Ubuntu 17.10 To Be Re-Released Next Week

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Ubuntu 17.10 To Be Re-Released Next Week

Last month Ubuntu 17.10 ISOs were pulled due to a BIOS/UEFI corrupting problem. They got the problem under control by the end of December and there is a software fix available for affected laptops, particularly a number of Lenovo laptops and those from a few other vendors. Next week a fixed Ubuntu 17.10 release is now expected...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Ubuntu-17.10-Re-Spin-Next-Week

[AndyChow]

How is this even possible? Also, I just downloaded both the 17.10 desktop and server isos about two days ago from their servers. I'm rather confused.

Ok, checking, it's true that the direct link desktop edition is 16.04.3 on the browser link, but server is still available directly. I download from the repository, and desktop 17.10 is still up, right hereL http://releases.ubuntu.com/17.10/ubu...ktop-amd64.iso

I never trusted UEFI. How is it writable unless you flash it? IMO, BIOS/UEFI should just be ROM at boot, and after boot not interact at all, unless explicitly and rarely. Just turn on the valves and tell the kernel where they are and how it works, then become invisible.

I don't understand how modern hardware works. Too much is happening in secret handshakes and drm type shenanigans.

[Spooktra]

It's a shame that a much smaller offering like DragonFly BSD can include fixes for Meltdown/Spectre but one of the bigger Linux offerings, Canonical/Ubuntu can't include the fixes until their next LTS release.

For the longest time I considered Ubuntu the cream of the crop but lately I have started wondering if maybe I was wrong.

[zamadatix]

Canonical/Ubuntu can't include the fixes until their next LTS release.

Canonical is still working on getting their KPTI-patched kernel updates out by 9 January.

But yes, it is a bit annoying they couldn't get it out faster.

[AndyChow]

It's a shame that a much smaller offering like DragonFly BSD can include fixes for Meltdown/Spectre but one of the bigger Linux offerings, Canonical/Ubuntu can't include the fixes until their next LTS release.

For the longest time I considered Ubuntu the cream of the crop but lately I have started wondering if maybe I was wrong.

The will include fixes way before their next release, because Meltdown fixes are being backported. Bugs like these are patched down to previous kernel versions. Features aren't. Ubuntu will include the fix within the week. Same for debian and most distros. Debian already fixed their 4.14 and 4.9 kernels. Knowing the Debian folks, they will probably fix down do 3.2 (wheezy), although I doubt anyone is really running stuff that old. Embedded might run 2.6, but that's on in-order MCU.

That said, it really is amazing that Matthew Dillon right away fixed DragonFly. That guy must never sleep. And just look at HAMMER2, it's not feature complete yet, but it doesn't break all the time like btrfs. I have no idea how he does it.

[Mike Frett]

So it'll be totally safe to use right? Just want to make sure as I am on 17.04 and want to upgrade soon-ish. =)

[Azrael5]

does last kernel patch fix this problem?

[Istanbull]

As a person who has UEFI disabled this is extremely annoying to me. What do the people that don't have Lenovo or EUFI enabled do when they want to use the operating system? Canonical has degraded in quality tremendously in the last years.

[tweak42]

Canonical didn't exactly "pull" the 17.10 ISOs, just de-emphasized where to download them and added the caveat of the bios issue.

Additionally Canonical isn't directly at fault, since Intel wrote the driver in question, and laptop makers have been sloppy adhering to UEFI standards which this driver triggered the bug.

Moral: Stick to the LTS or get cut running bleeding edge software.

[aht0]

Additionally Canonical isn't directly at fault, since Intel wrote the driver in question, and laptop makers have been sloppy adhering to UEFI standards which this driver triggered the bug.

Piece of Intel's press release:
"This is a unique issue based on non-Intel recommended changes made to the BIOS configurations by Ubuntu."