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With the final version of Karmic Koala due in less than two months, things are looking good for Ubuntu 9.10. Alpha 5 has been officially released and is now available for download from the usual channels.
The new alpha brings with it kernel 2.6.31-9.29, Gnome 2.27.91, GCC 4.4, and a lengthy list of additional updated packages. KUbuntu has been bumped to KDE 4.3.1 and its first Netbook Remix has also been released this time around. Karmic's installer now sports a series of panels that showcase apps like FSpot, OpenOffice, and Rhythmbox. It's a nice touch -- if only as a reassurance to new users that yes, you can do these things on Linux.
Though it's still touted as Ubuntu's default IM application during the install process (see the slides after the break), Pidgin has now been replaced by Empathy. Canonical's Ubuntu One cloud sync app is now included by default. The usual alpha software caveats apply here: it's not recommended for use on critical systems and may contain bugs that could be hazardous to your computing health.
Now that that's out of the way...The alpha builds have been a lot of fun to play with so far, so check them out. Share your thoughts with us in the comments if you've given 9.10 a shot already