Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr Released

in linux on 2014-04-17 20:20 (#3J1)

Ubuntu released version 14.04 LTS (codename "Trusty Tahr") today. This is a long-term support distribution, meaning Ubuntu will support it with security and bug fixes for 5 years as it slowly replaces Ubuntu 12.04 LTS that preceded it.

Recent notable changes, such as the move to systemd or the Mir display server, are absent in this release. However, this release adds arm64 and ppc64el architectures. OpenStack and other "cloud" tools also received many updates.

Although critics often disparage the animal codename, the uniqueness of the word does aide Internet searches. For example, if you search for "Ubuntu Bluetooth" you may get outdated information from previous versions that is no longer relevant. However, adding "Precise Pangolin" or "Trusty Tahr" really helps narrow down the results.

School Computer Lab (Score: 1)

by dotdotdot@pipedot.org on 2014-04-17 21:04 (#140)

I have to replace about 40 Windows XP desktops in a charter school with almost no technology budget. I updated two of the desktops to different versions of Linux Mint to see if they were similar enough to Windows that the teachers and students could use them.

Would Edubuntu be a better option, or is there another flavor of Ubuntu that would be an easy transition from Windows?

Re: School Computer Lab (Score: 3, Informative)

by bryan@pipedot.org on 2014-04-17 22:47 (#141)

If you are looking for familiarity, I'd suggest avoiding Unity or Gnome Shell (including Edubuntu) based versions. XFCE, KDE, and LXDE are far more friendly toward new converts. XFCE and LXDE have significantly "lighter" computer requirements. Since your computers have XP they are likely over 10 years old and may have limited resources. Also, all flavors of Ubuntu share the same base package libraries. You will still be able to easily download the same educational programs from the package manager.

Re: School Computer Lab (Score: 1)

by dotdotdot@pipedot.org on 2014-04-18 16:46 (#14A)

Well, I've got plenty of desktops to test with. I could almost put a different distro on every desktop in the lab and then just see which one gets the most use!

Re: School Computer Lab (Score: 1, Insightful)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-04-19 08:02 (#14G)

Wow, that'd be cool if done right. Have Ubuntu with Unity, KDE, Gnome 3 and Xfce each on 10 machines. It would be very interesting what students would prefer to pick over time. Neglect the first weeks as everyone needs to try everything though.

Apart from that, here are some thoughts: Mint has some weird update strategy that some called less secure than Ubuntu. I would certainly pick Ubuntu 14.04 LTS right now because you don't have to care about anything for 5 years update wise. You can install KDE, Gnome, Mate, Xfce or whatever else you like on top of that base system. Whatever distro you chose in the end, I'd also stay with a Debian base, it's well supported and documented and now even Valve deploys Steam on it which might get students more interested.

Re: School Computer Lab (Score: 2, Insightful)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-04-18 09:40 (#144)

I hear almost nothing about Edubuntu these days and wonder how active its community is. Mint on the other hand, is all over the news. I thought one of the advantages of Edubuntu was the fact that you could turn machines into thin clients. Doesn't seem like that's advantageous to you so maybe Mint is a good choice?

These days I would think the "ditch XP" movement on hardware that's basically still good should lead to a lot of Linux installs. One can only hope!

Bodhi (Score: 2, Interesting)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-04-18 09:46 (#145)

I add, not because I think it's a great solution for you but because I can't resist: Bodhi Linux is Ubuntu-based but with E17 (Enlightenment) as a desktop, and it's really lovely. It's just different enough that your teachers wouldn't be comfortable with it, but try it on your own equipment and see what a great distro it really is.

Re: Bodhi (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-04-20 10:38 (#14S)

all of the themes for E17 suck donkey balls.

Re: School Computer Lab (Score: 1, Interesting)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-04-19 08:11 (#14H)

Don't change your distribution just because you want another desktop environment. You can simply install Xfce and Co. on top of Ubuntu and then get to choose before the login automatically. I never got the point of Kubuntu/Xubuntu/Edubuntu whatever. Stay with Ubuntu LTS as it's well supported.

When there are no more animals (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-04-18 14:24 (#148)

So they're at "T" with Trusty Tahr. That leaves six more versions before they either have to think of a new naming scheme or restart at "A." Any insight into what they're thinking they'll do?

Can't wait to try this new LTS (Score: 1)

by rocks@pipedot.org on 2014-04-19 15:43 (#14K)

I've been on 12.04 till now, but as soon as I have time to migrate I'm keen to see the latest innovations. I'm particularly interested in the new support added for high dpi displays because I really like the trend towards better display technologies, e.g., IPS, high dpi, etc.