Ubuntu 9.04 available now for download

Ubuntu is made available by Canonical for download on their website – in three editions.

 It is official. You can download the much anticipated Ubuntu 9.04 from the official site now. It comes in three editions – for Desktops, servers and netbooks.

The new version apparently offers a faster bootup (as fast as 25 seconds, as per the developers), support for Skype and Adobe Flash, cloud support, enhanced suspend and resume capabilities and faster switching between WiFi and 3G. It has OpenOffice 3.0 of Sun Microsystems which is a very good alternative for MS Office, and comes for free. It is not OS – dependent and saves your files in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages.

"We ask ourselves if we can improve the experience so that it becomes more like a phone ... effectively a 24-hour device," Ubuntu CEO Mark Shuttleworth claims. "We're seeing very-low-power devices on the horizon. I mean, is it possible for us to get to a point where the PC gets disposable and be fully productive?"

This tenth release of Ubuntu, also known as “Jaunty Jackalope”, is the first to support the ARM processor, which reminds me to talk about the netbook edition called Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix, the most feature-rich open platform for netbooks as the company claims. The Netbook Remix comes with faster boot speeds, and with a built-for-purpose interface that should make accessing your favourite applications and websites much easier.

Jane Silber, COO, Canonical, says, “The latest feature enhancements in Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix are particularly well suited to the requirements of netbook fans. Faster boot speeds, enhanced power-management features and easier switching between networks deliver the best netbook end-user experience available for download today.”

For the first time, users can download the complete Ubuntu Netbook Remix to a USB flash drive directly from Ubuntu.com. Users can then install and run Ubuntu Netbook Remix on a wide range of netbooks, and not be feared of compatibility issues as the OS is tested successfully with Acer Aspire One, Asus eee PC 1000 and Dell mini 9.

The company promises an enhanced user experience with more intuitive icons, consistent notifications across applications and numerous design changes that give the product more visual appeal.