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Posts Tagged ‘Gnome’

Good karma: an in-depth review of Ubuntu 9.10

Ubuntu 9.10, codenamed Karmic Koala, climbed down from the tree last month with new features and updated software. For five years and eleven releases, the Ubuntu Linux distribution has delivered a capable desktop operating system built largely on open source software. The new version is another important step forward for Ubuntu and its corporate backer Canonical.

The new version offers a user experience that is incrementally better than its predecessors, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. Some of the new software introduced in Ubuntu 9.10 feels incomplete and will need a lot more work before it can really shine. This review will take a close look at some of the most significant new features, such as Canonical’s Ubuntu One service and the new Software Center application management tool. We will also examine some of the upstream software from GNOME 2.28 that plays a role in defining key parts of the user experience in Ubuntu 9.10 and give you some technical insight into various architectural components of distro, such as Ubuntu’s unique CouchDB configuration.

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Microsoft’s Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000: ready for Windows 7, just like your haggard Vista PC

Microsoft has, against all odds, managed to stuff comfort and wireless into its new Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 keyboard and mouse set. Beyond the usual improvements to design (and some nice new soft touch materials), the setup includes some Windows 7 optimizations, particularly the Taskbar Favorites keys for instant access to corresponding taskbar items from a row of hotkeys (think your number row in World of Warcraft, Mr. Gnome Rogue), along with a Windows Flip button on the mouse and keyboard, and Device Stage support for checking out and setting up your fancy Microsoft hardware in glorious detail. The mouse is a BlueTrack-powered affair, and both devices hook up to the computer wirelessly through an included 2.4GHz transceiver. The pair will be out later this month for $80.

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

Microsoft’s Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000: ready for Windows 7, just like your haggard Vista PC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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