Canonical Releases Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot
Canonical has released Ubuntu 11.10, code-named Oneiric Ocelot, for download.
The latest version is designed to deliver a consistent look and feel across laptops, desktops and netbooks thanks to an upgrade of the desktop shell Unity. 11.10 also includes improvements to the Ubuntu Software Center as well as Ubuntu One, that now supports music streaming to Android and iPhones via the personal Ubuntu One cloud.
Unity comes with a much needed refresh and begins to live up to previous expectations. Among the enhancements is 2D fall-back as well as the addition of lenses in Dash. Dash, which is the search interface in Ubuntu, now features four different lenses as subdivisions for search and target home, applications, files, and music. The music lens is tied to the Banshee music player and can play music files without actually opening Banshee separately. There is also instant access to Last.fm and the Amazon MP3 store.
Additionally, Ubuntu 11.10 includes the Deja Dup backup utility, which allows users to back up their local data to the Ubuntu One cloud free of charge. Mozilla's Thunderbird has become the default email client in Ubuntu, while Evolution is now an optional download.
Of course, the new lease is based on the Linux 3.0 kernel and employs an update to GNOME 3.2 as legacy desktop environment.
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Douglas Perry was a freelance writer for Tom's Hardware covering semiconductors, storage technology, quantum computing, and processor power delivery. He has authored several books and is currently an editor for The Oregonian/OregonLive.
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zacktheperson Canonical, oh why hath thou ruined Ubuntu 11.10 with an even more restrictive Unity GUI and locked down the classic gnome.Reply -
runswindows95 That would work. I just installed 11.10, and I don't like it at all. I might switch to Lubuntu or Kubuntu.Reply
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JeTJL Was rather difficult to find stuff (Apps) in 11.04 Hopefully dash might make it easier to find them.Reply
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runswindows95 Oh, that reminds me. You have to install the Package Manager. Why did they take that out?!Reply
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Prey Hopefully the next iteration of Ubuntu will revert back as everyone wants, My sys76 laptop will just keep 11.04 for a bit longer!Reply -
I'm not sure what everybody is whining about. If you want a classic gnome2-like experience, use Xubuntu. If you want Gnome-Shell, they have a package for it.Reply
I installed it yesterday hours after it came out, after a rough alpha and beta cycle, it actually turned out OK. It has good usability for power users, it's stable, and it doesn't get in the way. -
boris152 If you're looking for an Ubuntu-based distro with classic Gnome support, Linux Mint is the most popular. It's like being able to breath again after using Ubuntu.Reply -
amk-aka-Phantom Remove Unity, Ubuntu One, this new backup BS, install Gnome and it's ready to be used. Not that I'll upgrade from 10.10 on my netbook without any reason; but I'll be sure to play around with it on my desktop.Reply