Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin) released!

The much anticipated Ubuntu Precise Pangolin has finally arrived sporting bold new features, a fresh new look, and adopting a long-term release policy which will see updates and fixes supported for the next five years.

“The Ubuntu team is very pleased to announce the release of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Long-Term Support) for Desktop, Server, Cloud, and Core products. Codenamed “Precise Pangolin”, 12.04 continues Ubuntu’s proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution. The team has been hard at work through this cycle, introducing a few new features and improving quality control.” <source>

Primary among the widely publicized new features are:

• The Head-Up display (HUD) – The new HUD gives you a fast alternative to the traditional, menu-based way of telling your computer what to do. Instead of clicking on menu items to give it instructions, you just press one key to bring up the HUD and start typing what you want to do. You’ll then get a list of functions, without ever needing to know in which menu they live.
• The Video Lens – The new Video Lens makes it easier than ever to find the videos you want to watch. Just click on the icon on the Dash and enter your text to search. Whether it’s stored on your computer, on YouTube or anywhere else, you’ll soon see a list of matching content.
• Ubuntu software Centre – The Ubuntu Software Centre gives you instant access to thousands of apps. You can see the top-rated apps, compare apps by rating and user reviews, keep track of what you’ve installed, and sync your apps between all your Ubuntu computers.
• **The new Ubuntu also supports Hyper-V for virtualization on a Windows Server.

Precise Pangolin is also available in all Ubuntu derivatives such as Kubuntu, Xubuntu, etc. Existing Ubuntu 11.10 users will be offered an automatic upgrade to 12.04 via their Update Manager.

We suggest interested new users should visit THIS PAGE which includes more details plus links to all relevant expanded information (including downloads).