Ubuntu to be more beautiful than Mac OS X?

A couple of weeks ago it was OSCON 2008, or the O’Reilly Open Source Convention. The conference website has details of the presentations and keynote speeches including one given by Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical Ltd and the Ubuntu OS.

During the conference Shuttleworth gave the Ubuntu development community the challenge to make the Ubuntu desktop more beautiful than Mac OS X. There is certainly no reason why an Open Source OS couldn’t meet this challenge, however Apple has always had the advantage of a closed platform which has made it much easier for them to support a consistent experience. As any user of Linux knows, making devices such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work hasn’t been easy in the past, and will be a problem to challenge Apple in user experience because of the vast number of devices a PC based OS needs to support.

Watch Shuttleworth’s key note speech below on software innovation and open source development in particular.



Posted by Jon 09.Aug.08 Desktop, News, Ubuntu Read more Comments (0)

Reviews of *buntu 7.10

The Lifehacker blog have a couple of posts reviewing the new features in Ubuntu and it’s cousins Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Edubuntu.

They take a screenshot tour of Ubuntu 7.10 through installation and some of it’s new or improved features, such as the now built in visual effects, easier support for multiple monitors and simple printer installation.

In another post they look at the new features in Ubuntu’s often forgotten spin-off distributions. This includes the better file manager and desktop search in Kubuntu, faster theme and better default apps in Xubuntu and the collaborative text editor and better add-on installation in Edubuntu. Take a look to see which is better for your needs.

Posted by Jon 20.Oct.07 Desktop, News, Server, Ubuntu Read more Comments (0)

Ubuntu 7.10 Released

After another 6 month development cycle, Ubuntu 7.10 (aka Gutsy Gibbon) has been released. You can read the press release here, or go straight to the downloads. If you are already using Ubuntu, then you’ll need to check out the upgrade instructions.

I expect the download speed will be a bit slow for the next couple of days so you’ll probably need some patience. I’ll be trying it out and blogging some instructions on both upgrading and installing Ubuntu and Kubuntu over the next couple of days.

Posted by Jon 18.Oct.07 Desktop, News, Server, Ubuntu Read more Comments (0)

Ubuntu 7.10 and the Ubuntu Open Week

The release of Ubuntu 7.10 (aka Gutsy Gibbon) is now only a few days away. It’s due to be released on the 18th October, but if you just can’t wait you can now download the Release Candidate to take a look. Some of the new features include:

Desktop

Server

Don’t forget to check out issue #5 of the Full Circle Magazine for more details on using Ubuntu 7.10.

To mark the release of version 7.10, the Ubuntu community is holding an Ubuntu Open Week between 22nd - 27th October. This will be include a number of online workshops to find out more on using Ubuntu desktop and server. Visit the Ubuntu Open Week community page for a timetable of events.

Posted by Jon 13.Oct.07 Desktop, News, Server, Ubuntu Read more Comments (0)