Upgrading Ubuntu to 9.04

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Learning Linux series Part 2. In this tutorial we will be upgrading our Ubuntu systems to the latest version, 9.04. Now if your like me you’ll want to have the lasted (and greatest) version of Ubuntu. Now unlike Windows, upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu is quite easy (and free!). To upgrade, go to System>Administration>Update Manager. Click Upgrade and read through the resulting windows that open. The installation can take from 1 hour (on a very fast connection to a couple years if you have dial up. If you do have dial up then you can order a CD of Ubuntu by going to https://shipit.ubuntu.com/ However, if you are like most users, you will probably download it from your own connection. Just make sure you have a couple of free hours when you will not need to use the internet as it will bog down your connection. After the installing has finished its stuff, restart your computer.

Some of the first things you will notice upon starting up your computer is the new loading screen. I don’t know why they changed this part, personally I liked the old loading screen better. There are also some new skins for the log in screen including the new default screen, a slightly transparent dark theme. The desktop has also had some slight changes. The shut down options have been moved from the main menu to a little bar with your name at the top right of the screen. There are also several changes to the Administration and Preferences Menu’s.

In terms of programs, there is one notable addition. OpenOffice 3 is here! This is the latest update to this great program. The most obvious thing that this update includes is new fresh looking icons. Also included is the ability to open the new Microsoft Office .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc… format, new chart components and better PDF support.

– Theo