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Mark Shuttleworth talks Ubuntu 7.10

Tracker
Canonical is set to ship Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon on Thursday. The latest version of the popular Linux distribution packs a bunch of new features, including:
  • Integrated desktop search with Tracker
  • Streamlined Firefox add-on support
  • Read/write access to Windows partitions by default
  • 3D desktop effects are enabled by default on systems that meet the minimum requirements.
  • AppArmor security
  • Improved printer support (Shuttleworth says they're getting closer to being able to say that if your printer works with OS X it will work with Ubuntu)
Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth held a conference call with reporters today in advance of the October 18th release. The sound got a little funky during the Q & A portion, so here's a recording of Shuttleworth's presentation followed by a few notes from the Q & A.



First off, our favorite part of the audio clip is about 12 and a half minutes in, when Shuttleworth refers to 3D desktop effects as "bling."

A few other notes:
  • Canonical estimates that there are about 6 million Ubuntu users today.
  • A number of smaller internet companies have begun using Ubuntu Server as their backbone, including Joost.
The roadmap for Ubuntu 8.04 will be determined at the Ubuntu Development Summit in Boston later this month.

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

CiviballsI have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

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