Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin)

Fast, responsive, intuitive and beautiful are but a few of the myriad ways to describe the just released Ubuntu 12.04 LTS code named Precise Pangolin. This release comes with a host of new features and tweaks top among them the Linux kernel upgraded from version 3.0 used for Ubuntu 11.10 to the current version 3.2. This of course means even more improvements to the file system, support for more hardware and software configurations, and better memory management which makes the system even more responsive.

The Head-Up Display

Some major eye candy comes in with the HUD (Head-Up Display) which not only looks pretty but also comes packs quite a punch as an alternative way to navigate around the system. It features search and autocomplete to quickly find what you're looking for.

The new video lens feature works with it to quickly find videos either on your hard drive or on most media sites on the internet. This version also continues with the UNITY interface which replaced the more traditional GNOME layout.

A special feature with this long term release version to note is that Canonical has extended support from the typical three year time period to five years.

Privacy Settings Tab

There's a new privacy settings page under the System settings that lets you decide what the system keeps in its history whether from file activity or individual apps therefore enabling one to turn off logs completely or just keep a select few.

 As with all releases of Ubuntu software, the pre-installed apps have been updated to their latest versions, meaning you get Firefox 11 and Libre Office 3.5, among a host of other upgrades. Software Centre has also received some tweaks here and there that make it friendlier to use and navigate around.

Get the latest version of Ubuntu at their official site and give it a spin