Ubuntu Ready to Unleash Gutsy Gibbon

Formerly high-end or confusing features make their way down to the user-friendly level in Ubuntu's 7.10 release.

Ubuntu’s unusual naming scheme – an adjective and a noun, progressing alphabetically with every release – may raise eyebrows among those not yet familiar with it, but for the growing crowd of Ubuntu devotees, every goofy new name represents more goodies. And Ubuntu 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon, is no different.

The latest release, due out on Thursday, will sport a variety of new features that make it flashier and more user friendly. One major upgrade: Compiz Fusion will be enabled by default, bringing 3D effects to the desktop. In the past, Compiz was solely the domain of elite Linux users who had the skills to deal with install it on their own. Gutsy will also come with the latest GNOME 2.20 desktop environment.

New users should also be less boggled by drivers thanks to a new graphics configuration tool that will allows them to select which driver to use for their cards, and play with other settings. Printers will also be installed automatically – just plug them in and turn them on. Windows users will also have an easier time switching over, since Ubuntu can now read and write on NTFS partitions by default, meaning all the data accessible under a Windows install is now accessible through Ubuntu as well.

Ubuntu will officially release Gutsy Gibbon on Thursday, but for those that can’t wait, a release candidate is available now. Like most Linux distributions, Gutsy Gibbon will be available completely free of charge.