Yet another major Ubuntu release is on the anvil. It is called Ubuntu 9.10 codenamed Karmic Koala. There is nothing really to get excited about this new release to be frank. And probably no major changes to the user interface. Canonical had promised major changes to the UI for Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron, but even after two more major releases now, no upgrades have shown up yet. Lets take a look at the list of changes with this new Karmic release.
Ubuntu One File Sharing Service
- Ubuntu Karmic Koala comes with Ubuntu one file sharing service as default. Ubuntu one is a file synchronisation service and also a network storage service.
New Community Contributed Themes
- A bunch of new community contributed thems are also on the way and hopefully will make its cut into new Ubuntu Karmic. They include four really good themes and two icon sets.
Grub 2 by Default
- Grub 2 is completely rewritten from scratch, includes a lot of improvements like cross-platform installation which allows for installing Grub from a different architecture, portability for various architectures etc.
- Grub 2 is the default boot loader for new installations of Karmic, replacing the previous Grub Legacy boot loader. Existing systems will not be upgraded to GRUB 2 at this time, as automatically reinstalling the boot loader is an inherently risky operation.
New GNOME
- Gnome 2.28 will come as default and you could even get a chance to test Gnome 3 in Ubuntu Karmic. Here is a quick preview on what actually Gnome 3 would be like. (pretty nice). [ Video Courtesy: Gotbletu ]
New Login Window
- New 'not that bad' login window. It may not look exactly like this, but this will give you an abstract idea. You may also want to check out 20 other exceptional looking GDM themes available out there.
[screen shot courtesy: OMGUbuntu ]
New Splash Screen
- A lot improved splash screen.
Better Looking Networking Manager
- Small changes like these does matter. What do you think.
Empathy as the default IM Client
- IM Client Empathy is going to replace Pidgin as the default IM Client for Ubuntu 9.10. There is a lot of discussion going around on this change, but i think it is not a bad decision after all.
New Linux Kernel
- The newest Linux Kernel 2.6.31 will be included in which even constitutes USB 3.0 support (WOW!) and a whole lot of other improvements.
Faster Boot Times
- New Ubuntu Karmic comes with still faster boot times. That is a welcome development and lets hope, sooner than later, boot time will reach sub 10 second levels. In my case boot up time is an atrocious 40-45 seconds now.
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I've tried GNOME Shell and I love it!
I also use GNOME Do.
Having both of them let's me switch between applications and run them with much less clicks or hands/mouse moves. And it feels comfortable to do what I want. It does not stand between me and what I wanna do.
I'd recommend GNOME Shell + GNOME Do to everyone. Give it a try.
The new GDM you mentioned is a mockup from a month ago, not a screenshot. As of this post, it has yet to be implemented.
Actually i have mentioned that in the post above. Thanks for your comment anyway :-)
On 904 sound it a bloddy mess. Pulse, Alsa, Native access. Sometime Flash sound works, then breaks Skype. Skype breaks VoiP. Roulette is more predictable and a tax form more user friendly than Ubuntu sound setting. I don't need a system that leaves all the cogs and levers open and requires an engineering phd to operate.
Just like you start your entry, cosmetics apart, there is not so much new in the upcoming 9.10. Splash-screens, wallpapers and themes can hardly be called something to take note of.
A new kernel is normal in a new release and boot times are not so important as Linux boxes tend be be running for days on end, but moving to Grub2 is a nice touch.
The codecs are still not part of the distro, which leaves Ubuntu trailing Mint w.r.t. it being userfriendly. I cannot understand why they are left out, and the very first thing you have to do is to install them. Why not put them on the distro right from the start. Just try to give a demo of Ubuntu during a computer fair with no internet available using the Live CD and then with the Mint Live CD and try to show some multimedia stuff like playing a mp4.
I fear that Gnome 3 will end up on the same route as KDE4. I left KDE for Gnome because KDE4 is just to much graphical annoyances on the desktop, heavier on memory and many application are even now still buggy. If Gnome 3 follows in KDE4's footsteps there will be a bright future ahead for LXDE and XFCE if Gnome users have problems migrating to G3.
I believe Ubuntu is not shipped with codecs due to legal issues. If Ubuntu had the rights to publish the codecs they could, but they don't.
If you go to the Ubuntu Shop, you can buy the Codec Package from Ubuntu which is quite expensive for what the codecs are. This, to my thinking was and is, a cynical marketing ploy by Ubuntu to get some money out of us in order for us to watch a movie or play MP3 music - that we had already got anyway on either CD's or DVD's bought from a shop!
We don't have this problem on a DVD Player, or on Windows. So why stall over codecs supplied elsewhere? If we are playing a Movie DVD or MP3 music track there is no blocking of the item on our G3 Cellphones or MP3/4 players! Hugo
"We don't have this problem on a DVD Player, or on Windows."
That's technically untrue. Ever tried doing a clean install of windows? DVD codecs are not included. Part of the reason (note that I said "part") that windoze is so expensive is the fact that Microsoft has licensing deals with the companies responsible for the distribution. They've essentially bought the rights to distribute them. Same thing goes for Mac OS X...you're paying for the convenience of having media playback right out of the box.
Er - Yes? Many times have I have done a clean install of XP Professional. I've never found DVD Codecs to be missing as I live in the UK. Having a copy of XP Professional or Vista Ultimate gives you the right to listen to music, watch DVD's or any other media format as you've already paid for it through Windows versions you own. So my comment was not untrue. This may be different in the USA, but then, different laws are in operation in the USA. As I understand it, Europe and the UK (or Great Britain if you will) have this facility to be able to record, watch or listen to media they've already paid for via Windows or some other product.
Maybe you have used an installation disc that comes with your computer instead of the disc provided by microsoft. I have installed Windows XP professional from the UK, USA and the Netherlands and on all of them I needed to install a third party dvd codec.
It's not a marketing ploy. To be used legally, these codecs must be licensed, which costs money. The free (as in beer) codecs that most people use are not legal. When you buy Windows or OS X, the cost of these codecs in included in the cost of the operating system. Same thing when you buy a hardware DVD player.
That said, the codecs may very well be overpriced in the Ubuntu store - I don't know, I've never tried the legal ones myself :)
It IS a Marketing ploy if you live in the UK where codecs come as normal with a clean install of XP Professional or for that matter, Vista Ultimate - Factory Edition - (I used to put computers together). Codecs are not illegal in the UK or Europe if you already have a copy of Windows - they may be in the USA; but then people tend to abuse things in America - like when doing research in a University environment, instead of swotting up on facts and data for one's Masters, as we do in England, Americans prefer to cut and paste taking information from known authors and applying it to their own dissertations as though they 'learned' it, when in fact it was a straight copy! There is no such thing or person as a 'straight A student' in America!
I suggest you get back on topic and be respectful. None of us people who "tend to abuse things" are throwing ridiculous and absurd generalizations at others like you seem to be doing. I have no patience for prejudice in any form.
That is because those companies have bought the rights to use the codecs on all of their product(s). Ubuntu has not done this.
Boot time is increasingly important esp in the case of netbook OS penetration.
Whichever OS delivers InstantOn or Near-InstantOn experience will have a beachhead in the Netbook OS battle. :)
Unfortunately, a lot of benefits of upgrading is not stated when advertising one.
Almost all people could care less the amount of bugfixes, tweaking, optimizing, and small yet important changes that are made. There wouldn't be enough time and space to document all the benefits, so they present what they feel the user could most appreciate.
The 2.6.31 Kernel is a fairly bleeding-edge upgrade. The article also mentioned USB 3.0 support. which comes by having the 2.6.31 kernel, along with other important kernel updates.
I can honestly not understand why people are so particular about computers. If a car manufacturer came out with a slightly faster engine and put it in a new model, you wouldn't have critics all over it, saying you shouldn't buy it because there aren't enough improvements to warrant using it.
But it goes without saying that if something works for you, keep it that way.
If you want your codecs, install VLC. It plays practically everything.
And about KDE. The 4.0 release was early. However, it is more feature-rich, more standardized, and much much more functional than GNOME.
Oh, and have you guys got the Mono dependancy legal threat off your back yet? Didn't think so.
I use KDE 4.2.3 on my main pc, and it looks and does what I want. Something that's rather iffy in GNOME.
[quote]
Oh, and have you guys got the Mono dependancy legal threat off your back yet? Didn't think so.[/quote]
AFAIK Mono is shipped since a long time with previous Ubuntu distros.
Why drag in the US legislation for users in a non-US country. I feel not concerned at all by US laws. If something is on the distro, you use it, if it isn't you (illegally) install it (codecs, libdvdcss, ...). So what is your point?
Och BTW, if you run dual-boot, you do have a MS-license on your box, so Mono shouldn't pose any legal problems... ;-)
why, is it legal to distribute libdvdcss for linux in the US now?
The US is only a small part of the world. It is not because in a single country they have a hypocrite attitude by legally forbidding something and at the same time divulging on sites how to circumvent the law, https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats/PlayingDVDs that the rest of the world thinks alike.
Either it is restricted and it should be off-limits for all, or it is a broken/flawed law, and thus apply the codecs to the distro. That's why I like Mint - which is what Ubuntu should've been from the start
The US is a small part of the world, but it is a ridiculously litigious environment. Dismiss this fact at your peril.
Mint is a community distro. They don't have enough money for it to be worth anyone's time to sue them. Mark Shuttleworth, on the other hand, has a fortune at risk if Microsoft or anyone else decides to tie him up in litigation over offering codecs that would put Ubuntu in an awkward position with the American legal system. I find the process of downloading these things a waste of time as well, but I would do the same thing if I were in his shoes.
Most "older" distros (Slackware, Fedora, Debian, etc.) don't give you restricted codecs as a matter of PRINCIPLE, and promote free software alternatives. No one is owed restricted codecs in Linux. They're workarounds for a screwed up patent system and should be avoided as often as one can.
Hi,
I really wonder what the font and icon theme is in the picture of "Better Looking Networking Manager". The one that says "joey" as username. It's probably not a foss font but I want to give it a try. And those wireless and volume applet icons look just great. Can you tell me what those are. Thanks
Theme that is closely similar to the one in the screenshot here is Hanso. Wireless applet looks exactly like the one in the screenshot with Hanso theme. Check it out for yourself in the below link. :-)
http://ubuntumanual.org/posts/244/ubuntu-artwork-team-starts-delivering-...
I have to agree with the commenter before me. I've tried Gnome 3, and it just seems a step in the wrong direction. I require notifications from programs and a smooth environment. Gnome 3 as presented focuses on being slick but loses all of the established usability of Gnome. If that's the future, I may be forced to swap over to Xfce.
The new Ubuntu looks great
I like the improvements. especially the faster boot time. I'm very happy that they included new themes and icon set (personally I don't like the brown colour, blue is much better but that's me)
But about the gnome 3 mock-up I don't like it and I'm sure a lot of people will agree with me. i tested it on my machine but it wasn't it, it missed something, it was to static. If it will look and act like this i will switch to KDE (I like Gnome) maybe there will be a lot of changes (where I'm hoping for) it has to be more user friendly. I always liked gnome because its simple and nice.
changing pidgin was a smart move. I'm not saying pidgin is a bad Im but it misses a lot. for example sending files with pidgin is to slow. I used pidgin for years now and was pleased with it it did his job good. but now I'm testing empathy and i must say it looks great and works nice. empathy misses some little features like facebook chat. but i trust gnome that they will make a great IM.
You could do facebook chat with empathy in Ubuntu http://philliptweedie.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/facebook-chat-with-empath...
These commands did not work for me in the 9.10
Ugh! Facebook - No thank you!
The moment you write something on your page everyone knows what you said - not just the person you said it to! They should call Facebook 'How-De-Doody-Time' since the main aim seems to get everyone to be a friend of everyone else on the planet - and 'some people' (like the Teleban or Bin Laden you wouldn't want to meet let alone be friends with) you just don't want to be friends with!
terebyte1