Once known as “Linux for human beings,” now Ubuntu is simply “the third most popular operating system in the world.” It’s a free download, and a popular upgrade for people fed up with Microsoft Windows. I personally write stories, websites, and articles and play World of Warcraft in Ubuntu.
Now Ubuntu is heading towards the October, 2011, or 11.10 version, code-named “Oneiric Ocelot.” Oneiric means, “of or related to dreams or dreaming,” and with Ubuntu Oneiric Ocelot they’re dreaming of a cleaner, more elegant, and more functional Ubuntu desktop.
New Login Screen
While Ubuntu’s an incredibly modern and elegant operating system, for the last few versions of Ubuntu you wouldn’t have known it from the blocky and unprofessional login screen. That’s about to change, as Ubuntu Oneiric Ocelot is adopting the new LightDM system. It’s streamlined, beautiful and minimalist.
New Software Center
The Ubuntu Software Center is like the App Store for Ubuntu, with thousands of free games and apps and a selection of popular paid ones. Even Wiiware games like World of Goo have been featured in the Software Center — and it’s now getting an upgrade to match its high-profile status.
Where the original Software Center was a straightforward list of apps, the new one has an App Store-style landing page, complete with categories and featured apps. By default, games and apps are sorted by popularity, letting you jump straight to the good stuff first. Joey Sneddon of OMG! Ubuntu! has a closer look.
Upgraded Unity Menu
Unity is the new Ubuntu interface, introduced in Ubuntu 11.04 “Natty Narwhal.” I’ve written a tutorial for how to use it, but most of it’s so self-explanatory that you’ll pick it up as you go, like I did.
The new Unity Dash, or “Start menu,” was made easier to find and start up than before by making the button more obvious. New Unity “lenses” will let you search through things like apps, documents, and music albums. It’s still incredibly shiny and easy to use, and now it’s even more useful than before.
In case you can’t tell …
I’m a bit of an Ubuntu fan, and it’s exciting for me to see the developers making good time on the new version. As always, though, it comes with caveats: Upgrading to the new version might cause some things that you’re used to in Natty Narwhal to go unstable, especially if you try it out while it’s still in beta.
Try it out on a Live CD first, or look up its known issues to make sure that nothing you use will be adversely affected. I personally found that the web browser I use, Chromium, had slowed down inexplicably in the most recent beta. I filed a bug report, and you can help by doing so too if you like.
I wish the Ubuntu developers good luck in finding and fixing these last-minute bugs … and whatever operating system you choose to use, I hope you have fun with it!