The first development release of Ubuntu Linux 5.10, code name “Breezy Badger,” is now available for testing:

This is Breezy Badger. Colony CD 1 is the first in a series of milestone CD images that will be released throughout the Breezy development cycle, as images that are known to be reasonably free of showstopper CD-build or installer bugs, while representing very current snapshots of Breezy. This release includes only the Install CD, as we haven’t started to build the Live CD yet. We expect to be able to rectify this soon.

Full details can be found in the release announcement. For the community support you’ll no doubt come to need from testing bleeding-edge software, visit the forums. Download the install images:

• breezy-install-amd64.iso (606MB)
• breezy-install-i386.iso (623MB)
• breezy-install-powerpc.iso (640MB)

This will be the project’s most ambitious release ever, with no fewer than 147 new features. Among the top priority features are Edubuntu (classroom use edition of Ubuntu), Laptop Mission (aiming at complete laptop support!), an an OEM installer. See the Breezy Goals page on the official wiki for more details.

Before you ask: no, I haven’t installed it yet. I’m in the middle of my final finals, and destroying my computer would not be a decision conducive to effective studying.