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Given the current recession, it can be difficult to decide on upgrading a computer, or even making the jump to buying a netbook.  Then there’s the issue of which operating system to get on the system.  If you can afford a Mac, Leopard is a great experience.  Most people are more comfortable with Windows XP, though unless it’s a netbook, most computers will come with Vista installed, and an optional XP disc.  There’s always another option that doesn’t involve using betas of Windows 7: Linux.

Ubuntu, arguably the most popular Linux distribution, sees the release of its 9.04 version today.  9.04, which went by the name of “Jaunty Jackalope” during development looks to add a number of features to the popular distro.  The most obvious improvements come not as new programs but in general user experience upgrades.  Jaunty sees much faster boot speeds; it’s even possible to boot the OS in under 25 seconds.  There’s also improved hibernation so laptops will be able to store more power and not have to be charged as often.

In terms of UI, Jaunty adds a new Growl-like notification window.  For those unfamiliar, Growl is a Mac OS X system notifier that shows small dialog boxes in the corner of the screen and can be linked to applications.  In Jaunty these notifiers will be able to give battery status, Wi-Fi status, and other system information as it happens.

There’s also a new version of Ubuntu for netbook users.  Now, without having to go to third party developers netbook users can get Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) straight from the source.  Canonical claims it tested the UNR version on the Aspire One, Eee PC 1000, and Dell mini 9, and it worked on all.  It might be a frustrating move to those developers who have already made netbook ready Ubuntu based distros, especially since their Jaunty based distros won’t be released for another few months.

Read [Ubuntu]
Read [Ubuntu Features Tour]