Unity adds improved launcher, dash icons

Ubuntu 10.10's Unity interface has gained some new icons in an update tonight.

Three new launcher icons - for applications, places and trash respectively - are joined by category icons in the dash over-view.

Also noticeable in recent updates are a refined set of 'hover' effects.

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Btrfs won't be supported in Maverick

The 'next-gen' BTRFS file stystem will not be supported in Ubuntu 10.10. The work needed to provide its inclusion will not be completed in time and, as such, has been deferred to Ubuntu 11.04.

It was hoped that support for BTRFS as an option would be available in Maverick with Ubuntu Foundations team member Scott James Remnant suggesting some months ago that it could even be the default file-system.

Whilst this decision may be criticised by those excited by the option of BTRFS it was evidently a logical decision.

 Tip | Jeremy

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Chrome/ium themes for the new look Light themes in Ubuntu 10.10

The light themes have updated and now your Chrome theme looks a tad off colour. Fix it thanks to these two plucky people!

Ambiance

Easily the more popular of the two Light themes, Ambiance has seen a very nice upgrade for Ubuntu 10.10 so the following Chrome/ium theme is a must for those lovers of desktop consistency. The theme is the work of a user called cybolic to whom we heartily thank!

Download

Radiance
The deft hands over at Spanish linux blog El Soft Libre have created an Chrome/ium theme matching the newly-restyled Ubuntu radiance theme found in Ubuntu 10.10.

Download

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Help test Ubuntu 10.10 multi-touch

Are you a lucky soul in possession of a touchscreen toting laptop, netbook or desktop or even one of those new fangled multi-touch mouse or magictrack-pad? Either way you can help hone Ubuntu's new multi-touch support simply by running through some step-by-step tests.

Canonical's Ara Pulido posted the call for testers so if you're interested you should head over there for you'll find everything you need to do, click on and subscribe to in one place.

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Little things that matter: Installing non-free codecs in the Installer

Reader Alaukik spotted the following rewording of the non-free software disclimaer as he installed the latest Ubuntu 10.10 daily build. It changes the previously less-explanatory 'please offer me non-opensource software' to a paragraph of a more informative ilk. 

I love the fact that this option is there both for newcomers and seasoned Ubuntu-ites. It's one less thing to have to do on a fresh install. 

Image, spot | Alaukik

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Paid Apps section in Software Centre gets an icon

It's an icon with cash in it.

Brilliant.

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Ubuntu 10.10 installer installs whilst you fill in your info

The newly redesigned Ubuntu 10.10 installer just keeps getting better.

Reader Macey stopped by the OMG! Inbox! after taking the latest Maverick daily desktop CD for a spin and noticed something particularly neat about the installer: it saves you time!

“..download the latest Maverick daily desktop CD and you will see that the first question asked is about partitioning. This is so the system can go about copying to the hard drive whilst you are still finishing the other questions such as region, user name etc. Awesome”

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Snails, Dalmatians & plenty of grass: it's Ubuntu 10.10's new wallpapers (download)

The results of the Ubuntu Artwork selection process is over and 17 new photo wallpapers have been selected for inclusion in Ubuntu 10.10.

Download

https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/maverick/+source/ubuntu-wallpapers/0.31.5/+files/ubuntu-wallpapers_0.31.5.tar.gz

Thanks to Zach

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Ubuntu 10.10's new default wallpaper (for now at least)

It's evolution rather than revolution on the Ubuntu 10.10 default wallpaper front - but is the image below really the default wallpaper or will there yet be a surprise found waiting on the desktop at a later date?

Either way this is, for now at least, Ubuntu 10.10's new default wallpaper. Thoughts?

You can download this and the 17 other newly selected photo wallpapers for Ubuntu 10.10 here.

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More Software Centre additions: easily install add-ons, prep app purchasing

Further to our posts on the new look software centre for Ubuntu 10.10 and the introduction of a 'where is it?' feature to help users quickly locate their installed apps there are also a handful of other additions present.

Add-ons
Applications that also have add-ons available within the Software Centre (such as Firefox, Banshee & Rhythmbox) now list these underneath the item description like so: -

Payment, baby
Also now enabled by default are various bits and bobs pertaining to the introduction of paid software, namely the Ubuntu One 'sync' of previously purchased apps on a new machine.

Alongside which the 'buy' button has added some ellipses.

The 'where is it?' icons are now also a tad smaller

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Radiance gets updated for Maverick

Ubuntu design team member - and one of the many forces behind the latest Ubuntu Light Maverick themes - Andrea Cimitan has just blogged about the updated version of 'Radiance' for Ubuntu 10.10.

Stating that "Radiance shouldn’t feel like a different theme, but more like a brother/sister to Ambiance, exhibiting some brighter touches" the theme is nevertheless the perfect pastel foil to Ambiance's darker underpinnings.

Maverick users will find an update light-themes package waiting for them in update manager very shortly.

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Ubuntu 10.10 sound menu gets new buttons (at last!)

Some of you loathed them, some of you loved them but now they're gone. Yes, the Ubuntu 10.10 Sound Menu has finally introduced new player control icons that ditch the gaudy n' grey look of yesterday instead melt into the luxurious gradient of the new Maverick Beta theme. They look sumptuous!

These buttons are undeniably in keeping with the refined polished coat our soon-to-be born Meerkats is growing.

This update will trickle on down to Meerkat users later today.

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It's the little things that often matter: 'Organize desktop by name'

I don't need to pad this post out: In Ubuntu 10.10 you can 'organize desktop by name'. This replaces the previous wording of 'clean up by name' which, lets be fair, was a piece of potentially confusing terminology.

We'll all agree that this is not as grand a change as, say, new window buttons or a new photo manager but what it is is end-user considerate. 'Clean up' could easily have lead many users to assume that the trash can was involved somewhere along the line. Swapping it out for an easily understandable way of describing what the action does is not only more intelligible to those less familiar with computing but just plain sense.

Like the addition of 'Where is it?' in the Ubuntu 10.10 Software Centre this is yet another small but important change that makes the Ubuntu desktop a user-friendly not user-scary place to be.

Spot | Ridem

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"Where is it?" - Ubuntu 10.10 Software Centre now tells you where to find your newly installed app

It is often the little things that have the greatest impact and, as such, consider me thrilled to finally see the 'Where is it?' feature implemented into the Ubuntu Software Centre/Center for Ubuntu 10.10.

What is it?
A massive usability problem for many end users was installing an application via the Ubuntu Software Centre and being left clueless as to where to launch said app from. No more; the Software Centre in Ubuntu 10.10 now tells you exactly where to find an application after installation, a small but incredibly important addition in enhancing the Ubuntu experience for first-time/new users.

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Humanity icons get updated

With the UI and feature freeze just about to fall into place for Ubuntu 10.10 a few subtle changes to the default 'Humanity' icon set have landed - and just in time!

Unlike previous releases and/or updates to Humanity chances are you won't notice a dramatic shift in style. Instead this update brings many previously 'not-quite-right' icons into line whilst adding many more which were previously missing or not included.

There are new directional and toolbar buttons for Nautilus and, as you can spot below, a new 'home' icon: -

There are new icons for various hardware devices such as iPod touch, Motorola Droid & even the humble hard-drive.

There are literally hundreds more but most, as noted above, are updated rather than brand spanking new so expect differences to be subtle rather than shouting.

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Ubuntu fixes 100 paper-cuts for Maverick - Already!

A short, sharp and congratulatory post right now as news as reached my ear that  the100 paper cuts initiative for Maverick has hit its goal with a full, fat round 100 ‘cuts’ fixed and released.

Out of the 100 fixes 16 alone were fixed by Bilal ‘bug crusher’ Akhtar, a much championed Ubuntu contributor (and OMG! Ubuntu! IRC! regular so be sure to thank him if you stop by!)

The project is both a notable and important part of the Ubuntu development cycle with the sole aim of fixing small but oft-passed over as trivial bugs that impact on user experience.

As a wise old man* once said: a lot of small things make one awesome thing!

* Actually it was Benjamin who said it, but it sounds good.

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Meerkat's Software Centre gets a background...

Don't ever say we no longer keep you up-to-date with the trivial: The Ubuntu Software Centre in Ubuntu 10.10 now has a background!

Look nice, non? The background is also displayed when viewing more information on applications, which finally sees the "puke green" installation status bar replaced with a light pastel blue colour.

For comparisons sake here are some shots of the software centre in prior releases...

Lucid Lynx

Karmic Koala

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Ubuntu One has cool new features for Maverick

Ubuntu One has many changes and new features planned for release alongside Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat this October. These new features such as Windows syncing and improvements to speed might be just the thing users are after!

From their Roadmap wiki page, here's a preview of what's to come:

Mobile music streaming

• Store your music library in your personal cloud and stream to your mobile phone
• Works with iPhone and Android devices
• Uses Subsonic streaming technology - Visit www.subsonic.org for more information
• Premium feature for paid subscribers

Mobile contacts sync

• Refined log-in process to support Ubuntu Single Sign-On (SSO). No longer need a special username and password
• Updated look and feel
• Minor tweaks to the UI for better usability and more user feedback
• Updates coming soon to mobile app marketplaces

Enhanced sync performance - Speed improvements for...

• Regular sync activity such as enabling folders to sync
• Adding folders with lots of files
• First sync when adding a new computer

Windows file sync

• Addresses the needs of the many Ubuntu users who operate in a mixed platform environment of Ubuntu + Windows
• Will support syncing files between Windows desktops and your Ubuntu One personal cloud

Easier subscribe and login

• Redesigned the desktop application for subscribe and log-in
• Refined the interface for modifying Ubuntu One sync preferences and device management

Updated web dashboard

• Brings more of your important information to the front including how much of your capacity is used by files, notes, contacts and bookmarks
• Easier access to information about new features, setup instructions, and usage tips
• First phase recently released into production for all users

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Ginn - Forcing non-multitouch-aware applications to support multitouch in Ubuntu

With the release of Canonical’s uTouch framework providing Multi-touch support in Ubuntu 10.10 many of us have been wondering how everyday applications, those not designed for multi-touch per se but rather clicks and keyboard presses, will handle this.

Mohamed Ikbel Boulabiar stopped by the OMG! Mail box to share ace project he’s been working on that aims to address this…

“Applications which are non-multitouch-aware only recognize events which come from the keyboard and the mouse like key-presses and mouse clicks.” he began. “Last year in the LII-ENAC Lab in Toulouse, we were discussing on how to deal with advanced input devices handling and how to develop this inside operating systems like Linux.”

“One of the ideas is to consider the input as bricks which can be chained, modifying and enriching the information in each phase. And in the end of the chain, the input should take place in receivers, and
one of the methods is to inject them in a way the application can recognize easily.”

Enter Ginn, which stands for Gesture Injector: No-GEIS, No-GTK. Ginn is a daemon service which listens to ‘gestures’ from the uTouch stack and injects ‘common keypress events inside applications according to the predefined rules.’

Sounds good but does it work?

Below are two videos demonstrating the concept and showing what it is possible to do with the multitouch stack.

Evince

Inkscape

Catching the next Dbus

Ginn doesn't use DBus communication API facilities currently but support for this could easily be added later to get direct control on applications.

“It can be also useful for closed-source applications running on Linux as they will be forced to accept multitouch events even completely without detecting them”

Thanks to Mohamed Ikbel Boulabiar

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Messaging Menu support for Thunderbird is coming

The Narwhal may have only just gotten a name but it's already going to please users of Mozilla's 'Thunderbird' e-mail client: Messaging Menu integration is coming.

For the moment users wishing to get Thunderbird messaging menu integration can manually install this admittedly ace extension. This method is hardly taxing but it would be better if the extension was automatically added when a user installs Thunderbird.

Who do we have to thank for this over-due but oh-so-welcome addition? Ubuntu ace Chris Coulson who's keen to get an extension in tip-top condition ready to go in time for 11.01, stating on IRC that "thunderbird will be in the messaging indicator for sure next cycle". 

Thanks to the bug crusher extraordinaire ;)

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