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Ubuntu 11.04 Released

7K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  ScaryBob 
#1 ·
I've had Ubuntu running on a 4-year old Compaq laptop since version 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) and have been upgrading regularly with every new release.

Version 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) has been released today and I will immediately upgrade. Especially curious to see how the new Unity desktop environment works compared to Gnome.
 
#2 ·
I haven't used Ubuntu for a little over 2 years now (I switched to Arch), but I am definitely curious to see the new developments with this release. The new desktop is quite a revamp from previous versions.

Did Wayland get included instead of X server as originally planned, or did that get scrapped for a later release?
 
#4 ·
Here's the first review of the official release version:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/software/366910/ubuntu-linux-11-04

I think the problems with Unity in the Alpha and Beta versions have been resolved, and anyone who has used the netbook version of Ubuntu is already familiar with Unity.

I like that they've finally done away with having a version for desktops/laptops and one for netbooks. Only one single release version makes sense.
 
#5 ·
not a linux guy

I have a livingroom laptop I have Ubuntu 10 on, its great I really like it. I read about the 11.04 release and using the update manager, the OS shows the upgrade as 10.10? I downloaded the .iso and can burn a disk but is there not an upgrade path? In the past couple of years with Ubuntu, I think it's awesome the way it does updates/upgrades. Maybe the upgrade code is not ready yet? Written on said laptop :D

TIA
 
#7 ·
I went with the WUBI install on my Win 7 machine to give 11.04 a spin.

Overall, it seems OK, but it's definitely going to take some getting used to. The interface seems to be a mix of Win 7 and OSX. Nothing is laid out the way it was, or even remotely close. However the "Search" feature has come in very handy.

Gotta hand it to them for going in a completely new direction. I think they're trying to form Ubuntu into it's own "Brand". Getting away from Gnome was probably a good step for that.
 
#8 ·
I use Ubuntu at work, and I did the jump to 11.04. Have to say it's different, and there is some getting used to to do. However, I've seen some irritating differences with the Unity desktop (not present with the Ubuntu Classic/Gnome one).

First, it's difficult to move a windows between screens (not workspaces), some will move, others will not (without any logic in between, as it may be the same window that didn't want to move initially).

Second, it's impossible to keep the web browser I had. I usually use Google Chrome as a browser (as it is faster and more stable than Firefox). However, with this new version, even when Chrome is set as my default browser, Firefox opens for links sent via instant messaging or email, which is definitely counter-productive.

Also, some applications have their menu bars at the top of the screen (à la MacOS X), and others in their window (à la Windows). And even better, some applications are not correctly positioned on the screen, as when I click on an element of the window, I actually have to click on the element before it.

Finally, the launch bar is a little difficult to getting a hold onto. It sometimes appears on the left of my desktop, others in the middle. At first, I had difficulty making it appear/disappear, but it's slowly coming in.

One thing is for sure. Ubuntu is going to change, and with all the feedback they're going to get with this release, they are going to improve on top of Unity, or scrap it altogether.
 
#9 ·
I've tried the Netbook Remix in the past, and the one thing I thought after trying it out was that this layout BEGGED for a touchscreen.

Now with this Unity version being released, and with inexpensive PC based tablets finally making their appearance, this could become the tablet based environment I've been seeking for a very long time.
 
#10 ·
Just installed it to an Atom dual core and my laptop.

The fix to use ice 1712 based audio cards (m-audio deltas) is finally in place. No more stupid configuration edit kludge work around. Though alsamixer is set to zero so the dac does work out of the box....pulse mixer still does not work with alsamixer correctly with the ice chipset configurations in alsa. So you have to go into alsamixer and set the volume up to make noises.

This will not get fixed because the alsa via chip drivers are the core problem.

Pulse audio is still trying to rate reset to a default 44100 all the time for the system sounds (even if you set to no sounds!). So it screws up everything unless you kill the stupid pulsed. (causes audio pops as the rate resets)

This shortcoming with the pulse server has been around since the beginning and causes inexperienced users endless grief when trying to transcode or record high bit rate audio! Essentially you have to disable the core sound pulse audio server to be able to do anything useful in the way of audio work.

What is really funny is the situation is exactly the same with the new Windows 7 drivers for M-audio devices. If you do not shut down the Windows directx based audio crap then it walks all over your rate settings the same way Linux does with pulse!

Overall the network functionality of Natty is way out in the stratosphere compared to any other OS. The configuration of network shares is outstanding. What is really interesting is the upcoming changes to vala and gnupnp core..device compatibility is going to be great. Essentially very soon it will be possible to stream dlna a/v of just about any content directly to a whole host of different devices. Considering the fact that most home entertainment devices run busy-box this should have happened in the beginning! But as usually companies like Sony and Samsung ignored the core of where they got the software and shot for nothing but the Windows, Xbox and PS3 users.

For instance Sony, LG, Panasonic and Samsung busy-box based TVs do not support OGG or god forbid WebM! So to use dlna with Natty you need to know how to set things up correctly.

To apply the dreaded ¨proprietary codecs¨ works the same as always.
a simple sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh will activate the use of dvdcss them after you install them.

There are some problems with sun-java programs that did work on 10.10
For instance calls to jars can be blocked because there have been some changes to the optional java library placements! So some java programs might not work any more...Serviio is pooched but ps3 media server still chugs away just for example.

Watch out for the video settings if you install Mythbuntu! It is very easy to mess things up and not recover without a dpkg re-install of xorg!

Overall if you know how to install things from the command line it is still very easy to create a smoking fast high definition media capable OS with Natty.

I am really impressed with the boot times and the responsiveness of the 2.6.38 series kernels and xorg has come a long way in the short time it has been around making OpenGl 2 and 3d drivers work with high end graphics.

Take for instance on my laptop which I just upgraded to Ubuntu Studio 11.04. It is a T42 IBM with radeon 7600 onboard and a pentium M 1700 core with 1.5 gig of ddr 2700 ram.

Not exactly a high end video or processor system...but with the new Xorg Ati Radeon drivers and the 2.6.38 kernel it will run dual screen. Laptop as the primary and dvi to hdmi cable from a docking station to our tv as the secondary. The secondary dvi to the tv will run at 1024 by 768 doing googleearth full screen spinning globe while surfing the net on the laptop screen!

So all and all Ubuntu is the most efficient operating system I have every seen. I would not even dream of trying to do this with any form of MS Windows...Heck it would not even run GoogleEarth on a separate screen when I first got it with XP on it!
 
#11 ·
Upgraded my laptop to Natty and I got to say it a memory hog! 1.2 Gb with just Firefox and Tomboy running in Classic mode! And that just one hour after a restart. I got plenty of Ram on that rig but my old desktop will remain on Maverick for a while! I may even have to nuke the laptop and go back to Maverick.
 
#14 ·
Running Natty since the release on the 28th and after giving Unity a spin, I'm going back to classic. Unity is nice eye-candy, but it defeats the purpose of a simple and clean desktop which I have with classic and Gnome 2.

Other than that, it's been very stable and very light on resources.
 
#15 ·
Hey Cyclism, if you don't mind me asking, how do you go back to the "classic"?

I love the speed of the latest update but I really don't like the new menu system. What I loved about the old one is the simplicity: a nice small menu system top left of the screen. I could drop more launch icons up there as needed.

Some programs aren't acting like they did before I upgraded. Both Pidgin and Tweetdeck can be set to "minimize on the x button" but the programs now shut down.

I'd love to go back to the old menu system from 2 weeks ago. Excuse my lack of the terms for each release, I just wiped my machine and put ubuntu on it in the last month...
 
#18 ·
Virtual Ubuntu

I gave this a spin on VirtualBox. Very impressive. It requires 128MB of video RAM and 3D acceleration to run the Unity desktop. It also requires a larger than default virtual disk. My only nitpick is the placement of the window icons, in the opposite corner from most other desktops.
 
#21 ·
Well I took the plunge and put 11.04 on my vintage Acer TravelMate. I gave up on 10.10 because I could not get the laptop screen to activate after a reboot and the wireless was problematic. I spent way too much time and tried all the tips here and at other places. Well 11.04 did the exact same thing. Video worked fine during install and reboots but as soon as the laptop was off and started again. Nothing. I could hear the chime and knew it was working and not frozen.

This time I decided to dig a little deeper on the internet and low and behold I found the answer. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Ubuntu that is. I have to press CTRL +ATL+F8 to get the logon screen to appear (which is the volume Fn on this laptop). Funny thing is if I have an external monitor that step is not required. Finally now I can focus on playing with my Ubuntu. :D

I did switch to Classic and it seems snappy for a 6 year old laptop.
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
For old hardware "Unity/Gnome 3" might not be the way to go. You may get a better performance boost out of a Xfce desktop like Xubuntu or Mint Debian Xfce edition. The added bonus is that if the direction that Unity and Gnome 3 are taking is not to your liking the Xfce desktop experience is really close to Gnome 2.32. That pretty much my fall back plan when Canonical phase out Ubuntu classic in favour of Unity 2d.
 
#24 ·
I seem to have hit a snag with my "Linux rollout". :) First off let me ask can I share a removable NTFS USB drive under 11.04? It does not complain so I assume the answer is yes. I am using the Classic interface.

I can see the share and have guest access enabled but it is not working.

Also who is "nobody"? Is that akin to anonymous?

Most articles talk about installing Samba but I was under the impression "Personal File Sharing" was built-in. I should not that "Personal File Sharing" dialog tell me the modules are not installed and the option is greyed out.
 
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