THE first beta version of Ubuntu 10.4, also known as Lucid Lynx, was released last Friday, giving me enough time to download a copy of the new Linux distribution over the weekend and install it on my Acer netbook.

The first thing that struck me was how easy the whole process has become. An operating system is a complex piece of software, but installing the Ubuntu 10.4 beta was outrageously easy. In fact, it was the easiest time I’ve ever had installing any operating system, including Snow Leopard on the Mac or Windows 7. The new beta simply worked.

As with previous versions of Ubuntu, the Lucid beta can be downloaded as an .ISO file (http://bit.ly/lucid-beta1), which you can then burn to create an install disc. In my case, I used Ubuntu’s startup disk creator (on the top panel, System > Administration) to make a bootable installer on a1GB USB drive that I could use on my netbook, which has no optical drive.

Booting from the USB drive was simply a matter of changing the boot order on the netbook’s BIOS. Once that was done, the netbook booted up Lucid Lynx (running on the USB drive) and gave me the option to install the new operating system on my local drive. I double-clicked the Install icon to begin the process.

Installation was trouble-free and took only 20 minutes, which is fast by any standard. A clean install of the latest version of Mac OS X can take double that time, while a Windows 7 clean install can take several hours, if you include the time to reinstall device drivers and applications.

Even more impressive, the new Ubuntu takes 15 seconds to boot up to the log-in screen and takes another 15 seconds to complete the log-in.

Although I had tested the alpha versions before, the beta is the first to carry Ubuntu’s new look—a sharp new logo and its “Light” theme, which breaks free from the earthy brown tones that characterized previous releases.

With its gradated purple desktop background and reverse field menu bars, Lucid Lynx has a clean and modern look and is clearly the slickest Ubuntu yet.

Longtime Ubuntu users will notice the window control buttons (minimize, close and restore/maximize) have been moved to the left side of the title bar like they are on the Mac —a feature that has generated some heat in the forums. Although I don’t care much for this aspect of the redesign myself, it’s a minor concern, since I can simply download and use an old theme that puts the buttons back on the right side, where I think they belong.

Out of the box, Lucid recognized the Wi-Fi card and built-in camera in my Aspire One netbook. Without requiring me to install any drivers, it also recognized the Intel integrated graphics controller, which enabled me to turn on visual effects without any tweaking. I wasn’t able to test my printer and scanner, however. It should also be interesting to see how well Lucid, with its new software drivers, performs on PCs that use NVidia graphics cards.

As with previous versions of Ubuntu (and unlike Windows), Lucid comes with a complete set of free and open source applications already installed, including the OpenOffice productivity suite. Some applications that used to be included—notably the Gimp image processor—are no longer installed. Others, like the Pidgin instant messaging client, have been replaced. This isn’t a big problem, however, since the applications are easy to find and install using the Ubuntu Software Center (in the Applications menu).

One application that should be installed along with the operating system is a better Compiz settings manager, which would give users greater control of the visual effects they use. The current settings manager, which you must install separately, is pretty complex and not all that easy to use. The same can be said about the Emerald Theme Manager, which can create more visually impressive windows decorations than those available under the default windows manager, Metacity.

Still, the Lucid beta is pretty enough as it is out of the box. With its speed and performance improvements, users can look forward to an exciting, and even ground-breaking release when the final version becomes available next month. Chin Wong

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