Touch-oriented applications and faster boot times are among the features developers are working on for the next version of Ubuntu, says chief Mark Shuttleworth.

Shuttleworth, speaking on the ZA Tech Show podcast about plans for Ubuntu 8.10, said that the “big driver, not just for Ubuntu, but generally, is the buzz around sub-notebooks.
“Some of the things we’re doing is to make the interface more touch-oriented. We are making applications fit better in smaller resolutions,” he said.
Mobile computing is top of the agenda for Ubuntu 8.10 and Shuttleworth said that Ubuntu developers were “looking very closely at pervasive 3G, wireless [access]. The idea being that we give you an Ubuntu experience you can have at home on a coffee table, take to the office, on the train or in a car and be connected the whole time in a very tactile sort of way.”

“Boot time is also a huge priority in the mobile space so a lot of work has gone into accelerating the boot process and cutting down on boot time,” he said.
On the server side Shuttleworth said that developments would be around the need to plug Ubuntu servers into corporate networks. “So for example, connecting to active directory, connecting to the existing infrastructure in corporations.”
Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex Release Schedule
  • 12 June 2008 - Alpha 1 release
  • 3 July 2008- Alpha 2 release
  • 24 July 2008 - Alpha 3 release
  • 14 August 2008 - Alpha 4 release
  • 4 September 2008 - Alpha 5 release
  • 18 September 2008- Alpha 6 release
  • 2 October 2008- Beta release
  • 23 October 2008 - Release Candidate
  • 30 October 2008- Final release of Ubuntu 8.10
Source : Tectonic Mobile devices driving Ubuntu - Shuttleworth