Fans of Ubuntu, the version of Linux developed by start-up Canonical and its open-source allies, now have a name and a priority for the version due in October: Intrepid Ibex will be designed to make mobile computing better.
"A particular focus for us will be pervasive Internet access, the ability to tap into bandwidth whenever and wherever you happen to be," said Canonical chief executive Mark Shuttleworth in an e-mail announcement of Intrepid Ibex, also known as version 8.10. "We want you to be able to move from the office, to the train, and home, staying connected all the way."
The mobile priority is part of a general focus on desktop computing for the new version, Shuttleworth said. "Our desktop offering will once again be a focal point as we re-engineer the user interaction model so that Ubuntu works as well on a high-end workstation as it does on a feisty little subnotebook," and performance and productivity also should be better.
The imminent version of Ubuntu, Hardy Heron, is due in April. Canonical releases new Ubuntu versions every six months; most are supported for 18 months, but Hardy Heron will be the second "long-term support" version, which means bug fixes and commercial support will be available for five years on the server and three years on the desktop.
For the record, the names of Ubuntu releases thus far are as follows (the alphabetical order arrived a few versions in): Warty Warthog, Hoary Hedgehog, Breezy Badger, Dapper Drake, Edgy Eft, Feisty Fawn, and Gutsy Gibbon.
