Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex – available this week!

The latest version of Ubutntu (Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy heron) that was released in April 2008 did not see huge changes or revolutions comparing to the previous version Gibbon. Ubuntu OS has now become stable and mature, more and more accessible to non-geek users. What was the main aim of Ubuntu has now been reached and Linux is not an obscure programmer stuff anymore. 

Well, I guess we still need to break all the stereotypes before it gets into the mind of all…

Thus, this last release is no surprise and confirms what we knew. However some big improvements and new technologies appear on the Linux core and on Gnome. But let’s check what is really new for basic users like me and let the expertise to the professionals or on Planet.Ubuntu!

1. The Network manager, improved and more reliable than before. Establishing an Internet connection was simple, it is even more now!
2. A Private directory , visible for the user only. That allow you to store private data without sharing it with the other users of the computer.
3. System cleaning, to make a bit of order in your thousand applications. Maybe not useful right after installation but after a year or two I am sure it will be great!
4. Quick search in Synaptics makes searching and installing new packages fast and easy! Isn’t it one of the great things about Ubuntu? Now it is even better!
5. A new default theme a bit different than the previous one; some like it, others hate it, I let you check the screenshots and make up your mind!

I could go on with all the new functionnalities of Ubuntu but I think that is already enough to convince the faw among you who would like to switch or who already did it! I will personnaly upgrade my Ubuntu 8.04 as soon as Ibex will be released!

We can only regreat that Open Office 3.0 will not be availabe with that realease though the RC2 is already available. The few other bugs and missing components of this release will be updated soon or even in the final realease on Thursday, so why not give it a try if you did not look into Linux until today?