[Tech RDX] Ubuntu releases Precise Pangolin into the field

No Precise Pangolins were hurt during this satire.

Linux geeks and wildlife-lovers alike: as Firefox released its update, it seemed to coincide with Ubuntu launching it's twelfth iteration of its flagship OS. Named Precise Pangolin, 12.04 LTS (Long-Term Support) dishes out several improvements from the previous releases. Join us after the break, will ya?


So what's new in Ubuntu 12.04?

Unity HUD - well, haters gonna hate, but Unity's the default interface of Ubuntu 'til the end of time. Or until they release a breakthrough OS. Whichever comes first, I suppose. Highlight of this is the HUD, whose nifty search and predictive function is reminiscent of OS X's Spotlight

Keyboard commanders rejoice.

. Since we're in the topic of Unity, Gripers and swooners alike, huge improvements have been done on the UI. On the dash is the Video lens that lets you search video files, not only the ones stored in your local hard drive, but also online. Nifty feature, as you don't need to pop out that browser just to look for videos; just hit the Super key, type in, and results will show almost immediately. Sadly, Youtube doesn't count, only Youtube Shows and Youtube Movies. Here's to hoping.

Yeah, time to waste your time with NYAN CATZ once more.

Default music player - way back it was RhythmBox, then Banshee, and now back to RhythmBox. Must be the falling out between Canonical and Banshee (though largely because of this ambitious plan), but heck. RhythmBox still does the job well in the media player side.

Trackpad intuitiveness - Clickpad technology (found in Apple Macbooks and the Magic Trackpad) is still a bit rough on the edges in Ubuntu OSes, but support for such is here to stay. But yeah, still a wee bit rough.

Soon.

Ubuntu One - Ubuntu's own cloud storage gets minor improvements, with Dropbox-like selections on which folders you want to sync.

Other stuff - Software Center seems snappier, Libre Office is now the default office suite. Sad news for KDE fans, as this will be the last OS version Kubuntu will be supported.

For other tech-savvy stuff and gray areas, read the release notes here. To download, simply go here, and grab your copy via direct download or thru Bittorrent.

sources: [Ubuntu Home]
             [Ubuntu Fridge Blog]
             [Ars Technica]
             [Lifehacker]