5.04 Release Notes

System Performance

Readahead

Readahead speeds up the boot process by loading information from disk into memory before it is needed, taking advantage of the predictable nature of the boot sequence.

Faster Boot Process

Ubuntu 5.04 has a faster boot process. Improvements have been made to the startup of the X server, the GNOME Display Manager (GDM) and the CUPS printing system. The hotplug system, which allows users to "hot-swap" USB, IEEE 1394/Firewire devices, other removable devices, and non-removable devices such as PCI cards, now uses grepmap to make the boot process faster.

grepmap

grepmap has been used to improve the speed of the hotplug system, which allows you to 'hot-swap' devices such as USB devices and IEEE 1394/firewire devices.

Hardware Support

Laptop Suspend

Ubuntu 5.04 provides support for suspending laptops to RAM (standby mode) and suspending to disk (hibernate mode). This feature maybe disabled by default depending on architecture of the computer.

Suspend To Disk

Ubuntu 5.04 provides support for suspending to disk. This feature is enabled if available by the installer. If you are upgrading from Ubuntu 4.10, then please consult the Upgrade Notes for further information.

Processor Frequency Scaling

Ubuntu 5.04 supports Processor Frequency Scaling, a feature that adjusts the CPU's speed to meet current demand. The result is reduced load on the laptop battery and less heat output. Automatic driver support is now in place for a wider variety of hardware.

Hardware Database

Ubuntu 5.04 includes support for cataloging hardware information in relation to setup/install options and tracking the extent of Ubuntu support for hardware. The key feature of the hardware database is the ability for the community to contribute information which will assist the development team in improving Ubuntu's support for their hardware.

Installing Ubuntu

Kickstart Compatibility

Ubuntu 5.04 introduces Kickstart compatibility so that a system administrator can define install parameters once, and then install Ubuntu on a number of machines via CD-ROM, local hard drive, NFS, FTP, or HTTP.

Unified Hardware Detection

Ubuntu 5.04 now has a unified hardware detection process. The Live CD, the system installer, and the installed system all use hotplug. If the Live CD correctly detects and configures hardware, then the installer will too. The Live CD can now be used for a hardware compatibility test before installing Ubuntu.

Keyboard Layout Selector

Ubuntu 5.04 has an improved keyboard layout selection process. During installation, users will not need to know anything about the keyboard layout, the correct default settings, the appropriate xkb layout, or what architecture they are using (PS/2, USB). Keyboard layout is selected when the user presses certain keys.

Installation from USB

Ubuntu 5.04 now supports installation from USB devices.

DVD Install Images

Ubuntu 5.04 now provides images for installation from DVD. The DVD install image includes all supported packages, including those Not installed by default.

All Installer Questions in First Stage

Ubuntu 5.04 now captures all user input and decisions in the first stage of the install process. Once the install medium is ejected, and the system rebooted, all subsequent stages of installation can happen unattended.

Rescue Mode

Ubuntu 5.04 now includes Rescue Mode in the install process to allow for system repairs and rebuilding.

Live CD

New Live CD Infrastructure

Ubuntu 5.04 introduces the new Live CD infrastructure that allows for a Live CD for all officially supported Ubuntu architectures, a simpler more maintainable design and build, and a unified hardware detection and configuration process.

Internationalization and Localization

Language Packs

Ubuntu 5.04 introduces language packs. They allow users to install Localization information from a centralized database as a single pack, instead of per application or package. This improves maintainability of languages/locales and saves on disk space. It also allows for translations to be directly imported from Rosetta.

Default UTF-8 Support

Ubuntu 5.04 uses UTF-8 as the default encoding and locale, and includes migration compatibilities for upgrades. UTF-8 allows support for international character sets throughout the filesystem and applications.

Ubuntu for the Developer/Administrator

Apt Authentication

Ubuntu 5.04 allows for APT to cryptographically authenticate package repositories. Authentication management is also available through Synaptic.

Bzip2 Compression for Packages

Ubuntu 5.04 supports Bzip2 compressed Debian packages. This allows for significant space saving in text heavy packages, and smaller package indexes.

Program/Process UID

In Ubuntu 5.04 many processes that run as root (or equivalent) on other platforms/distributions run as less privileged users. Included in this list at the time of release is klogd, syslogd, cupsd, hald, ntpd, procmail, smbmount/smbumount, jackd, login, gpg/gnupg, hpoj, and at. This ensures that security vulnerabilities in these programs cannot affect the whole system any more, but are confined to the program itself.

Upgrade Notes

Pre-Upgrade

Procedure 1. Using the Synaptic Package Manager

1. Open up Synaptic Package Manager

2. Change your repositories to look for Hoary via the menu: Settings-> Repositories

   From:

   URI: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/
   			  Distribution: warty
   			  Sections: main restricted
         

   To:

   	http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/
   	Distribution: hoary
   	Sections:  main restricted
         

3. Reload your source listings via the Reload button.

4. Click the Mark All Upgrades button followed by the Apply button.