The first beta version of what will become Ubuntu 12.04, Precise Pangolin, has just been released. The final, stable version will be released by the end of April. This beta release, as with all pre-stable distribution releases, is an invitation for bug hunters to get busy.

From an end-user perspective, there are not that many significant new features in Precise Pangolin. The desktop is still Unity, which means a significant number of users will likely be replacing it with Cinnamon when the final version is released.