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Ubuntu 17.04 'Zesty Zapus', Featuring Unity, Now Available To Download (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the new-ubuntu-release dept.

Brian Fagioli, writing for BetaNews: Ubuntu 17.04 "Zesty Zapus" is available for download. No, this is not an Alpha or Beta, but an official stable version of the Linux-based operating system. Unfortunately, the release is a bit tainted -- it uses Unity as the official desktop environment, which Canonical has announced will be killed. Not to mention, there has been some controversy regarding some comments by Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth. Just yesterday, the CEO of Canonical announced she is leaving the position. With all of the aforementioned controversy and chaos, it is understandably hard to get too excited for "Zesty Zapus," especially as this is not a long term support version. With that said, if you are an existing Ubuntu user that likes Unity, this is certainly a worthwhile upgrade if you are OK with the shorter support. Unity may no longer have a future, but version 7 will continue to be supported -- for a while, at least.

6 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. Odd Number Versions by i_ate_god · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Stay away.

    The only versions of Ubuntu that have ever been worth installing are even numbered versions that end .04

    --
    I'm god, but it's a bit of a drag really...
  2. A very negative spin by sgage · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The original article was very poorly done. Ubuntu is not 'tainted'. The CEO had already had her tenure extended beyond the originally envisioned 5 years, and she and Mark had been talking about the transition for quite some time, deciding that now was the time. There is no 'controversy and chaos'.

    Brian Fagioli is a tabloid hack, just trying to stir up drama that isn't there, which is what so much tech reporting is about these days. I am coming to really hate the 'tech press'. ...

    1. Re:A very negative spin by sgage · · Score: 1, Insightful

      rahvin-whatever your name is,

      Why are you such an asshole? Were you born this way, or was it something you really had to work at?

      I have been around this business for 35+ years, which is probably much longer than you have been alive, so don't be telling me to grow up. And don't go around calling calling people 'whiney bitches'. It's not clever, and it's not amusing.

      If you have something constructive and informed to say, say it, but simply tearing things down and insulting people is not helpful. Someday when you're all grown up and get a job and such, and you will come to understand what I'm saying.

  3. Controversy and chaos, really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why does everything need to a controversy these days? Why are people in such a hair trigger emotion state all the time that any little thing results in an extreme frothing at the mouth reaction? Is society loosing the ability to have calm rational discussions and respectful disagreement? It's like people are going out of their way to be outraged over something and cranking it up to 11. Have people always been this emotionally immature and we are only seeing it more now because everyone and their dog can broadcast it over the internet, or is it just the new way for people to get attention by having the most extreme reaction?

  4. It's the Linux monoculture that's worrying! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The real issue here is that a monoculture is forming within the world of Linux distros, and that's not a good thing at all.

    Even if a lot of people hated them, at least projects like Upstart, Unity and Mir presented alternatives. They provided competition and a place for new ideas to emerge. This diversity is needed in any healthy ecosystem, including the Linux distro ecosystem.

    With Ubuntu moving to systemd and GNOME 3 there's little that sets it apart from Debian.

    What's worse, with Debian moving to systemd and GNOME 3 there's little that sets it apart from Fedora.

    Really, what's the major difference between Fedora and Debian these days? Pretty much only that you type "dnf" to manage packages when using Fedora, and "apt" when using Debian.

    Otherwise, Debian and Fedora use the same kernel, the same init system, the same windowing system, the same desktop environment, and the same userland software.

    This is usually when small-minded people say something like, "But there are other desktop environments!" or "But there are other distros!". Of course, they don't realize that these desktop environments and Linux distros are second-, third-, or even fourth-class citizens. Sensible people can't justify using a Linux distro that's just somebody's hobby project (like Slackware, Devuan, and even Gentoo). Sensible people can't justify using a desktop environment that appears to be abandoned (like Xfce, whose last release is Feb. 2015).

    If you've been using Linux seriously, there have really only been 3 practical options available for several years now:

    1) Fedora, RHEL, and derived distros.
    2) Debian
    3) Ubuntu

    Now we can take 3) off of the table, since it'll be almost identical to 2). And with Debian using systemd and GNOME 3, we might as well remove 2). Now all we're left with is 1).

    "Linux distro" is starting to mean just one thing: whatever Red Hat throws at us.

    The once vibrant Linux ecosystem is falling apart rapidly, and we're losing so much choice as a result of this. Within a few years we'll all be using Fedora, or something like a "Debian" or "Ubuntu" that will basically be Fedora with a different name.

  5. Win 10 by fluffernutter · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You have to admit, it's still better than Windows 10.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.