New Ubuntu 7.04 variants tailored for KDE enthusiasts and educators

Updates to Kubuntu, Edubuntu and Xubuntu Include Improved Speed, Sound, and Documentation

To coincide with the Ubuntu 7.04 launch Thursday, Canonical Ltd., the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, announced the availability of Kubuntu, Edubuntu and Xubuntu. Ubuntu 7.04, including the Kubuntu, Edubuntu and Xubuntu variants, will be widely available on April 19.

Ubuntu is the award-winning Linux distribution for the desktop, laptop, thin client and server which brings together the best of open source software every 6 months. Ubuntu 7.04 includes enhancements to all versions of its distribution to increase usability across the board.

About Edubuntu 7.04

Edubuntu is an education version of Ubuntu, designed to allow a teacher or network administrator to setup and maintain a classroom quickly and easily. It includes educational applications, and office suite, web browser, communication tools, and a secure operating system.

Edubuntu 7.04 integrates the latest thin client technology out of the box for a simple thin client server setup. The thin client boot-speed is improved in the new release, and thin client sound support now enables volume control while providing sound to many more applications – functionality traditionally missing from thin clients. Recognizing that the use of technology by educators is more important than the technology itself, the distribution has improved documentation featuring the Edubuntu Handbook with tips and best practices for educators and educational IT administrators.

About Kubuntu 7.04

Kubuntu is a user friendly operating system based on Ubuntu and KDE, the K Desktop Environment. The latest version includes a new upgrade tool which makes upgrading an existing install to the latest release a simple and smooth process. Discovering and connecting to a local network has been improved with the addition of a new network manager. Kubuntu 7.04 also comes with the latest KDE 3.5.6 which includes speed improvements to the web browser and translations in 65 languages. This new release is the first distribution to ship K3b 1.0, the industry leading CD burning application.

About Xubuntu 7.04

Xubuntu is built on the Ubuntu base and is ideal for old or low-end machines, or or any system which does not meet the minimum requirements for Ubuntu. Xubuntu 7.04 now features the latest Xfce 4.4, which includes the new Thunar file manager as well as several major improvements of its core components. Designed for productivity, it loads and executes applications quickly, while conserving system resources. The operating system also incorporates new, glossy artwork to give Xubuntu a professional and appealing desktop environment.

Ubuntu Fully Supported

Used by businesses, home users, schools and governments around the world, upgrades to new releases will always be free of charge. Ubuntu 7.04 will be maintained for 18 months on both the desktop and on the server, and additional free support is available from the thriving Ubuntu community. For deployments which require additional service guarantees, full telephone and online support is commercially available globally from the professional support team at Canonical Ltd and service partners.

About Canonical

Canonical is the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu project and the leading provider of support services for Ubuntu deployments in the enterprise.

Ubuntu is a free, open-source platform for client, server and cloud computing. Since its launch in 2004, it has become a natural choice for users of all kinds, from Fortune 500 companies to hardware makers, content providers, software developers and individual technologists.

With developers, support staff and engineering centres all over the world, Canonical is uniquely positioned to help its partners and enterprise customers make the most of Ubuntu. Canonical is a privately held company.