Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal Alpha 2 released

Exactly two months have passed since the release of the first alpha , and now the second alpha Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal has been released .

As with every release, many packages have been updated. Separately, it is worth noting: LibreOffice 3.3 (replacing OpenOffice.org 3.2), Linux kernel 2.6.38-rc2, X.org Server 1.10 and Mesa 7.10.

Under the cut - external changes compared to the first alpha. And before you start criticizing Canonical for something, first remember that this is the alpha. :)

Unity

Unity - the default desktop shell for Ubuntu 11.04 - has changed a lot.
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Now the initial version of Dash is used:



Browsing files and applications has become somewhat easier:

Sound menu

Playback support returned to the audio menu:

Ubuntu one dashboard

The Ubuntu One Dashboard application has appeared, which makes it easier to synchronize and manage your Ubuntu One account:

Grid

Now the Compiz-plugin “Grid” is enabled by default. You can drag the window up to expand it to full screen and left or right to change its size:

GTK + Gripper

In case you are not satisfied with the automatic resizing, you can use the new grip-element:

Application Center

Now you can rate apps and write small reviews that you can immediately post to Twitter:

Ubuntu classic desktop

The Unity global menu applet is placed on the top panel, next to the compact menu button:

Installation

If you really want to start using the second alpha (think again if you are not a developer), then upgrade instructions from 10.10 and links to the system itself are available here: http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/natty/alpha2 .