Indicator-Sensors Displays CPU / Motherboard Temperature On The Panel Using An AppIndicator [Ubuntu]

These days we've got a lot of comments requesting for a temperature monitor applet with Ubuntu AppIndicator support that displays the CPU / Motherboard temperature, Fan speed, etc. on the panel.

Well, great news! Alex Murray has created an Sensors AppIndicator which can display various temperatures and fan speeds as well as the GPU / fan speed for Nvidia graphics cards (if you have installed the "nvidia-settings" package only!).

Indicator-Sensors doesn't have a PPA yet so I've debianized it and uploaded it to the WebUpd8 PPA so you can install it already in Ubuntu 11.04. But please note that Indicator-Sensors is currently in alpha so it may not work for everyone, or you may find bugs. If that happens, report any bugs you may find @ Launchpad.

Install Indicator-Sensors In Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install indicator-sensors

Once installed, launch Indicator-Sensors from Dash (it's called "Hardware Sensors Indicator"). Then you'll need to configure it: click the appindicator and select "Preferences", then expand the various temperature modules you see in the Preferences dialog and check the box next to the temperature / voltage / fan speed you want to displayed on the panel.

Only one temperature will be displayed on the panel. To see the other temperatures you've enabled in the preferences you must click the appindicator (like you can see in my screenshot above).

To have Indicator-Sensors start automatically when you log in, launch "Startup Applications", add a new item and under command enter: "indicator-sensors".

How To Reset Unity, Launcher Icons Or Compiz In Ubuntu

If you're using Unity and you want to reset Unity to its default settings, want to reset the Unity Launcher icons or you've changed some Compiz settings which have messed up Ubuntu and want to reset everything, here's how to do it.

Reset Unity

If you want to reset Unity (this will only reset the Unity settings in CompizConfig Settings Manager and leave the other CCSM settings intact), open a terminal (or press ALT + F2) and enter:

unity --reset

Reset Unity Launcher icons

If you want to reset the Unity Launcher icons (dock bar on the left) to their initial state, run the following command:

unity --reset-icons

Reset Compiz in Ubuntu 11.04

Resetting Compiz in Ubuntu 11.04 is a bit different then in older Ubuntu versions because its settings in gconf are under /apps/compiz-1 and not under /apps/compiz like before.

Warning: only do this if you really must and have no other option! Use both commands, or else you might not see the Unity launcher and top panel anymore! Use it at your own risk.

To reset all the Compiz settings (this includes all the plugins settings, etc.) to the default values, open a terminal (don't run it with ALT + F2! The top panel and launcher will disappear after running the first command but will show up after the second one so use a terminal) and type:

gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compiz-1
unity --reset

If something doesn't look right after this, log out and log back in.

Try A Beautiful, NotifyOSD-Like Conky Setup

"notifyOSD Conky" is a simple Conky setup created by BigRZA that displays the CPU usage / temperature, RAM and HDD usage as well as the network traffic.

To use it, download the configuration from DeviantArt, extract the downloaded archive and place the configuration files in your home folder (the archive contains hidden files so press CTRL + H to see them).

Of course, you'll also need Conky so install it if you didn't already:

sudo apt-get install conky

For getting the temperature to work, see step 2 in this post.

The original notifyOSD Conky configuration is partially in German and needs a few other tweaks (there are a few errors) to work properly (at least that was the case on my system). Here's how it looks on my system:

I've translated it to English and removed a few bits including the temperature part and replaced it with 2 more CPU cores (I have 4). If you want my modifications to notifyOSD Conky, get it from here - all credits for this: BigRZA (remember, the files in the archive are hidden so press CTRL + H to see them).

For more Conky configurations, check out our Conky tag.

[via ubuntu.onego.ru; first screenshot in the post thanks to BigRZA]

Possible New Default Applications In Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot

Ubuntu 11.04 has just been released but but work on Ubuntu 11.10 has already started (by the way, the Ubuntu 11.10 repositories are available already) and some very interesting blueprints have been registered on Launchpad.

Important: these are just things that are being considered, it doesn't mean the changes bellow will actually happen. For now this is just a discussion!

Thunderbird considered to be made default instead of Evolution

Thunderbird is considered to be made default instead of Evolution, however Evolution has some advantages:

• Good integration with the desktop already (eg, messaging menu and appmenu)
• Integrated with existing translation infrastructure
• Calendaring functionality by default, and integrated with the desktop
• Support for syncing contacts with U1
• Contacts sync with GMail
• GNOME release process is better aligned with our 6 month cycle
• Exchange support

This were pretty strong arguments to keep Evolution default in Ubuntu 11.04, but Thunderbird is gaining ground - for example it got experimental integration with Unity already (for Thunderbird 3.3 alpha only for now).

On the other hand, Thunderbird seems more actively developed, is more familiar for new users, there are a lot of extensions available and is more intuitive and easy to use (these arguments are via Launchpad too).

So which one will it be? Thunderbird or Evolution? We'll probably find out in a few days @ UDS-O (which is held in Budapest).

Blueprint

Déjà Dup Backup Tool by default

Many users have been complaining about the lack of a backup tool by default in Ubuntu. And honestly, such a tool makes more sense then say an email client by default (now that most people use web email) for example.

The specs propose an "invisible" UI with a coltrol center panel instead of the usual Deja Dup UI. Another interesting specification is that Deja Dup would get Ubuntu One support so you could sync in the cloud without any setup effort for the user.

Deja Dup seems to be the perfect candidate but is there room on the Ubuntu CD for a new default application? We'll see.

Blueprint | Specs

Unity 2D installed by default

Since Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot will come with Qt libraries on the CD it should be a lot easier to include Unity 2D (Qt) too.

Blueprint

LightDM instead of GDM

LightDM might replace GDM starting with Ubuntu 11.10. Want a cool login screen? LightDM supports HTML/CSS/Javascript theming for the greeter so if it's made default, you'll finally be able to easily theme the login screen.

Other reasons why LightDM is considered:

• Simpler code to maintain (GDM is a huge ~50,000 line C program and we carry 36 patches. LightDM is nearer 10,000 lines of C).
• More flexible greeter development - greeters are as easy as X applications to write, which means we can have an Ubuntu specific greeter without branching the rest of the code
• Speed improvements - we can run a greeter without running a full GNOME session
• Display manager can be shared with Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu etc but still allow each distro to have their own greeter.

Blueprint

Default browser

Now that both Firefox and Chromium have a somewhat similar release schedule, Chromium has a chance of becoming default in Ubuntu. But does it has what it takes to become default? This is yet another question for which we should get an answer from UDS-O in a few days (starts May 9th).

Blueprint


What do you think?

Many thanks to somloirichard.hu for the Blueprint links and info!

Xubuntu 11.04 Released With Xfce 4.8, Gmusicbrowser Default, New Artwork [Screenshots]

Along with Ubuntu 11.04, Xubuntu, Kubuntu and Lubuntu were also release. In this post I'll try to cover the changes in Xubuntu 11.04 - a very interesting Ubuntu flavor based on Xfce.

Xubuntu 11.04 is truly lightweight, using only 184 MB of RAM on startup (I've only tested it in VirtualBox though). It's not as lightweight as Lubuntu, but it has a lot more features and if you don't like Unity or GNOME Shell, you should really consider it.

New artwork in Xubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

The latest Xubuntu 11.04 comes with a complete makeover: a new default theme called Greybird (which even though is inspired by Elementary, there are quite a few differences) and updated icons:

(Greybird - new default Xubuntu 11.04 theme)

The reason for switching to Greybird by default:

We took a conscious step from the polarizing and intense blue to something that proves easy on the eyes for everyday work (and also because one focus of the natty-release is accessibility). That's why "greybird" is not as vibrant as Elementary.

There's also a new default wallpaper:

(New default wallpaper)

Some other changes: a re-worked top panel and a new bottom launcher (hidden by default) and of course, Xfce 4.8 (which adds GVFS support for Thunar so it can now browse remote shares using FTP, Windows Shares, WebDav and SSH, XFCE panel improvements and more).

Gmusicbrowser - default music player instead of Exaile

There's also a new default music player: Gmusicbrowser which has replaced Exaile, most probably because it's not actively developed anymore. And to make the transition complete, Gmusicbrowser even has Xubuntu sound menu support:

Xubuntu 11.04 also comes with a new default font: Droid. Which is a bit weird considering Ubuntu now has its own font family.

Default applications in Xubuntu 11.04

Xubuntu 11.04 comes with Thunar 1.2.1 Firefox 4.0, Parole Media Player 0.2.0.2, Xfburn 0.4.3, Gimp 2.6.11, Pidgin 2.7.11, Thunderbird 3.1.9, Abiword 2.8.6, Transmission 2.13.

More Xubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal screenshots

(Firefox notifications in Xubuntu 11.04)

Download Xubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

Things To Tweak / Fix After Installing Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

A note before reading this post: before giving up on Unity without giving it a try... don't. Try Unity for a few days - yes, it's not a finished product but it's actually quite interesting - and if you don't like it then switch.

If you've just upgraded to Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, there are probably a few things you'll miss, so here is how to get them back as well as some other things you may find useful.

Install CompizConfig Settings Manager and Tweak Unity to better suit your needs:

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Then search for CompizConfig Settings Manager in Dash and you'll find the Unity-related options under the "Unity" Compiz plugin. Some other options are under other plugins so check those out too.

Using CCSM, you'll be able to tweak the Unity launcher reveal mode, hide behavior, change some Unity-specific keyboard shortcuts, change the Unity launcher icon size, the top panel opacity, tweak various animations and more.

Another tool for configuring some hidden Unity settings is Dconf-editor.

To be able to use it you must firstly install dconf-tools:

sudo apt-get install dconf-tools

Then press ALT + F2, enter "dconf-editor" and look under desktop > unity.





Using an AMD (ATI) graphics card with the latest Catalyst 11.04 and experience bad performance / lag?

To get better performance, install CompizConfig Settings Manager (see the first tip in the post for installing it), then open it from Dash and go to the "OpenGL" plugin and uncheck the "Sync to VBlank" option.

(fix thanks to SarfzStrife)

Is Dash displaying your hidden / private files or your porn?

Until Zeitgeist Global Privacy is released, install Activity Journal (don't use the version in the official Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal repositories - that doesn't seem to work), go to its Preferences and on the Plugins tab, enable "Blacklist Manager" (seems you have to double click the checkbox to enable it) - now a new "Blacklist" tab should be displayed. Here, click the add button and enter the path to your private files (porn). If you want to block all files, use "*" for the path.

You can also clear the Zeitgeist history (this is the history of recent files that's display in Dash) by using the following commands:

rm ~/.local/share/zeitgeist/activity.sqlite
zeitgeist-daemon --replace

(via AskUbuntu)

Want to monitor the RAM / CPU usage?

Yes, the Unity top panel doesn't support any kind of applets, just AppIndicators. Luckily, there's an AppIndicator that displays the RAM and CPU usage. Install it using the commands below:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexeftimie/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install indicator-sysmonitor

Then, launch System Monitor Indicator from Dash.





Want the regular Firefox 4 menu like on Windows?

In Firefox, go to the Addons Manager and disable the Global Menu Bar Integration extension, restart Firefox, then right click the menu and deselect the Menu Bar.

Do you use Dropbox and the AppIndicator doesn't show up on the Unity panel?

Fix it using the following commands:

cd
wget http://webupd8.googlecode.com/files/fixdropbox
chmod +x fixdropbox
./fixdropbox

Dropbox will now start with a 20 seconds delay! That's so it always starts, without this most of the time it won't show up!

Ubuntu One is displayed on the Unity launcher and the Messaging Menu (why the...?) yet both entries are totally useless - none displays the current sync status.

If you use Ubuntu One, make it usable by installing the Ubuntu One AppIndicator:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rye/ubuntuone-extras
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ubuntuone-indicator

Then launch it from the Dash.




Missing a quick way to access your Downloads / Pictures / Documents / Videos folders?

Sure, you can access them via Dash but for a quicker solution, add quicklists to the Nautilus Home folder launcher (which is displayed by default on top of the Unity launcher) by running the following command (copy all the text as a single command!) in a terminal:

echo "[Desktop Entry]

Name=Home Folder
Comment=Open your personal folder
TryExec=nautilus
Exec=nautilus --no-desktop
Icon=user-home
Terminal=false
StartupNotify=true
Type=Application
Categories=GNOME;GTK;Core;
OnlyShowIn=GNOME;Unity;
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Bugzilla=GNOME
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Product=nautilus
X-GNOME-Bugzilla-Component=general
X-Ubuntu-Gettext-Domain=nautilus

X-Ayatana-Desktop-Shortcuts=Videos;Documents;Music;Pictures;Downloads
[Videos Shortcut Group]
Name=Videos
Exec=nautilus Videos
TargetEnvironment=Unity


[Documents Shortcut Group]
Name=Documents
Exec=nautilus Documents
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Music Shortcut Group]
Name=Music
Exec=nautilus Music
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Pictures Shortcut Group]
Name=Pictures
Exec=nautilus Pictures
TargetEnvironment=Unity

[Downloads Shortcut Group]
Name=Downloads
Exec=nautilus Downloads
TargetEnvironment=Unity" | sudo tee /usr/share/applications/nautilus-home.desktop

If the quicklists don't show up, you may need to log out or restart Unity.

(tip via AskUbuntu)

Want to remove Unity Places Files / Applications shortcuts from the Unity Launcher?

Clicking the Ubuntu logo in the top left corner of the screen and then "More Apps" or "Find in Files" will let you access the Unity Places Files / Applications. You can also directly search in Dash for an application name. However, 2 more shortcuts are placed on the launcher that serve the same purpose: Unity Place Files / Applications:

Since vertical space is important even on a large monitor, if you can find your way without these 2 Unity places, you'll probably want to remove them. Here's how to do it:

- firstly make a backup of the original files (the following commands will back them up in the "backups" folder in your home directory):

mkdir ~/backups
cp /usr/share/unity/places/applications.place ~/backups/
cp /usr/share/unity/places/files.place ~/backups/

Now, to hide Unity Place Files icon, run this command:

sudo sed -i '14i ShowEntry=false' /usr/share/unity/places/files.place

And to hide the Unity Place Applications icon, run this:

sudo sed -i '12i ShowEntry=false' /usr/share/unity/places/applications.place

Only run the above 2 commands once! Then log out and log back in or run "unity --replace".

If you want to restore the icons, remove the first "ShowEntry=false" entry in these two files:

• /usr/share/unity/places/applications.place
• /usr/share/unity/places/files.place

Or restore your backup:

sudo cp $HOME/backups/*.place /usr/share/unity/places/

(tip thanks to Richard Arkless; via Ubuntuforums)

By default, LibreOffice doesn't uses the AppMenu (Global Menu) which makes it inconsistent with the rest of the desktop.

But you can manually install AppMenu support for LibreOffice:

sudo apt-get install lo-menubar

Note: it seems the LibreOffice AppMenu doesn't always work ok so if you're experiencing any issues with it, simply uninstall it (use "remove" instead of "install" in the above command).

Can't get the time indicator to display the weather?

That's because it doesn't support it. But you can get the weather in your panel by installing Weather Indicator which is available in the official Ubuntu 11.04 repositories:

sudo apt-get install indicator-weather

Once installed, run it from Dash.

Ubuntu Software Center doesn't let you install some application you really like, displaying the following error: "The package is of bad quality"? Install the .deb using DPKG, like so:

sudo dpkg -i PACKAGENAME.deb

Or use Gdebi to install .deb files instead of Ubuntu Software Center.





Dash takes the whole screen size? This happens for some smaller screen laptops or netbooks.

This won't work for any computer (like 10'' netbooks) but if you have a big enough resolution (like 1366x768), you can make Dash smaller (like in the screenshot above) by running the following command:

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity form-factor "Desktop"

In case you want to revert this change, use:

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity form-factor "Automatic"

By default, to access the Software Sources (where you can see and add repositories and PPAs) you must open Ubuntu Software Center and only then access Software Sources.

Fix this by searching for "Main Menu" in Dash, then enable "Software Sources" under System > Administration.

Do you miss an "show desktop" icon on the Unity Launcher?

Run the following commands in a terminal:

sudo apt-get install wmctrl
cd
wget http://webupd8.googlecode.com/files/showdesktop.tar.gz
tar -xvf showdesktop.tar.gz && rm showdesktop.tar.gz
sudo mv showdesktop /usr/local/bin/

Then navigate to your home folder and drag and drop the "showdesktop.desktop file on your Unity launcher. Or use SUPER + D keyboard shortcut to show/hide the desktop.

Want the systray (notification area) back?

Enable it for all applications using the following command:

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.Panel systray-whitelist "['all']"

Then log out and log back in.

Important: if AppIndicators stop working or you can't enable the systray using the above command (it seems that sometimes changing this via command line fails), see: How To Re-Enable The Notification Area (Systray) In Ubuntu 11.04, For All Applications and try to only whitelist a few applications.

Don't like the AppMenu (GlobalMenu)?

Uninstall it:

sudo apt-get remove appmenu-gtk indicator-applet-appmenu indicator-appmenu

Then log out and log back in.

But this will probably remove the ubuntu-desktop meta package. If you want, you can also disable it, either for all applications or only some: Disable The AppMenu (Global Menu) In Ubuntu 11.04.

Are the external devices / mounted partitions cluttering your Unity launcher?

Hide them:

gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.Devices devices-option "Never"

Hate the new overlay scrollbars?

Remove them:

sudo apt-get remove overlay-scrollbar liboverlay-scrollbar-0.1-0

Just like with AppMenu, this may remove the ubuntu-desktop meta package. If that's the case, disable the overlay scrollbars instead of removing them: How To Disable The Overlay Scrollbars In Ubuntu 11.04 [Quick Tip]

Missing your favourite applet? Try finding an AppIndicator equivalent: there's a huge list on AskUbuntu and we've also posted more in-depth posts on most of them.

And of course, the "ultimate fix": don't like Unity but want to use Ubuntu 11.04? Unity doesn't work with your computer's hardware? You have 3 options:

- in the login screen, select the "Ubuntu Classic" session and everything will look like in Ubuntu 10.10 (except for updated packages and overlay scrollbars).

- use Unity 2D:

sudo apt-get install unity-2d

Then in the login screen, select Unity 2D instead of "Ubuntu" session.

- install GNOME 3 with GNOME Shell via GNOME 3 PPA (warning: you won't be able to use Unity after using this PPA) or if you want to use both Unity and GNOME Shell, compile it yourself (this will allow you to easily switch back to Unity if you want).

Do you know something else that needs tweaking / fixing in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal? Let us know in the comments!

Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal Released - See What`s New (Screenshots And Video)

After the usual 6 months of development, Ubuntu 11.04 has finally been released. I usually start these posts with "there haven't been any major or ground-breaking changes" but this time pretty much everything is new with the introduction of Unity as the default interface. Since we've been writing about the new features in Ubuntu 11.04 constantly, in this post we'll only talk about the major new features. Read on!

Here is a video demoing the most important new features in Ubuntu 11.04:


(for more videos, check out our YouTube channel and Facebook page)

Unity default

Ubuntu 11.04 doesn't come with GNOME 3 / GNOME Shell (in fact it's not even available in the repositories but only in a PPA) and instead it comes with an interface designed especially for Ubuntu called Unity (based on GNOME 2.x). Unity was already default in Ubuntu 10.10 netbook edition but besides being default for the desktop edition (the netbook edition doesn't exist anymore starting with 11.04), it was also completely re-written and now uses Compiz.

That means you can use Compiz with Unity / Ubuntu 11.04 and in fact Unity needs Compiz to run.

Unity consists on multiple parts - Dash, launcher and top panel:

- Dash - which is basically the menu and you can find it in three places: clicking the Ubuntu logo on the top left corner or clicking the Applications or Files & Folders icons on the Unity launcher and unlike a regular menu, it can be used to search for files too.

Right clicking the Applications icon:

- Launcher - the "dock" on the left on which the running applications are displayed:

- the top panel (which is not a regular GNOME panel).

To configure Unity you must use CompizConfig Settings Manager which is not installed by default (search for it in the Ubuntu Software Center). In CompizConfig Settings Manager you'll find a "Unity" plugin under which you can tweak the Unity launcher reveal mode screen corner to trigger it (the Unity launcher is set to "dodge windows" by default), change some various keyboard shortcuts as well as some experimental, more advanced features like panel opacity, launcher icon size and more:

In Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, the notification area (systray) only works for a few applications: Skype, Wine apps, Java and about 2 more. In the future, the notification area will be removed completely and replaced with appindicators - most applications that used to use the systray already have appindicator support. And for those that don't, you can re-enable the systray for all applications if you want.

AppMenu (Global Menu)

If you use Unity (this is not default for the classic Ubuntu desktop - see below), you'll find that AppMenu (global menu) is enabled by default. This means the menu is not displayed in the application window but on the top panel and also, it comes with autohide enabled by default. You can also reveal the menu by holding the ALT key.

For an unmaximized window, the window title is displayed on the panel and hovering the window title, the AppMenu is displayed:

For maximized windows, things are a bit different: the window titlebar is removed and the panel takes over its functions as well as the AppMenu: the minimize, maximize and close buttons are displayed on the panel and the same for the window title and when hovered, the menu is displayed:

Overlay scrollbars

A new addition to Ubuntu 11.04 (both Unity and the classic Ubuntu desktop) is the use of overlay scrollbars by default, but not for all applications (because not all apps support it yet).

The overlay scrollbars are partially hidden scrollbars that become visible when you move your mouse over the side where the scrollbar should be.

Ubuntu classic - fallback mode for computers not able to run Unity and for those who don't want to use Unity

Don't like Unity? Fear not! The classic GNOME desktop is still available as an option in the login screen - select "Classic Ubuntu":

Also, if your hardware cannot run Unity, you will see the classic Ubuntu desktop instead of Unity once you log in:

The Classic Ubuntu session in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal looks basically the same as in Ubuntu 10.10: two GNOME panels, the same menu, no AppMenu by default and so on (except for overlay scrollbars - these are default on the Classic Desktop too).

Default applications

Two default applications have been replaced in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal: Banshee is now the default music player, replacing Rhythmbox and LibreOffice has replaced OpenOffice.

Here are the versions in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal for the important applications / packages: Nautilus 2.32.2, Firefox 4.0, Shotwell 0.9.2, Empathy 2.34.0, Banshee 2.0, LibreOffice 3.3.2, Evolution 2.32.2, Gwibber 3.0.0.1, Totem 2.32.2, Compiz 0.9.4, GDM 2.32.1, GRUB 1.99 RC1, Linux Kernel 2.6.38 (yes, with the "wonder 200 lines" patch now included by default), X.org Server 1.10 and Mesa 7.10.1 - all on top of GNOME 2.32.1.

Other changes

There lots of other changes in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal. Here are a few more worth mentioning:

- You can now upgrade to Ubuntu 11.04 using the Live CD (and doing so, you can keep your settings):

- Ubuntu Software Center now supports ratings and reviews:

- Ubuntu One control panel has a brand new design:

And many many other changes that I could never cover in a single post. For more detailed insights to Ubuntu 11.04, see our previous posts: beta 2, beta 1, alpha 3, alpha 2, alpha 1.

Unity 2D (Qt)

This is not available in the default Ubuntu 11.04 installation, but it really deserves a mention: if you want to use Unity but your computer does not support it or simply want something lighter, there's a non-Compiz Unity available in the Ubuntu 11.04 repositories. This looks and behaves like the regular Unity (more or less) but it should work on any computer:

I didn't make a video with Unity 2D for the final Ubuntu 11.04 release but you can watch an Ubuntu 11.04 beta 2 video of Unity 2D below (recorded on my netbook):

If you want to install Unity 2D, simply search for it in Ubuntu Software Center and then select Unity 2D in the login screen session.

Download / upgrade to Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

If you've installed Ubuntu 11.04 alpha or beta and kept upgrading using the Update Manager, you already have the final Ubuntu 11.04 version.

Starting with Ubuntu 11.04, it's very easy to upgrade even if you don't have an Internet connection, as long as you have an Ubuntu 11.04 CD - see the following for both upgrading using a LIVE cd or the regular upgrade: How To Upgrade To Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal (With Or Without An Internet Connection)

Download Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal | Direct Bittorrent download links: 32bit | 64bit.

Also check out the Ubuntu homepage for download links and some info on the new release (use CTRL + R / CTRL + F5 in your browser if you still see the old layout).

Are you using Ubuntu 11.04 already? What's your impression so far?