By 
Apple announced OS X Snow Leopard at the end of August, Microsoft rolled out Windows 7 just two days ago, and now we’re 5 days away from Ubuntu 9.10. For those of you that don’t know, Ubuntu is a free open source Linux distribution. It’s powerful and is a great alternative to both Macintosh and Windows. If you are afraid it’s too complicated, don’t be. The installation is a simple 6 step process. The user interface is easy to use. Plus just about all the basic applications you’ll need are included!
So what’s new with version 9.10? A Lot. It offers encryption to better protect your files. It features the latest version of the GNOME interface. The Pidgin chat client has been replaced with Empathy. A file syncing service called Ubuntu One, similar to Dropbox, is included. There’s a lot of performance improvements when it comes to startup. It also uses a new Intel Video Card architecture, the new ext4 file system, and the GRUB 2 boot loader. There’s even better power management handling. So what does that mean for average consumers? It’s more compatible and much faster than ever before.
Ubuntu 9.10 also includes plenty of graphical improvements as well. There’s a new sharp looking login screen, new wallpapers, a new default color scheme, and cleaner looking icons. When you are done using your computer, it even has a clean animation for that! I’ve used the last few iterations of Ubuntu on netbooks, laptops, old desktops, and even in VirtualBox for the past few years. It’s a great OS whether you are a programmer, a geek, or just don’t want to spend the cash on Windows 7 or Snow Leopard. Plus it’s probably the most secure and it’s something unique to show off. If you are interested in giving Ubuntu 9.10 a shot, it will become available for download on October 29th, 2009.
P.S. If you can’t wait, the Release Candidate is already available for download here.
Links: Ubuntu.com | 9.10 Release Notes
