(K)Ubuntu team has released (K)Ubuntu Feisty Herd 4 (alpha) today. The primary focus for Herd 4 was a mix of feature development and bug fixing. Some of the changes in Ubuntu Herd 4 includes:
- New version of Totem (2.17.91)
- New point release version of Nautilus and deskbar with bug fixes
- Migration assistant – to import documents and settings from their previous operating systems and convert them into their Ubuntu equivalents during a dual-boot installation.
- Double click on a media file for which you do not have the codec and you will be assisted with the process of installing the necessary codec.
- New Desktop Background image, and a Usplash image that has more ‘bling’
Some of the changes in Kubuntu Herd 4 includes:
- Adept has had another overhaul here, bringing new features, bug fixes, and probably the biggest and most wanted change, Universe and Multiverse repositories being enabled by default.
- Konqueror now allows installation of Flash 9 similar to the way other browsers do the installation.
- Kopete has been updated and upgraded
- The logout dialog has changed drastically from the previous layouts. Now the options are provided as large icons with identification text in a simple yet effective window.
- Logout fade – The new fade which can be noticed when logging out or shutting down and is totally different from previous releases. The new fade rolls down from the top and continues until the screen has a smoked look to it.
- Support for more laptop buttons
- If you use KNetworkManager (which is default since Herd3), then your Kontact/KMail will be aware about network presence and will not complain if you get disconnected from the network temporarily. It also will reconnect automatically when a network becomes available.
- The Kicker in Kubuntu Herd 4 has changed drastically over the previous default layouts, making it not only cleaner but a lot more functional. For one, there are now only 3 large icons to the left of the Kicker (KMenu, Show Desktop, and System Menu), a compact quick launcher (Konqueror, Kontact, Amarok, and Kopete), and the typical system tray.
- Apport is a crash handler for non-KDE applications and can report detail bug reports into the Ubuntu bug tracking system.
You can download Ubuntu Herd 4 from here and Kubuntu Herd 4 from here.
Some of the changes that I like in this release are:
Migration assistant – to import documents and settings from their previous operating systems and convert them into their Ubuntu equivalents during a dual-boot installation. This is pretty helpful for current users and also for new users. I’m not sure if migration assistant is included with Kubuntu. If not, I would like to see that in Kubuntu too.
Installing codec by double clicking media files. This is one of the most useful feature. (K)Ubuntu doesn’t install the important codecs by default. This might have kept some users from moving to Ubuntu from Windows or any other OS. The new feature should help them change their mind. This will also help the current user when they upgrade their system with fresh installation.
The logout dialog in Kubuntu. It’s more similar to Ubuntu now and much more pleasing than the old one. I saw the logout dialog change last week, but I wasn’t sure if Kubuntu changed it or one of the theme I was using changed it, so I didn’t write about it.