Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Also Comes with the Internet Browser from Ubuntu Touch

Ubuntu Touch comes with its own browser, developed by Canonical, but Ubuntu 14.04 LTS users can also employ it.

The browser from Ubuntu Touch has been included by default in Ubuntu 14.04, at least so far. It's unsure whether it's going to remain installed by the end of the development cycle or if it's going to get removed.

Aptly named Browser, it features a very simple experience for users, with little to no options. You get a short history log, which is combined with the Bookmarks, and that's about it.

It will be interesting to see what the exact use of this app is in the context of a desktop distribution, but the software is stable and complete. It's also interesting to play around with.

The browser is built on Webkit and identifies as Ubuntu if you check the user Agent. Go ahead and have fun!

Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr) Might Drop OpenJDK 7 (Java Support)

Ubuntu developers are still sifting through the packages that need to stay and through the ones that could be removed from the upcoming Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr) distribution.

Even if the release of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) is still pretty far ahead, some very important aspects are now being discussed. This includes the necessity of removing the OpenJDK package.

“The foundations team have been reviewing whether we should continue to provide OpenJDK as the default Java implementation in Ubuntu; this package is quite a resource drain on both the foundations and security teams from a SRU perspective so demotion of openjdk7 to universe is being considered. Most Java-ish things in main can be built using gcj; however Tomcat7 is not going to work with gcj so would end up being demoted as well,”said Ubuntu developer James Page.

This doesn't mean that OpenJDK won't be available in the official repositories but, if it's not included by default, Canonical doesn't have to keep an eye on any security problems that need fixing.

The idea is still being discussed, but we'll keep you apprised if any decision is reached.

Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr) Now Features a Much Better Software Updater

Canonical has upgraded a lot of aspects of Ubuntu 14.04, and the developers are pushing updates every day. The Software Updater has also received a sizable upgrade, making it a lot more user-friendly than ever before.

More and more new users are installing Ubuntu for the first time and not everyone is ready to upgrade the system from a terminal or from a simple interface that only shows what packages will be downloaded and installed.

The new Software Updater is now a lot more user-friendly and shows more details about what you are actually installing. This is a great improvement over the previous version present in Ubuntu 13.10, but it would be nice if more features were available, like a changelog for the new version of an app.

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is still under development and it's likely that the Software Updater will continue to get better.

Update: The changelog is shown under Technical Info for each package.

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Release Dates

Ubuntu’s siblings, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Kubuntu & co, will be available for testing sooner, with two alpha and beta milestones available to them.

• Alpha 1 - December 19th (for flavours)
• Alpha 2 – January 23rd (for flavours)
• Beta 1 – February 27th (for flavours)
• Final Beta – March 27th
• Release Candidate – April 10th

With the final release scheduled for:

• Ubuntu 14.04 LTS – April 17th