Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx

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Facts:

1. Ubuntu 10.04 codenamed Lucid Lynx is a Long Term Support Release, which will be supported for a period of three years.
2. Ubuntu 10.04 now features a music store as well as Ubuntu One, a recent addition, to synchronize important files and data.
3. Ubuntu is commercially supported, most notably by Canonical, Ltd and the founder is Mark Shuttleworth.

What I liked:

1. The new Ubuntu logo and desktop looks much more polished and professional. Many will like that it no longer has a brown theme (I mourn the loss).
2. Everything just worked on the Live CD. I had no problems whatsoever setting up accounts to test out the email, social features, etc. I had no problems mounting peripheral devices and having them recognized, correctly.
3. Splash screen in the beginning asks whether or not user would like to try the distro out or install it. Just one example of newbie friendliness.
4. Ubuntu seems to be making an effort to return to its roots of being a newbie friendly distro.

What I didn't like:

1. The new look, while nice looking, is completely unoriginal and looks like a watered-down Mac, right down to the window controls being on the left.
2. Games come by default when that space could have been better served with applications.
3. Icon theme and pointer themes clash with the new color scheme. The artwork is likewise uninspired and generic.

Summary:

I had some serious doubts about whether or not I would even try this distro out right now, after the debacle that was 9.10, Karmic Koala. However, I gave it a shot and now I'm very glad I did. Several of the bugs from 9.10 have been resolved (it appears) and it seems like Ubuntu is headed back toward being a newbie friendly distro once more, with more focus on its user base. Everything I tried worked "out of the box" even things that have notoriously frustrated me in the past. In terms of newbie friendliness, I give Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx an A-....As far as appearance goes, I give it a B+ for lack of originality but the new look is nice. Nice to see Ubuntu back in the game. Good job.