Kernel mode setting will be enabled by default for Intel-based video cards on Ubuntu 9.10, set to be released in October.  I recently played around with this new feature on a Karmic Koala live CD, and share my results below.

Put simply, kernel mode setting means the Linux kernel, instead of an X11 video driver, handles the task of configuring the graphics mode of the console.  The assignment of this work to the kernel shaves away some overhead, making certain operations faster.  It also helps developers by allowing kernel problems to be more easily debugged when X is running, and simplifying the video infrastructure upon which Linux relies.

Normal users shouldn’t expect kernel mode setting to revolutionize their Ubuntu experience, but it does bring a few nice improvements, including faster and smoother switching between user accounts and between the X11 console and virtual terminals.  This video provides an idea of the new speed of these operations (apologies for the crudeness):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fast-user switching and access to the virtual console were quite zippy on my i810 video card running in the live environment–and I suspect performance would be even better on an installed system with better hardware (unfortunately, I was only able to test on my old laptop, because the Karmic beta CD wouldn’t boot on my desktop; I’m not sure whether kernel mode setting was the reason).

Kernel mode setting also allows virtual terminals (the screens accessible by pressing control-alt-[1-6]) to display at the native resolution of the attached hardware, making them easier to use and less ugly.  This change will be especially beneficial to administrators of Ubuntu server edition, where all local interaction with the system has to be done in virtual terminals by default.

There’s no official word on when kernel mode setting will be enabled for video chipsets other than Intel, but Ubuntu developers are working on it for some nvidia and ATI devices.  Don’t expect it in Karmic, though.

Welcome to the WorksWithU Vodcast, Episode II, produced by contributing bloggers Joshua Chase and Nick Ali. This week we cover…

…such topics as:

• Ubuntu One — the early word on Canonical’s file sharing and online storage system for Ubuntu.
• Dell promoting Ubuntu netbooks — how and where?
• Linux breaks one percent market share — or does it?

Josh and Nick are familiar names to many Ubuntu community members. Both are active in the Georgia Ubuntu Loco, and they speak regularly with Canonical insiders as well as Ubuntu industry leaders.

Feel free to post comments. We consider the vodcasts a work in progress, where Josh and Nick take time out of their busy schedules to bring you the latest chatter from across the Ubuntu universe.

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The Ubuntu Developer channel has been launched on YouTube. The channel features videos about developing for Ubuntu. Currently, there are several videos featuring the current Ubuntu Developer Summit. The Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) is where Ubuntu developers and contributors get together to discuss the next version of Ubuntu soon to be in development. This release, the UDS is being held in Prague, where the developers and community leaders will discuss Ubuntu 8.10, codename Intrepid Ibex.

Of the current videos, there are several with interviews with the likes of Jono Bacon, Travis Watkins, and James Westby. There is also a video of one of the sessions; a video of the introduction to Jockey, the restricted drivers manager in Ubuntu. The video channel ras already recieved several thousand views at the time of this post, as well as over a hundred subscriptions. If you are interested in looking behind the scenes of Ubuntu development, be sure to check out the videos. UDS will be in session until the 24th, so there will be plenty more videos to come.

I left Windows behind when I purchased my Ubuntu PC. But some folks, naturally, want to run both Windows and Ubuntu. The following video shows one way to set up an Ubuntu/Windows dual boot system. The total video runs nearly 14 minutes.