Plans From the Ubuntu Developer Summit for Hardy Heron

Planning for Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” is taking place at the Ubuntu Developers Summit in Boston. Developer summits take place at the beginning of development of a new Ubuntu release.

At the beginning of a new development cycle, Ubuntu developers from around the world gather to help shape and scope the next release of Ubuntu. The summit is open to the public, but it is not a conference, exhibition or other audience-oriented event. Rather, it is an opportunity for Ubuntu developers – who usually collaborate online – to work together in person on specific tasks.

As a long term support release, Hardy will be focusing on bug fixes, stability, and polish over new features. An article at Ars Technica explains some of what is being discussed.

Most of the goals for Hardy Heron look very promising and feasible. Shifting away from the emphasis on new features in order to improve reliability is a good way to shore up some of the biggest gaps so that the long-term support release is very strong.

[update]
Ars Technica also has details on the visual update for Ubuntu 8.04.