Mark Shuttleworth has just announced the codename for the Ubuntu version after Natty - Ubuntu 11.10 will be codenamed "Oneiric Ocelot".
The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), also known as the Dwarf Leopard, McKenney's Wildcat, Jaguatirica (in Brazil), Jaguarete (in Paraguay and Argentina), Tigrillo (in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru), Cunaguaro (in Venezuela), or Manigordo (in Costa Rica and Panama) is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean. North of Mexico, it is found regularly only in the extreme southern part of Texas, although there are rare sightings in Southern Arizona.
The ocelot is similar in appearance to a domestic cat.
- via Wikipedia
Oneiric means "dreamy", and the combination with Ocelot reminds me of the way innovation happens: part daydream, part discipline.
- Mark Shuttleworth
With 11.10, the cycle of "making it available to all users, with a 2D experience to complement the OpenGL" will be completed. Ubuntu 11.10 wll also see the introduction of Qt on the Ubuntu CD with the possibility for Qt applications to even become default which - says Mark Shuttleworth - will make Ubuntu "functional and aesthetically delightful".
Up next: Ubuntu 12.04 codename will start with "P". Now that has to be a Penguin! But a Pheonix would also be nice. What do you think? You can see a list of proposed Ubuntu 12.04 code names @ Ubuntu wiki.