One of the most popular Linux distributions Ubuntu gets ready for the final release of version 9.04 (codenamed Jaunty Jackalope) scheduled for next week. In the meantime you can try the 9.04 release candidate release.

The release candidate is available for download now to facilitate a final round of testing before the official launch next week. This new Ubuntu release includes some useful improvements & delivers higher reliability than the last few Ubuntu releases. This release includes version 2.6.28 of the Linux kernel, with the new Ext4 filesystem (not enabled by default), which is designated as stable.

Ubuntu is developed on a 6-month release cycle & always ships with the latest version of the GNOME desktop environment. Ubuntu 9.04 will ship with GNOME 2.26, which introduces UPnP support for totem & MAPI support for the Evolution e-mail client. 2 of the major new features in Ubuntu 9.04 are the new notification system and messaging indicator applet.

As many beta-testers already reported, Ubuntu 9.04 works pretty well on Netbooks & it seems the User Interface & drivers are optimized for these little laptops.

You can download the Release Candidate 9.04 Image of Ubuntu here.