TechSource: 8 Things We Expect from Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr)

8 Things We Expect from Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr)

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 07:48 AM PST

Ubuntu 13.10 was not a spectacular release as far as Ubuntu's history of major eye-popping changes is concerned. There were many things that could have been added to Saucy. Mir, for example, was one change many Ubuntu fanatics were waiting for. But, in favor of stability, the only thing new that the release brought to the table was Smart Scopes. Also, there were a few changes here and there, but for those who were looking for a complete 'upgrade,' Saucy was disappointing at its best. That's not to say that the release was bad. In fact, it set a solid foundation for the next big release, and that is Ubuntu 14.04.

With Ubuntu 14.04, codenamed Trusty Tahr, stakes are extremely high. After all, it's not just any release, it's an LTS (Long Term Support) release. Non-technical users, small business owners, and server admins, everyone will depend heavily on this release as this one promise updates and support for the next five years. Since many people are expecting a lot of things from Ubuntu 14.04, we also decided to chip in and list out all the things we want from this upcoming release.

Easier Ubuntu Software Center Approval Process

Ubuntu's Software Center houses some of the best applications you'll find in the Linux world. From Steam to the Geany, it offers a gamut of apps that the new users can try out on their computer without entering a single line of code. However, getting the latest apps approved is a tedious process for developers. New apps are required to be tested and reviewed using a manual review process thus leaving many developers twiddling their thumbs for a long time. A better, more streamlined approval process would help see many new apps in the software center.

New Icon Theme

The old icon theme is something that many users have already gotten bored of. That's why it's about time for a big aesthetic change on the desktop front. With convergence as the main goal of Canonical, an icon theme that fits well with desktop as well as mobile devices is something we'd love to see in Trusty Tahr.

Stability, stability, and more stability

Because it's an LTS release, stability is a factor that simply cannot be overlooked. Canonical made a good decision recently by dropping Mir from 14.04. This shows how serious the company values stability. Sticking with the same ideals, we want a solid, stable release that runs smooth across all our devices.

Something new, but stable

By Ubuntu 14.04, users who were disappointed by Saucy would be dying to see some new features added to the release. After all, there must be something for all those novelty freaks out there. That's why, one of the main items on our wishlist is new, but stable features.

Better Boot Process

Though Ubuntu looks as good as Mac at times, the boot process is a bit of an eyesore. Many users, especially those using proprietary drivers, have a boot screen that doesn't look consistent with the rest of the UI. That's why, we hope that Canonical does some serious work on the boot process in Ubuntu 14.04.

Deeper Integration with the Cloud

Ubuntu One does a perfect job by syncing all of your necessary files. However, it would be great if it could also sync important things like settings, wallpapers, and even common apps. For users who have more than one computers, this would be one of the best features.

Better Social Integration

As of now, Ubuntu's social features don't work as well as you would expect. Gwibber is in the process of a revamp thus leaving social butterflies relying on external applications like Polly. Also, we expect the social features to be very easy to use. Let's say you open a photo in the image viewer. Then you should immediately be able to share it with your friends without opening a new window.

TRIM Support

For SSD users, adding TRIM support will significantly improve performance thus making their computers run a lot faster. Followed by the recent addition of TRIM in Android 4.3, we expect the feature to make it into Ubuntu 14.04.

Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.