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Ten reasons you should install Ubuntu 9.04

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Linux,
Ubuntu

Jack Wallen Tech Republic

Published: 22 May 2009 14:47 BST

Ten reasons you should install Ubuntu 9.04

Ubuntu's most recent release not only improves on an already-solid operating system, but it could turn out to be the best overall release of a Linux distribution, says Jack Wallen.

Ubuntu has brought Linux to the masses more successfully than any other Linux distribution. And with its recent 9.04 release, Ubuntu has continued on its path as one of the most user-friendly operating systems available — and become faster and more reliable. So what are the specific reasons you should consider installing Ubuntu 9.04?

1. Ext4 file system
The Ext4 file system may still be in development — so it is probably wise not to use it on production systems — but it promises to be a real boon to enterprise-level computing, especially at the server end.

With the Ext4 file system, you will find support for volumes up to one exabyte and files sizes up to 16TB. It also replaces traditional block mapping with extents. An extent is a range of single, contiguous physical blocks that will improve performance for large files as well as reduce fragmentation.

Another Ext4 feature that will be of interest for enterprise-level needs is that it breaks the 32,000 subdirectory barrier found in Ext3. With Ext4, a directory can now hold 64,000 subdirectories. Finally, Ext4 employs checksums to improve the reliability of journals. Not only will this improve reliability, it will also avoid disk I/O during the journaling process, providing a slight boost to performance.

2. Gnome 2.26.1
This release is the first update to the 2.26 release of Gnome and consequently contains numerous bug fixes. Most notable fixes for the desktop are for Gnome Desktop Core, the Nautilus file manager, the Brasero CD-burning suite, the Evolution groupware suite, Gnome Panel, GLib, and gtk+.

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After about a week's use, I can safely say this is the most stable, useful Gnome I have experienced. It was also helpful that Ubuntu did some tweaking to the standard Gnome menu layout. Many of the changes will not be immediately apparent, but will be noticed over time as you use various features.

One nice improvement is placing the logout button outside the menu system and making it a panel button. Now logging out, restarting or shutting down is as simple as a button click. Another outstanding new feature is support for messaging architecture Mapi in Evolution.

3. Speed
Ubuntu 9.04 shows a marked improvement both in the speed of the boot process and the desktop. The biggest improvement is with the boot process. I have noticed that once machines are upgraded to 9.04, they boot at least twice as fast. The desktop has also enjoyed a boost in speed, with applications starting up in a fraction of their usual times. The most notable improvements are in the startup times for OpenOffice and Firefox.

4. Cleanup Janitor
The new Cleanup Janitor feature allows users to remove junk from their system to save space. Cleanup Janitor cleans up packages that were installed to meet dependencies but that are no longer needed, packages that are no longer supported, and configuration tweaks that are missing from the system.

This utility will automatically find anything on your system that is not needed and gives you the option of either removing or fixing it. You will find that a fresh installation will have little if any junk. But Cleanup Janitor will become useful over time when applications leave enough behind to pile up and take up space.

5. Nautilus encryption
Nautilus encryption is an outstanding feature of the Nautilus file manager. From within any directory for which you have permissions, you can right-click a file or directory to produce two new menu entries: Encrypt and Sign. Of course, you will have to have a key generated to use either of these menu entries.

Fortunately, for those users new to encryption, an outstanding graphical user interface for that very purpose is included with Ubuntu 9.04. Once a key is generated, a user can...