If you have looked at Linux in the past couple of years you’ll undoubtedly have heard of Ubuntu Linux.

This distribution has gained in popularity at a rate never seen before, becoming one of the best-known and most downloaded versions of Linux.

On 19 April the latest release became available – version 7.04 – more usually referred to by its codename Feisty Fawn, or more commonly just Feisty. Ubuntu has a six-month cycle of release and follows the cycle of the Gnome desktop, the desktop software on which it’s based.

There are two variants of Ubuntu that use other desktops: Kubuntu, based on the main desktop rival KDE, and Xubuntu, based on the lightweight and simpler XFCE desktop. There is a third variant which is also based on Gnome: Edubuntu, which is aimed at schools and children. This month we will focus on the main Ubuntu distribution.

Ubuntu Linux has always concentrated on desktop use, both corporate and at home. Each release has extra features that have improved such use, and Feisty is no exception.

If you are a regular reader, you’ll have noticed that several post-installation steps have been needed to get a useful desktop up and running. Feisty has made this process about as simple as it can get. The new release will automatically download and install the necessary codecs to get mp3 playback, as well as most other multimedia codecs. A single click will pull in extras such as Adobe’s Flash player and Sun’s Java. We’ll examine these more closely later on.

Another new addition is Network Manager. There’s no surprise as to what it does, and it will also manage wireless networks so that you can connect to wired or wireless networks with minimal fuss. Under previous versions of Ubuntu only Wep encryption was directly supported; Network Manager adds the more useful WPA encryption too.

The attractive 3D desktop effects you may have seen, such as rotating images and transparent windows, were hoped to be a standard part of Feisty. This has been postponed until the next release (Gutsy Gibbon), but in the meantime an experimental option is available. Simply launch ‘Desktop Effects’ from the Preferences menu to enable them. For most people this will work fine, but be aware that it is an experimental feature.

Aside from the desktop, most applications are now at their latest versions, with Gnome 2.18, Openoffice.org 2.2, Firefox 2.0.0.3, Evolution 2.10.1 and f-spot 0.3.5. Underneath runs the newly released 2.6.20 Linux kernel, with gcc 4.1.2, glibc 2.5 and X.org 7.2. For those wanting server applications, Apache 2.2 and MySQL 5.0.38 are provided, along with other options.

Installation
As in previous releases, each version of Ubuntu comes with two CD-based installation methods: the Desktop CD and the Alternate Install CD. The Desktop CD boots directly into the desktop and lets you try Ubuntu before installing anything: everything runs from the CD and the hard drive is not changed. It includes a GUI installation program, which completes the process in just a few clicks. The Alternate Install CD is used only for installation: it uses a text-based set of screens and offers some advanced options, such as logical volume installation, that the Desktop CD does not. For most people the Desktop CD is the one to go for.

After booting the Desktop CD you’re presented with Feisty’s default desktop. The theme has been updated and polished a little since Edgy Eft (the previous release), although the overall look remains very similar. For those of you who are averse to brown, a change to a more typical blue appearance with the Clearlooks theme is just a couple of clicks away under the Preferences menu.

The installation program is easy to use, especially if you don’t want to set up or change partitions, as Ubuntu will take care of everything. New to Feisty is the Migrate Users option. If you have a copy of Microsoft Windows on the h ard drive, the program will search through your documents and settings and import them into Ubuntu. This includes all of your Firefox (or IE) settings, Documents and Music and Pictures folders. After everything has been installed you can either reboot into your new Ubuntu desktop or continue running from the CD.