Software
Ubuntu releases Hardy Heron
Yet another six months has passed and another Ubuntu Linux release is out the door. April 2008 signals the release of Ubuntu 8.04, or Hardy Heron, and follows the Feisty Fawn and Gutsy Gibbon releases of 2007 with the intention making Linux as desktop friendly as Windows or Mac OS X.
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In addition to the steady stream of updated free software libraries and applications, Hardy Heron has a number of new features aimed at improving the desktop and server experience.
People new to Linux can use Hardy to install Ubuntu directly from a Windows desktop using Wubi.
On the new desktop, PulseAudio gives more control over application sound and Xorg 7.3 is more flexible with support for dynamic screen configuration.
To bolster security and administration, PolicyKit is now integrated into the desktop allowing control over user permissions and administrative applications to be run as a user. Additional security is also provided by native AppArmor and SELinux support.
Administrators can also use the new Vinagre remote desktop client which replaces the traditional xvnc client.
Hardy's server enhancements include KVM (and management tools) now being a fully maintained option for virtualization, a quick option to install terminal services, integration with Active Directory, a new firewall, and iSCSI support.
Managing director of Sydney-based open source development and consulting firm Orbitec, David Peterson, said the release of Hardy Heron will bring Linux a lot closer to challenging Windows and Mac OS X on the desktop, not least because it is the next long-term support (LTS) release.
"With Dapper Drake [Ubuntu 6.06] the last LTS release, there was a lot of effort getting it running well, whereas the two others since were incremental releases," Peterson said, adding Ubuntu still has "a long way to travel" on the desktop as it is a moving target.
"The major challenges will be to continue to meet the more demanding expectations of desktop users [but] Ubuntu shines on stability and performance."
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