Ultimate Edition

Ultimate Edition is an operating system based on Ubuntu, which is itself based on Debian. The goal of Ultimate Edition is increased usability and ease of use for new Linux users while providing the tools needed for advanced users.Fact|date=September 2008 Ultimate Edition has been tweaked to have better wireless hardware support out of the box. The creator aims for a better user experience out of the box.

History

Ultimate Edition started off as Ubuntu Christmas Edition. Due to the popularity of Christmas edition [http://ultimateedition.info/] , the creator TheeMahn created Ubuntu Ultimate 1.1. Ultimate Edition has software pre-installed and ready for use even in the live CD/DVD environment than Ubuntu. Ubuntu Ultimate 1.2 was released shortly after 1.1 with new software. To answer the call of gamers [http://ultimateedition.info/ubuntu_ultimate_gamers/] , TheeMahn then built Ubuntu Ultimate Gamers Edition. Gamers Edition came with a large variety of games for Linux. [http://ultimateedition.info/ubuntu_ultimate_gamers/] On Oct 18, 2007, TheeMahn received an e-mail from Canonical asking that the use of the Ubuntu logo and name stop. The reason was that Ubuntu Ultimate had become too different from Ubuntu and that continued use of the name and logo may damage the Ubuntu Project. [http://forumubuntusoftware.info/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=185&sid=e9bdb416baee1047a97d1eeaa0af0c40] Ubuntu Ultimate then became Ultimate Edition.

Desktop

Ubuntu Ultimate comes with the GNOME desktop environment, but special releases have KDE, Xfce, and many other desktop environments [http://ultimateedition.info/Ultimate_Edition_1.9/] that can be selected before logging in. These special releases are identified by an odd version number (e.g. Ultimate Edition 1.7).

Features and tools

Ultimate Edition includes all the features of Ubuntu with enhanced usability. Many tools have been added for new and advanced users. Ultimate Edition comes pre-installed with the latest versions of the included software. [http://repoubuntusoftware.info/] The Ultimate repository also includes the latest updates, as well as software that is not included in the official Ubuntu repositories.

The creator of Ultimate Edition has included new Nautilus scripts programmed by himself. These scripts are only available on Ultimate Edition.

GDM Maker is a Nautilus script that automates the process of making GDM themes.

Usplash Maker is a Nautilus script that automates the process of making Usplash themes.

Upgrade Icon is a script written to make it easier to install many programs, including Flash, Java, and Google Earth. It is accessible as an icon on the user's desktop. Future versions will not have the Upgrade Icon but will come with a new program called Ultamatix.

Specialized editions

Ultimate Edition 64-bit: Ultimate Edition 64-bit is for use for only 64-bit processors.

Gamers:Ultimate Edition Gamers Edition comes pre-installed with many games made available for Linux. Some games require a license agreement and can be installed with the use of the Ultimate Upgrade program.

Other: Some older versions of Ultimate Edition came with the option to choose between many different desktop environments.

Support

Support for all versions of Ultimate Edition is available in the Ultimate Edition Forums at http://forumubuntusoftware.info.

Comparison with Ubuntu

Ultimate Edition is based on Ubuntu but should not be confused with or be considered Ubuntu. The major difference between the two is that Ultimate Edition has its own repository that contains restricted multimedia drivers as well as packages that require license acceptance to install. This goes against the Ubuntu philosophy (free as in speech). Ultimate Edition cannot install restricted multimedia codecs by default due to US laws, but makes installing these codecs and applications easy post-installation additions with use of the upgrade icon, or with Ultamatix, without the need to add new repositories. The Ultimate repositories also contain newer package updates than those provided by the official Ubuntu repositories.

Criticism

Some reviews have pointed out that this OS may be bloated and may run slower than a standard Ubuntu installation. Some reviews have also pointed out that the launcher in the Applications menu for Gourmet Recipe Manager does not work.

External links

http://repoubuntusoftware.info/

http://ultimateedition.info/ubuntu_ultimate_gamers/

http://forumubuntusoftware.info/

http://ultamatix.com/
* [http://ultimateedition.info/ Official website]
* [http://www.linux.com/feature/137106 "Ultimate Edition: Not so ultimate"]

Third Party Sources

http://www.linux.com/feature/137106

http://www.darknet.org.uk/2007/05/ubuntu-ultimate-edition-is-cool/

http://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2008060600926RVDB