Introduction

The Ubuntu community have been hard at work to bring you the latest and greatest software the Open Source Community has to offer. This is the latest Xubuntu release, 7.04, Xubuntu Feisty Fawn. It comes with many new features including new and easier ways to install multimedia codecs and binary drivers, as well as networking improvements, the 2.6.20.15 kernel, and of course, Xfce 4.4.

You can download Xubuntu 7.04 from the following URL:

• http://xubuntu.org/get

You can also download all architecture types of Xubuntu 7.04 using BitTorrent and Jigdo at http://torrent.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/feisty/release/

Instructions for burning the downloaded iso file, can be found at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Xfce 4.4

The Xfce Desktop is one of the key elements differentiating Xubuntu Feisty Fawn from from it's Ubuntu brethren, and Xubuntu 7.04 includes the latest release of the Xfce Desktop, version 4.4. Already known as a great lightweight desktop environment, Xfce version 4.4 includes a number of improved features that make it a worthy alternative to more memory-intensive desktops such as Gnome or KDE.

For day-to-day activities, Xfce is easier to use than ever before. The latest release of the Thunar file manager can now automatically mount and display the contents of inserted media, such as USB drives, CD-ROMs and DVDs. The Xfce4-Panel can be significantly customized, placed anywhere on the desktop, with support for numerous helpful plugins. Additionally, the Xfce window manager, Xfwm4, now features an application switcher, allowing users to quickly switch between open applications.

Day-to-day activities can also be performed with in a way that users will find more visually appealing, thanks to an enhanced window-manager compositor. Xfwm4 now supports transparent windows, shadows, window frame transparency and much more.

On The Desktop

Additional noteworthy applications included in the default Xubuntu installation:

• Xubuntu System Tools for GUI system administration
• Abiword 2.4.6.1, a lightweight, but full-featured word processing application
• Firefox 2.0.0.3, the best-of-breed web browser
• Thunderbird 1.5.0.10, Mozilla's stand-out email application
• Pidgin 2.0.0+beta6, an instant messenging client formerly known as gaim, compatible with the Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, Jabber, and IRC networks.
• The Gimp 2.2.13, the premier linux-based graphics tool
• Xfce4-terminal, a full-featured terminal application
• Mousepad, a lightweight text editor
• Orage, an i-cal compliant calendering application
• Xfburn for creating cd's and dvd's
• Numerous Xfce panel plugins, including plugins for weather reports, system information, and more

Windows Migration tool

The new migration tool recognizes Internet Explorer bookmarks, Firefox favorites, desktop wallpaper, AOL IM and Yahoo IM contacts, and imports them all into Ubuntu during installation. This offers easier and faster migration for new users of Ubuntu and individuals wanting to run a dual-boot system.

Thin clients

• The alternate CD includes an option to automatically install an LTSP server environment for quick and painless deployment of thin client networks.
• Xfce and a selection of lightweight applications are provided, to minimize network overhead and maximize the number of thin clients which can be served by a single server

Under the hood

• GCC 4.1.2
• glibc 2.5.0
• Linux 2.6.20.15

As always, Xubuntu includes the very best of the 100% Free / Libre application software world, and each new release incorporates countless new features and bugfixes from the global development community.

Xorg 7.2

Xorg 7.2 is the newest release of the X Windows system. X11R7.2 comes with significant stability and correctness fixes, including improved auto configuration heuristics, enhanced support for GL-based compositing managers such as Compiz and Beryl, and improved support for PCI systems with multiple domains. It also incorporates the new, more extensible XACE security policy framework.

Kernel

The latest release of the Linux kernel 2.6.20 has support of Virtualization using the Kernel based Virtual Machine (KVM). This technology takes advantage of hardware capabilities added by the most recent Intel and AMD processors (x86). Each virtual machine can support private virtualised hardware: a network card, disks, graphics adapter, and so on. The Feisty Fawn kernel is also VMI enabled for improved performance when running on VMware hypervisors. VMI paravirtualization can be enabled in VMware Workstation 6.0 beta.

Feedback & Support

Please feel free to use the xubuntu-users mailing list at http://lists.ubuntu.com/xubuntu-users for discussion, help, and support for the Xubuntu Distribution.