Ubuntu 9.10, the final version and is known as Karmic Koala, is now ready for you to download people! Ubuntu 9.10 has nicer icons for everything. What’s interesting is that ext4 file system will be the default file system for Ubuntu 9.10, but if you upgrade Ubuntu 9.04 to the latest version, your file system is going to be ext3, still. Check out this Wikipedia link to see why ext4 file system is better than ext3 file system; ext4 file system is a preferable choice for Ubuntu developers.
Another new feature that is obvious when you first use Ubuntu 9.10 is its Ubuntu Software Center. Still, I prefer Synaptic and Aptitude to regulate my software (packages) on Ubuntu, but for someone who wants eye-candy software management utility, Ubuntu Software Center is going to satisfy you. Unfortunately, I found out that the default setting for Ubuntu Software Center appears to provide less software than Synaptic. This can be fix though, by going to Edit > Software Sources, you can add more software sources to get even more free software for your system.
Using wireless on Ubuntu 9.10 is cake. To get wireless working, you must go to System > Administration > Hardware Drivers to install and activate a driver for your wireless card. In my case, Ubuntu 9.10 found a driver and installed it onto my system without the need of manually doing the seeking and the downloading for a wireless card’s driver.
It appears to me that Ubuntu 9.10 is really fast when come to shutdown. It feels almost instantly! The startup time can be slow or fast as it’s depending on your system hardware.
Users who are new to Ubuntu may not know that Ubuntu does not install a firewall automatically, because Ubuntu is not running anything that has an open port (in theory it’s pretty safe). Still, I recommend you to go to Application > Ubuntu Software Center, and search for Firestarter or Guarddog. Installing Firestarter or Guarddog can help secure your Ubuntu 9.10 even more. For Ubuntu’s veterans, there is no need to say about firewall, because they know how to use Synaptic or Aptitude or Apt-get to get those firewall software. Guarddog is a little more confusing than Firestarter, but Guarddog is easier on you when you use two different types of network interfaces regularly. With that I mean when you are frequently switching between eth0 (ethernet network) and wlan0 (wireless network); with Guarddog, you only need to configure one set of firewall rules for all network interfaces, but with Firestarter you have to manually switch your network.
There is an option to spin down your hard disk when possible in Power Management Preferences. There is a lot more to Ubuntu, and it’s up to you to spend some time with Ubuntu to know the fun of it. Are you ready to probe for the stuffs that are underneath the hood of this bad boy? Get it at http://www.ubuntu.com/.
Vinh Nguyen
