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Under the hood of Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala):
GNOME 2.28.1 desktop environment;
Linux kernel 2.6.31.1;
EXT4 filesystem;
X.Org 7.4;
X.Org server 1.6.4;
Mesa 3D DRI 7.6;
Compiz Fusion 0.8.4;
Xsplash 0.8.4;
New artwork.
The Ubuntu 9.10 feature tour:
Improved boot times - Once again, the boot speed has been improved through various modern tweaks;
New default filesystem - EXT4 is now the default file system for new installations;
New boot loader - GRUB 2 replaces GRUB Legacy to support EXT4 file systems;
New boot splash theme - Usplash has been revamped. It is slicker, better looking;
New X-based splash screen - Called Xsplash, it offers a beautiful, animated splash image before and after the login screen;
Home encryption - Yes! It's back and improved. It can be found on the installer's "Who are you?" step;
Revamped login screen - GDM (GNOME Display Manager) has a new skin (in tone with the new Xsplash), and has been greatly improved with lots of features;
20 new wallpapers - from various photographers around the world;
Cosmos wallpaper slideshow - includes 9 wallpapers with planets and stars that automatically change every 30 minutes;
Revamped Human theme - the default theme has a new window border and it now includes the Humanity icon set;
5 extra GNOME themes and one extra icon theme - Kin, Impression, Night Impression, Hanso and Turrican GTK themes, and the Breathe icon theme are all available from the default software repositories;
Easy access to numerous GNOME themes, icons, splash screens, login window themes and desktop wallpapers - By clicking the "Get more backgrounds online" and "Get more themes online" in the Appearance Preferences dialog, you will gain access to many wonderful themes for your GNOME desktop environment;
XZ compression - available in the default software repositories, the brand-new XZ high-compression algorithm offers smaller archives compared with current alternatives. It replaces LZMA;
Ubuntu One - enables users to store and share their files online. It can also synchronize their Tomboy notes and Evolution contacts;
Ubuntu Software Center - It replaces Add/Remove in order to make application management more user friendly. It offers better descriptions and screenshots for many programs. Installing applications has never been easier;
Better Computer Janitor - the system cleaner utility has a new interface and it's smarter when removing the cruft;
Better 3D desktop effects - Still in charge of the beautiful Ubuntu desktop effects, Compiz Fusion features additional plugins for better desktop usability;
New Disk Utility - a tool that offers hard drive monitoring, through S.M.A.R.T. It can also be used for disk formatting and partition management;
Empathy Instant Messenger - It replaces the great and wonderful Pidgin multi-protocol messenger, with a Telepathy-based client for better GNOME integration;
Improved document viewer - Evince protects your system from malicious PDF files;
25 language translations - including Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, German, Swedish, Hungarian, English, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, Czech, Korean, Polish, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Greek, Traditional Chinese, Galician and Basque;
New software development tool - Quickly is a new piece of software that helps developers easily build and share applications for Ubuntu;
Better power management - HAL has been finally replaced by udev and other modern technologies for better handling of your laptop's battery, hotkeys and storage devices;
Better support for Intel graphics cards - The Intel video driver features the new UXA acceleration method and KMS (Kernel Mode Setting), which improves overall performance (including suspend and resume) and reduces display flickering during boot;
New input method framework - The new IBus tool replaces SCIM to allow greater flexibility. It is designed for the anthy, hangul, chewing, m17n, rawcode, pinyin and large tables input method engines.
| Included applications: Accessories: Calculator 5.28.1 (an arithmetic, scientific or financial calculator); Character Map 2.28.0 (permits to insert special characters into documents); Baobab 2.28.1 (disk usage analyzer); Gedit 2.28.0 (a small and lightweight text editor with intuitive spell-checker); Seahorse 2.28.1 (passwords and encryption keys manager); Gnome Screenshot 2.28.1 (saves images of your desktop or individual windows); Gnome Terminal 2.28.1 (allows you to use the command-line); Tomboy 1.0.0 (desktop note-taking application). |  |
 | Graphics: F-Spot 0.6.1.3 (photo manager); The GIMP 2.6.7 (image editor); XSane 0.996 (scan, copy and fax images). Internet tools: Empathy 2.28.1 (multi-protocol instant messenger); Evolution 2.28.1 (powerful e-mail client); Firefox 3.5.3 (the ever-popular web browser); Vinagre 2.28.1 (remote desktop viewer); Terminal Server Client 0.150 (rdesktop, vncviewer, wfica, xnest frontend); Transmission 1.75 (lightweight BitTorrent client); Ubuntu One 1.0.2 (online file storage). |
| Office tools: Dictionary 2.28.1 (a tool to search word definitions and spelling in an online dictionary); OpenOffice.org Suite 3.1.1 (spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and word processor). Sound and Video: Brasero 2.28.1 (CD/DVD burning application); Totem 2.28.1 (DVD-Video, DivX, XviD, WMV, MOV player); Rhythmbox 0.12.5 (Last.fm, radio and music player/organizer); Sound Recorder 2.28.1 (audio recording tool). System Administration Utilities: |  |
Computer Janitor 1.11 (a tool that removes obsolete files and cleans your system);
Palimpsest Disk Utility 2.28.0 (disk drive management and configuration utility);
Ubuntu Software Center 1.0.2 (software installer/updater tool).
