The upcoming release of Ubuntu 10.10 promises a variety of new features for Ubuntu’s desktop and server editions. But it will also bring significant changes for Ubuntu’s lightweight cousin, Xubuntu.  Here’s a look at some of the most important updates for the Xfce-based Ubuntu variant, including several that will increase its independence from standard Ubuntu.

We’ve written a lot lately about serious, geeky topics, like virtualization.  But we here at WorksWithU also like to have fun from time to time.  To prove it, here’s a look at some of the hilarious–or at least amusing–Easter eggs and other jokes hidden in Ubuntu that you may never have heard of.

Recent Ubuntu releases have introduced major changes, including a new theme, a new application stack and–gasp–a new position for window buttons.  But Karmic and Lucid also included a number of tiny usability enhancements that you might not have noticed, but which are central to making Ubuntu a Linux distribution for human beings.  Here’s a look at five of them.

A few days ago, Canonical announced the release of a new desktop environment for Ubuntu, called Unity, targeted at netbooks and touchscreen devices.  I’ve been using it since then, and have found some time to write about my experience so far.

The official stable release of Ubuntu 10.04 is only days away.  That means we can finally list all of the new features to expect in the next longterm-support version of Ubuntu, without having the developers change them every other day.  With that in mind, here’s a look at what to expect when you upgrade to Lucid Lynx on Thursday.

If all goes according to plan, Ubuntu 10.10 will sport Gnome 3, which represents a radical overhaul of Ubuntu’s default graphical user interface in the form of Gnome Shell, when it debuts a year from now.  In order to get a taste of what this desktop of the future will look like, I’ve spent the last few days using the development version.  Here’s what I’ve found.

NetworkManager, the default wired- and wireless-connection client in Ubuntu, has received a substantial aesthetic makeover for Ubuntu 9.10.  Here’s a look.

Gnome is a great desktop environment.  But it’s not perfect.  If I could pick five things for the Gnome developers to change or improve, here’s what they’d be.

WorksWithU reported a couple weeks ago on new features in Ubuntu 9.10, like kernel mode setting and GRUB 2, that are likely to please geeks.  But Ubunti 9.10 (codenamed Karmic Koala) will also sport changes aimed at traditional users.  Here’s a look at a few of them.

I’ve used Evolution, the default email client in Ubuntu, for a couple of years to manage numerous mail accounts.  In general, I think it’s a great application.  But as with everything in life, there’s always room for improvement.  Below, I consider the most chronically frustrating and poorly designed aspects of Evolution, and how they could be fixed.