Okay, so the new version of Ubuntu came out just a couple days ago…I had the time to mess with it today, and after about 4 hours of fun, I’ve got it all set up and totally customized to my liking. The install was pretty easy, once I realized that the nVidia drivers that ship don’t really support dual monitors. I was having tons of issues (no graphics on startup) but then I just unplugged one monitor, and it was smooth sailing! I was able to download and install the closed-source graphics drivers, and was back to enjoying my two-monitor setup in no time. Other than that annoying glitch I’ve encountered no technical issues at all.
Startup is noticeably smoother, and the new login screen is slick. I was really impressed by the new default visual look. For the first time since I’ve been using Ubuntu, the only visual element I changed right away was the background (and by the way, they include a lot of really nice ones in this release). The GTK theme, while still brown, is richer, darker, and much more elegant looking. The new icon theme also really adds to the visual appeal…it’s much more sophisticated than the old icon set. I love how the default tray icons for the volume, wifi, etc, are so minimalistic. Clean lines everywhere…it’s just great.
Performance-wise, it’s pretty much the same as Jaunty…reasonably snappy on my hardware, with some improvements on login speed.
I am really digging Empathy as the new instant messaging client over Pidgin…I love how integrated with the desktop it feels, and also how lightweight it is. The new Ubuntu Software Center is cool…and no doubt a boon for new users. It’s head-and-shoulders over the old “Add/Remove Programs” in my opinion. I’ll still be using Synaptic, of course, but the n00bs will really like how easy the Software Center is to use.
As something of a wannabe minimalist, I dig how minimal Ubuntu is out of the box in terms of its look and included apps, and I especially like how easy it is to configure it to work just how I want it to. The new GNOME and related apps are great, but I may still go back to Openbox, and with Ubuntu, it’s as easy as a few clicks.
Really, there’s not much else to say about the new Ubuntu. It’s solid, slick, functional, understated, elegant, and slightly less brown than before. Everything you want in an operating system.
