more than likely, when those seismic shifts coming in Unity 8 arrive
around this time next year, these same people will be reminiscing
fondly about 15.04. Everyone will forget they once found this release “boring.”
Ubuntu15.04 was just released, and there are some
early reviews of Canonical’s latest desktop distribution.
So far the buzz seems somewhat mixed, and that’s not
surprising since Ubuntu 15.04 is a relatively low-key
release without lots of flashy, new features.
Unity Desktop
The biggest reason you might find 15.04 dull is that there aren’t
many visual changes in the flagship Unity desktop. Unity has been
bumped to version 7.3, which includes a number of bug fixes but
only two notable new features: Locally Integrated Menus, and the
ability to always show those menus, rather than hiding them and
revealing them through mouse hovers.
According to the popular storyline, there’s not much
new in 15.04. Of course, a slew of changes and unforeseen features in 15.04 could have just as easily earned
a negative reaction, probably from the same people
calling the actual release boring. The top of the Linux
mountain is a lonely, criticism-strewn place.
The Locally Integrated Menus feature simply means that menus are
back in the application window rather than up in the main menu
bar. Their position within the application windows has changed,
though. Menu items no longer get their own bar, and they are instead rolled into the window title bar.
The truth is this line of thought is partially correct.
There isn’t much new in15.04, at least not in terms of
visible changes to the Unity desktop.
The ability to move menus into app windows has actually been
around since last autumn’s 14.10 release, but 15.04 adds the ability
to turn off the hidden-until-needed “feature.” To switch the position
of menus from the top bar to the application window, head to System Settings >> Appearance >> Behaviour, where you’ll see both
options.
But for most users this is a good thing—change doesn’t
mean better. Frankly, Ubuntu 15.04’s Unity desktop
is mature, stable, and not really in need of many improvements. There are still some design inconsistencies (mostly GTK3 issues) and small problems here
and there, but for the most part 15.04 delivers a great
desktop experience.
Those clamouring for big changes will have to wait. But
18
19