After the recent release of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS for servers, Canonical has announced the brand new desktop version. With Windows XP's life support having ended on April 8, the latest iteration of Ubuntu is a more-than-suitable replacement for the dead OS.

There are a range of improvements to the latest version of the popular distro, such as "a slicker experience, with improvements to the Unity [user interface]", Canonical stated. The OS has a variety of software included for everyday users, as well as businesses, such as the open-source equivalent of Microsoft Office, LibreOffice.

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS shows that the company is moving toward a more unified experience across phones, tablets, and PC's with the introduction of the Unity 8 interface for Desktop, which is used on the mobile version of Ubuntu.

Along with other XP users switching to Ubuntu, the French police force is moving over 70,000 computers from XP to Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, which is guaranteed to be supported for 5 years after the initial release. The Chief Information and Security Officer in Gendarmerie, Stéphane Dumon​ has stated that their "project to replace Windows XP with Ubuntu on over 70,000 desktops is returning significant benefits; already we've lowered the total cost of ownership for a ratio of 40 percent, eliminated license costs and radically reduced technical problems."

Many companies recently have paid Microsoft billions of dollars to continue support for their computers while they search for alternatives. Cheaper, and more secure alternatives, such as Ubuntu 14.04 LTS for desktops may prove to be a viable choice for the users that are fleeing from Windows XP.

Source: Ubuntu via The Inquirer | Image via Ubuntu