So you've most likely already heard the news, but as of April 23'd the newest version of Ubuntu, Ubuntu 9.04 a.k.a. Jaunty Jackalope, has just been released. This new release promises faster boot times, more compatibility, and a quicker interface; all of which it delivers. It goes without saying, however, that as nice as it is Jaunty does have its downsides. Apparently they are using a new method of 3D rendering for the desktop effects that will speed things up, but this in turn has caused some graphics chipsets to be able to render any desktop effects. My laptop, unfortunately, uses one of those chipsets. For this reason I didn't keep Jaunty installed for a very long time. I did get a chance to test out some of its other features though, and I must say I am impressed.

The first thing I noticed upon my install was a MUCH quicker boot time. I am booting up in just under a minute when using Intrepid, and with Jaunty I booted in about 30 seconds! For a first impression, that was pretty sweet. What's more, Jaunty brings with it a pretty slick new login screen.


Pretty sexy, ain't it? It's definitely a step in a different direction than the skin tones of 8.10, but I kinda like it. If you don't, however, you can always go into the settings and change it later. The desktop interface basically the same though, but it does come with a few more themes than Intrepid. As for the official wallpaper... eh, it's ok.


I would have liked to see them use an animal theme in it like Hardy and Intrepid, but it's ok (I'm actually using one of the new Windows 7 wallpapers on my machine).

As for the other claims, more compatibility and higher security, I didn't get much testing because of the short time I kept it installed. Besides the graphics card, though, everything else worked just as well as Intrepid. It recognized everything I plugged into it and got the drivers.

So overall, 9.04 is a very good release, and aside from the problem I had with the graphics, it worked flawlessly. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't have one of the unsupported chipsets.

~Chaz D

What do you guys think? Anyone use it and have a different opinion?

My setup

Hey guys. So right now I'm just sitting here in my dorm room, thinking about doing stuff but not actually doing anything. I've decided that I'll post some stuff about my current computer set up!

So here's what I've got:



- Dell Inspiron 1525

From My Setup

This is what I'm using right now to type this up. I got this laptop for my graduation, and it's served me pretty well so far. Right now I've got it dual booting Ubuntu 8.10 and Windows 7 Beta.


- Dell Monitor

From My Setup

I've got a second monitor sitting on my desk, although its use is rather limited by the fact that it kinda sucks. The picture is not quite clear enough to read text on for a long time, but I do use it to control my music player (Zune player FTW!) and watch videos on while I do other things.


- Nokia N800

From My Setup

My first, and so far only, MID. It has proven to be fun to play with but overall it is too weak to do a lot of things smoothly, including browsing the web. I do use it to listen to music a lot though, and the dual SD card slots are VERY awesome. I've got an 8GB card internally and a 16GB card externally. I am looking at replacing it sometime (hopefully this year) with another MID/UMPC that will be more powerful, but still fit in my pocket.


- iGo Bluetooth Stowaway Keyboard

From My Setup

I use this with my N800 to type out long emails or IMing with my N800. Usually this follows me around in my pocket along with my N800.


- Logitech MX Revolution mouse

From My Setup

A friggin' sweet mouse. It retails for $100, but I got mine for $40 on amazon ;) I got it mainly to aid with 3D modeling, but it has proven to be helpful all around.


- Western Digital 1TB external hard drive

From My Setup

I just got this a few days ago, and I LOVE it! So far I've backed up my whole laptop, downloaded 30GB of podcasts and put 60GB of movies on there and it's not even CLOSE to being full!

That's the stuff I use all the time, and there are for sure some things I would love to have. So what do you think? Do you have any suggestions for future purchases? I'd like to see what you guys use too, so if you want to then go ahead and post your setup in the comments, or link to a post/site with it.


Gallery: My setup


God bless!
~Chaz