Okay so it's not out yet but that hasn't stopped me from using it. It's currently installed on my desktop at work and my laptop at home. So what's it like, well it's like every iteration of Ubuntu pretty much exactly the same as the last one but better

What's the best thing about this version then? Well, I would say the fact that the whole system was up and running, all drivers installed customised to the way I like it within minutes and not once did I have to touch the command line! Everything either just worked or provided some easy method of getting it to work.

The new Clearlooks theme is amazing a great improvement over the classic clearlooks theme and better looking in my opinion than humanlooks the default Ubuntu theme. Also for the first time, tango has better embraced the desktop. I'm pretty fussy when it comes to how nice applications look and usually go to the trouble of adding custom tango icons to the GIMP and to OpenOffice, not any more however as they already come with Tango icons

Speaking of eye candy how easy is it to get Ubuntu 7.10 running with swish Compiz effects? It's so easy I didn't have to touch a thing, it was enabled by default for all those with nVidia cards. For my ATi laptop the process wasn't painful either and when the much anticipated version of the AIGLX supporting driver comes out it should be just as easy. For the time being you have to install xorg-glx. Ubuntu tells you it will automatically setup and select the new session for you next time you log in. It really is that simple!

Ubuntu also comes with some other nice improvements. The vastly overhauled Pidgin IM client now replaces Gaim which has also got lovely Tango like icons and is a pleasure to use thanks to the new de-cluttered interface. GIMP has some noticeable improvement like the new background select tool and some nice interface changes to make it even better to work with (no sign of layer effects yet however!). Themes, fonts and Menu's and Toolbars have all been merged into one Appearances panel which is a good improvement. The Deskbar applet now comes enabled by default along with the Tracker search tool which index's your computers files for faster file searching. I myself have never quite got used to using the Deskbar applet, it practice it sounds useful but I never seem to use it I already know where all my files are, if I want to search the net I open Firefox anyway and I lauch programs via the superbly organised Gnome menu.

It's such a joy to set up a system and get it running to your liking so quickly, I would say 7.10 is 98% setup to my likings, all I do is add a few programs, click a few buttons and it's ready. Ubuntu 7.10 feels like a big jump forward, most things just worked perfectly for me and with minimal effort, a good improvement and well worth the upgrade

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