Fail2Care.COM v2.0» Blog Archive » History of Ubuntu, from Warthog to Ibex

Ubuntu, our favorite and the largest community-supported linux
distribution is gradually becoming one of the best free and open-source
operating systems ever.

Based on Debian, Ubuntu is known to be a very secure and stable
Linux platform which is evolving day by day with two major releases
each year. The next release of Ubuntu, Intrepid Ibex promises an even
more secure and user-friendly environment.

As we move forward, lets take a look at the evolution and development of this OS.

Ubuntu 4.10, Warty Warthog

Released in October 2004, this was the first ever release of Ubuntu.
This was the first version to offer free ShipIt services which allows
users to order free CDs. It shipped with early versions of GAIM, GIMP,
GNOME, OpenOffice and Firefox.

Ubuntu 5.04, Hoary Hedgehog

Hedgehog was the second release of Ubuntu which surfaced in April
2005. It was the first ever Ubuntu release to allow installation from
USB devices. It included new features such as the update manager,
upgrade notifier and hibernate/standby support.

Ubuntu 5.10, Breezy Badger

Badger was released in October 2005 and marks the third installment
of Ubuntu Linux. A lot of new and useful features were introduced in
this release such as a graphical bootloader, Add/Remove app, language
selector, HP printer support, OEM installer support and integration
with Launchpad (for bug reporting).

Ubuntu 6.06, Dapper Drake

Releasing in June 2006, Drake was the first ever Ubuntu release to
break the 6-month release convention and also the first Long Term
Support (LTS) release. In this release, the Live CD and Install CD was
merged onto one disc a splash-screen for startup as well shutdown was
introduced. It featured the Humanlooks theme for the first time based
on Clearlooks with more orange than brown.

Ubuntu 6.10, Edgy Eft

Edgy was the fifth release of Ubuntu Linux, it came out in October
2006. It included a heavily modified version of the Human theme, a
note-taking app calle Tomboy and F-spot photo manager. It also included
EasyUbuntu as a meta-package.

Ubuntu 7.04, Feisty Fawn

Feisty Fawn, released in April 2007, marks the sexith release of
Ubuntu Linux. It included a new migration assistant to help users
switch from Windows to Ubuntu easily. Other noticeable features were
Compiz 3D effects, support for WiFi protected access, new games (Sudoko
and Chess). It dropped support for PowerPCs.

Ubuntu 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon

One of my favorite releases so far, the Gutsy Gibbon was released in
October 2007. It is the seventh release of Ubuntu and started the
Linux-for-Desktop trend because of its high stability and user-friendly
functions. It included an even fast desktop search, a Firefox plugin
manager, fast user-switching mode and Compiz Fusion (enabled by
default). Also in this release GAIM was renamed and included as Pidgin.

Ubuntu 8.04, Hardy Heron

This is the eighth and the latest stable release of Ubuntu. Released
in April 2008, Heron boasts to be the second Long Term Support (LTS)
release. It included Tracker desktop search integration, Brasero disk
burner, Transmission BitTorrent client, Vinagre VNC client and a lot of
usability and performance improvements to Compiz. It also included
Wubi, that allowed Ubuntu to be installed as a single file on a Windows
hard drive without the need to repartition the disk.

Ubuntu 8.10, Intrepid Ibex

Coming later this month, Intrepid Ibex will be the ninth Ubuntu
release. For all we know, it has got a new network manager with better
support for 3G networks, Nautilus now has support for tabs,
auto-install drivers option now works with printers, there is a whole
new black theme and a better flash support.