I should probably start out by letting you know that it’s now official! Yes, Ubuntu/Kubuntu and all the other *buntus are out in release 9.10, the very Karmic Koala. After months of running 9.10 alphas, followed by betas, I am now running the official Karmic release. Feels good to be official for a change.

What about you? Did you attend any of the release parties? Heading out to one of the parties still to come? Throw one of your own, perhaps? I did pop the cork on a rather nice bottle of 2007 Archangel Pinot Noir Rose last night, a wonderful, dry, sparkling wine from Angels Gate Winery. Here’s to 9.10, even if Canonical didn’t use my new mascot.

This past Saturday, I gave a talk on "Linux Without Fear" at Ontario Linux Fest which took place in Toronto, Ontario. Sorry, make that Ontario GNU Linux Fest — the name was changed a couple of weeks before D-day. Before I get into that, let me doff my hat to the organizers for putting together a first rate Linux/FOSS conference. It gave me the opportunity to meet and chat with friends I don’t see anywhere near often enough, like LinuxPro’s own Rikki Kite. I also enjoyed meeting Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier, who I’ve spoken to a few times over the years, but had never actually met in person.

Click here to read the full story on the Ubuntu User Website.