Unity 5.0 released with BFB quicklist, improved frame rate, new features and more (Ubuntu 12.04, no PPA required)

Unity has been updated to 5.0 version just now, marking the first Precise-specific release.

Numerous issues reported in Ubuntu 11.10 have been addressed, along with speed improvements, as well as new interesting features.

What is new in Unity 3D 5.0?

• BFB/Ubuntu logo gained quicklist support, exposing now the installed lenses in its quicklist, allowing 1-click access to a specific lens



• pressing Alt+F1, the launcher becomes navigable by keyboard, now the selection starts with BFB, making the navigation complete on the launcher



• massive improvements in reducing windows' tearing when in Unity session, as well as improving the overall frame rate in Unity (the reported issues were: after "some" hours of usage Unity becomes sluggish, moving windows is choppy, various games don't perform as properly as they should, etc)
• option to select a quicklist item with just one right-click (the usual approach is to right-click on a launcher item and then click again on a particular item on the quicklist to perform a selection, thus clicking twice; the new behavior allows one to right-click&hold on a launcher item and, by moving the cursor onto the quicklist item and then releasing it, select that item)
• performance improvements on applications' drag&drop inside the Dash
• support to close and unpin an application from the launcher by simply dragging&dropping it in to the Trash
• apps' name is displayed with bold text on quicklists



• Unity quicklists' Keep in launcher tick/no tick replaced with Lock to launcher/Unlock from launcher



• support for disabling the Apps available for download (apps from Ubuntu Software Center exposed in the Applications lens) in the Dash via dconf-editor-->desktop-->unity-->lenses-->applications-->uncheck display-available-apps

  

  

• (when on zero-opened-windows desktop) the Unity panel's "branding" has been changed from Desktop to Ubuntu Desktop



• new tweaking options under CompizConfig Settings Manage-->Ubuntu Unity Plugin-->Experimental
  

  Background color allows you to change the color of the launcher and Dash's
  

  Panel Opacity for Maximized Windows Toogle, when checked, the panel opacity is disabled when a window is maximized, thus adding consistency in visual terms, both the Unity panel and the rest of the window have 0% transparency (as opposed to the traditional method where the panel opacity, like for instance 60%, remains unchanged in fullscreen mode)

  Show "Desktop Icon" in the launcher, when checked adds Show Desktop on the launcher, application useful for hiding/unhiding all the opened windows when clicked
  

  when a window is maximized, the new behavior displays for a x seconds period of time its menu, furthermore, there is available a detailed fade-in/fade-out/discovery configuration

• numerous bug fixes