Ladies and gentlemen, dear Ubuntu users, after three alphas and two beta releases, we are pleased to announce that Ubuntu 11.04 is here, today (April 28th), available on mirrors worldwide (see the download links at the end of the article).
It is our greatest pleasure to introduce you guys to the highlights of Ubuntu 11.04, dubbed Natty Narwhal. It all began on August 17th, 2010, when Mark Shuttleworth announced the Natty Narwhal operating system, the next major release of the popular Ubuntu OS.
Ubuntu 11.04 is also the 14th release of the Ubuntu OS and it will be supported for 18 months on both desktops and servers.
Under the hood of Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal):
· Unity interface;
· GNOME 2.32.1;
· Linux kernel 2.6.38.3;
· X.Org 7.6;
· Xorg Server 1.10.1;
· Compiz Fusion 0.9.4;
· New artwork.
The Ubuntu 11.04 feature tour:
· Totally revamped desktop - much easier to use, with dock, powered by Unity;
· 17 new wallpapers - from various photographers around the world;
· Improved default theme - the default Ambiance theme has been once again improved;
· Reinvented scrollbar - No more scrollbars! A handle is displayed now, on mouse over, for the file manager;
· New office suite - LibreOffice replaced the old OpenOffice.org as the default office suite;
· New audio player - Banshee Media Player replaced Rhythmbox and it is now the default application for audio playback;
· Revamped Ubuntu Software Center - offers user reviews, better support to buy apps, and other enhancements;
· Revamped Indicator Applet - Volume control applet supports Banshee now, weather is now integrated, and much more;
· Next-gen web browser - Mozilla Firefox 4.0 is the default web browser and does a wonderful job;
· Built-in support for installing proprietary software - automatically, straight from the file manager;
· Ubuntu One Control Panel - integrated into Unity, the new Control Panel for Ubuntu One offers users a great control over their cloud account;
· Improved installer - allows users to upgrade their existing Ubuntu installation;
· Better support for iPhone - users can mount the iPhone's documents directory now;
· Support for multiarch - to install library packages of different architectures;
· ...and many more features for you to discover!
Included applications:
Accessories:
· Calculator 6.0.1 (an arithmetic, scientific or financial calculator);
· Character Map 2.32.1 (permits to insert special characters into documents);
· Baobab 2.32.0 (disk usage analyzer);
· Search for Files (default system search application);
· Gnome Screenshot 2.32.1 (saves images of your desktop or individual windows);
· Gnome Terminal 2.32.1 (allows you to use the command-line);
· Gedit 2.32.1 (a small and lightweight text editor with intuitive spell-checker);
· Tomboy 1.6.0 (desktop note-taking application).
· Shotwell 0.9.2 (photo manager, RAW importer and editor);
· LibreOffice Drawing 3.3.2 (drawings, logos, flow charts creator and editor);
· Simple Scan 2.32.0.1 (scan, copy and fax images).
Internet tools:
· Empathy 2.34.0 (multi-protocol instant messenger);
· Evolution Mail 2.32.2 (powerful e-mail client);
· Firefox 4.0 (the ever-popular web browser);
· Gwibber 3.0.0.1 (a microblogging client);
· Vinagre 2.30.3 (remote desktop viewer);
· Terminal Server Client 0.150 (rdesktop, vncviewer, wfica, xnest frontend);
· Transmission 2.13 (lightweight BitTorrent client).
Office tools:
· Dictionary 2.32.0 (a tool to search word definitions and spelling in an online dictionary);
· Evolution Mail and Calendar 2.32.2 (powerful e-mail client);
· LibreOffice Office Suite 3.3.2 (spreadsheet, presentation and word processor).
Sound and Video:
· Brasero 2.32.1 (CD/DVD burning application);
· Totem 2.32.0 (DVD-Video, DivX, XviD, WMV, MOV player);
· PiTiVi 0.13.5 (movie creator and editor);
· Banshee 2.0.0 (Last.fm, radio and music player/organizer);
· Sound Recorder 2.32.0 (audio recording tool).
System Administration Utilities:
· Computer Janitor 2.1.0 (a tool that removes obsolete files and cleans your system);
· Palimpsest Disk Utility 2.32.1 (disk drive management and configuration utility);
· Synaptic Package Manager 0.75.1 (install, remove and upgrade software packages);
· Ubuntu Software Center 4.0 (software installer/updater tool).
...and six entertaining games for all ages!
