Canonical Launches Latest Ubuntu Desktop

Ubuntu 7.10 Adds Enhanced User Interface, Integrated Desktop Search, Plug and Play Printing

LONDON, October 15, 2007 – Canonical Ltd. today announced the upcoming availability of Ubuntu 7.10 Desktop Edition, further improving the desktop Linux experience. Ubuntu 7.10 will be available for free download on Thursday 18 October. Canonical is the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is the award-winning Linux distribution for the desktop, laptop and server [ http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-server710 ] which delivers the best of open source software every 6 months. Ubuntu 7.10 Desktop Edition includes advanced plug and play printing, enhanced browsing and the option of a smooth new user interface built on top of the latest enhancements to GNOME.

"At its core, Ubuntu is a free platform for delivering open source software, certified and guaranteed to work, and with each release we strive to enhance the experience of our strong and growing user base of over 6 million people," said Jane Silber, Chief Operating Officer, Canonical UK. "7.10 improves still further the user experience of a Linux operating system – it is now more fun to use with the option of 3D desktop effects and more productive, with major improvements in external and additional monitor support. The desktop search tool gives significant productivity gains, improved printer functionality and wider wireless card support will make it appropriate for the new users that discover Ubuntu every day."

"While Linux on the desktop has met basic usability requirements for some time, recent advancements in everything from driver support to the user interface make it more viable by the day," said Stephen O'Grady, Principal Analyst at RedMonk. "By packaging these innovations and making them available in a single, easy to install distribution, Ubuntu is pushing hard to make Linux a more attractive option for ever wider audiences."

Highlighted Features of Ubuntu 7.10 Desktop Edition

The latest version of Ubuntu includes the following new features:

• Hardware management improvements - improved plug-and-play configuration for printers, as well as automatic firmware installation for Broadcom cards
• Improved support for display systems - For laptop users, full support external VGA (projector) support is available out-of-the-box with easy reconfiguration when hardware is switched. For power users this release includes the ability to manage multiple monitors
• Windows compatibility - Users with a dual partition can read from and and write to files that are on located in a Windows partition (including NTFS)
• Enhanced user interface – Simple 3D screen effects and graphics enhance the user experience
• Desktop search – gives users the ability to search their entire desktop, whether for files, folders, chat logs or photos. This capability includes the deskbar applet, a central location on users' desktops for all local and web search operations
• Firefox plugins - automatic installation of popular Firefox plugins validated by Ubuntu for a richer, safer web-browsing experience

Ubuntu Fully Supported

Used by businesses, home users, schools and governments around the world, upgrades to new releases will always be free of charge. Ubuntu 7.10 will be maintained for 18 months on both the desktop and on the server, and additional free support is available from the thriving Ubuntu community. For deployments which require additional service guarantees, full telephone and online support is commercially available from the professional support team at Canonical Ltd. and service partners.

About Canonical and Ubuntu: Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, is headquartered in Europe and is committed to the development, distribution and support of open source software products and communities. World-class 24x7 commercial support for Ubuntu is available through Canonical's global support team and partners.

Since its launch in October 2004 Ubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users around the world. Ubuntu will always be free to download, free to use and free to distribute to others. With these goals in mind, Ubuntu aims to be the most widely used Linux system, and is the centre of a global open source software ecosystem. For more information visit www.canonical.com or www.ubuntu.com.

Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu and their associated logos are all registered trademarks of Canonical Ltd.