Kubuntu has released an alpha for the Kubuntu-KDE4 CD. This will be released as part of 8.04 which will have a choice of commercially supported Kubuntu (KDE 3), or a community supported Kubuntu (KDE 4).

We recommend the KDE 4 edition to those who want to try this exciting new desktop version and can put up with some missing features.

Release notes notes concerning this new alpha release of Kubuntu 8.04 with KDE 4 can be previewed at https://wiki.kubuntu.org/HardyHeron/Alpha5/KubuntuKDE4. This new CD can be downloaded from either of the 2 following locations:

• http://se.cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu-kde4/releases/hardy/
• http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu-kde4/releases/hardy/

The KDE 4 series has begun with the release of 4.0. It is the start of something amazing. Kubuntu has packages for 7.10 and Hardy and there’s a Live CD for those wanting to try before installing.

KDE 4.0 brings a wealth of new technologies which will make the 4 series of releases the slickest desktop you can imagine. Read the announcement or see the visual guide for more details.

On Thursday, December 13^th, the Kubuntu developers are holding their first ever “Tutorials Day.” The Tutorials Day will contain talks, tutorials, and a Q&A session about the development of Kubuntu.

With KDE4 only a month away, now is the time to get involved in becoming a Kubuntu developer. We’ve set up these IRC sessions below to get you started.

The sessions begin at 15:00 UTC on IRC (#kubuntu-devel on Freenode) and will consist of six different topics:

• 15:00: Packaging 101
• 16:00: Kubuntu Bug Triage
• 16:30: Branch your svn with bzr
• 17:00: Get programming with PyKDE4
• 18:00: Get your work into Kubuntu
• 19:00: Kubuntu and KDE Q&A

For a full run-down of the entire session, head on over to Jonathan Riddell’s blog and read his post, “Kubuntu Tutorials Day.”

Jes Hall (canllaith), a KDE developer, has taken Kubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) through its paces and finds much to like. Amongst other changes in 7.10 she discusses, Jes admits that she enjoys the six month development cycle, saying:

I do enjoy the Kubuntu development cycle. Just as I’m starting to feel that my stable, long-configured system is starting to get a little blase, the new version is just around the corner. I eagerly upgraded to Kubuntu Gutsy when it was released on my faithful Vaio TX. Gutsy has been released for a few weeks now, so consider these not my first impressions but my opinion formed over 2 solid weeks of using Kubuntu as my main operating system at work.

Jes provides her initial impressions with things such as the installer, the new artwork and color scheme, as well as the new KDM login theme that now contains a user selector. She goes on to talk about the new restricted drivers manager for non-free hardware drivers and the new Gdebi KDE client for easy installation of .deb files.

File management, desktop effects, and productivity round out this review, with the blog post titled Kubuntu Gutsy.

• Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
• Agenda: https://wiki.kubuntu.org/Kubuntu/Meetings

FrOSCon, the Free and Open Source Software Conference 2007, starts in just 3 days (August 25^th and the 26^th). During this event KDE, Amarok, and Kubuntu Deutschland will share a room providing talks about Marble, Amarok 2, Kubuntu DE, and KDE 4. So if you are in or around Bonn, Germany, stop by the Department of Computer Science of the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg in Sankt Augustin, Germany.
You can also check out a live webcam that has been setup!

Dot News, the KDE news site, has recently written about the new release of LinuxMCE. LinuxMCE is a free and open source add-on for the Kubuntu operating system. The new release, 0704, provides an add-on CD for Kubuntu 7.04, and turns your computer into the world’s most complete media center.

“The traditional PC user interface doesn’t work well on a TV. So a different interface is needed, which is called the ‘10 foot’ interface”

LinuxMCE’s lead developer, Paul Webber, in an effort to address the ‘10 foot’ interface challenge, has joined up with the KDE Plasma developers and accepted the challenge. The 0704 release is the first step in making a prototype showing how LinuxMCE and KDE can work together.
To understand the power of LinuxMCE, which literally can run your home, read the features list and watch the video walkthrough. To try it out download the CDs or DVD.

• Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
• Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kubuntu/Meetings

Kubuntu is once again a sponsor of the KDE conference aKademy 2007. Kubuntu shares sponsorship to this year’s aKademy with others organizations such as Trolltech (the developers of Qt), the Linux Foundation, and Google. aKademy is the yearly meeting of the KDE community. This year’s event will be held at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and will last 8 days from June 30^th to July 7^th. aKademy 2007 will feature talks and presentations by outstanding KDE developers, joint development, bug-fixing and coding sessions, workshops for all KDE contributors, and design, usability and polishing work. You can bet KDE 4 will be the number one topic of the event.

Thursday, April 19, 2007 - The Kubuntu development team is proud to announce the release of Kubuntu 7.04, development codename “The Feisty Fawn”. Kubuntu prides itself on working towards the perfect KDE GNU/Linux solution, and with this latest release the development team worked harder than ever to do just this. Kubuntu is based on the award winning Ubuntu Linux operating system, however Kubuntu sports the latest in the K Desktop Environment. This latest release includes many updates, new features, and the latest releases of your favorite applications. Starting with KDE 3.5.6 for the desktop, Kubuntu also ships with K3b version 1.0, Amarok 1.4.5, OpenOffice.org 2.2, Kopete 0.12.4, and more. The Kubuntu development team has worked hard to incorporate the best usability and accessibility features, to tame the edginess, and to provide yet another stable and secure computing environment for everyone.

The Kubuntu development team would also like to thank all of its users for the testing and input provided during the development cycle, and of course a big thank you to the entire development community involved with this release.

For the complete release information and download information please review the Kubuntu 7.04 Release Notes.