raring ringtail

Ubuntu 13.04 is targeted for solid exciting changes, overall new functionalities that are to further enrich and strengthen Ubuntu.

As part of the mentioned changes, Unity 7 is to land in Raring Ringtail in the near future, version that is to receive the 100 Scopes project, as well as numerous enhancements, optimizations and improvements.

Prior to its official release in Ubuntu 13.04, Unity 7 is currently stressed against tests, in order to isolate, identify and fix Unity 7-related bugs.

Along with powerful offline / locally-based functionalities, Ubuntu comes by default with solid support for online services, allowing users to utilize online services via a handy useful manner.

Meaning, navigating to System Settings' Online Accounts, the user is able to sign into numerous online services, including Facebook, Twitter, Google, AIM, Salut, Yahoo!, Jaber, etc, in a matter of seconds and directly from a single view.

Across the latest weeks, creative users were able to submit original wallpapers to a Flickr dedicated online place, in order to add wallpapers to an overall interesting wall pack aimed at inclusion in Ubuntu 13.04.

By default, Ubuntu ships a solid set of defaults, applicable to applications, desktop behavior and Unity settings.

Yet, where there are millions of users, there are numerous preferences and filtered-through-one's-needs use-cases, situations handle-able via tweaking tools.

Unity Tweak Tool is a powerful tweaking tool that incorporates a serious bundle of features under an intuitive, user-friendly interface.

Starting with Ubuntu 12.10, the developers implemented support for online search results directly into the Dash, allowing users to search-for and access online results from Amazon, Ubuntu One Music Store, etc, in / from the Dash home view.

As a consequence, the Dash received a Legal notice addition, clickable area that exposes (when clicked on) a legal notice providing legal-wise terms, as related to online search, collection of data, contact, etc.

Ubuntu offers by default a highly-usable manner of dealing with applications via Unity launcher.

Launching an application, maximizing apps (after being minimized), open a new instance of apps, etc, are actions easily performed via Unity launcher.

Yet, we usually use multiple opened windows of the same application, like for example, in order to complete a certain workflow, the user opens multiple windows of Nautilus (Documents, Videos, Downloads, etc).

Across the latest weeks, Raring Ringtail has been enriched with pleasant-to-the-eye visual items, receiving fancy additions, such as refined Unity Previews, more organized Software Updater, new icons for Nautilus, Software Updater, lenses, etc.

Along with the powerful desktop, Ubuntu houses Ubuntu for phones and Ubuntu for tablets, polished innovative interfaces aimed at beautifying tablets and smartphones with touch-based Ubuntu operating systems.

The work on Ubuntu Touch has already started, exposing (currently, in progress) usable applications, such as Weather, Calculator, Calendar, etc.

Ubuntu features a series of solid traditions, including the selection and landing of the default wallpaper stack in every and every Ubuntu release.

Meaning, at the beginning of the development cycle, the developers announce a CALL FOR SUBMISSION, thus interested creative users are able to submit wallpapers to a dedicated Flickr online place.

Prior to landing the wallpapers in Ubuntu, the developers filter the backgrounds and select a set of desired wallpapers, pack shortly after implemented in Ubuntu as default.

Attractive visual elements have been definitely considered by the developers in the Raring Ringtail development cycle, Ubuntu version receiving refreshed Unity Previews, refined Software Updater, new lens icons, beautiful Unity-style shutdown dialogs, etc.

Months ago, the developers shared (via launchpad) a small bundle of new icons, aimed at changing various desktop icons, effort progressively implemented in Raring.