Unveiled last September by Mark Shuttleworth, the creator of Canonical Ltd., the next version of the Ubuntu operating system is now available for download in alpha.

Ubuntu 9.04 – called Jaunty Jackalope – Shuttleworth wants to maximize the time to start the system and integrate web softwares. In the end, it could result in a version specially optimized for Netbooks and MID including compatibility for ARM processors.

Four versions of the Alpha are available for download: Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Ubuntu Studio.

Because it is an obligation to know it, know that the Ubuntu 8.10 arrives on servers around the world today. On the menu of this new version, a better support og the 3G/3G+, the installation from a USB key, the arrival of guests sessions, the version 2.24 of Gnome environment, the version 7.4 of X.org, the new instant messaging client multi-protocol, Empathy, Totem player and many other small things. To download it, it’s here for U.S. servers.