The countdown for Ubuntu 8.04 finally begins today as now there are only 9 days to go for the official launch of Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. But before Ubuntu lovers get their hands on Hardy, their biggest anticipation is about the new features and applications coming in Ubuntu 8.04.

When I last checked Virtualbox did not update their repositories for Hardy Heron, its not a problem, their is a hardy package without a repository...So lets install the brand new virtualbox package for Hardy Heron...

Dell is shipping two new laptops with widescreen LCD displays and Ubuntu Hardy Heron (8.04) operating systems with DVD playback. Additionally, the largest U.S. PC maker has started offering Hardy Heron on three models previously available with the earlier Gutsy Gibbon Ubuntu release.

The first alpha release of Ubuntu 8.04 (codenamed Hardy Heron) was scheduled to be released today, but the official release has been pushed back until tomorrow. However, a preliminary CD image of this first alpha release for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS has surfaced today on the Internet.

Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth has been telling Reuters that Sun is in the process of certifying Ubuntu on some of its low-end and mid-size hardware. The code it’s certifying is Hardy Heron, the Ubuntu 8.04 rev that’s due out later this month. Sun told the wire service that it’s making sure its Java programming language etc work with Heron.

We all know that Gutsy (Ubuntu 7.10) is released, a version that everyone is waiting for, but today you'll be informed about the release dates of Ubuntu 8.04, codename Hardy Heron.

Hardy Heron, the next release from the Ubuntu Linux team, isn't due until April 2008, but already the early alpha releases are filled with significant changes and improvements.

Cool looking mockups for Ubuntu's Hardy Heron. Site's in German but link is to google translated page. Still a bit difficult to follow but the pics are what you want to see anyway.

"I am delighted to have the pleasure of announcing the Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04), the next version of Ubuntu that will succeed Gutsy Gibbon (Ubuntu 7.10, due for release in October 2007). [This] release will proudly wear the badge of Long Term Support (LTS)..."