BY
Jack Wallen
Ubuntu 12.04 is almost here (April 26, 2012).
Canonical has some serious plans for its flagship platform, and Precise
Pangolin has both some big changes and some minor changes that will make a huge
difference in how people feel about Unity and the Linux desktop in general.
Although some of the major changes won’t be immediately apparent, some of the
minor ones will be quickly evident and worth examining.
Let’s take
a look at 10 of the features and changes I believe will make a big impact on
the way users view Ubuntu.
1: HUD
The Head-Up
Display, to me, is a big one simply because it integrates application menus
into the desktop UI. With an application open, hit the Alt key to bring up the
HUD. When the HUD is open, you can search your application menus based on
keywords. For example, if you have LibreOffice open, you can open the HUD, do a
search for Format, and all menu entries relating to Format will appear in
a list for you to select from. This means no more bouncing back and forth from
keyboard to mouse to poke through application menus.
2: New privacy tool
Because the
new iteration of Unity records all your recent history, the addition of a
privacy tool was necessary. With this tool you can determine exactly what Unity
records and what it doesn’t. You can turn recording off to completely disable
the feature or you can specify what files and applications it can record.
3: Launchbar
A few nice
touches to the Launchbar make a difference. The first is that the Launchbar can
now be set to auto-hide. When enabled, this gives Unity a bit more of a GNOME 3
look and feel. Another addition is the ability to resize icons. No more dealing
with the oversize icons that make the Launchbar look like a child’s toy. And
finally, the Launchbar is no longer set with the dodge window behavior. This
caused a lot of issues when interacting with certain applications. The default
behavior now is always on top.
4: Change to Unity Dash
The Unity
Dash’s default home screen has changed the order in which things appear. This
is not a huge change, but it will go a long way toward making Unity more
efficient. Now, the Dash shows Recent Apps first, Recent Files next, and
finally, Recent Downloads.
5: Quicklists
Although
Quicklists aren’t new, additional lists will be available. What is a Quicklist?
Simple. Quicklists allow you to right-click an icon in the Launcher and select
from options. For example, in the Google Chrome Quicklist, you can right-click
the icon and immediately open an incognito instance of Chrome. The new
Quicklists for Unity are the Dash Quicklist and the Home Folder Quicklist. The
Dash Quicklist includes Dash Home, Applications, Files and Folders, Music, and
Videos. The Home Folder Quicklist includes Documents, Downloads, Music, Video,
Open In New Window, Home Folder, and Unlock From Launcher.
6: Video Lens
Unity
Lenses enable you to easily organize items in the Unity Dash. If you open the
Video Lens, you can select and play videos from a variety of sources, such as
those from your local collection, YouTube movies, BBC iPlayer, and TED Talks. Open
the Lens, do a search, and click on the video you want to view. Simple.
Efficient.
7: Rhythmbox default
Banshee has
become plagued with problems. Because of this, Ubuntu is returning to Rhythmbox
as the default music player. Although there is a bigger issue (at least from
the perspective of Canonical), causing the removal of Banshee (more on that in
a bit), many users will be happy to use the less crash-prone Rhythmbox for
their music pleasure.
8: MyUnity
Ubuntu
Unity will finally include a configuration tool for the desktop. This
application was developed to provide full customization of Unity features,
including the Unity Launcher, Dash, Panel, Desk, and Font. This tool was
available for 11.04 and 11.10, but had to be installed from the Software Center.
Now, MyUnity will be installed and ready for configuration by default.
9: Mono-free
It’s been a
battle cry for some time now, but much of the Linux crowd will be pleased to
know that with the removal of Tomboy and Banshee, Ubuntu is now Mono-free. Why
is this important? Microsoft Patent Extortion. A patent deal was made between
Microsoft and Novell that involved Mono. Because of this, many in the Linux
community see Mono as proprietary software that should be relegated to the
non-free repositories. But it goes deeper than that. If you dig into the
verbiage of the agreement, you find that the only “safe” users of any
Mono-dependent software are Novell customers.
10: Trackpad support
This one
has been a long time coming. Owners of trackpads whose clickable button is
built into the surface can now enjoy support for their device. Most new
Synaptics trackpads are supported, as are Apple Macbook trackpads. Ubuntu 12.10
should also include support for Apple’s Magic Trackpads.
Better and better
The
improvements just keep on coming for Ubuntu. I can honestly say I haven’t been
this excited for a release of a distribution in a while. The HUD alone will be
worth the price of admission with Ubuntu 12.04 (although there is no price).
Canonical and Ubuntu are doing some incredible things with the Linux desktop.
Even if you’re a naysayer, give Precise Pangolin a go and see if it doesn’t
change your mind.
About Aurthor
A
writer for more than 12 years, Jack's primary focus is on the Linux operating
system and its effects on the open source and non-open source communities.
