Hardy Heron goes Live!
The latest version of Ubuntu is now available for download. Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron is said to be a cutting edge release incorporating a lot of updated applications and using the latest version of Firefox 3 Beta 5 is set to allow pretty good performance if you are browsing the web.
I’ve had the beta on my laptop for a couple of weeks and I think this is a good release. FF3 is nice and fast, opening almost instantly and as usual this release includes Ubuntu’s easy to use Package manager, updated to include many of the latest versions of the apps we all know and love.
After a clean install it was a breeze to get compiz fusion running. Simply open the appearance applet via System > Preferences > Appearance. Select the visual Effects tab and then select the Extra radio button. Ubuntu will then download and install the drivers you need. You’ll need to reboot and then go into the Appearance applet again and select the same radio button once more to enable. A bit tedious that last bit but a damn site easier than fiddling around with hardware managers and installing a load of apps.
You’ll want to install the compiz fusion settings manager using the Synaptic package manager (System > Administration > synaptic package manager) then you can use advanced desktop effects settings from the preferences menu to fine tune your desktop.
Codec installation is a breeze too. As soon as a media app tries to play something you don’t have a codec for, you get a prompt asking if you want to go find the right codec. A couple of clicks later (having read the relevant dialogs) you’ll be up and running able to watch anything you like.
No matter which distro I play with I always like coming back to Ubuntu, it just seems to work and it’s so easy to install new apps and keep up to date, if you mostly browse the web, IM your friends and send email, save yourself a ton of cash and ditch windows for Ubuntu (other Linux distro’s are available).
Tags: Hardy Heron, Ubuntu