The new Ubuntu branding and theming is with out a doubt in tune with the original Ubuntu idea to remain unique in terms of design. The mantra around the new design, as punted by the Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life; Mark Shuttleworth, is light. This is the first major graphical revamp the Ubuntu operating system has received in its five years of life.

The idea of a major visual refresh in Ubuntu is nothing unexpected, as it was supposed to take place back in 2008 with the long term release of Ubuntu 8.04. The original refresh was to introduce a darker them with bright orange highlights. However that concept was abandoned probably due to concerns that dark default themes should generally be avoided. The new branding is a complete opposite of what was proposed back then, as the new branding is all about light.

The new look of Ubuntu is causing a stir of excitement on the internet is it clear that Ubuntu users and fans seem to be relieved that the much debated brown is to become an aesthetic of Ubuntu’s past

This refresh is in line with Shuttleworths efforts to make Linux beatiful, as he has on many occasions stated that Apple is a revered system for its design excellence, and though Linux might be an incredibly functional system it does lack the aesthetic edge

“I think the great task ahead of us over the next two years is to lift the experience of the Linux desktop from something that is stable and robust and not so pretty, to something which is art. Not emulate, but blow right past Apple in the user experience we deliver to our end users,” says Shuttleworth.

Ubuntu has in recent versions made great strides in terms of usability, most notable with its Software store and notification system, it however has lagged behind with quality  theming. The upcoming version of Ubuntu, stated to be released on the 28th of April this year, will with out a doubt impress as unlike any other release it has managed to generate quite a buzz and will include major updates to many parts of the system.

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The Brand

Beginning with the logo the Ubuntu brand identity receives a remarkable upgrade, along with a brand new typeface.

Along with the Ubuntu community websites following the new look

Desktop

The new Ubuntu identity will also be carried into the upcoming release of 10.04’s desktop aesthetic. The lynx it set to receive a brand new default theme in both light and dark variations

Along with a brand new and fantastically stylish boot screen.

The Website

And last but not the least, the new Ubuntu website will also take on the new branding in a highly good looking manner.

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While Firefox has grown substantially in market share over the past few years, it has also managed to create a credible and solid reputation for the world of open source software. Then recently Chrome bounced into the browser scene, and has also shown considerable market share growth and introduced some very interesting and useful features.

The ‘versus’ argument, when comparing any two very good products in most cases has a negligible conclusion, which is the case with the Firefox vs Google Chrome debate. Both browsers offer similar features and are both developed with aggressive innovation and attention to security.

Firefox has grown a loyal user base who will most probably not just ditch the fox in a hurry. Firefox was a salvation to many for the Explorer 6 downfalls and with every new release of Firefox it just gets better. It is an extremely reliable and sturdy browser that allows for almost infinite customization through it’s wonderful extensibility.

Extensibility is a key feature to a successful browser and Google realised this quite quickly, and therefore later on in Chrome’s development the browser introduces add on features. The Chrome browser, like many other Google products demonstrates a certain level of creativity in its features as from early Chrome versions the browser had features previously unseen in any other browser, while it is true that Firefox has caught up and implemented similar functionality.

The main difference between the two is potentially the way Chrome is orientated, it is very online media friendly and obviously integrates well with Google Services. While Firefox tends to be a more one size fits all browser, as it performs well in all fields where Chrome is exceptional in certain.

After deep thought, a Firefox vs Chrome debate isn’t feasible as both these browser deserve merit for their efforts in constantly advancing the frontier of internet browsing technology. They both have their strengths and they both have almost identical features. The decision between the two, in most cases, has nothing to do with the operational aspects of each browser but the brand and identity that each browser carries.

We at Tecverse, absolutely love the Google Chrome however, Firefox will in the foreseeable future remain our default browser of choice!

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“On tablets, the UI would be adjusted to handle larger touch targets. Initial explorations have maintained the same basic chrome layout, but enlarged the controls. Icons could be placed above tabs to provide larger, square targets. Panels would be placed along the bottom edge and could be opened with upward dragging motions,” says Google

Click to enlarge

According to Google this mockup serves as an exploration of how a tablet like interface could work with the Google Chrome OS

• “Keyboard interaction with the screen: anchored, split, attached to focus.
• Launchers as an overlay, providing touch or search as means to access web sites.
• Contextual actions triggered via dwell.
• Zooming UI for multiple tabs
• Tabs presented along the side of the screen
  
• Creating multiple browsers on screen using a launcher”

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The Moovida Media Browser

The user interface was designed with ease of operation in mind as media centres are generally intended to be operated via a remote control. The main screen or dashboard of Moovida is a series of columns detailing the various media types and possible playback and viewing options.

Library

Moovida catalogues your media in a library format, be it music, movies or TV shows, it sorts into Albums, seasons or titles. This is especially useful for those who hoard TV series as Moovida makes it exceptionally easy to access all seasons of your favourite TV show with a few clicks.

Playback

Moovida, as mentioned above, is designed for easy navigation with a variety of devices, it therefore includes an informative control bar interface while in playback, allowing for full control of the media while being played, or the ability to browse the system without interrupting the media that is being played.

Extensions and Internet Media

Supposedly a media centre isn’t quite complete without networking capabilities. Moovida includes several plugins by default that enables you to access Flickr, YouTube and many other content straight off the internet. Moovida is an extensible media centre, meaning that new services and features can easily be added by third party developers.

See here for details on how to install Moovida on your Ubuntu Linux PC

Currently at version 1.0.9, Moovida is an open source application, licensed under the general public license, allowing you to enjoy this fantastic application freely.

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Ubuntu 10.04 will bring many changes, including quite a shake up in the selection of default applications.

The developers of Ubuntu have now decided to include PiTiVi by default into 10.04. One of the reason’s for it’s inclusion is that many other operating systems offer basic video editing software by default, so logically it would be beneficial both to users, popularity and usability of the Ubuntu operating system to include such functionality.

PiTiVi makes use of the Gstreamer media framework, it’s a non liner video editing tool that allows for basic video operations, such as trimming, snapping, splitting and cutting of clips. It also includes audio mixing capabilities, supported with curves. PiTiVi is developed to use the GTK toolkit, therefore allowing easy integration into a Gnome desktop.

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