As previously mentioned I have had a few issues with Ubuntu. Well I installed the new version a week ago. I could not just upgrade as I wanted to re-partition the drive to get all my data on seaparate partitions to the system files. Installation was easy, apart from me having to figure out how to partition as I wanted. The latest CDs can be booted to give a working system with an install option, so you can play with various applications. They even include some media files to try out.

There are new versions of many KDE and other applications, but I have not seen much benefit for what I need.

Some of the issues I have so far are:

• Get the odd system lock-up. Happened several times in a row when trying to start new sessions one day.
• Amarok is not playing MP3, but there may be a fix on the forums.
• My USB2 card is not always recognised. I have had it working with my external hard drive, but other times I could not use the drive, scanner or camera plugged into that card.
• Kmail keeps downloading the same messages again so I end up with lots of copies. This may be a set-up issue. Kmail also crashes sometimes for no apparent reason.

Other people have reported improved performance, but I have not noticed much difference when starting the system.