When a new version for an operating system is introduced, users are often reluctant to immediately switch to it. There are a number of reasons, which cause user reservations, including radical changes to the user interface, kernel issues, unstable repositories and lack of application support.
This is perhaps most suitably applied to Ubuntu users who have been dealing with constant system issues since the inception of Unity. Moreover, users have been a bit confused regarding the new changes, not knowing if they will be as beneficial as advertised by Canonical. For this reason, Canonical has provided an Ubuntu 11.10 test drive, which simulates Ubuntu 11.10 within a browser. All you need is an internet browser to take this tour via the Ubuntu website. More details regarding this guide are given below, followed by the link to access the Ubuntu Tour.
To simulate Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, go to the Ubuntu Tour webpage from the link given at the end of this post. You will be asked to either Select a Guided tour or Show yourself around.
If you take the guided tour, you will be provided with an overview of different applications which come pre-installed with Ubuntu 11.10. These include Mozilla Thunderbird, Shotwell, Libre Office, etc.
If you decided to show yourself around, you can test out various Ubuntu 11.10 features, including the Unity Launcher and various applications.
If after the tour you feel like downloading the new Oneiric Ocelot, then click on the download icon from the bottom right corner and select Download Ubuntu from the window that appears.
So if you haven’t installed Ubuntu 11.10, then it might be at least worth a test drive. And if you like Oneiric, then you can check out my upgrade guide: How To Upgrade From Ubuntu 11.04 To Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, to make your “Natty” a bit “Oneiric”.
