Ubuntu 9. 04 A Giant Leap Forward for Linux by Michael Swengel
Ubuntu 9. 04 Jaunty Jackalope " a unique distribution of Linux " has finally been released. It offers a huge pile of improvements over the last version Ubuntu 8. 10 Intrepid Ibex.
Most obvious for previous users of Ubuntu 8. 10 are the new notification pop ups. These now look more like the Growl alert plugin for Mac OS X. This alert system shows the user system events in a powerful attractive way. For example it will tell the user when the battery is getting low when there is new message if using Pidgin for internet messaging when new email arrives the like.
Ubuntu 9. 04 Jaunty also includes a better beefed up Xorg server. Xorg is what makes the display GUI work. It converts OS events into graphical events. This improvement features better stability powerful new options on the back end. By default the familiar control alt backspace command to restart the Xorg system has been turned off. The OS developers made this little change because too many people were pushing control alt backspace accidentally during normal use causing the user to lose what he was doing.
Version 9. 04 also includes an upgraded version of the GNOME desktop environment. This new desktop environment is mainly a bugfix release but also includes a few new features. My personal favorite is better integration with GNOME Do. GNOME Do is like QuickSilver for the Mac. It provides easy access to all your files programs the push of a couple of keys. Jaunty supports the "Docky" function of GNOME Do which creates a very capable powerful dock at the bottom of your screen. On this dock you can create quick launchers for your favorite programs or shortcuts to your files.
A glaring omission from Ubuntu 8. 10 is Open Office 3. 0. Open Office 3 was for some reason not included in the final release of 8. 10. Sure you could install it easily but that can be a pain for inexperienced users. Fortunately Ubuntu 9. 04 includes the latest version with many many new features.
As with previous releases Ubuntu 9. 04 includes all the basics.
It comes with an office suite Open Office 3 which is just as capable as Microsoft Office. You can play all of your music easily with the built in music player " or install your own.
Ubuntu's default browser is Firefox 3 the famous browser form Mozilla foundation. The system also includes advanced photo management tags sharing uploading sorting etc with F Spot Photo Manager. You even get impressive support for business activities like email conferencing file sharing the like.
Of course you are also free to install software at your own discretion. You are in no way limited to what is installed by default.
While no computer system is flawless you can't beat the price $0. 00
Michael Swengel is an avid writer writes on a wide range of topics including technology health faith. Check out his blog True Song Media truesongmedia. com Don't reprint this exact article. Instead reprint a free unique content version of this same article. Ubuntu 9. 04 A Giant Leap Forward for Linux
