The next version of Ubuntu is due out in October, but you can take an early build of the open source operating system for a test drive at any time by grabbing the latest nightly.

Or you can try the first Alpha release of Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn. While there’s not an official Alpha build of the main branch of Ubuntu with the Unity desktop, there are builds for Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu Kylin, and Ubuntu Cloud, which are all variations of Ubuntu with custom desktop environments and other features.

ubuntu 14.10 gnome

Alpha releases are aimed at developers interested in helping test upcoming features. It’s probably not a good idea to upgrade from an earlier build of Ubuntu if you’re looking for a stable, bug-free experience.

Unlike nightly builds though, these images have all been tested and shown to be mostly functional (if buggy).

The next alpha release is due in July, followed by an initial beta in August.

You can find more details and download links in the official Ubuntu 14.10 Alpha 1 announcement.

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18 replies on “Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn Alpha 1 released”

  1. That UI – which from other comments is presumably GNOME – is pretty sweet-looking.

  2. Unity is spiffy. If people had a choice, I would be working via terminal with no mouse. Adapt.. jeesh.
    🙂

    1. Why? Because it’s really nice, productive and beautiful? 😉

      1. Because it’s uglier than Metro and the most unproductive garbage to ever come out of a UNIX-based operating system, Macintosh isn’t far behind. This is why I use just the basic alpha Debian releases.

        1. Uglier than Metro…. Metro/modern ui is the most ugly interface I have ever seen. Unity 7 and 8 are way more productive than metro, and even the classic windows 7.
          It amazes me that you’re using linux. I’m not used to that an opensource software user communicates with so much hatred.

          1. You’re obviously one of those useful idiots who believes any Unix system is safe from any kind of virus/worm/injection. You use linux because you think it’s hipster to use linux, and you probably have never used a terminal in your life.

            You’re the reason the programming community has to put up with the most bloated interface system on the planet since Microsoft’s Aero interface.

          2. Ehm, more respect and less hatred would be good.
            I’m not an idiot, who do you think you are?
            Yes, an Unix based operatingsystems are more secure than windows. But nothing in the world is 100% secure, also Unix software.
            I’m programming in C for my job in the Mechatronic Industry. So yes, I have used terminals.
            I suggest that you go searching a hobby in order to process your hate.

          3. Hatred, name calling, made up facts is pretty common in both closed and open source worlds. Many projects get forked just because of personal fights. Arguments (both devs and users) over Unity, Mir/Wayland, upstart/systemd, mplayer/mplayer2/mpv, etc. get pretty bad and often devolve into non-technical schoolyard fights.

            As for Unity, I’m not a fan myself. I guess I never liked the side bar (I remove these bars in other DEs). I don’t really like the universal/global menu idea either. Canonical brought back local menus but it still only appears for the active window. That gets annoying when working with multiple non-maximized windows. The rest of Unity is just like most other DEs to me and the specific apps I use are what mostly controls my user experience. I guess it does like nicer at first glance compared to other DEs but, for me, that’s not a big factor in judging if the DE is better unless it adds better functionality (ie. looking better on high DPI screens that Unity is getting better support for).

  3. There IS NO Kubuntu build from Canonical. Kubuntu IS NOT a Canonical product, and hasn’t been for four years.

    Kubuntu is the product of Blue Systems.

    1. Right? I still don’t understand why they still name it Kubuntu, Ubuntu has entirely gone downhill that I’d say Kubuntu could completely over-take the so-called “market” for free linux distros.

      1. From what I hear and read, Blue Kubuntu IS one of the best distros around, and–strangely–one of Linuxdom’s best-kept secrets.

        BUT…I know of cases where the very name keeps people from using it.

        The only possible reason for keeping the “ubuntu millstone”
        has to be ‘brand recognition’, for which you can be absolutely certain that Shuttleworth demands MONEY. With Blue Kubuntu being as good as it is, it shouldn’t, and won’t, take long for a new name to become synonymous with the very best KDE distro.

        Blue Systems: Why not change the name to something short, descriptive, memorable, and ‘catchy’, like “BlueKDE”, “BlueKD”, “BlueKaty, “BlueKatie, or “BlueKatey”?

        And tell Shuttleworth to shove it up his arse, just as Linux MINT’s Clem Lefebvre did when Shuttleworth tried extortion on him, Intel, Gabe Newell (Valve; Steam) did…

        You heard it here first, Blue Systems. Send money. The wolf is at the door.
        *******************************************************
        See
        “Where KDE is GOING–Part 1”;
        https://dot.kde.org/2014/06/26/where-kde-going-part-1

    2. Isn’t that how all the *buntus are? Canonical only officially develops the main Ubuntu distro while the derivatives (officially recognized by Canonical or not) are developed by separate groups. Of course there’s a lot of collaboration.

      1. Your very first question indicates that your entire comment is a question. the answer to each, separately, is

        “No.”

        and

        “…Of course there’s a lot of collaboration.”
        Not unless money changes hands. You get to guess the direction.

  4. Looks a lot like standard gnome. Better than the last Ubuntu I installed.

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