Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) is now released. It's time to upgrade! :D
The version number of Ubuntu indicates the year and month in which it is release. So '9.04' means it is released in April (04), 2009. I've just downloaded it and will use the LiveCD first to see if it works well on my PC. If so, I can use the 'Update Manager' to upgrade from 8.10 to 9.04. So handy!
Whenever I say I'm using Linux, I can hear from others that "you will regret using it if you need to update the kernel or a new version is released thus you want to install the new one because it is so difficult to do that". Well well, I'm sorry but your experience with Linux is outdated. Nowadays, it is extremely easy to use Linux especially Ubuntu Linux and I can say with quite certainty that Ubuntu Linux Desktop Edition is easier to use than MS Windows. Updating kernel or to a new version is as easy as clicking the update button on the Update Manager. Regarding application installation, it can be done with the 'Add / Remove Applications' feature which provides a function to search all the available applications on the Ubuntu software repository. If you can't find what you are looking for, there is 'Synaptic Package Manager' which is a kind of an advanced software package manager, and it gives you more application list. Anyway, a thousand hearings are not worth one seeing so better try it!