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Canonical shows off 'Unity' desktop, Ubuntu Light for OEMs

Linux development moves at a rapid pace and, faster than you can say Lucid Lynx, Canonical has now unveiled two new major additions to its Ubuntu bag of tricks. The first of those is the so-called "Unity" desktop, which will be the new desktop environment for Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition (slated to debut in October of this year). Among other things, it boasts a range of enhancements for netbooks and touch-based devices, including a pared-down interface and a new panel and application launcher that gives you quick access to your favorite apps. The other big news is Ubuntu Light, which is Canonical's take on an instant-on OS, and is targeted directly at OEMs for use on netbooks and other mobile devices. While it can be used on its own, Canonical mostly sees it being used in a dual-boot environment with Windows (giving Canonical a bigger foothold in the process). Like other instant-on OS's, it will integrate with Windows and give you access to things like music, photos and other files, as well as provide all the basic apps you need. Unfortunately, there isn't one catch-all version of Ubuntu Light that you'll be able to download since it'll need to be tweaked for each device, but it is available to OEMs immediately -- still no word of any devices that will be using it, though.