Canonical Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop Edition review

With the latest version of Ubuntu, 10.10, Canonical is focussing on making Linux operate better within the cloud and make it a more appealing platform for consumers and developers with the introduction of paid-for apps. It has also completely revamped its Netbook Edition, which we’ve reviewed by itself.

If you’ve used any of the recent versions of Ubuntu, there’s not that much different, on a first glance with 10.10. Minor upgrades have been made to the installation, so that the software can now download updates as it installs. This should help improve hardware compatibility and make sure that you don’t have to perform a massive update once the OS has installed. It’s pretty successful and our desktop PC (Core 2 Quad Q6700, 3GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 9800 graphics) was working flawlessly by the completion of the installation.

Although the desktop wallpaper has been updated, the user interface on the Desktop Edition remains very similar to previous versions of Ubuntu. A Taskbar at the bottom lets you switch between applications and Workspaces (virtual desktops), while the Menu bar at the top gives you quick access to Applications, Places and System settings. You can also put your favourite shortcuts at the top, so that you can quick-launch apps.

The main addition to this version of Ubuntu is the default inclusion of the Ubuntu One cloud service. This tool comes with 2GB of free online storage, but you can add 20GB more storage for $2.99 (around £1.90) a month, or $30 (around £19) a year.

Ubuntu One isn’t just simple online storage, though. It’s designed so that you can synchronise your data with the cloud, giving you online backup and access to it from everywhere in a similar way to Microsoft’s Windows Live Mesh. Using the Nautilus file manager, you can select any folder for automatic synchronisation with the cloud. A Windows version of the software is also available, so you can share documents automatically with your Microsoft-based desktop.

The automatic synchronisation is a great way to protect your important files. Should you need to, you can also access files directly from the website, and even upload new ones. Dropbox is the closest program currently available, although it has wider support with versions for Android, iPhone, Mac, Windows and Linux. However, without automatic folder synchronisation (you have to copy files to a set folder), it won’t automatically protect your documents. As such, Dropbox probably has a place alongside Ubuntu One for copying ad-hoc files between multiple systems.

Using the Ubuntu One preferences panel, you can also synchronise your contacts and Firefox bookmarks, too. There are also free Android and iPhone apps that synchronise contacts from your mobile to the cloud. That said, these phones will already synchronise your contacts with a Gmail account, which you can use in Ubuntu, so you may not need this feature.

One new feature to Ubuntu One is mobile music streaming to Android and iPhone. All music bought from the Ubuntu One music store (integrated into the Rhythmbox music player), can be streamed directly to your mobile phone. The service costs £3.99 (around £2.50) a month or $40 (around £25) a year.

We’re not convinced by this service, though. If you pay £10 a month you can get a lot more tracks with a Spotify account, while your own music is probably best served by downloading it directly to your handset.

Although the vast number of open source applications have been a strength of Linux, sometimes commercial applications are better at the job. Until now, getting commercial applications installed in Ubuntu have been a little tricky. With the new Ubuntu Software Centre, Canonical wants to change that.

Now, under the Get Software menu, there’s a For Purchase option. This lists commercial applications, all of which will install in the same easy way as all other Ubuntu applications. In other words, the Software Centre is turning into a kind of app store for Linux. As this review went live, there weren’t many paid-for applications available, but we expect this list to start growing. As it stands, the opportunity to get a wider range of applications simply, making Ubuntu a more attractive operating system for standard home users is a brilliant thing.

Ubuntu 10.10 isn’t a massive change from version 10.04, but the features it does introduce make it feel slicker and a more consumer-friendly choice. As it’s free and you can upgrade from the previous version without having to reinstall, there’s very little reason not to. Ubuntu remains our favourite Linux distribution and a great alternative if you don’t want Windows.