Unity 5.2 is released and it brings in some much needed features to Ubuntu's Unity shell. The new upgraded Unity comes with multi-monitor support and there is this tiny little Unity launcher related hack that is going to make the lives of so many Ubuntu users a wee bit easier.
What's New in Unity 5.2?
- Most important features in new Unity include:
- Seemingly well executed multi-monitor support. You will now see launchers on each of your monitor, and when you scroll across a monitor, you should feel some resistance in order to allow for you to use the launcher on that screen.
- To invoke the launcher, you now need to push against the left of the screen, rather than hover for X seconds. No more hitting the back button in firefox and having the launcher pop up in your way. That was one annoying bug and it isn't there anymore.
Installing Latest Unity 5.2
- Only Ubuntu 12.04 is supported at the moment. If you have installed Ubuntu 12.04 alpha, make sure that you are running the latest version of it before getting started.
- Also, Unity 5.2 did not ship with "the HUD". So if you have been testing the HUD you will need to use ppa-purge to remove and downgrade your packages.
- Now, follow the instructions to install latest Unity 5.2 in Ubuntu 12.04.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:unity-team/ppa sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
- Ubuntu 12.04 itself is bleeding edge stuff at the moment and a lot of things can go wrong. Compiz crashed immediately after upgrading to Unity 5.2 in my laptop. What I am saying is, you should be aware of the risks before getting your hands dirty.[source: orangenotebook]