It's been less than a month since Ubuntu 18.04 LTS released, but when you work on a six-month release cycle the focus moves quickly to what comes next. Canonical is doing just that by telling us what we can expect to see in Ubuntu 18.10, which arrives in October.If you're only just getting used to Ubuntu 18.04, don't worry, Canonical hasn't forgotten about you. In a blog post, Canonical's desktop engineering manager, Will Cooke, details plans to release 18.04.1 in July. It will fix a number of bugs, but also introduce the ability to, among other things, unlock Ubuntu with your fingerprint.As for 18.10, one of the key focuses everyone will be happy about is power consumption. Cooke admits that there have been options in the Linux kernel to put hard drives, USB controllers, and other power-sipping components into low power states when not in use. Ubuntu hasn't been using them because "this causes more problems than it solves." But that is changing for 18.10. Time will be spent "digging in to there low level options" with the aim being to cut power consumption. Everyone running Ubuntu on a laptop will benefit if this proves successful.
Other things to look forward to include a new theme developed by the Ubuntu community called CommuniTheme, which you can see a preview of above. The GNOME desktop will also continue to be improved with Cooke promising to embrace the latest GNOME release and integrate it. GNOME developers have been invited by Canonical to work with Ubuntu's design team.It's not just battery life that may be saved with 18.10, your time could be too thanks to faster starting desktop applications. Canonical, working with the Snapcraft package management system, will make desktop applications start much quicker by moving application setup to build time rather than it happening the first time an app is run.
There will also be improved DLNA media sharing between Ubuntu and smart TVs, and support for the KDE Connect Android app by default allowing for better communication across devices. A new metrics website will be created to share basic system info results publicly, and a new installer is being worked on to improve the desktop install experience. It probably won't be completely finished by October, but some changes may make it into 18.10.A new update to Microsoft's OneNote desktop client promises to help laptop users eke out a little more time between battery charges.A new feature rolling out to users this month pauses data syncing operations between a user's PC and the OneDrive cloud storage service when the software notices that Windows has enabled on its power-saving mode.
"To help conserve battery life on Windows devices, we are making improvements to the OneDrive desktop client to automatically pause sync whenever the device switches to 'battery saver' mode," wrote Stephen Rose, senior product marketing manager for OneDrive for Business at Microsoft in a July 18 blog."As soon as we detect that a device enters 'battery saver mode' we will automatically pause syncing and show a Windows toast notification informing you of why the desktop client was paused," continued Rose. "Once we detect that the device is no longer in 'battery saver' mode, OneDrive will auto-resume."For users who are less concerned about their batteries and want to make sure their files are safely stowed in Microsoft's cloud servers, OneDrive offers a Sync Anyway option.
The software's Activity Center interface has been refreshed and now sports a more modern look and feel that allows users to see the status of the service's file sync and share activities at a glance. Finally, users can now send Microsoft feedback and suggestions with a new option that appears in the software's settings menu. Users who choose to share their ideas on improving the product are deposited in Microsoft's feedback-gathering site, UserVoice.Now that the notion of storing and sharing files in the cloud isn't as novel as it once was, Microsoft and its rivals have been steadily enhancing their products with increasingly advanced functionality that is meant to promote collaboration and enable mobile productivity.
Also in July, Microsoft is rolling out a weekly access chart that shows users statistics on how many times a given file has been accessed by their colleagues. Meanwhile, the Android version of the OneDrive app is gaining a biometric security feature that grants access to an account using a fingerprint on devices equipped with a fingerprint scanner.Dropbox has also been busy, adding new capabilities that allows users to collaborate on shared files without having to click the download button.In June, the company announced that the new preview experience can now let Dropbox Professional, Advanced, Enterprise and Education users have a peek at the contents of AutoCAD and MXF video files without having to initiate downloads that potentially bog down the network. Additionally, Dropbox now allows users to see what's inside of ZIP and RAR files, two formats that are commonly used to package compressed files.
In a May 2018 update to the Dropbox mobile app, Dropbox Professional and Business Advanced users can now view a file's activity history alongside its preview for insights on recent edits, shares and other events. Users can also leave comments directly in the file preview screen, allowing teams to gather and view feedback on shared content.If you’ve ever questioned the validity of daytime riding lights, how’s this for proof? While out for an afternoon ride with the Light & Motion Vya Pro Commuter lights, a passing motorist called out: “That little light works great.” It was then when I realized that not only could I see, but I could also be seen.
The Vya Pro Commuter combo is a set of two lights: a 200-lumen headlight and a 100-lumen taillight. Both lights last up to six hours on a full charge, which takes a little under two hours. Light & Motion claims the lights are visible from just over a mile; a SafePulse flashing pattern makes them even more visible to motorists. A sensor detects daylight to adjust to the ideal mode: pulsing in the daytime, steady at night, off when not in motion or removed from the mount.The mounts themselves are easy to attach to the bar and seatpost via adjustable rubber straps. And attaching the lights is as simple as inserting them into their respective mounts and twisting them into the locked position, which also makes charging them a snap.
Since I own a couple of bikes but only one set of lights, I find myself switching the mounts back and forth. It’s not a big deal, and I could pay for another mount, but the Vya Pro Combo is so easy to switch that I found myself ditching those lights and sticking with these.The mount is attached to an adjustable rubber strap that is easy to remove and reattach in a matter of seconds. Inserting the light into the mount takes even less time than that. Insert the USB end of the light into the port on the mount and twist it a quarter turn to lock it into place and turn it on. To charge the lights, do the opposite to remove them and insert the USB end into a charging port such as the one on a laptop. A full charge takes about two hours.
The lights are small enough to slip into your pocket, charge them while you work, and have them ready for the commute home. A blinking orange light indicates that the battery is low, and if you forget to twist them from the mount to shut them off, they’ll turn off automatically after a short time, then turn back on once you start riding.There was an instance where I had forgotten to twist the light into its locked position when riding during the day, and it prompted me to ask Light & Motion if this was safe. They told me that the light should always remain in the locked position when riding, otherwise it could fall out. I make sure to check every time I leave now.