Hello fellow of Cyberspace, the first 6 months of 2012 have been very busy for Canonical, since they have announced six releases for this year, I for one, I'm just going to concentrate on OS 12.04, so here we go.
This new version has an amount of changes can be seen as each package has had a special treatment to ensure stability and performance. I do not deny that a quick glance looks very similar to 11.10 but that is not how it goes in detail.
The first thing we find is with HUD or Head-Up Display. This novelty is designed for Unity (3D or 2D) and allows us to search the menu or active screen.
Now we also have support for several monitors in an integrated way which is very useful.
In addition there is a new video lens that works with local and online videos (it is compatible with Vimeo, YouTube, Amazon, TED, BBC iPlayer, etc.) Finally.
Some Unity configurations have been integrated in the System Configuration (GNOME Control Center), under "User Interface". They are available for Unity 3D and Unity 2D, however, since not all configurations work with both versions of Unity (for example, you can not change the size of the initiator icon for Unity 2D), only those supported for each version will be displayed. Of Unity. Many other aspects of Unity can be further adjusted using the CompizConfig Configuration Manager or some tools such as Deconfigurations, Ubuntu Tweak or MyUnity.
OSD notifications use the same blur and color as Dash: it is a very popular touch.
Ubuntu One has changed to a new Qt interface by default, replacing the old GTK version.
Now users can change the color of Dash.
A Show Desktop icon is available for the Unity initiator.
A new "initiator selector" has been added.
ALT + TAB switch per workspace (this is configurable and you can use an ALT + TAB switch of multiple work areas by unchecking the "Blas alt-tab to prefer Windows in the current graphics window" check box)
RC6 for Sandy Bridge has been enabled by default. This allows the GPU to enter a state of very low power consumption when the GPU is inactive
DNS resolution is now done through dnsmasq, which should help divide DNS VPNs and faster DNS resolution.
Improved compatibility with ClickPad
Quick lists for most of the default applications and for BFB (the Ubuntu button that opens Dash) Landscape, a systems management tool.
For compatibility with Debian, the Unix sudo group has changed from "admin" to "sudo"
HP will certify Ubuntu 12.04 LTS for its Proliant servers: HP has decided to back Linux, giving system administrators another flexible software option to take advantage of their current and future hardware.
These are the programs that we have pre-installed:
- Firefox 11.
- Thunderbird 11.0.
- Nautilus 3.4.1
- Gedit 3.4.1
- Ubuntu Software Center 5.2
- Leave Dup Backup Tool 22.0
- LibreOffice 3.5.2
- Shotwell 0.12.2
- Rhythmbox 2.96
- Totem 3.0.1
- Empathy 3.4.1
- Transmission 2.51
- Gwibber 3.4.0
- GNOME Control Center (System Settings) 3.4.1
- Unity 5.10 on top of GTK 3.4.1.
- Rhythmbox has returned for music.
- These are the programs that we will stop having in this version: Banshee, Tomboy and Gbrain.
Upgrade:
In April 2017, Ubuntu 12.04 LTS reached its end of life. For Ubuntu Advantage customers who can not upgrade to a newer version of Ubuntu Server, Canonical offers Ubuntu 12.04 ESM (Extended Security Maintenance). ESM provides continuous security solutions for the kernel and essential packages until April 2019.
