The final release of Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat is here with a ton of improvements. I think, it's time to stop talking about the great strides Ubuntu 10.10 has made on the usability fronts and lets just concentrate on the things you need to do and you could do with the new Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat".

Update Repositories

Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" is finally released and it's clearly is a job well done. We have been covering different aspects of this Ubuntu release for the past few months and we are more than happy to inform that, Ubuntu 10.10 has surpassed our expectations.

Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" Released
Ubuntu is getting better with every new release and this 6 month release cycle is working perfectly well for Canonical and Ubuntu. There is a definitive sense of urgency which is so unlike any other Linux distro out there. And if Google Trends data is anything near accurate, Ubuntu might just become the first ever Linux distro to overcome the popularity of Linux itself.

What's New in Ubuntu 10.10?

Ubuntu Tweak is every newbie Ubuntu user's closest companion and we have already seen how Ubuntu Tweak is slowly evolving into one among the must have installation candidates for Ubuntu in our Ubuntu Tweak review. And with the new mockup UI, the next phase of development for Ubuntu Tweak has only started.

Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 Mockup UI

Ubuntu 10.10 final is released and we already had a massive post describing the different customizations possible with Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat. Now it's time for some wallpapers. Here is a quick collection of wallpapers for Ubuntu 10.10, mostly branded ones.

A month ago, Mark Shuttleworth announced a dedicated page for user contributed videos covering various aspects of the upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat". And similar to the user contributed Ubuntu Artwork wallpaper pool at Flickr, the movie section is also getting a lot of attention from the users. Here is a nice collection of videos from the original submissions.

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat release candidate is here and it's packed with a slew of new features. The amount of changes happening with Ubuntu lately is quite overwhelming. Here's a quick look through the improvements in the new Ubuntu 10.10 release candidate.

Ubuntu Software Center

Even the seemingly simple right click menu in Ubuntu Gnome is getting designer's attention. Has anybody noticed that, there are already about 20 or so entries in the right click menu of a folder in Nautilus? Somebody has. Take a look at this 'right click menu alternative' mockup.

Why do you need the alternative?
The right click menu in nautilus is growing. For example, right click menu of a typical folder in Nautilus have almost 20 entries. This can be quite annoying from a newbie user point of view. Someone who is not so familiar with shortcuts may find it really hard to do basic stuff like say, delete/copy a file/folder etc.

How it works?

'Attention to detail' or 'enhanced UI experience' are not the kind of terminologies normally used in the Linux world. At least, that is how it used to be. It's all changing now. KDE 4.0 is a typical example. Developers completely revamped KDE from scratch and gave it a uniform user friendly appearance. Canonical's flagship Ubuntu is the next candidate. A lot of changes already happening and a ton of innovations are in the pipeline.

Canonical's Huge Branding Makeover Started it all
As you all should remember, Ubuntu had a huge branding makeover prior to the release of Ubuntu 10.04 'Lucid Lynx'. That was the start. Project Ayatana was initiated and it became the collective project that houses user interface, design and interaction projects started by Canonical.

Filed under: Linux, Canonical, Beta

Ubuntu Software Center is something we all overlooked for long. Even while writing tutorials about installing different applications in this blog, I prefer to provide command line instructions only. But a lot of Ubuntu users are new comers and Software Center means a lot to them. Ubuntu is gradually waking up to this fact and have finally started focusing on bringing a lot of polish and usability to Software Center.

In my opinion Software Center is one among the most *important* applications in Ubuntu and its time that it's given its due attention. Lets explore a bit more on the changes that are happening with Ubuntu 10.10 Software Center.

'Where is it' Feature Was a Much Needed One

Ubuntu 10.10 'Maverick Meerkat' keeps changing. The latest updates include a brand new default wallpaper which I think looks horrible. The new changes also brings in a select number of wallpapers contributed by community which unlike their 'default' counterpart, looks beautiful. Meanwhile, you may also want to check out our collection of 10 handpicked Ubuntu 10.10 wallpapers from Ubuntu Artwork Pool.

Unfortunately, the above wallpaper is supposedly going to be the new Ubuntu 10.10 default wallpaper. But I seriously hope, when the final release comes out, they have a surprise in store for us in the form of a new default wallpaper. At least a modified one, please. I really hate those red spots!!

Community Contributed Wallpapers For Ubuntu 10.10

Microsoft Windows comes pre installed with hardware in most of the cases and hence a vast majority of Windows users probably have't ever seen Windows installer. But that is not the case with Ubuntu. Only a handful of manufacturers sell pre installed Ubuntu hardware and hence the need for down to earth simple and eyecandy Installer. Take a look at the proposed changes with Ubuntu 10.10 'Maverick Meerkat' Installer.

Objective Behind This Massive Ubuntu 10.10 Installer Revamp
The Ubuntu Live CD is the first experience many new users will have of Ubuntu. The installation experience should be attractive and effortless to reassure new users that Ubuntu is the right choice. The process should feel safe and should only highlight risk when necessary