Ubuntu 11.04 ‘Natty Narwhal’: The Final Countdown Begins

After months of breathless expectancy by Linux fans around the globe, Canonical's cutting-edge Ubuntu 11.04, or "Natty Narwhal," is slated to make its howling debut on the world's stage next Th.

Development of this newest release of the free Linux distribution has been watched more closely than has some other reading of the yawning source OS, it seems fair to articulate, oxyacetylene in too large character by a number of status quo-busting decisions successful by Canonical regarding the shape it would take.

"This release breaks young ground for Ubuntu by offering users a PC feel that is stylish and efficient," said Jane Silber, Chief operating officer of Rule. "With this release Ubuntu will recruit an entirely new-sprung wave of users to free software. Ubuntu 11.04 is a high watermark for what has been achieved with opened-seed technologies for the everyday reckoner user."

I've already looked at several of the features we can expect to see in the new release. Earlier this week, however, I had a chance to speak with Canonical's Gerry Carr about what's coming knock down the pike. Let's just allege this loss could well turn out to be the crippled-changer Canonical hopes it will represent.

All Eyes happening Unity

"What we're trying to do is offer a genuine alternative way for people to see their computer," Carr told me. "Sooner than play fascinate-up with proprietary operational systems, we want to give people a new way to use their PCs."

The software's new Ace interface is probably the most panoptical manifestation of that goal. Having first appeared in Ubuntu 10.10's Netbook Edition last fall, 1 is a multitouch-enabled alternative to early versions' traditional GNOME user interface that resembles the clutter-free look of umpteen mobile operating systems.

For older PCs, Ubuntu will automatically watch if the enclosed graphics card supports Unity. If it doesn't, the software will supply a "classic" experience or else–something users can also choose even if their hardware does support Unity.

For capable machines, withal, Integrity allows users to personalize their PC with free and paid apps in some respects that's very siamese to what's become standard in the smartphone and tablet arenas.

Indeed, "when we went into this effort, we looked around at citizenry's preferences," Carr explained. "Smartphones and tablets have been a huge hit–peculiarly how they use apps. Users want to choose their own apps and to progress to their own personal choices, and they want them to comprise easily discoverable."

Integrated Search

Another style in which Jaunty Narwhale differs from its predecessors is that search has been integrated directly into the main workings of the OS, giving users an easier way to breakthrough the files, folders and applications they want to work along.

To illustrate that difference, Carr contrasted Google Docs with Microsoft Windows.

Illustration: Chip Taylor

"With a Windows PC, the burden of organization is on you," he explained. "You take over to retrieve where you preserved your files, etc. You're the librarian of your own PC."

Google Docs makes that process easier, he noted, and "we've interpreted the concept and applied information technology across all files and folders and apps."

Exploitation Ubuntu's Dash feature, users need only enter few letters into the top search bar and it testament show a list in terms of those used today, yesterday and recently. If the user pot't remember the gens of a particular Indian file, for instance, they can simply search by category instead.

"It gets departed from the old files and folders concept," Carr explained. "That's still there, underneath, only an easier search process is overlaid connected top of it. You can reveal productiveness gains very apace."

A 'Not-interruptive Undergo'

A big part of the finish derriere Raffish Narwhale is to provide users with what Carr calls a "not-interruptive experience."

Whereas Microsoft Windows Panorama, for instance, "constantly interrupted you," he explains, Ubuntu aims to stay out of the user's way. Consequently, when a new email or Chirrup update arrives, for instance, a apprisal pops dormie in the top right of the screen, simply it's up to users to decide if they require to react or keep on operative.

The approach is actually borrowed from get-go player arcade games, Carr added. Specifically, in such games the player typically gets a "heads-up display" with key statistics like the bi of bullets left Oregon the number of opponents killed so furthest, simply without interrupting the lame in act as.

Along alike lines is Natty Narwhal's desegregation of the media musician into volume control, allowing users to DO things like bound off tracks or change albums, all from a sole place.

A Prevue for Businesses

For business sector users of Ubuntu, Carr views Natty Monodon monoceros as a encounter to get a preview of what's coming in the next Long Term Back up (LTS) version. Ubuntu 10.04 is the most Recent LTS edition, and the next one will come call at April 2020.

Though nearly will probably stay on 10.04, Natty Narwhal offers considerable benefits for businesses, he added. Keyboard shortcuts in the new release, for instance, are "incredibly utilizable."

In general, the changes made in Natty Narwhale are "really spontaneous," He explained, so "the learning curve is super minor." Cipher fundamental has changed connected Ubuntu's back end, either, so it will be more a matter of getting used to the new forepart.

Toward that end, in fact, another first base in Natty Narwhal is that Prescript will presently offer one-hour liberal trials of the software in the cloud.

It's always been bad sluttish to take Ubuntu and other Linux distributions for a free, no more-commitment test drive, but the new capacity–likely launching in early May, Carr aforesaid–leave make IT tied easier.

Ubuntu-Certified Hardware

There are, of track, myriad some other updates and improvements coming in Ubuntu 11.04 likewise, including ratings and reviews in the Ubuntu Software system Center and updates to both Ubuntu One and the server version of the software. Particularly useful for businesses, also, are Canonical's listings of server hardware that's been certified to work seamlessly with the software, Carr pointed out.

The list goes on and on. The bottom line, though, is that Natty Narwhale is arguably the Linux world's best effort so far to achieve distributed mainstream acceptance. Judging by what I've seen then far (check exterior our slideshow), I think it's going to be a winner.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/490682/ubuntu_1104_natty_narwhal_the_final_countdown_begins.html

Posted by: valdeztherplis.blogspot.com

Share this post