What will that mean? Enhanced wireless chipset and wifi driver support as well as numerous config updates, to name just a few improvements since the previous alpha version.

2. A New Desktop

Also notable about the third alpha version of Ubuntu 11.10 is that a new and experimental release of Compiz and Unity has been included, based on GTK3. Among the key features associated with that change are a new alt+tab switcher and better launcher and panel performance.

, meanwhile, has been updated to the currently unstable version 3.1.4 as a step along the way to GNOME 3.2.

3. Thunderbird for Email