Reviews Distro 10.04 That time of year is here again: the birds are singing and Ubuntu has a new release. Neil Bothwick looks at Lucid Lynx to see what all the fuss is about.

t’s time for the twice yearly jump in In brief... internet traffic as Ubuntu releases Iits new version into the wild. Most The latest distro of the pre-launch discussion has been from Ubuntu, with about buttons and colours, so let’s get a brand new look. that out of the way first. The various See also: OpenSUSE, browns used for the default themes of Mandriva, Fedora. previous releases (the Human theme), have given way to a theme called Light, the predominant colour of which can best be described as aubergine. We never liked the browns, but that wasn’t a reason to not use the distro, as Software versions it’s easy to change a default theme. The same can be said of the new window Kernel 2.6.32 button positioning: the window control X.org 1.7.5 buttons have moved from the right of Gnome 2.30.0 the title bar to the left, and a good many OpenOffice.org people have switched them almost 3.2.0 instantly to the familiar layout of old. In the interests of fairness we decided to The Ubuntu installer is as fast and easy to use as ever, even if it does take stick with the new layout for a while, shocking liberties with your network bandwidth. and found the change pretty easy to get used to. Speaking of themes, there are is. One nice touch is that it uses your is a skip button, but this is no use if you a couple of new ones included, network connection to determine your take the standard ‘answer the questions Ambiance and Radiance, along with the location, based on your IP address, and then make a cup of tea’ approach to old favourites. However, it seems that pick your timezone. A less friendly use installation. A cynic may suggest that Ubuntu cannot leave its brown of the network is to automatically this is a sneaky way of hiding the fact obsession behind completely: when I download language packs towards the that Ubuntu can no longer fit a standard signed up for an Ubuntu One account, end of the installation. If you’re on a installation on a CD. the first captcha word was “brownish”. metered or capped connection, you Hardware detection is as good as Ubuntu installation has always been may not be too happy to find it ever, with the added touch that Nvidia a quick and simple process, and it still downloading data without asking. There video cards now use the open source New features at a glance

Window buttons Buttons are now grouped at the left side of the title bar, which takes a little getting used to.

Gwibber Gwibber shows all your social networking sources, either as a single list as here or separated. It’s purple! The new aubergine theme makes a refreshing change from brown.

Software Centre Cloud storage iTunes for Me menu The Software Centre is the new Ubuntu One synchronises your data The Ubuntu One Music store integrates The Me Menu gives access to your Ubuntu method of software installation with the cloud, and also with any other with or and supports One account, social networking, instant and package management. Ubuntu computers you have. downloads to multiple computers. messaging and .

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LXF133.rev_ubuntu 22 11/5/10 5:55:0 pm Distro Reviews

Nouveau driver. This works well as long as you don’t try to use 3D desktop Focus on Kubuntu effects. When you try to enable those, Ubuntu 10.04 the system recognises that this driver is Kubuntu has never received the same amount of love as its unsuitable and installs the Nvidia Gnome-based cousin, and this drivers, after asking. This transition is as has never been more evident smooth as it can be, although a reboot than with the 10.04 release. (or at least stopping X, unloading the There seems to be zero deviation Nouveau module and restarting X) is from the blues and greys of needed after switching. KDE’s default Oxygen theme, The new theme is called Light, but which leaves you wondering why that also applies to other aspects of anyone would choose Ubuntu’s 10.04. The whole distro, or at least the derivative over any other vanilla base install, it more lightweight. The KDE distro? It certainly wouldn’t be for most significant app to be dropped is stability. Within the first 30 Gimp.Most people want to be able to minutes, the KDE Control Module crop digital photos, remove red eyes crashed while searching for a and compensate for poor exposure, and plugin. Our screen resolution was attempted to resize and move days, and the odd aesthetic Gimp is just too much hard work for wrong, and one of the tools listed the new widget and choices of blue glows around those sort of tasks – the F-Spot image in the launch menu to fix it desktop folder viewer, Plasma active windows and the editor makes a lot more sense. doesn’t work (KRandRTray). We would crash and reset its authentication window appearing received a package error trying position back to the bottom-right behind the main window when We live for the One… to install the official version of corner. Add to this the confusion you enter a password, and you Canonical provides services to go with Chromium, and every time we of six boot entries within two get a pretty poor user experience. Ubuntu, like Ubuntu One. At its simplest this is an online storage service, with alternative to Synaptic. In 10.04 it is networking services or post to 2GB of storage for free, or 50GB if you much better, showing software microblogging services. Every desktop take out a subscription for $10 per organised by categories and a ‘featured and distro seems to be proclaiming month. Ubuntu One is more than a applications’ section. Application improved social networking this year, DropBox clone though, as you can descriptions include a screenshot and a and the Me menu helps with that. Once attach several computers to an account link to the program’s website, making it you have set up accounts in here, they so that the directories you sync with the Paul a slick package manager. Synaptic is also appear in Gwibber, although that is service have the same contents on all of says... still present, and has some advantages accessed from the Email icon on the them. Contacts and bookmarks can be like being able to see the contents of a status bar for some reason. kept in sync across your computers, “Since installing package (although die-hards use dpkg Ubuntu has made much of its fast Lucid I’ve had and the list of options is likely to for that), but for most the Software boot speeds, with Lucid claimed to be several apps increase as support is added in other Centre is the more useful option, faster than ever. Comparing the time crash, I’ve been applications. There’s also support for asked questions especially as we can expect to see from boot to login screen on identically syncing contacts with mobile phones, about Grub when further developments. configured virtual machines, Lucid took but only in the paid-for service. performing two thirds of the time (14 seconds Ubuntu One is also linked to the simple updates, All change compared with 21 seconds for 9.10). Ubuntu Music Store. Any music you buy and I’m shocked Lucid Lynx is a Long Term Support LXF has often been accused of pro- is added to your Ubuntu One space and that it shipped release, which means that this release Ubuntu bias, but this reviewer has never downloaded to Rhythmbox the next with a Grub will be supported with updates for three been a fan. However, Lucid Lynx has time you sync, on as many instances of problem in years – twice the period for the other changed that. It’s fast, slick and really Kubuntu. This is Ubuntu as you want. releases (the server edition has support works as an integrated whole. Nothing a big step The Ubuntu Software Centre was for five years). With LTS releases to do with the lack of brown… LXF backwards!” introduced in 9.10, and was a poor coming every two years, this is a good choice for those who don’t want to be messing around with upgrades or Verdict reinstallations twice a year. LTS releases are usually a little more conservative in Ubuntu Desktop Edition 10.04 software choices, but this release is as Developer: Canonical Ltd big a jump between versions, in terms Web: www.ubuntu.com of the overall experience, as any of the Price: Free under multiple open source licences non-LTS releases. If you are an LTS user Features 9/10 and switching from the last such Performance 9/10 release, 8.04, everything will appear Ease of use 9/10 new or different. Documentation 8/10 While some distros and operating This release is a real step forward systems add My This and My That, for Ubuntu, especially in the eyes of Ubuntu now has the Me menu. Clicking those who have not chosen it before. on your username in the status bar Ubuntu now has its own dedicated software management, gives a menu where you can set your IM Rating 9/10 although Synaptic is still there for now. status, access various chat and social

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