10/15/2008 -- Nowhere is the open source dictum of "Release early, release often" put into practice more faithfully than in the Linux operating system. And just as the holidays arrive at the end of the year, so too do new releases of Linux distributions -- many of which have already had at least one within the past 12 months.

There's often a lot of buzz and anticipation before releases as people wonder what new features are in store. While the details can always change at the last minute, the following is an overview of what's currently expected from three of the larger distributions.

Ubuntu 8.10
Just in time for Halloween, Ubuntu 8.10 (code-named "Intrepid Ibex") is scheduled for release on Oct. 30.

The Linux kernel will be 2.6.27 and the default desktop will be GNOME 2.23.91. The encryptfs-utils package will be included to allow encrypted folders and, on the opposite side of security, users will be able to choose a password-less Guest session through the User Switcher panel.

Of course, the purpose of the Guest session is to let another person temporarily use your machine without being able to access anything substantial, which can come in handy if you ever take your work laptop home and little Johnny wants to watch a YouTube video real quick.

Other scheduled features are Network Manager 0.7, X.Org server 7.4 and Samba 3.2. Among the features in the latest major release of Samba are IPv6 support and improved integration with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Fedora 10
Scheduled for final release the week before Thanksgiving is Fedora 10, code-named "Cambridge."

The Linux kernel will be 2.6.27 and the desktops will include GNOME 2.24.0 and KDE 4.1. Key features include the removal of all packages that were licensed under the Artistic 1.0 license, improved audio and webcam capabilities, ad hoc wireless networking, and native access to Microsoft Exchange Server.

That last one is possible through the inclusion of OpenChange. Evolution has long been considered the Exchange connector, but it's had more than its share of problems. OpenChange should offer a more solid open source implementation of the protocols for Exchange Server and remove most of the problems people encountered when trying to work around shared calendars, contact databases and all the other non-e-mail-specific features that Exchange now includes.

OpenSUSE 11.1
Finally, one week before Christmas -- Dec. 18, to be precise -- is when OpenSUSE 11.1 is scheduled for public release.

The Linux kernel will be 2.6.27 and the desktops will include GNOME 2.24.0 and KDE 4.1.2. A key package will be OpenOffice.org 3.0 and KDE 3.5.10 will also be included (not as a default choice, but you can select it from the list of other desktop options). New or rewritten YaST (Yet another Setup Tool) modules will be included for printer, partitioner and security.

Samba 3.2.3 will be included, along with X.org 7.4 and Xen 3.3.1. A key new feature will be support for Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) through KIWI. Current documentation on the KIWI Project, and its inclusion in OpenSUSE can be found in the Cookbook posted here.

Which To Choose?
Each of these distributions offers enough to keep them relevant and at the top of the Linux market. That said, while evangelists for other distributions might disagree with me, I think Ubuntu is the ideal distribution for the desktop while Fedora and OpenSUSE rule the server market.

Spaced out as they are, I strongly encourage you to download each of the new releases as they become available and spend some time working with them. It's only by putting them through their paces in your environment that you'll realize which one you ultimately want to stay with.

At least until the next release.