Ubuntu 9.10 was released on the 30th of October 2009 (I know it's a bit late for me to be writing this, but school and the website crash have delayed some things) and was given the name Karmic Koala. Ubuntu is a Linux operating system and is one of the most popular for people who are new to Linux due to it's user friendliness and support. I believe with each version of Ubuntu, Linux gets closer to being a viable full time replacement for Microsoft Windows. The WINE application which is downloadable to the system allows you to run Microsoft Office using a series of steps (though it's still not easy to do the steps yet) and some other Windows Applications). Using an emulator like Sun VirtualBox is even better. So lets have a quick overview of the latest version of Ubuntu at this time and look at it's major aspects and improvements from Ubuntu 9.04.
Ubuntu 9.10 added a completely new login screen, to match the welcome screen that Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X offer their users. Instead of having to type a username and password, you can click your name and picture if you set one and then type your password. The one thing that Linux does well is offer flexibility. Nearly everything is changeable, which overwhelms many first time users, especially those coming from Mac OS X where flexibility is not really an option. In Ubuntu you can have different desktop environments installed and switch between them. This means the computer looks different, things are laid out differently and there is a different set of programs available for each desktop environment you pick. Ubuntu comes with GNOME as it's default desktop. You can download many other popular ones from the Ubuntu Software Center when you log in, the other main environment being KDE.
Once Ubuntu logs in (if you're using a live test CD then log in is done automatically) you're greeted with the desktop. You'll notice some differences from Windows straight away. Ubuntu has 2 panels that run across the top and bottom of the screen. There are 3 menus in the top left corner of the screen labeled Applications, Places and System. We'll look at each of those a bit later. Next to the System Menu are icons for popular programs. Currently the web browser Firefox and Ubuntu Help are there, but the user can drag icons they want up there to put them in easy reach. Towards the top right is the notification area, which in Windows is located in the bottom right corner. These icons include a Mail icon, Clock and Calendar, Shut Down menu, Ubuntu One status, sound and network connection icon. On a laptop a battery icon will also appear. Down the bottom of the screen in the bottom left is an icon to hide all windows and just show the desktop again, the middle space area is where icons for running applications are put - very similar to the way the Taskbar works in Windows XP and Vista. The 2 square boxes towards the right allow you to have multiple desktops. I mentioned the login screen allowed you to pick from different Desktop Environments, this lets you have different desktops. Say you've got too much stuff open on your screen you don't want to close, but still need a clean area. If you switch to the other desktop, you start with a clean slate. Finally there's the trash can.
The Applications menu is a place you'll probably spend a lot of time in when using Ubuntu. When you first install Ubuntu, it comes with a stack of applications that you can use out of the box, with heaps more free ones only about 2-3 clicks away. Ubuntu also sorts the applications into categories including Accessories, Games, Graphics, Office, Internet and Sound & Video. The menu item at the bottom called Ubuntu Software Center opens a program which very much like the App Store on your mobile phone, lets you pick programs to download to your computer. All programs in the Ubuntu Software Center are free to download and use! Here's some screenshots of the Applications menu, Ubuntu Software Center and some of the applications that come on Ubuntu by default.
^^ Applications Menu ^^
^^ Ubuntu Software Center ^^
^^ Mozilla Firefox, Ubuntu's Web Browser ^^
^^ OpenOffice.org - Ubuntu comes with a free word processor that does nearly everything Microsoft Word does ^^
It also comes with a spreadsheet, presentation, database and drawing application too to match MS Office equivilents.
The next menu item is the Places menu. Think of this as My Computer (or Computer as it's now known) but better. This menu will list all your hard drives, USB drives, CD and Floppy (OMG) drives as well as commonly used folders including Home, Documents, Pictures etc. The Places menu also provides an icon to search for files and access network locations. Basically - if you're looking for something on your system that isn't an application or a control panel, then it'll be here!
One item in the Places menu that is of particular interest is Ubuntu One. This is a cloud storage service provided to Ubuntu users that allows them to store up to 2GB of files on a remote server called the cloud for Free. It's not public data, it's still private and it will act like a normal folder on your Ubuntu 9.10 system, but the files in that folder are being stored on an Ubuntu One server. The fact they're giving away 2GB of storage that integrates well into the OS is a really revolutionary thing, and something Microsoft needs to take note of when releasing Windows Live Wave 4. You need to make it as easy to use Skydrive as it is to use Ubuntu One. You can purchase more than 2GB of storage on Ubuntu One for a monthly fee.
Lastly we have the System menu. This menu contains all the system settings and utilities for Ubuntu 9.10. In previous versions if contained the shut down command too, but that's now been moved to the Shut Down menu in the top right corner, it has your username written on it. The Preferences menu are all the settings that apply to your user account only and can be changed without an administrator's password. The Administration menu is all the system utilities that only administrators with their passwords can run.
So that sums up Ubuntu 9.10. In April this year (2010) Ubuntu 10.04 will be released with some more new features, most likely integrating social networking more into the OS. If you are using Ubuntu 9.10, you will be offered to update when you have no more updates pending in the Update Manager when 10.04 becomes available. If you wish to try Ubuntu you can do so without mucking up your Windows installation by either downloading or ordering the live CD or you can use Wubi to install a copy to your computer which will be treated like a Windows application and very easy to uninstall again if you don't want it.
