Anticipating Natty Narwhal
Let’s talk Ubuntu! Ubuntu is my favorite Linux distro, and it’s the favorite of my others, too. I’ve been running 10.10 Maverick Meerkat (Netbook Edition) on my new HP Mini netbook since mid-October. I like the nice, Unity overhaul of the GNOME desktop, perfected for netbooks. From menu bar to command prompt, Meerkat has been running very smoothly, no problems whatsoever.
But I’m already eagerly anticipating 11.04 Natty Narwhal, which will have an official release on April 28th, 2011. I’m sure you see a pattern there. 11 is the year, and .04 is the month. Ubuntu releases always come out in April and October.
An Ubuntu Developer Summit was held in Florida in late October, so work on Narwhal is well under way. What can us Ubuntu fans expect next April?
I found some speculative information on Launchpad’s Natty Narwhal blueprints page.
It seems pretty obvious that the Unity desktop will be used for this release, as well. But, as Ubuntu is a Linux distro, if you don’t like Unity or GNOME, you may switch it for KDE (but then, it’d be like Kubuntu!) and any particular desktop style you may want. The possibilities for user interface customization are nearly endless, but Unity is default, and it runs efficiently on netbooks. Consider that the netbook I’m running now has a very basic hardwired GPU with very little RAM, and an Intel Atom CPU using only 1 GB RAM. But Ubuntu also has excellent versions for desktops with much higher specs, and its server version is very popular as well. There will certainly be a 64-bit version of Narwhal, so if you’re running, say an Intel Core i7 960 3.2Ghz CPU, with 12 GB RAM, and ATI Radeon GPU with 4 GB, you can use a desktop 64-bit version and maybe use a more graphically intensive UI, if you so choose. Also, I would envy you greatly. I’ll be able to buy an Alienware PC in a few months, ha! Then, I’ll just have to give my partner a convincing excuse for my purchase. The stereotypical gender roles are usually reversed in my relationship.
I think I’m already writing the proposal for him in my head, now. ”Why I need a $5,000 PC, with a $150 Angel Beats keyboard from Japan“. Ah, but I digress.
There also appears to be a lot of Cloud server features being developed, I assume for the server version of Narwhal. A lot of new optional packages are being worked on, and there’ll be even more graphical enhancements. The blueprints page is constantly updated, so keep checking there for more news about what Ubuntu developers are working on.
There are usually a few alpha releases and a beta release publicly available prior to an official release, so if you want, check out Ubuntu’s official website in late March and early November for them. I personally would rather wait for the official release, though.
And, for people in the Toronto area, I can safely assume there’ll be a Narwhal launch party at linuxcaffe. I’ll probably be attending it.
Us Ubuntu fans have a lot to look forward to in April!
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Hi Kim! Interesting you mentioned wanting an Alienware PC. I just met a guy today who told me (or, rather his wife told me) he had an Alienware! I usually build my own desktops so I'm not up on AW specs. I'll have to run off and check 'em out. :)
@draggonblogger The Windows for Games reality is a harsh hurdle to get over since Linux gaming is still coming into its own. I'm not a gamer but I understand:)
What do you guys use on Ubuntu for email, contacts, and calendaring?
- spam
- offensive
- disagree
- off topic
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