Ubuntu 11.10 - Oneiric Ocelot - Has Been Released!

[H.O.D 0]

This is the second time that Canonical has scheduled an early release of the October edition of Ubuntu (Ubuntu 10.10 was released on 10th October). Earlier October releases were always in the last week of the month. But after 10.10, the latest version 11.10 has been released early. To be more precise, it was released yesterday, i.e. October 13, 2011. The new version has been named as Oneiric Ocelot and is now available for download from the official Ubuntu website. As I like downloading the latest Ubuntu releases and reviewing them, I downloaded a copy of this version as soon as it released, and here I am, giving my own little review of the OS.

Ubuntu 11.04 was the first release of Ubuntu which offered the "Unity" interface as the default desktop interface. It was an attempt to give users an easier way to access their most frequently used programs. But it was also a bit raw, and was not very convenient to use. There was an option to go back to the "classic" Ubuntu desktop, and I always used that option. I hardly used Unity at all. But Ubuntu 11.10 removes the option to go back to the classic Ubuntu desktop. Unity is now the default user interface, and the only other option is a 2D Unity interface, which is just a toned-down version for those people who do not have a proper graphics card installed in their systems. I wish the default desktop interface had been included this time as well, because the Unity interface is hardly perfect. Still, there is always the option to get the classic desktop through the repositories.

Talking about Unity, it has once again changed. Every release of Ubuntu displays a new Unity interface, and thankfully, it keeps getting better. This one is no different, and the new interface is quite smooth, although still not perfect. The new Linux 3.0 kernel is in use here, and the overall performance is not bad; yet it is not too impressive. I think Ubuntu has reached a stage where there is no immediate scope for further development. Users are hungry for more features but Canonical does not seem to be finding a suitable way to satisfy that hunger. Windows and Mac OS X are facing the same challenges as well (Windows is going through a major re-design with the "metro interface" and Mac OS X Lion has brought forward a new desktop interface based on the iPad) but compared to those two, Ubuntu is lacking in catching up.

That said, it would be unfair to say that the Unity interface is bad. It is quite useful to find the most frequently used apps, and once you get used to it, you might even like it a little. For me though, the classic Ubuntu desktop is fine, and I'm going to install it soon through the repositories!

As for what else is new in Ubuntu 11.10, the default email app is now Thunderbird. Evolution has been ditched. Also, the "Ubuntu" font has been sort of upgraded, and everything looks much nicer to read now. This is a definite plus point for Ubuntu. It is back on the road to becoming more user friendly.

Apart from that, there is not much new. I cannot go into the deep core changes because I do not want to talk about something that I don't know On the whole Ubuntu 11.10 is not something groundbreaking. It is good, and stable, and is worth a look for diehard Ubuntu fans. For new users of Ubuntu, Linux Mint is still the most friendliest Linux distro available. Unity might look friendly for sure, but it will take a while before getting used to it completely.

So if you are interested in taking a peek at the latest Ubuntu release, do download the Ocelot from the Ubuntu website!

[mahesh2k 0]

I just noticed that they have close, maximize and minimize buttons on some of the unity windows. Is there any chance that we can use alternate unity themes ? i mean to replace that type of annoyance. It could be just me but left hand side minimize, close stuff that is running on unity for quite some time. I am beginning to think that it is more of annoyance. I'm all for changing that behavior of the current unity desktop. Or maybe i have to simply switch to XFCE desktop. I think switching to xubuntu makes sense as we're more comfortable with the desktop compared to unity. I am all for design changes but some uncomfortable changes are not easy to tolerate. I am going to ask the same question in ubuntu forums. The reason is that i prefer simplistic desktop over shiny clutter. Another thing i noticed with unity desktop is that they have now a cloud service. This cloud service offers syncing of about 1GB of data. You know about unity ONE service ? that is the name for this file storage and backup service for ubuntu users. They're going to keep windows version of the same too. But not sure when that client is going to be released. I also noticed that since last few releases most of the linux distros are ditching OOO in favor of libre office. So it looks good for those who wish to switch from OOO. Moving to thunderbird is also a good move. Only thing i am worried about ubuntu is that the maintainers of the package are thinking in a weird way. For example sometimes they keep on changing some apps in the deafult installation. So if the users getting used to one and if they upgrade to the new version. Non-techie folks will find upgraded software with some learning curve. I can understand that techies can download the package they choose but non-techies rely on us for their get-used to app installation. In this situation i think canonical should think plenty of times before ditching the apps.

[manuleka 0]

looks good, downloading it now to try it out... but i never really tried the 11.04, only via LinuxMint 11

[H.O.D 0]

I just noticed that they have close, maximize and minimize buttons on some of the unity windows. Is there any chance that we can use alternate unity themes ?

I'm not sure about Unity themes because I didn't use Unity in 11.04, and I'm not planning to use it this time either! But most of the tweaks can be done using a tool called Ubuntu Tweak. If you haven't tried it yet you might want to take a look at it, although I'm not sure it is designed to tweak the Unity interface.

[manuleka 0]

i'm posting from a live 11.10 edition... it's looking great, i'm not fully convinced though with the interface, unfortunately i never got a chance to try out the 11.04 edition but reading from reviews and photos online they seem quite similar on the surface, and i guess i'm use to the fact that i'm use to the old standard style (Windows XP and Linux Mint) it's a big change though and a big call for this Unity theme, but it also has its' advantages with much simpler and easier accessibilitya recommendation for Windows Emigrants would be to start on LinuxMint which has most necessities for a standard Windows User readily available (especially with codecs and media applications) -off topici'm having a good think about installing 11.10... i think one of the main reasons is that Ubuntu Forum has some pretty active and prompt discussion boards

Edited October 14, 2011 by manuleka (see edit history)