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Introducing: Ubuntu 11.10
Code Name: Oneiric Ocelot
Release Date: October 13th 2011
INFO: The latest GNU/Linux release from Canonical
ONEIRIC
o·nei·ric   [oh-nahy-rik]
adjective
- of or pertaining to dreams.
OCELOT
oc·e·lot   [os-uh-lot]
noun
- a spotted leopardlike cat, Felis pardalis, ranging from Texas through South America: now greatly reduced in number and endangered in the U.S.
ThisIsTheCountdown!
What's New:
- Linux Kernel 3.0
Oneiric is going to be the 1st Ubuntu distro to ship with the new 3.0 Kernel! Some of the key new features include hardware support for things like Microsoft Kinect and AMD Fusion APUs as well as software things like Btrfs data scrubbing and defragmentation.
As always the best place to get the patch notes is over at Kernel Newbiews which both has a quick summary as well as details for those that want to dig into things!
Desktop:
- Refining the 3d Unity Interface
So the main goal for this release is to refine the user experience, and improve on the big jump Ubuntu made with 11.04 moving to Unity as their default user shell. This means bug fixes, some usability changes, and just general refinement on the way to Ubuntu 12.04 which is the next long term support, LTS, release.
To quote Mark Shuttleworth on Canonical's goal with Unity...
"Our goal with Unity is unprecedented ease of use, visual style and performance on the Linux desktop."
So to that end lets get right down to it, and see just what's been up in the Oneiric world for the past 6 months in terms of Unity.
- Search
As you can see Unity is still Unity, but upon a closer look you can definitely see somethings jump right out at you that weren't included in the 1st major desktop version in Ubuntu 11.04. Search has been refined and allows you to pick different lenses as well as different overall sources to search.
Think of this sort of moving away from the places that have been in Ubuntu for years and into something a little more refined with more options to suit a modern user's needs. Scopes are all the places you can pull data from, and the cool thing here is it can be both offline as well as online sources. The only prerequisites being able to produce categorized search results, describe a set of filters, and support the interface. I'll be honest I'm not exactly sure what will end up working at least online wise and what won't, but it's a neat idea being implemented. I'm sure it'll get more support as the feature rolls out for real in the final release.
Now to help sort of filter through all of your data you can find in your sources we have lenses. Different key words that can describe the file or folder you are looking for so you aren't scrolling through mounds of data to find exactly what you want. I mean that's the whole point of search to be honest. It also has built in Software center hooks so you can use the 5 star rating system to filter out applications.
Canonical have said they are working to add more sources and lenses and trying to refine the experience. One of the big things though is they want to keep it a system anyone in the world can use on their 1st attempt. Currently all of the original idea of places are being ported over, and eventually everything is just gonna be either a source or a category.
- The Dash
They moved the dashboard button from the top left now down to the unity bar itself in this release. Mainly this was to keep the top left corner free from everything but it's intended use which is the min/max/close buttons that were implemented in 11.04. Now you either click the dash button or if you are a shortcut user put your super key (windows/command key) to pull up the dash.
You can also tell they have just sort of spruced up the graphics, they've fiddled a little bit with the scroll bar, and the cash color adjusts based on your wallpaper to sort of a washed look. There are newer transitions and stuff too, and everything seems to be just as snappy if not more so than 11.04 which was a big complaint in 11.04. Maybe it's just my hardware box, but I felt a slight boost in terms of speed and overall dash responsiveness in the dash so far in 11.10.
One final thing is you can drag and drop files from the dash. Not a big thing, but it can come in handy on certain occasions.
- Other Desktop Changes
Another addition this go round is the a tweaking of the way alt-tab'ing workings. They've changed up the way the icons display, and how the highlighted icon shows what you'd be switching to by using the alt-tab. This is shown in the picture bellow.
Another controversial change is the hide of hiding the global menu by default until scrolled over. So the menu in the top left hand corner is just a grey part of the panel until scrolled over. It's not a big thing, but it's a slight usability change that you might lover or hate. I'll admit I'm rather indifferent.
There is also a fading aero snap effect now that creates a faded view of what your newly snapped project is gonna look like verses just an outline. This way actually shows the content inside to in a slightly faded view. This is still being worked on though, and could get pushed to the next release.
- Unity 2D
2D Unity is now being included in the default install of the desktop version of Ubuntu 11.10. You can run either 3D or 2D unity if capable, and if not 2D Unity is going to be the default fall back for hardware that doesn't meet the spec requirements for 3D Unity. I'll be honest even though I can run Unity 3D and normally do at one point during the Beta 3D Unity broke and I was forced to use 2D Unity until it was fixed. During that time my fondness for 2D Unity grew to the point now where I sort of prefer it over 3D unity. It's not as flashly or as technically advanced, but it seems to run a tad smoother without all of those crazy fancy transitions.
For those that want a slightly more technical breakdown read ahead. If not you can skip this paragraph. Unity 3D is a plugin for Compiz written mainly in C++ using an Open GL Tool Kit referred to as Nux. This allows for GPU hardware acceleration provided you have the right hardware. 2D Unity on the other hand is a collection of programs done in the QT framework using QML as the language. It also uses Metacity for it's window manager unlike Unity 3D which uses Compiz (this is only by default though as 2D can technically use Compiz or KWin for that matter).
- The Switch to Gnome 3
So one of the big changes in Ubuntu 11.10 is the fact that Ubuntu is finally making the switch from Gnome 2.3 to Gnome 3. Understand this just means backend Gnome, and Canonical isn't planning on going with Gnome Shell anytime soon. Unity is still the full driving force for Canonical at this point. Still the switch the Gnome 3 and full on GTK3 is a big one, and a much needed one seeing how Gnome 2 isn't really the focus anymore. So in terms of being up to date, and keeping up with the stream in terms of backend features as well bug fixes and the like this was a change coming.
The overall goal is to be parity with the latest Gnome release throughout the cycle, and then launch Ubuntu with Gnome 3.2 which just released at the very end of September. Your casual user won't really notice a big difference as Unity is still the main shell, but it's nice to see they finally got the switch over work done. It was a mass undertaking to say the least which was why they didn't get it done in 11.04.
LightDM: Changing Up the Login Screen
Another big change that was proposed and pondered about for 11.04 has finally gotten the go ahead for 11.10 which is changing of the login from GDM to LightDM. This change was done for a couple of reasons. 1stly the code base for GDM was like 50,000 lines, and LightDM is about 5,000 lines. This mean maintaining the code base should in theory be much easier, and take much less overall time. It also does not load any Gnome Libraries which speeds some things up.
Another big plus for the change is the fact that the backend is designed based on webkit. This allows for a ton of easy to do flexibility in drawing HTML logins. It makes this extremely themeable, and gone are the days of having to stare at a boring login screen without a lot of work to change things up.
Upon booting up you'll arrive at the new LightDM login screen which will look similar to the screen bellow.
You can easily login on one of your many accounts or click to roll in as a guest account if need be. You also can see the little gear which if clicked will allow you to choose different desktop options like say Unity 3d or Unity 2d. All in all it's functional, and seems slightly more intuitive. Plus I can't wait to see what sort of themes end up getting made for this as I like to customize stuff. Heck just replacing the default login wallpaper would be nice and easy to do now!
- Software Center Goes Next Gen
App Stores, Marketplaces, and Software Centers are all the rage these days. One might argue at Linux and Ubuntu in particular at least in terms of the desktop were blazing the trail years before say OSX Lion hit with it's integrated App Store or before MS decided Win 8 needed it's own marketplace. The Software Center has slowing been becoming the place to download all things Ubuntu, and they've been pushing the Synpatic Package Manager to the background.
With Oneiric Ocelot Canonical and the community decided it was time to do a big redesign to really push the Software Center to new heights. Consider this at least in terms of look as Software Center 2.0 as you may have it.
New design should help you find apps easier, understand what exactly it is you could be downloading, check out community reviews, see recommendations, and even sync your app list to the cloud if need be. The Software Center also has a new a new icon to go along with the rest of the redesign. It's definitely appears to be more modern in look and taste. Though it remains to be seen if it'll really be a big difference in terms of usage and getting things done.
- Another Ubuntu Release Means Another Installer Update
Another release means another installer complete with updated slides showing users the new features of Ubuntu 11.10, and maybe helping familiarize new comers to the OS on the features offered to the user. Things like the software center, and the round of preinstalled programs will be shown off in slides as the install takes place. Nothing new for a modern install, and pretty much stays the course from Ubuntu 11.04.
- Speaking of Default Apps
So speaking of what made it in Ubuntu 11.10 in terms of preinstalled apps we've got some new programs, some new versions of your old favorites, and some switch ups from one program to another in this release.
Web Browser!
Despite the debate it seems on basically every release now on what browser to go with Canonical like most Linux distros has stuck with Firefox for it's default install. Chrome(ium) always gets brought up as the counter point, but FF still rules the roost in this regard. Plus with Mozilla moving to a more Google like release schedule this means distros will always have a relatively new and up to date version of Firefox to ship with verses before when FF was on long cycles and got delayed meaning distros had to ship a new version of their OS with a rather old version of FF.
Firefox is being shipped in the form of 7 for the release with the updates obviously coming in the form of the update box/software center as the releases rolls on. So no worries about getting an older version of FF with this release as 7 is the most current stable release across all systems.
Office Suite
Libre Office will be the default Office Suite going forward. First appearing in Ubuntu 11.04 Libre in general has been a nice success in the FOSS world. Releases are getting out faster, more bugs are being fixed, and overall usability is much improved over the old Open Office post fork into Libre. 3.4 is the latest release going, and it's the release you'll see in Oneiric.
Music Player
Like Libre we had another switch last cycle and that was in the music player catagory. Banshee took over the reigns from Rythmbox, and it's keeping those reigns in Ubuntu 11.10. Version 2.2 which just released at the end of last month is going to be the version shipping with Oneiric.
You're getting your usually bag of bug fixes, and small updates. You also get improved native support for things like the Nook Color and the Motorola Atrix and the like. They also added in native support for the eMusic store to buy things. As if we didn't have enough music stores in the world already! LOL
A Loud Crack Is Heard: Thunderbird Comes
In a much debated move Evolution as the default e-mail client as been replaced now with Thunderbird from the Mozilla crew. If you've used Thunderbird before you know what to expect so it won't be a big change. Like Firefox Thunderbird is also shipping as version 7.0. There was some back and forth in whether this was a good change or not, but honestly I bet most GAFers just use web e-mail anyways unless they are at work. As long as I can access Gmail then well I'm good to go.
Deja Dup: New Backup Tool Installed By Default
The coolest addition to Ubuntu 11.10 sofware wise has to be Deja Dup. Think of this as Ubuntu's version of Time Machine preinstalled for all to use. The cool addition here is Deja Dup got full Ubuntu One integration. For that that don't know Ubuntu One is Canonical's own version of Dropbox preinstalled. With Deja Dup having Ubuntu One support if you pay for the larger storage you can just run your backups straight to the cloud without a need for an external hard drive. You also can fully encrypt your backup files if you are worried about that type of thing.
It's been debated about if it should be included by default, and as one developer at the Ubuntu Developer Summit for Oneiric put it...
"[It's an] Important thing to have if we want to go mainstream. This is a good time."
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gW5GTleldzA/TpMlZksae4I/AAAAAAAAAaI/XdlpyN2APGc/s640/deja-dup.png/IMG]
- [B][I]Papercuts: Bug Fix to the Max[/I][/B]
So a new project formed back during the Karmic Koala days and used in Natty Narwhal is back for this release. The essence of this project comes from the name called "The One Hundred Paper Cuts Project" which grew out of the [URL="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Ayatana"]Ayatana Project[/URL]. Just what is this?
"[I]Ayatana is a collective effort to improve the user experience of software in and for Ubuntu. It encompasses a number projects started by Canonical and is open for feedback, ideas and initiatives from the community. Activities reach from problem definition, research and conception to implementation.
The focus of the project is to improve the perception and presentation of information in the desktop, hence the name; the Buddhist term for a sense base or sense sphere. Specific areas of interest that take priority over everything else are: notifications, indicators, window management, launcher, places, settings and menus.[/I]
From this the Papercuts Project was designed to bug fix 100 usability issues in the desktop for each release the Papercuts Project was targeting. This should really please everyone, and especially the crowd that might feel Canonical focuses so much time on innovating and changing things up verses cleaning up what we already have. I just wish we got this project every release. I'll settle for every other release for now though! You can check out more about the[B] [URL="https://launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts"]Papercuts Project at the Launchpad site set up for this![/URL][/B]
- [B][I]Ocelots like to play on Servers too![/I][/B]
So as with every Ubuntu release Canonical also throws out a new version of Ubuntu server. While normally the desktop version of Ubuntu always gets the spotlight the Server version is no slouch. Oneiric is seeing a ton of small changes obviously and bug fixes, but the team like to point out 4 main changes.
[B][URL="http://cloud.ubuntu.com/2011/10/ubuntu-server-trenches-the-big-picture/"]Official Canonical Article on Ubuntu Server![/URL][/B]
Canonical put a small little interview/article on Ubuntu Server 11.10 with Robbie Williamson who is head of the Ubuntu Server Engineering Team. He said he likes to break it down into 4 main changes for Ubuntu 11.10 which you can see bellow...
[INDENT]1. Ubuntu Cloud Ubuntu Cloud is the name of the portfolio of cloud technologies that we offer. It is composed of two halves:
- Ubuntu Cloud Infrastructure, which is the successor of Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud, is a ready to deploy Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) based on OpenStack Diablo. It is making its official entry into Ubuntu 11.10
- Ubuntu Cloud Guest, which used to be called Jeos or UEC-image, is the Ubuntu Server image specially tailored for use in public or private cloud infrastructure.
2. Orchestra A collection of what we think are the best free software services for provisioning, deploying, hosting, managing, and orchestrating enterprise data center infrastructure services, by, with, and for the Ubuntu Server. Orchestra, enables users to quickly deploy a solution in the datacenter. Instead of manually setting up a complex network installation environment, users can leverage Orchestra to rapidly deploy new servers in production using the best open-source tools. The process is standardised and fully automated, minimising manual intervention and ensuring consistency. This is a direct response to all of our users whove been asking, and even begging, us to help them make doing multiple installs and deployments easier.
3. juju Juju is a service deployment and orchestration framework developed by Canonical and used to deploy and manage services both on bare-metal and in the cloud. Through the use of what we call charms, juju provides you with shareable, re-usable, and repeatable expressions of DevOps best practices. You can use them unmodified, or easily change and connect them to fit your needs. Deploying a charm is similar to installing a package on Ubuntu: ask for it and its there, remove it and its completely gone. Im pretty excited about this one because I feel were doing some real original thinking and innovation around solving real problems for users of the cloud.
4. ARM Ubuntu Server 11.10 will be the first release with support for the ARM architecture. Usually thought of as something used in embedded or mobile devices, the ARM architecture has advanced tremendously over recent years. Were now at a point where ARM processors are able to handle workloads traditionally done by Intel and AMD based servers. Canonical has a long history with ARM and the various partners around enabling Ubuntu on ARM devices. We were also one of the first members of the Linaro project, a not-for-profit software engineering company investing in core Linux software and tools for ARM SoCs. Over this past cycle, we worked closely with the Ubuntu ARM team, as well as ARM partners interested in the ARM server market, to produce a tech preview of Ubuntu Server for ARM. Our goal is to deliver a full blown server tuned OS for ARM in Ubuntu Server 12.04LTS, ready in time for the first official, production-ready ARM servers due to roll out in 2012.[/INDENT]
