“Teen Titans Go!” review: “Double Trouble” / “The Date”

May 112013
 

The DateThis week’s “Teen Titans Go!” episode was pretty funny, though I liked the second one more than the first. SPOILERS ahead…

“Double Trouble”

Plot: Cyborg and Beast Boy trick Raven into making magically-created clones of themselves. Hijinks (and a twist ending) ensue.

Raven’s powers in this series seem to be much more powerful than in the original “Titans” show. All the better for comedic moments, I guess.

Still wondering if Beast Boy’s vegetarian or not in this show. Beast Boy seems to not mind eating what looks like pepperoni pizza, though tofu chips are also seen. Unless it’s some sort of meatless pizza topping, though I’d figure Cyborg would throw a fit about that. (Or not, since he ate that block of tofu with barbecue sauce in the original series…)

“The Date”

Plot: Starfire decides to go on a date with Speedy, which Robin resents, to the point of kidnapping Speedy/disguising himself as Speedy to sabotage Starfire’s interests in the archer hero.

Despite Robin’s less-than-heroic nature in this episode, I thought this one was funny. Making it even funnier is the episode quietly pointing out that Speedy originally was just a knockoff of Robin, as Green Arrow’s longtime kid sidekick. Similarly, Green Arrow himself was a knockoff of Batman for much of the Golden and early Silver Age. Since the 70s, Roy Harper (Speedy’s real name) has largely struck out on his own as a hero, taking up several different names (“Arsenal” seems to be the longest-lasting one), plus kicking an addiction to heroin (from the early 70s Green Lantern/Green Arrow storyline). Roy even had his own daughter at one point, per DC aging the sidekicks while not aging their mentors as much.

The restaurant Starfire, Robin and Speedy go to looks like Seattle’s Space Needle, which does have a restaurant inside. I’m not sure if Jump City is based on any particular US city, beyond being on the west coast.

I noticed both episodes had a theme of fake doubles replacing the real versions of individuals.

Minorities in cartoons: Angela Chen

May 102013
 

Angela ChenThis week’s minorities in cartoons entry is Angela Chen.

Chen appeared on “Superman: The Animated Series” during its 90s run on the WB network. There, Chen was the “Daily Planet”"s gossip reporter, as well as the host of a TV show. Chen’s personality tended toward being assertive; this and her focus on less-than-hard news led her to clash on a few occasions with the “Planet”"s star reporter Lois Lane.

Angela was never introduced into the mainstream “DCU” comics, unlike other animated DC characters like the Joker’s sidekick Harley Quinn, or “Superman: The Animated Series”‘s Mercy Graves, Luthor’s own henchwoman/sidekick. Chen does appear in the digital-only “Smallville” comic, however, where she’s presented as a more mainstream news reporter.

Angela Chen was voiced by Lauren Tom, a Chinese-American actress who starred in “The Joy Luck Club.” Tom also has done other voicework, including Amy Wong on “Futurama.”

“Teen Titans Go!” review: “Driver’s Ed” / “Dog Hand”

May 062013
 

Driver's EdI didn’t get around to watching this episode until just now, thus the lateness of the review of last week’s episode. Yes, SPOILERS ahead…

“Driver’s Ed”

Plot: Robin’s driver’s license is suspended (due to an accident with the Batmobile), so he takes a shady-sounding driver’s ed course to try to get it back.

Pretty funny episode; parts I enjoyed:

  • Seeing Robin drag the Titans on all manner of trivial tasks, and what specifically Robin was interrupting with his, as Cyborg put it, “stupid stuff.”
  • Further mentions of Batman and Superman: the Batmobile is shown, plus Superman’s face is seen on the sign of the coffee shop where the Titans hang out.
  • Cyborg losing his memory of Starfire due to Robin interrupting his data backup. And getting said memory back: “Hey, when did Starfire get here?”

“Dog Hand”

Plot: Raven’s father, the evil and powerful demon conqueror Trigon, pays his daughter a visit…and (at first) turns out to be a pretty friendly guy.

This one was also amusing… parts I liked:

  • Raven (temporarily) frying Beast Boy.
  • Trigon’s initial niceness, complete with a sitcom laugh track.
  • The dumb stuff the Titans wished for from Trigon. Starfire speaking like a stereotypical teenage girl… yikes.
  • The “he’ll be back” remark by Raven. Apparently, even demon conquerors from another dimension celebrate, uh, a North American holiday centered around stuffing one’s face with turkey!

Of particular note is that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Trigon depicted as a less-evil type of guy. The “Tiny Titans” comic shows Trigon as even more charismatic/less focused on villainy, willing to make pancakes for his daughter and her friends. (He also took a liking to Kid Devil, here a toddler.)

Think I liked this week’s even more than last week’s; a promising start so far for the series.

Barnes & Noble’s Nook now has Google Play

May 042013
 

Nook HDThe other day, the big US bookstore chain Barnes & Noble announced that their line of Nook tablets will now be allowed to access the Google Play app store. This access applies only to the current line of tablets (the HD or HD+), not their original Nook Color or Tablet models.

One long-standing flaw of the Nook tablet is that until now, B&N didn’t allow the Nook access to Google Play, instead curating their own app store. Their own app store was limited in selection, older versions, and often charged for apps that were free from Google Play, such as Angry Birds. Since the Nook was easily rootable, however, the more geeky of us online didn’t mind much, and got around B&N’s limitations. Of course, this was early in the color tablet era (a.k.a. a few years ago); now, with a wide selection of tablets to choose from, such as the excellent and inexpensive Nexus 7, such limited access to apps is unacceptable. While Amazon’s app store for its Kindle is much better curated than Nook’s app store, Amazon’s Kindle still doesn’t allow access to the Google Play store. This might help differentiate the Nook from its Kindle competitor.

Since the Nook’s market share is lower compared to the iPad, Kindle, Nexus 7, etc., hopefully this change will allow the Nook (which is nice hardware otherwise) to gain ground. While sideloading apps still isn’t officially allowed, as The Digital Reader blog criticizes, I don’t think the average user the Nook’s aimed at will care one bit. I recall sideloading homebrewed apps on my old Palm Pre, but only because the official apps I wanted—which was most of what’s out there—didn’t have WebOS versions.

Minorities in cartoons: “Teamo Supremo”

May 022013
 

Teamo SupremoThis week’s minorities in cartoons entry is the 2002 Disney-produced cartoon “Teamo Supremo.”

“Teamo Supremo” features the adventures of three kids who fight crime as superheroes. The series came out during the height of popularity of Cartoon Network’s “The PowerPuff Girls,” and thus came off to some as an attempt to cash in on the PowerPuff Girls’ popularity. (A similar simplified animation style might not’ve helped that impression). Unlike Townsville’s heroes, however, Teamo consists of three non-superpowered crime fighters, using various gadgets:

  • Captain Crandall: Real name Crandall. Cap’s the team’s leader. Crandall for some reason believes he’s really an alien from another planet, whose super-powers haven’t fully kicked in yet; he’s also generally obsessed with superheroes. The series reveals both of his grandfathers were also former superheroes—one resembling Batman (“The Dark Talon”), the other Captain America (“The Silver Shield”). Crandall’s gear includes a utility belt containing a portable shield, specialized yo-yo, and other equipment.
  • Rope Girl: Real name Brenda. Rope Girl speaks with a bit of a Southern accent, and fights crime using a high-tech jump rope, in a fashion akin to Wonder Girl/Wonder Woman’s lassos.
  • Skate Lad: Real name Hector Felipe Corrio (the only team member whose full name’s given). Skate Lad’s talent is being the state’s champion skateboarder. Hector uses a specialized high-tech rocket-powered skateboard, which also serves as Teamo’s means of transit. An episode centered around Cinco de Mayo suggests Skate Lad’s of Mexican heritage.

The trio’s crime fighting equipment was given to them by Governor Kevin, the governor of their (unnamed) state, and the state’s top-secret high-tech laboratory known as “Level 7.” Governor Kevin summons the kids whenever their talents are needed to fight the latest villain threatening their state. Said villains range from ones that wouldn’t be out of place in a “straight” superhero story (such as “The Gauntlet,” a guy using energy-blasting “power gauntlets” stolen from Level 7, or a M.O.D.O.K-like robotic villain named “Technor”) to unimpressive ones like the “Put-Down Artist,” whose shtick was…insulting others.

The members of “Teamo” also have battle cries. Captain Crandall’s is “Buh-Za!,” Rope Girl’s is “Wuh-Pa!,” and Skate Lad’s is “Chi-Ka!” Yes, their battle cries sound more like babies learning to speak; “Avengers Assemble!,” they’re not. Though it’s interesting that Skate Lad’s cry (when spoken) is the Spanish word for “girl” (chica).

Another trait of the show was its use of (via stock footage) a somewhat-drawn-out transformation sequence for when Teamo assumed their superhero identities: Crandall stating “Rope me, Brenda!,” then the group jumping Brenda’s jump rope at high speeds until their costumes came on from out of nowhere, with flashy effects in the background. (I’d presume this ability’s another high-tech feature of their Level 7-granted equipment.)

The show ran for two seasons on ABC, then went to Toon Disney for part of the 2000s, before vanishing from the air entirely. Since Disney’s (unfortunately) reluctant about releasing its older animated TV programs to DVD/Netflix/etc., there’s currently no (legal) way to view the show. Still, the show’s website (in all its Flash-based, 2002-era glory) is still up, which has some brief episode clips. There’s also the opening available on YouTube:

Crandall’s voice actor is Spencer Breslin. Rope Lad and Skate Girl both share the same voice actress, Alanna Ubacha, a Latino actress who’s done some other voice work, as well as star in “Meet the Fockers.” The Governor’s actor is comedian Martin Mull (the principal on “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”).

Birthdays in cartoons

Apr 302013
 

Super ChickenDespite the characters’ lack of aging, cartoons sometimes like to depict its characters observing birthdays. Depending on the cartoon, either “wacky hijinks” may ensue (such as “The Simpsons” or “The Flintstones”) or more serious goings-on may take place (Superman’s birthday in “For the Man Who Has Everything”). Either way, expect the characters to “turn” their usual, never-changing ages once again (Lisa Simpson turning eight, Superman turning 29, etc.). The old joke “you’re turning 29 again, right?” is literally true for most cartoon characters’ cases…and Superman in particular, who really was permanently 29 from the 70s through the early 90s. (DC raised his age to 35 after “The Death of Superman,” but the New 52 reboot’s managed to reduce his age to 27.)

Here’s a few random cartoons that depict birthdays:

Super Chicken

One “Super Chicken” episode on the late 60s Jay Ward cartoon “George of the Jungle” sees our heroic chicken and his lion sidekick Fred try to stop a “birthday bandit” from using mechanical toys to rob birthday parties. Pretty hilarious from start to finish: the narrator noting “the robbery” as part of the usual birthday party customs; said robbery’s victims (Kid (sobbing): “My teddy bear’s gone!” Dad (also sobbing): “So’s my TV set!”); our heroes staging a fake birthday party as a trap…a party that lasts for two weeks (cue the picture accompanying this post); Fred getting repeatedly blown up through the whole adventure; and a robotic toy double of Super Chicken (playing into the ending).

Teamo Supremo

This early 2000s Disney cartoon, made partly to cash in on the popularity of “The PowerPuff Girls” (only featuring Batman-like non-superpowered crimefighting kids) featured a villain named “The Birthday Bandit.” The Bandit’s shtick was, like Super Chicken’s foe, robbing birthday parties. Voiced by Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker of “Star Wars” fame), the Bandit resembled a goofier version of his other famous character, the Joker from “Batman: The Animated Series.” Like the Joker’s sidekick Harley Quinn, the Birthday Bandit counts a woman as part of his henchmen, who’re dubbed the “Party Favors.”

The Flintstones

A few episodes have revolved around Fred’s birthday. An early first season episode sees a wild party thrown in the gang’s new pool end up with Fred getting arrested, after he assaults a cop who Fred thought was someone pulling a gag. A season three episode sees the others try to throw a surprise birthday party for Fred, which doesn’t go well when the guest of honor (kept away from home by Barney) goes missing. The series states that Fred’s birthday is on February 2 (Groundhog Day).

Of course, the most famous Flintstones birthday episode is none other than the birth of Pebbles herself. Bamm-Bamm’s adoption was featured in his debut episode; I’d assume the Rubbles celebrate that day as his “birthday.” Decades later, we also see the birth of the adult Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm’s twin offspring, Chip and Roxy.

The Jetsons

The Jetsons’ 80s revival featured George fretting about his birthday in one episode. Another episode during that time has George state he’s 38 years old, bumped up slightly from his mid-30s age in the show’s original 60s run. This still implies he got married and had “daughter Judy” when he was barely out of college…

The Simpsons

The Simpsons family members’ birthdays have been shown in a few episodes. Lisa’s birthday is seen in the famous Michael Jackson episode (where she’s “turning eight”), while Homer in another episode notes his birthday’s “the same day as the dog’s.” Bart’s birthday is also shown significantly in one episode: he attempts to cash in on multiple free birthday offers, which is followed by a birthday party at a Chuck E. Cheese-like restaurant; cue: Nelson cramming multiple balls down a skeeball game, lousy animatronic singing robots, etc.

And yes, the births of the various family members have also been shown through the series’ run.

“Blooper Bunny”

This 1991 Looney Tunes short focuses on Bugs Bunny’s “51st-and-a-half anniversary,” parodying the hype at the time for Bugs’ 50th birthday in 1990. (“Tiny Toon Adventures” sometimes had the characters note how old Bugs is…). The short features the “making of” a sappy cartoon celebrating Bugs’ anniversary, taking shots at the idea of the Looney Tunes all being “pals.” Pretty hilarious, especially the scenes of Daffy telling off Elmer Fudd and the short’s closing (Yosemite Sam hurtling at Bugs a stream of creative insults; I liked “you low-down, flop-eared, son of a kangaroo!”). The full short’s available on YouTube.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

The episode “Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary” features Meatwad’s birthday, which goes south quickly once Master Shake uses it to try to launch a scheme to create a new, “better” birthday song than “Happy Birthday to You.” Cue a trip to a condemned “Pizza Potamus” restaurant (Chuck E. Cheese with Hanna-Barbera’s Peter Potamus as the mascot), a heavy metal musician to play the song (guest star Zakk Wylde), and Meatwad trying to eat said restaurant’s exposed wiring.

DC Comics

The various DC Comics characters’ birthdays have been featured in comics over the years, to the point they published a 1976 wall calendar highlighting the various heroes’ birthdays. I’ve written about most of the JLAers’ birthdays:

 

C2E2 2013 summary

Apr 282013
 
Burt Ward at C2E2 2013

Burt Ward, at the 60s Batman TV show panel.

I’ve finished attending yet another C2E2 comic-con in Chicago. Here’s a summary of my experiences at this year’s show:

The line this year to get in was long as usual. For some reason, I didn’t see a ton of costumes while in line, though two guys near me were dressed as (in their words) “Batman cosplaying as Superman” and “Spider-Man cosplaying as Captain America.” The Batman/Superman guy had apparently heard of the Composite Superman when I mentioned to him that minor villain.

Of course, once in the show there were a lot more costumes; among the others:

  • The X-Men
  • Quail-Man (from the 90s Nickelodeon cartoon “Doug”)
  • A headless woman in a wedding dress (complete with fake blood)
  • Some warriors in costumes made entirely out of old beer cans and beer carton boxes
  • Captain Marvel (the Marvel/Carol Danvers version)
  • The Scarlet Witch
  • Starro
  • Captain Marvel (the “real” one, though given DC’s current treatment of “Shazam,” I’d argue otherwise…)
  • Black Adam
  • Captain America
  • Aquaman
  • Cable
  • Iron Fist
  • Green Arrow
  • Superman
  • The main cast of the TV “Young Justice” cartoon
  • A man dressed as Black Canary
  • Jesus Christ (two of them!)
  • Multiple people dressed as the Doctor from Doctor Who, including the modern version of the Doctor (lots of bow ties at the show), as well as the Fifth Doctor (whose actor was appearing at C2E2).

The only panel I really got to attend was seeing part of the 60s Batman TV show panel. Burt Ward and Julie Newmar were there, describing their experiences on the show to the audience. However, Adam West due to an injury wasn’t able to attend. I also tried to go to the Marvel panel, but I got turned away; the panel room was completely full. So full they also had to turn away others that were still waiting in line…

While I didn’t get to see Svengoolie, I did get to see some writers/artists in Artists’ Alley. I spoke with Thom Zahler (of “Love and Capes“), who I asked a few questions about his most recent trade paperback, “What to Expect.” While I’m not a “brony,” I also asked a few questions about his work on the current “My Little Pony” comic. I also congratulated him on his recent engagement announcement.

Another artist I got to see was Joe Staton, a long-time artist who drew one of my favorite superhero stories, the origin of the Justice Society in 1977′s “DC Special” #29. However, I left my copy of such at home, so instead I bought from him a recent Archie trade paperback that he’d drawn (which he also signed).

I also met Yale Stewart, the writer/artist of the webcomic “JL8,” about the Justice Leaguers as grade-schoolers. I asked him about the name change for his strip; originally it was called “Little League,” but changed due to the baseball organization’s protesting.

Finally, I bought the usual comic-con knick-knacks, including a bobblehead of Darth Vader. I did buy some comics as well, including: the first black-and-white reprint volume of the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” manga run;  a few issues of “Aw Yeah” comics (an independent effort from the creators of “Tiny Titans”); and a volume of the indie series “Princeless” (praised on the blog Comics Worth Reading). However, I haven’t bought as big a pile of comics as usual. Reasons why include: having filled in many of my desired back issues or not finding what I wanted; a switch to buying mostly digital comics; and that C2E2 for some reason seems to have way fewer DC trade paperbacks for sale versus Marvel material.

Speaking of DC/Marvel, DC didn’t have a booth at this year’s show, for unexplained reasons (DC apparently refuses to state why). I’ve seen some suggest the cost of renting floor space at McCormick Place as why the no-show. (Bleeding Cool suggests a lack of a booth might also be to either save on set-up and take-down costs or to avoid people asking too many questions about DC’s embarrassing spate of recent decisions.) However, if said rumors are true, it’d sound quite odd for one of the two dominant comic companies to skip one of the midwest’s biggest comic-cons. DC did still hold panels at least, but that’s not fully the same as actual floor space, which Marvel’s booth took up plenty of (and prominently featured near the entrance). Since marketing’s a reason for comic creators appearing at comic-cons, and since DC supposedly wants to promote the “New 52″ and all its current New 52-ness (Superman/Wonder Woman pairings, Clark Kent “fighting the power” as a blogger, and all), not having a floor booth at a major midwestern show sounds odd from a marketing standpoint. With a major Superman movie due out in a few months that parent company Time-Warner’s hanging all its future movie hopes on, I’m not sure any cost-savings (even at McCormick Place prices) is worthwhile. Meanwhile, Marvel definitely hyped up “Iron Man 3″ at its booth, and even offered promotional material tying into “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which isn’t due until 2015.

However, given my dislike of the “New 52,” I guess I can’t say I’m too disappointed. Despite being a fan of DC’s characters, most of what I was interested in at this year’s show were from smaller-press companies, Marvel, or independents…

Overall, I had fun at this year’s show, even if I only went down for one day. Staying overnight in Chicago instead of going straight back to Milwaukee, however, lessened feeling “rushed” like I did last year.

Finally, here’s the photos I took of this year’s show:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mechanikat/sets/72157633373465090/with/8690559456/

Off to the 2013 C2E2!

Apr 262013
 

C2E2_lores_bannerTomorrow, I’ll be down in Chicago for this year’s Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, or “C2E2.” I’ll hopefully come back Sunday with plenty of photos, etc. However, if you’re interested in following my “play-by-play” while actually there, I’ll be on Twitter (@anthonysnotes) throughout the day. Unless I’m distracted digging through the cheap trade paperback bins… and cellular connection/WiFi permitting.

Minorities in cartoons: “Captain Planet and the Planeteers”

Apr 252013
 

Captain PlanetThis week’s minorities in cartoons entry is “Captain Planet and the Planeteers.” Debuting in 1990 on TBS (back when they ran cartoons that weren’t “Family Guy”), the series ran for six seasons, and continues to air in reruns today.

The series was created to promote environmental awareness among youths watching, and was one of the first major cartoons to do so. The show’s premise: Gaia, the “spirit of the Earth,” grows annoyed at seeing the environmental damage that mankind’s wrought. To that end, she decides to form the “Planeteers” as a way of spreading the message of ecology and to directly combat the series’ worst polluters, a set of recurring supervillains collectively dubbed “Eco-villains.” Gaia gives five special rings to five different youths from around the world, each ring possessing a special elemental power. The Planeteers consist of:

  • Kwame, a Black African (from Ghana, per Wikipedia) who serves as the group’s de facto leader. His ring has the power of “Earth,” allowing Kwame to generate small earthquakes, shift pieces of the ground, drill through the ground, and other seismic effects.
  • Gi, from China (per Wikipedia). Her ring has the power of “Water,” which lets her control water to various effects (creating waves, waterspouts, etc.). Gi also has an interest in marine biology.
  • Wheeler, a Caucasian youth from New York. Wheeler has the power of “Fire,” allowing him to generate flames or control fire to various degrees. The least environmentally knowledgeable member of the group (but well-meaning), Wheeler also tends to be impetuous. Wheeler sometimes tries to (unsuccessfully) flirt with fellow Planeteer Linka.
  • Linka, from the Soviet Union (later changed to “Eastern Europe” post-USSR breakup). Linka has the power of “Wind,” letting her generate or control wind.
  • Ma-Ti, from the Amazon rainforest in South America. Ma-Ti has the power of “Heart,” which usually allows him to communicate telepathically with people and animals, as well as instill a sense of empathy in others. Ma-Ti also has a pet monkey named Suchi.

By combining their five rings’ powers, the Planeteers can summon “Captain Planet,” a mullet-wearing superhero (I know…it was the early 90s) with the standard Captain Marvel/Superman-style superpowers (flight, strength, super-speed, etc.). Cap would use his powers to quickly take care of situations too much for the individual Planeteers to handle, usually while spouting off a few situation-appropriate puns. Unfortunately, Captain Planet’s chief weakness is excessive levels of pollution, though high levels of hate (such as those by Hitler…long story) can also disable him. When Cap’s around, the Planeteers’ rings are non-functional.

The “Eco-villains” tend to be rather one-note about their motivations: Hoggish Greedly (presumably, despite nothing else in common, a pun on the name of 19th century American figuure Horace Greeley) is an obese, greedy businessman who tends to be wasteful in his industries’ operations; Looten Plunder engages in weapons dealing, etc.; Dr. Blight misuses science for typical mad-scientist ends; and Duke Nukem (no relation to the video game) is a walking radioactive mutant who misuses nuclear power for his own ends.

As I noted in my Earth Day post, while the show was well-intended, it could sometimes take a heavy-handed approach to its lessons, or come off as rather preachy. Thus, the series was subject to plenty of parodies in the 90s and 2000s.

That said, “Captain Planet” did break ground in various ways aside from its ecology focus. The Planeteers are a diverse group, and “diverse” in this case meant more than just adding one African-American character to an otherwise all-Caucasian (or depending on the show,  all-Caucasian-and-funny-animal) cast, as was common in animated series at the time. The cast (including Gaia and Dr. Blight) has various female characters, most of who’d pass the Bechdel Test. The sole Caucasian American protagonist, Wheeler, isn’t presented as the show’s default star (beyond appealing to American viewers) or as the leader of the group. Linka represents a positive portrayal of Eastern Europeans/Soviets during the (late) Cold War, a rarity in American media of the time. Even rarer might be Kwame, who’s one of the few Black African recurring characters in American animation—or American TV period.

The series also features some celebrity voice artists: Kwame was voiced by LeVar Burton (Geordi LaForge of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), while Gaia was voiced in earlier seasons by Whoopi Goldberg. Latter seasons saw Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the 70s/80s “Superman” movies) voice Gaia. Ed Asner (of “The Mary Tyler Moore”) was the voice of Greedly. This wouldn’t be the first project to feature Burton and Asner together, as both starred in the classic 70s TV miniseries “Roots,” where Burton also played a Black African character.

Xubuntu 13.04 released today

Apr 252013
 

Xubuntu logo (light)Xubuntu 13.04 (“Raring Ringtail”) is being released today. Xubuntu, of course, is the Xfce-based version of Ubuntu that’s become a popular alternative to its Unity-based bigger sibling. Xfce, while not as feature-packed a desktop environment as GNOME, KDE, etc., still holds its own pretty nicely, while not being as resource-intensive. The latter is one reason why I’ve opted to install Xubuntu on my mother’s PC.

13.04 isn’t a long-term release like 12.04, and thus its support period will only last until October 2014. The support length for non-LTS Ubuntu versions/variants has been shortened from three years to 18 months.

There’s no major, groundshaking changes with Ringtail. The biggest changes are:

  • Xubuntu image sizes have been increased, and as such will no longer fit on a standard CD.
  • Gnumeric (the spreadsheet program) and GIMP (the graphics editing program) have been reintroduced as part of a default installation, as a result of the increased image size.
  • Some software and theme updates.
  • Duplicate partitions will no longer be displayed on the desktop or in Thunar (the file manager for Xfce).

Xubuntu 13.04, plus the 12.04 LTS version, can be downloaded from here.

While it applies mainly to the 12.04 LTS release, my post-installation guide is still applicable toward 13.04.

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