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Alongside more general improvements, including broader support for printers and an integrated desktop search function, the new version of Ubuntu, codenamed Gutsy Gibbon, also sports the sort of three dimensional effects now associated with Windows Vista and Apple's OS X Leopard, which could find it new friends among those grown accustomed to some eye candy on their desktop.

Canonical is also promising greater compatibility with Windows, with users running a dual partition now able to read and write files that are on located on a Windows partition, including NTFS.

"We are privileged to have millions of users running Ubuntu every day," comments Jane Silber, Chief Operating Officer of Canonical UK.

"This gives us great insight into what they want from a free, Linux-based platform. Ubuntu 7.10 is another milestone in delivering on these requirements on the desktop and server."

Ubuntu 7.10 is available for free download on the 18 October.