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'Natty Narwhal' due for 2011 release

The next version of Ubuntu Linux, produced by Isle of Man-headquartered software firm Canonical, has been announced to the world.

April next year will see the release of Ubuntu, 11.04, which has been codenamed Natty Narwhal, keeping the company’s tradition of using animal names for its computer operating system.

Canonical's founder Mark Shuttleworth says he chose the Narwhal, an endangered Arctic whale recognisable by its single long tusk, because it's the closest thing to a real live unicorn, and reflects the fact the new system will focus on energy-saving measures to bolster its green credentials.

Previous codenames for versions of Ubuntu have included Warty Warthog, Breezy Badger, Hardy Heron and the current release, Lucid Lynx.

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