October 17, 2011

Edubuntu 11.10 ships with Classic Gnome Desktop

A lot of us are not happy with the Ubuntu Unity desktop, that now ships standard with Ubuntu 11.10. There is no longer an easy fall back to the Classic Ubuntu Gnome desktop. However Edubuntu 11.10 still has the Classic Ubuntu Gnome desktop by default with no customization or tweaking required. See the below desktop and more information about it. It is a full DVD ISO download.  I'll install this shortly and provide my own screen shots and results.




The Edubuntu development team is really proud and happy to announce that Edubuntu 11.04 has now been released.
You may now try it online or download it.

This version builds on the excellent 10.10 release, making the installation process even more flexible and improves the desktop not only by updating it but also by updating the look&feel and choosing the best available software for each use case.

What's new ?

Here are the major changes and choices we made for this 11.04 release:
  • Edubuntu 11.04 ships with a classic Ubuntu desktop by default. Unity is available in both its 2D and 3D versions for these who want to test this new user interface as an option in the installer.
  • Building on the installer improvements done for the 10.10 release, it's now possible to do fine grained package selection so you can install only what you need.
  • To improve Edubuntu's security, 11.04 also ships with Arkose installed by default. This tool lets you easily run untrusted binaries in a safe environment (sandbox).
  • New software packages in Edubuntu include Pencil, Geogebra, Calibre, LibreCAD, Freemind and Stellarium.
  • The default wallpaper and the installation slideshow have been updated.
  • LTSP now ships with an Edubuntu theme for both the boot splash and the login screen
  • Thanks to WebLive, you may now try most software available in the Ubuntu Software Center online without having to install them. Simply pick a software and click the "Test drive" button below the screenshot. After a few seconds you'll be testing that software online.

How do I get it ?

If you just want to see what Edubuntu 11.04 looks like, simply go and try it on WebLive.
All you need is a few minutes and a computer with Java installed.
You can install Edubuntu from flash disk or DVD installation media.
If you already have an Ubuntu or derivative system installed, you can simply install any additional Edubuntu packages that you would like to use.
Visit our Downloads page for more information. Installation instructions is available from the Documentation page.