Natty narwhal

[TimmyK.]

Every time I go the update manager, it says "New Ubuntu release '11.04' is available", and then there is a button that says upgrade. Before doing this, there are several things I would like to know. Is there really any difference in features between Maverick and Natty, for better or worse? Is it worth upgrading? Secondly, if I hit upgrade will it format my disk or can I keep all my documents and programs?

[mikewhatever]

1. Yes, there is the new UI, new default applications and various other minor changes. See the Release Notes.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/NattyNarwhal/ReleaseNotes
2. Is it worth upgrading for you? Do you want to upgrade?

[coffeecat]

Here's a bit more about 11.04, especially about the Unity shell.

http://omgubuntu.co.uk/natty/

You don't have to use Unity if you don't want to; you can choose the classic gnome desktop from the login screen.

If you upgrade, it won't format your disk and you will keep your documents and applications - some applications will be updated along with the operating system. However, before you decide whether or not you want to upgrade, you might want to download the ISO for Natty and run it live from a CD to make sure your hardware is OK with it. Some people report that they have had a bad upgrade experience because of hardware problems.

[Rubi1200]

For more information on the hardware requirements for Unity, see here:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DesktopExperienceTeam/UnityHardwareRequirements