Ubuntu 10.04 ... afterthoughts

For a change this isnt a tutorial of some sort. This is what I think about Ubuntu 10.04.

So, after a long wait, 10.04 released yesterday. Great news for all Ubuntu users this, because frankly this is the best Ubuntu release as yet. Not only did it trend on twitter, it trended more than Steve Jobs! :P

Anyway, the thing is, this is a giant leap for Linux. Ubuntu has now entered a territory where its become a really user friendly OS, not to mention the fact that, its dispelling a myth about Linux distros, the myth that all Linux distros are about geeks and nerds. Some might find this not a pleasing trend, but frankly, this can only mean bigger and better things. To be honest, I dont see Linux becoming a common man's OS unless it manages to draw the required attention. Making Ubuntu (since its already the most popular Linux distro) reach the forefront is just the first step in achieving that titanic feat.

So what has changed in 10.04? Well for starters its a lot more user-friendly. Its more social networking friendly, with custom applets etc. It supports a greater number of hardware and provides updates and support for a greater number of apps. Its definitely faster, although how-fast would depend on the user. But in short, its definitely faster than 9.10 (the previous release). The interface has changed completely and in my opinion, its gotten really slick! After the 9.10 release, there was a general outcry among users to stablise the next release. That has been done and more!

Before I conclude I would like to mention a few things. There were a few changes made earlier (changing of default search engine from Google to Yahoo! which has been 'undone' now, and the moving buttons to the left fiasco) which made me question Ubuntu's originality. Especially since Ubuntu is increasingly resembling the OSX. I hope my doubts are found to be untrue in the future. Ubuntu should progress and become popular but it should have its own identity as well.