This tutorial shows how you can set up an Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge.

While recent Ubuntu releases have been more about careful enhancement and distribution maintenance, the current version 9.10 offers a new look as well as a whole range of new technical features – the developers have restructured the distribution's standard filesystem, boot system and hardware maintenance, and they have introduced new software.

Well, Karmic Koala is now officially Ubuntu 9.10 and is on the streets. I have installed the release and am as pleased as I expected I would be. One aspect of 9.10 that I was most interested in was the new Ubuntu Software Center. I have always been a big fan of apt-get and Synaptic, so I was curious as to how Ubuntu could possibly improve on either of these tools.

This is screenshots tour of Ubuntu 9.10 (code name “Karmic Koala”), the most recent release of Ubuntu, released on the 29th of October 2009.Click on the Image to view small view.

Everybody posts about applications to install after upgrading to Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala. I'm not saying they are not interesting, I'll even post some links to such posts from other blogs (look at the bottom of the post) I really liked, but to get there, you must firstly fix everything that's not working for you, tweak some things and so on.

And I don't just mean for geeks. I mean a real, viable alternative to Windows for many users despite the apparent quality of both Windows 7 and Server 2008.

Kace shows that Vista 7 has already failed in the market; Ubuntu gets trolled by the usual suspects just days before its important 9.10 release