Download Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) CD ISO / DVD Images

The latest version of the popular Linux desktop distribution Ubuntu 10.10 has been released and available from the official project web site. New features since Ubuntu 10.04 includes - Gnome 2.32, KDE 4.5.0 (QT 4.7), new KDE browser Rekonq, Pulse Audio as the default sound server, Firefox 3.6.9, OpenOffice 3.2.1, Evolution 2.30.3, Shotwell, Btrfs with experimental support, kernel 2.6.35, and X.org version 1.9.

Fig.01: Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) Desktop

64 Bit DVD version32 Bit DVD version

You can directly upgrade to Ubuntu 10.10 from Ubuntu 10.04, see upgrade howto here.

Installing Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) on Mac OS X Using VirtualBox

As some of you may know, I've upgraded or should I say tried upgrading my Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) desktop to 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat). Sad to say, the result was a disaster. Although the whole installation process was successful, I ended up having an unbootable system. Since I'm not yet in the mood to fix it, I decided to just try Ubuntu 10.10 by installing it on Mac OS X as guest OS using my favorite free virtualization software VirtualBox.

To those of you who would also like to install Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) on Mac OS X via VirtualBox, here is a step-by-step guide (with screenshots) on how to do it:

1. Download the latest version of VirtualBox for OS X from HERE, and then install it.

2. Run the VirtualBox application and create a new virtual machine.

3. Allocate RAM to your virtual machine. The recommended amount of memory is 512MB but I decided to portion out 1024MB since my total RAM is 4GB.

4. Create a new virtual hard disk for Ubuntu.

5. Select the type of virtual hard disk. I recommend you use dynamically expanding storage for a more flexible disk space.

6. Decide on the size of disk space that will be allotted to your virtual machine.

7. The virtual disk will be created once you click on the "Done" button.

8. Turn on the virtual machine by clicking on the "Start" icon.

9. The first run wizard will appear to help you install the OS, in this case Ubuntu 10.10.

10. Select the media that contains the Ubuntu 10.10 ISO installer.

11. Since the installer was saved on my hard drive, I added it using the virtual media manager.

12. Once you are done, the Ubuntu 10.10 installation process will follow. If you are already familiar with Ubuntu, just install it like you normally would.

For those of you who have not used Ubuntu before, watch out for the Ubuntu 10.10 installation walkthrough on my next post. I will also give a screenshots tour and share with you my first impressions of using Maverick Meerkat.

Upgrade from Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) to 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat)

I just upgraded my Ubuntu desktop from 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) to the recently released 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat). Initially, I never wanted to upgrade since Ubuntu 10.04 is running perfectly on my current setup. However, I've heard a lot of good things about 10.10 that I ultimately decided to take the plunge.

The upgrade process is really quick and easy but some of you may be confused as to why the 'New Ubuntu release 10.10 is available' option is not yet displayed or available when you run the update manager. Well, don't worry and keep the excitement going because the solution is really simple.

But before giving you the step-by-step process on upgrading from Lucid Lynx to Maverick Meerkat, here are some of the new features of 10.10 that helped encourage me to upgrade:

* Desktop theme refinements - new wallpapers, default font, sound menu, etc.
* Ubuntu One improvements - under the hood enhancements and music streaming support for Android and iPhone
* Enhanced Software Center - new categories, options, history tab, and paid applications
* Faster boot-up time

Upgrading from Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) to Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat):

1. Open the Update Manager by going to System --> Administration --> Update Manager

2. Inside the Update Manager, click on the 'Settings' tab to open the 'Software Sources' window.

3. From the Software Sources window, click on the 'Updates' tab, and inside the 'Release upgrade' option and the 'Show new distribution releases' drop-down menu, select 'Normal releases' and close.

4. Inside the Update Manager again, click on the 'Check' button.

5. You will now see the 'New Ubuntu release 10.10 is available' option, so click on the 'Upgrade' button, follow the on-screen instructions, and wait until the upgrade process is finished.

Actually, there is a quick and dirty way of upgrading. But I wrote the instructions above for those of you who hate keyboard shortcuts and commands. You could also start the upgrade by pressing Alt+F2, and then typing in "update-manager -d" (minus the quotes).

While writing this article, the upgrade process is still under way (currently fetching files) on my machine so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing terrible will happen :-)

If the upgrade is successful, watch out for my initial impressions and quick review of Ubuntu 10.10.