- Edited
It's been almost a week since its launch, and I wonder if any of you guys tried it and care to give feedback. Here's my (short) review:
First I wanna say that Ubuntu is the only OS I have on my computer. I'm not merely dual booting from time to time to "check" if there's something new. I use it all the time. So my opinion comes from heavy use during this week.
I upgraded from 9.04 to 9.10. The upgrade went good. I had a minor problem with audiopulse, but that was easily fixed (looked around on some forums, the answer came up quick).
Anyway, as expected, the major efforts made by Canonical for this version of Ubuntu was an eye-candy/graphical one. This is what the community was asking for. Ubuntu has (somewhat) made its proofs in the performance and stability fields, but it still lacked the visuals of Mac OS X (to say the least).
So the new Ubuntu comes bundled with packs of new (somewhat tasteful) wallpapers, themes, icon sets and such. The overall look and feel of Ubuntu is clearly better, even though we're still far behind Mac. I haven't tried Kubuntu yet, but I know for a fact that KDE4 is a small revolution in terms of desktop environment, I wonder how it goes with Karmic (I hear the 4.3 is out).
For those of you who hated configuring compiz, a new graphical tool called Simple CompizConfig Settings Manager is also available. It makes configuring the effects much more easy and enjoyable (with preloaded templates like Ultimate, Minimal, Medium and such ...
Some minor twists in the GNOME default menu make the overall feel a lot smoother.
Another great new feature is Ubuntu One. Here's a brief description of it:
The application allows registered users to share files between Ubuntu computers by simply dragging and dropping them into a folder in their home directory, or through a web interface.
It basically gives you a free 2GB storage space that you can access and share easily with other users. You can upgrade to 10GB for a small fee.
From a geek point of view, the most interesting feature is the use of GRUB2 as a replacement for good old GRUB.
GRUB2 has these 2 kick-ass new features.
1- Graphical menu: you have to admit that the old interface of GRUB isn't the most aesthetic. So giving a graphical menu is so refreshing.
2- Booting from an ISO. No need to burn Live CD/USB anymore. GRUB2 can boot automatically from an ISO saved on your hard drive. Great for netbooks.
I should mention that upgrading from 9.04 doesn't install GRUB2. Only fresh install get the new boot loader.
There are some other minor changes from past version, but clearly all the work was aimed at improving the look and feel. Did they manage to do it? yeah. As of today, Ubuntu is (in my opinion) the best looking and the easiest to use of all linux distros. But is the work over? No. It still has a lomg way to go to get where Mac stands. But great to see some progress done.
First I wanna say that Ubuntu is the only OS I have on my computer. I'm not merely dual booting from time to time to "check" if there's something new. I use it all the time. So my opinion comes from heavy use during this week.
I upgraded from 9.04 to 9.10. The upgrade went good. I had a minor problem with audiopulse, but that was easily fixed (looked around on some forums, the answer came up quick).
Anyway, as expected, the major efforts made by Canonical for this version of Ubuntu was an eye-candy/graphical one. This is what the community was asking for. Ubuntu has (somewhat) made its proofs in the performance and stability fields, but it still lacked the visuals of Mac OS X (to say the least).
So the new Ubuntu comes bundled with packs of new (somewhat tasteful) wallpapers, themes, icon sets and such. The overall look and feel of Ubuntu is clearly better, even though we're still far behind Mac. I haven't tried Kubuntu yet, but I know for a fact that KDE4 is a small revolution in terms of desktop environment, I wonder how it goes with Karmic (I hear the 4.3 is out).
For those of you who hated configuring compiz, a new graphical tool called Simple CompizConfig Settings Manager is also available. It makes configuring the effects much more easy and enjoyable (with preloaded templates like Ultimate, Minimal, Medium and such ...
Some minor twists in the GNOME default menu make the overall feel a lot smoother.
Another great new feature is Ubuntu One. Here's a brief description of it:
The application allows registered users to share files between Ubuntu computers by simply dragging and dropping them into a folder in their home directory, or through a web interface.
It basically gives you a free 2GB storage space that you can access and share easily with other users. You can upgrade to 10GB for a small fee.
From a geek point of view, the most interesting feature is the use of GRUB2 as a replacement for good old GRUB.
GRUB2 has these 2 kick-ass new features.
1- Graphical menu: you have to admit that the old interface of GRUB isn't the most aesthetic. So giving a graphical menu is so refreshing.
2- Booting from an ISO. No need to burn Live CD/USB anymore. GRUB2 can boot automatically from an ISO saved on your hard drive. Great for netbooks.
I should mention that upgrading from 9.04 doesn't install GRUB2. Only fresh install get the new boot loader.
There are some other minor changes from past version, but clearly all the work was aimed at improving the look and feel. Did they manage to do it? yeah. As of today, Ubuntu is (in my opinion) the best looking and the easiest to use of all linux distros. But is the work over? No. It still has a lomg way to go to get where Mac stands. But great to see some progress done.
