The latest release of Ubuntu 11.04, the world’s most popular desktop Linux is out today. But, this is not just a one step forward update. No, it’s a giant leap to a new kind of Linux desktop thanks to its Unity desktop interface. Here’s what you need to know today about it.
First, as before, you can download Ubuntu 11.04 from the Web to your PC. In the next few weeks, you’ll also be able to run the Ubuntu 11.04 desktop from the cloud, but that’s not available yet. You can, however, give Ubuntu 11.04 server a try from the cloud today though.
Finally, you can also try Ubuntu 11.04 within Windows using Wubi. With this approach, you treat Ubuntu just as if it were a Windows application and run it within Windows. While this isn’t as fast as running Ubuntu as a native operating system or on a virtual machine, such as VirtualBox or VMware Player, it’s the easiest way for Windows users to give Ubuntu a try.
Most users though will want to download Ubuntu 11.04 and then use the operating system’s ISO image on a CD or a USB stick to either try it out or install it on their PC. If you use this way, you can install Ubuntu beside your existing operating system.
Last, but not least, if you’re already running Ubuntu, you can simply update your older version. I was able to upgrade my Ubuntu 10.10 without any trouble.
The new Ubuntu will run on any PC from the last ten-years. I’ve got it running on several PCs and laptops here at my office and it does great on even my no-name 2006 PC with a 2.8 GHz Pentium IV, one GB of RAM, and a 60 GB hard drive.
Once you have it up and running, you’re going to quickly notice that Ubuntu 11.04’s Unity interface doesn’t look a darn thing like any other desktop you’ve been using. That doesn’t mean it’s hard to use though. In fact, Unity is remarkably easy to use. I know for a fact some users are going to find it too easy to use. This is not an interface for people who like to get their hands dirty with the internal functions of their operating system.
As Jane Silber, CEO of Canonical, Ubuntu’s parent company, said in a statement “This release breaks new ground for Ubuntu by offering users a PC experience that is stylish and efficient. With this release Ubuntu will recruit an entirely new wave of users to free software. Ubuntu 11.04 is a high watermark for what has been achieved with open-source technologies for the every day computer user.” That’s exactly right. Ubuntu 11.04 is not so much for Linux experts as it is for new users.
This has been coming for some time. In 2008, Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu and the company behind it, Canonical, said he wanted the Linux desktop to go past the Mac desktop in ease of use. I’m not sure the Ubuntu team has done that with Unity, but they’ve come closer than I thought they would.
But yeah, in my experience, dual booting is the way to go if you must keep your old OS around. 
