Ubuntu创始人Mark Shuttleworth 在昨天宣布，Ubuntu9.10的开发代号为Karmic Koala。和往常一样，该Linux发行版将发布两种版本，桌面版和服务器版。桌面版的目标就是主要围绕“第一印象”，Shuttleworth 暗示“启动将变得完美”。他还承诺，新版的Ubuntu将有巨大的变化。

他称，对于桌面版褐色已经为他们服务得很好，但是Koala将考虑选择其他颜色，并且会带来全新的外观。Shuttleworth所宣布的服务器版本功能，更令人感兴趣的就是云计算。

听起来Karmic Koala服务器版本主要的工作就是围绕云计算进行。以下是Shuttleworth发表的公告的全文：

A good Koala knows how to see the wood for the trees, even when her head is in the clouds. Ubuntu aims to keep free software at the forefront of cloud computing by embracing the API's of Amazon EC2, and making it easy for anybody to setup their own cloud using entirely open tools. We're currently in beta with official Ubuntu base AMI's for use on Amazon EC2. During the Karmic cycle we want to make it easy to deploy applications into the cloud, with ready-to-run appliances or by quickly assembling a custom image. Ubuntu-vmbuilder makes it easy to create a custom AMI today, but a portfolio of standard image profiles will allow easier collaboration between people doing similar things on EC2. Wouldn't it be apt for Ubuntu to make the Amazon jungle as easy to navigate as, say, APT?

What if you want to build an EC2-style cloud of your own? Of all the trees in the wood, a Koala's favorite leaf is Eucalyptus. The Eucalyptus project, from UCSB, enables you to create an EC2-style cloud in your own data center, on your own hardware. It's no coincidence that Eucalyptus has just been uploaded to universe and will be part of Jaunty - during the Karmic cycle we expect to make those clouds dance, with dynamically growing and shrinking resource allocations depending on your needs. A savvy Koala knows that the best way to conserve energy is to go to sleep, and these days even servers can suspend and resume, so imagine if we could make it possible to build a cloud computing facility that drops its energy use virtually to zero by napping in the midday heat, and waking up when there's work to be done. No need to drink at the energy fountain when there's nothing going on. If we get all of this right, our Koala will help take the edge off the bear market.

If that sounds rather open and nebulous, then we've hit the sweet spot for cloud computing futurology. Let me invite you to join the server team at UDS in Barcelona, when they'll be defining the exact set of features to ship in October.

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