 2.6.27; encrypted private directory; guest session; Network Manager 0.7; Samba 3.2; PAM authentication framework; Totem BBC plugin; server virtualization; Ubuntu as a Xen guest; JeOS is now an option in the server installer; notable inclusion in the main repository - Sun's Java OpenJDK 1.6, Apache's Tomcat 6, ClamAV, SpamAssassin; boot degraded RAID setting

DOWNLOAD

Release note

Source : http://www.crn.com/software/211800390

Review: Ubuntu 8.10 Is The Real Deal

By Edward F. Moltzen, ChannelWeb
7:37 PM EDT Thu. Oct. 30, 2008


Without much fanfare, developers of Ubuntu Linux have delivered the latest version of the open source operating system that scores higher than Windows Vista in performance testing, does a better job than Windows in making wireless connectivity easy and, overall, leaves fewer reasons to stick with Windows than any other previous release of Linux.

Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition, nicknamed "Intrepid Ibex," provides so much functionality and ease of use, at zero cost of acquisition, that it is really impossible to ignore. For anyone or any business not tied toMicrosoft (NSDQ: MSFT) legacy desktop applications, Ubuntu 8.10 may realistically be considered a smarter choice in many scenarios.

During initial evaluation in the Test Center lab, Ubuntu 8.10 scored big in both performance testing and in wireless integration - - areas where Linux has had some trouble in the past.

Using the same, custom-built PC test bed loaded with, alternatively, Ubuntu 8.10 and Windows Vista Business, Ubuntu proved to be a quicker installation, scored higher in benchmark testing, managed wireless connectivity easier and booted slightly faster than Vista. Keep in mind that, less than two years ago, wireless integration with Ubuntu was pretty weak and non-intuitive - - especially for Linux newbies - - while Windows XP enjoyed nearly universal market support. Early results show Ubuntu has closed the gap dramatically.

The Test Center's PC test bed was built with an Intel (NSDQ:INTC) Core 2 Duo E7200 CPU at 2.53 GHz, an Elitegroup Computer Systems G31T-M motherboard with integrated Intel graphics and 2 GB of SDRAM. First, Windows Vista Business was installed on the PC; using Primate Labs' Geekbench benchmarking software the system rang up a score of 2838. That's about on par with other Vista-based systems we've reviewed this year with similar hardware specs.

After that, we did a clean install on the same PC with Ubuntu 8.10. Running Geekbench on the PC then, the system returned a score of 3367 - - a measurable and noteworthy performance spike. Geekbench is a multi-platform benchmarking software and scans each system for elements of both hardware and software performance, including floating point CPU performance and I/O. Even apart from the Geekbench score, the PC with Ubuntu 8.10 was noticeably faster when opening or switching between applications. Boot time with the PC running Vista was 56 seconds; with Ubuntu 8.10 it took 50 seconds.

In Ubuntu 8.10, developers have also integrated a simple, intuitive console for managing wireless connectivity, including for WiFi and broadband wireless. After installation, it took two clicks of the wireless console to hook the PC up to a wireless router. The PC was built with a Linksys Wireless-G PCI adapter, nothing exotic, and connectivity worked like a charm. No line commands were needed, no installation of drivers were needed. It just worked.

There are a few other noteworthy improvements in this version versus the 8.04 release. With two clicks of the management console, a "guest" account can be created to permit more than one person to customize a desktop on the same PC. A guest account can then be saved to a thumb drive and then loaded onto another PC. Developers have also provided a streamlined upgrade process to get from one version to the next. (The upgrade process was a little balky when we tried to upgrade from 8.04 to 8.10 inside a Sun VirtualBox VM.)

Canonical, the organization that oversees development of Ubuntu, releases a new version of Ubuntu every six months - - the most recent being version 8.04 in April. That version, nicknamed Hardy Heron, is considered a "Long Term Support" release, meaning free updates will be made available to that version for three years. Version 8.10, which Canonical launched Thursday, will receive updates for 18 months.

It's also important to note that the ecosystem around Ubuntu has grown significantly over the past couple of years as well. Canonical continues to bundle key application software with Ubuntu, including OpenOffice.org, Rhythmbox (music management software that can integrate with MP3 players including iPods), Firefox 3.0, GIMP photo editing software and more.

The bottom line: Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition easily ranks higher than any other Linux desktop OS we've looked at in the Test Center. Based on performance numbers, its Ethernet and wireless management and zero licensing cost, this is an operating system we can recommend to VARs - - not just as an alternative to Windows but as a strong OS in its own right.

Thanks all. Will order my FREE CD soon !!

upgraded from 8.04LTS..

downloading it now from this site
http://oss.mmu.edu.my/pub/distro/ubuntu/8.10/
it has a much faster download

Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 1



Colin Watson has announced the first alpha release of Ubuntu 9.04, code name "Jaunty Jackalope": "Welcome to Jaunty Jackalope Alpha 1, which will in time become Ubuntu 9.04. The primary changes from Intrepid have been the re-merging of changes from Debian. We've also been spending some time getting the new ARM port up and running, although its build daemons are still catching up so installable images will have to wait for a future alpha release. This is the very first roughly working set of images off the production line, and they haven't all been tested, so you should expect some bugs. Prominent among these are that some of the images are oversized and can only be tested using a DVD or a virtual machine, and that the desktop CD isn't ready yet! This release consists only of the alternate and server CDs; the desktop CD will follow in the next Alpha release

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/cdimage/releases...ernate-i386.iso