Ubuntu Software Center Gets Visual Improvements, Launchpad Login [Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Development Updates]

An update today brought lots of changes to the Ubuntu Software Center. The most notable are an animated "Featured applications" section, microblogging sharing of applications via Gwibber as well as a Launchpad login (now called Ubuntu login).

The Ubuntu login doesn't seem to work for now (gives an authentification error) but it's still good news as it might mean we'll get ratings for all the applications in the Ubuntu Software Center and probably purchase applications (that's planned for Ubuntu Software Center too).

Another change in the Ubuntu Software Center is a really nice anymation for the breadcrumbs - this change is quite old actually but since there are so many changes to the Ubuntu Software Center in Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat (including the History tab) which cannot be expressed by simply posting some screenshots, I decided to make a screencast with all these changes:

You can read all the changes in today's Ubuntu Software Center update, HERE.

Update 1: Ubuntu Software Center also got microblogging sharing via Gwibber:

Update 2: thanks to Guiodic tip in the comments, you can already install this Ubuntu Software Center version in Ubuntu Lucid. Warning: the PPA has many packages backported from Maverick!

Install it with:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:guido-iodice/guiodiclucid
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

And another change in Ubuntu 10.10 (from yesterday) brings an update to the Ubuntu Adium theme for Empathy (with the help of om26er): both Gwibber and Empathy use the same theme but the font in Empathy was smaller - this update increases the font in Empathy to match Gwibber. If you want this change in Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx, Brian C. has a PPA for you.

Credits for the Empathy screenshot: Brian C.