Canonical announces availability of Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition

Faster boot speed, enhanced application suite and more visual appeal — give users more reasons than ever to choose Ubuntu

Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu,announced today that Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition is free to download from Thursday 23 April. Also announced were the simultaneous releases of Ubuntu 9.04 Server Edition and Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix (UNR)

Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition delivers a range of feature enhancements to improve the user experience. Shorter boot speeds, some as short as 25 seconds, ensure faster access to a full computing environment on most desktop, laptop and netbook models. Enhanced suspend-and-resume features also give users more time between charges along with immediate access after hibernation. Intelligent switching between Wi-Fi and 3G environments has been broadened to support more wireless devices and 3G cards,resulting in a smoother experience for most users.

Jane Silber, COO,Canonical, says: “With every release, we see Ubuntu Desktop Edition make significant steps forward in appealing to mainstream computer users. With access to the latest office productivity suite, support for Skype and Adobe Flash, and faster boot times, we're confident that Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition will see more people join millions of others and make the switch to an open platform.”

Ubuntu 9.04 features Open Office.org3.0. This gives users a complete office suite that is entirely compatible with Microsoft Office. This free office software provides an immediate saving of at least $200 for users who need to create presentations, write documents or manage spreadsheets at work or at home.

Anew integrated notification system appears in Ubuntu 9.04 for the first time. This system combines the notification methods of various applications and presents that information in a simple, unobtrusive manner. New icons and artwork also appear in this release, part of the continual improvement of the Ubuntu user experience.

Availability

Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition is available from 23 April 2009. Get your copy by:

• Visiting “www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu“:http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu for a free download

• Visiting shop.canonical.com to purchase a CD

• Visiting shipit.ubuntu.com to request a free CD

Professional Services,including support, can be purchased from www.canonical.com/services.

About Canonical

Canonical Ltd is an organisation that provides commercial services based on the Open Source operating system Ubuntu. Canonical helps hardware manufacturers install and market Ubuntu around the world. Canonical's Professional Services help businesses deploy and support their Ubuntu-based infrastructures. Canonical delivers services online direct to users who run Ubuntu on their desktops and servers.Canonical also provides much of the infrastructure that allows its employees, the Ubuntu community and the world's leading IT companies to collaborate on the Ubuntu platform.

About Ubuntu

Since its launch in October 2004, Ubuntu has become one of the most highly-regarded Linux distributions. With millions of users in homes, schools, businesses and governments around the world, Ubuntu is growing in popularity on both the server and the desktop. With the values of Open Source software at its core,Ubuntu costs nothing to download or update. Users are also actively encouraged to copy, reinstall, modify and share their Ubuntu software anytime, anywhere and with anyone. Visit www.canonical.com orwww.ubuntu.com for more information.