New Ubuntu 8.04 LTS
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS was released about 2 months ago now, and i had some time to test it out. As an enthusiast of linux and Ubuntu for several years, i feel i have enough experience to say that this particular version is one of the most user-friendly and solid-working of the linux distros i have experienced to the day.
Built in with most needed programs for every-day use – for exception of proprietary codecs for some audio and video types of files (that can be easily downloaded within minutes from the package manager) – it is a powerful tool for most users right out-of-the-box.
In this latest version Canonical has implemented some great eye-candy material to the base version, on the previous versions the users installed it from Beryl or Compiz. They are now one thing only, named Compiz-Fusion, shipped in the base install, ready to use.
If you think Vista eye candy or Mac stylish windows effects and Dock is cool, take a look at the potencial of Ubuntu eye-candy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxfSwzhSn1c
I have been using 8.04 since the alpha version, but only now i feel like i can talk about it`s quality without doubts. I have tried it in all my machines without a single problem, and they are quite different types of hardware and processing capabilities. I have installed it on an ASUS EEEPC Laptop, on a MacBook Black, and on my desktop, a Core2Duo 2,66 with 4Gb ram and Nvidia 8600 video. They all ran Ubuntu smoothly.
In this version of Ubuntu, Canonical once again releases a LTS system, wich means it has a Long Term Support, three years support for the Desktop edition and five years support for the server edition. In practice, it means that you will have a stable and up-to-date system for this period with constant updates and fixes and at the end of this period another version shall be released with LTS also.
If someone is interested in more info on ubuntu , you can visit their site at www.ubuntu.com and download the latest version, read about it and visit the well documented wikis and forums. I am also getting a tutorial ready on how to install it on the EEEPC, both on an external media and on the internal SSD. If you have any questions or doubts about it, please feel free to ask me.
Give it a try, you won`t change it for nothing!
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