1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
|
Canonical has dropped the first beta release of its forthcoming Ubuntu 13.04, or Raring Ringtail, as the next version of Ubuntu is known.
While this release is still very much a beta, Ubuntu 13.04 is already showing promise, with numerous small, but very useful, usability tweaks planned for Ubuntu's Unity interface.
Assuming you've managed to get past the privacy fiascoes of last year and are comfortable with Canonical sending your data to Amazon and others (or choose to disable those features), Ubuntu 13.04 is shaping up to be a high water mark for Unity fans.
There's even some good news on the privacy front. In a <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity/+bug/1111808">bug report</a> about the location of the privacy notice in Unity, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says that the company plans to "make a very bold, clear way for you to turn on and off network queries across ALL scopes for any given session in the Dash." Shuttleworth likens the feature to the private browsing mode available in web browsers and goes on to say that users will be able to "configure the Home screen, including choice of scopes, and the behavior of individual scopes."
That's good news, though it could end up making the configuration experience slightly overwhelming since Canonical is planning to seriously ratchet-up the number of Unity scopes included by default, <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SmartScopes1304Spec">promising over 100 scopes</a> by the time 13.04 launches. The plan is to add popular web search tools -- think EBay, Yelp, IMDb and so on -- directly to the Dash, passing searches through Canonical's servers and then on to the data source.
As of this first beta though none of these things are actually part of Unity. The privacy panel still offers the same single option to toggle the Amazon lens and the bug Shuttleworth commented on is still marked "incomplete" with no one yet assigned to fix it.
So what is in the beta? A lot of little things that add up to a much better Unity experience.
Take the Mouse and Trackpad settings panel for instance. Canonical has added a few new options, but the best part about it is the new integrated testing tool. Want to make sure your third button is registering as a middle mouse click? Just test it right there in the panel. It's a small thing, but add it to the many others in the 13.04 beta and you have a much nicer, more polished overall experience.
Unity also gets a couple more customization possibilities, like an optional Launcher button to reveal the desktop and an option to remove the Workspaces button from the Launcher. By the time the final release rolls around the latter will be <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ayatana-design/+bug/868423">gone by default</a> so the customization will be to enable, not disable, Workspaces. But for now it can be disabled if you don't use Workspaces.
Other small new features include a refined set of icons for the Dash and an easy way to see Unity's plethora of keyboard shortcuts -- just hold down the Super key. Another nice new addition is an easier-to-see focus outline when switching apps with alt tab or looking for a particular window. Unity now outlines the window that's about to get focus with a red glow.
Right clicking an application in the Launcher will now bring up a list of open windows, giving those who prefer to use the mouse a quicker way to navigate between apps and windows.
The Software Updater app has received a slight design makeover that makes it a bit more user friendly by grouping updates into relevant sections. For example system updates fall under "Ubuntu Base" while Firefox gets its own section which, when expanded, reveals updates for both the browser and the Unity menu integration for Firefox.
As with any Ubuntu release the usual compliment of GNOME apps have been updated since Ubuntu 12.10 arrived last year. Firefox is currently at version 19; Libre Office has also been updated, as has Thunderbird and other bundled apps. Expect most of them to be updated again before 13.04 arrives in final form next month.
As with any Ubuntu beta, expect there to be bugs. I encountered some problems around the new right-click window lists in the Launcher and Libre Office crashed several times. But, that said, this is one of the more stable betas I've tested and the system never did crash during my testing. If you'd like to take it for a spin, head on over to the Canonical downloads page.
|
