Kubuntu 7.10 released today too

There's been a lot of talk this week about Ubuntu 7.10, which was released today. It has improved hardware and driver support, 3D Desktop graphics, and integrated desktop search. But Ubuntu's main branch isn't the only OS getting an update this week. Kubuntu, Edubuntu, and Xubuntu and other Ubuntu-related projects are also getting a facelift.

Kubuntu, if you're not familiar, is basically Ubuntu with the KDE interface instead of Gnome. You can easily turn Ubuntu into Kubuntu by installing the KDE packages from Ubuntu's repository. Or you can download it directly from Kubuntu.org.

Here's what's new in Kubuntu 7.10:

• KDE 3.5.8 is the new default desktop manager, but you can also install KDE 4 Beta 3. This is an unstable release, but it's a dramatic redesign of the KDE Linux desktop environment.
• Dolphin is the new default file manager. It doesn't replace Konqueror, which acts as a file manager and web browser. But Dolphin supports split views, undo and redo, renaming of multiple files, and other features familiar to Windows users.
• The enterprise version of personal information manager Kontact is available.
• There's a new KDE front end for the APT package manager. GDebi KDE lets you install Debian based packages with a single click.

Overall, Kubuntu looks and feels a bit more like Windows than Ubuntu. It's up to you to decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. But we have to say, we like the default blue background better than Ubuntu's orange and brown scheme.

Tags: gnome, kde, kde-4, kubuntu, opensource, osupdates, ubuntu