Snow melts and trees blossom, but nothing really says spring around the Ars Orbital HQ like the arrival of a new version of Ubuntu Linux. Right on schedule, Canonical has recently released Ubuntu 15.04, also known as Vivid Vervet.

Ubuntu 15.04 arrived in late April and has, judging by other reviews, largely underwhelmed. According to the popular storyline, there's not much new in 15.04. Of course, a slew of changes and unforeseen features in 15.04 could have just as easily earned a negative reaction, probably from the same people calling the actual release boring. The top of the Linux mountain is a lonely, criticism-strewn place.

The truth is, this line of thought is partially correct. There isn't much new in 15.04, at least not in terms of visible changes to the Unity desktop.

But for most users this is a good thing—change doesn't mean better. Frankly, Ubuntu 15.04's Unity desktop is mature, stable, and not really in need of many improvements. There are still some design inconsistencies (mostly GTK3 issues) and small problems here and there, but for the most part 15.04 delivers a great desktop experience.

Those clamoring for big changes will have to wait. But more than likely, when those seismic shifts coming in Unity 8 arrive around this time next year, these same people will be reminiscing fondly about 15.04. Everyone will forget they once found this release "boring."

Unity Desktop

The biggest reason you might find 15.04 dull is that there aren't many visual changes in the flagship Unity desktop. Unity has been bumped to version 7.3, which includes a number of bug fixes but only two notable new features: Locally Integrated Menus and the ability to always show those menus rather than hiding them and revealing them through mouse hovers.

The Locally Integrated Menus feature simply means that menus are back in the application window rather than up in the main menu bar. Their position within the application windows has changed, though. Menu items no longer get their own bar, and they are instead rolled into the window title bar.

The ability to move menus into app windows has actually been around since last autumn's 14.10 release, but this 15.04 adds the ability to turn off the hidden-until-needed "feature." To switch the position of menus from the top bar to the application window, head to System Settings >> Appearance >> Behavior where you'll see both options.

Making the menus always visible is a little more complex. First you'll need to install dconf Editor and then head to com >> canonical >> unity where you'll see a checkbox to "always-show-menus." Check that and your disappearing menus are gone. This option is really nice if you put your menus in the application window, since the application menu bar is a pretty small target to get your mouse over for visibility. With the menus always on, you have a visual target to aim for, making for much better usability.

In testing, these two small tweaks to the interface are the only visible changes that I've noticed. And as someone who prefers boring, incremental updates that improve rather than completely rearrange my experience, I like Unity 7.3 so far. However, it's not perfect by any means. There are still some outstanding design issues and inconsistencies that surface early on.

If you want proof that all the development effort is currently in Unity 8 rather than Unity 7, look no further than scroll bars and right-click menus. Scroll bar position and appearance varies depending on which app you're in, but the most obvious problems are in Firefox. The browser still hasn't been themed to use the Unity-style thin scroll bars with handles, and the default theme will sometimes give a dark right-click menu, sometimes light. Plenty of third-party themes handle Firefox fine, but the default still doesn't.

Most users may not even notice these little issues, but the fact that they remain does lend some credence to the charge that Canonical has all but abandoned Unity 7.