Aug
27
2007
Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon 7.10 – New Features
Posted by luna6 76 Comments
Ubuntu’s Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) slated for an October 18th release, has released their alpha “Tribe 5″ version – which includes a Feature Freeze for the Gutsy development cycle. What that means in layman’s term is that while the software is still in heavy development there won’t be any new features added to Gutsy Gibbon. As for the new features added in Gutsy Gibbon there are plenty, most of which are particularly well suited for new users to Linux. Some of the more notable new features are a Graphical Configuration tool for X, improvements in plug-in handling for Mozilla Firefox, revamped printing system with PDF printing by default, fast user switching, new desktop search (Tracker) application and the new AppArmor security framework.
This article will briefly discuss the new features found within Gutsy Gibbon and hopefully give you a better idea of what to expect when the final version of Gutsy Gibbons is released in October.
Ubuntu will ship for the first time a 3d desktop (enabled by default) via the new Compiz-Fusion package. As soon as you login to Ubuntu and you have the proper drivers enabled you will have the fancy 3d effects from Compiz-Fusion. To control the Compiz-Fusion Ubuntu has bundled their “Desktop Effects” app within a new “Appearance” application found via clicking /System/Preferences/Appearance.
The Appearance Preferences application includes tabs to control Theme, Background, Fonts, Interface and Desktop Effects for Gnome. The choices available for Compiz-Fusion via “Desktop Effects” is three basic options : “No Effects” “Normal Effects” and “Extra Effects”.
For power users they will most likely want to install “Compizconfig-settings-manager” via synaptic or the command line to have better control over Compiz-Fusion.
For the folks that hate to mess with configuration files, Gutsy will ship with a slick “Screen & Graphics” gui app to manage their X settings. The program is found by clicking System/Preferences/Screens & Graphics.
The application is laid out in a simple but intuitive manner. Setting the screen resolution is just a click away for either dual screen or single screen users . Additionally, for dual screen users they can easily select between a mirror or separate screen system.
If your unlucky enough to have a monitor that’s not included in the drop down list (like my Samsung 244T monitor) then you can use the generic monitor setting or open up the xorg.conf file.
There’s also a second tab that opens up options for selecting specific specific proprietary or open source video card drivers.
Similar to Windows, Ubuntu users can now switch between different user desktops without having to shut down the current user session. From the top Gnome panel simply click the username you would like to fast switch with and then Ubuntu allows for fast switching. The first time you switch to another user account you will be dropped in front of the GDM login screen to type in the person’s username and password. After that first time and as long as that session is active, you can easily switch between the different active sessions by clicking the username and then typing in their password. If you would rather not type in the password every time you switch user accounts you can disable that feature by right clicking the “User Switcher” icon on the top Gnome panel and then selecting Preferences and then uncheck the box for “Lock the screen after switching users”.
While trying out this feature I did encounter several bugs that prevented me from switching back to another user account, but that was expected for alpha software. By the time Gutsy ships in October and as long as Ubuntu irons out the rough spots, “Fast User Switching” should be impressive.
Gutsy will ship with a new default desktop search engine known as “Tracker”. Similar to the Beagle or Google Desktop Search programs, Tracker indexes metadata information so you can easily pull up relevant search results from file names, actual texts found within documents and the metadata found within audio/video files. The program is written in C and this might be the reason Ubuntu selected Tracker over Beagle (which is written in Mono).
Tracker can be launched via Applications/Accessories/Tracker Search Tool, or via the deskbar applet or within the search function found in Nautilus.
To customize the settings for Tracker you would type in “tracker-preferences” via the terminal. This opened up another window with option tabs for “General” “Performance” “Files” Ignored Files” and “Emails” tabs. Performance wise Tracker was blazingly fast and I didn’t notice any performance hit while the program was creating its initial index.
The deskbar applet is now included in the default configuration for Gutsy Gibbon. The deskbar applet allows quick access to common actions like opening web bookmarks, searches, sending messages to contacts, and more.
A feature I was particularly impressed with was the new updated printing system found within Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbons. Most printers can now be plugged in and Ubuntu will automatically set up the printer. Also, Ubuntu has implemented a slick new “PDF printer” which is enabled by default. The “PDF printer” allows you to easily created PDF files from all applications such as Gimp, Firefox, Rhythmbox and other non-Gnome applications.
AppArmor, similar to SELinux, is a program to restrict actions taken by installed software which is now installed by default. While its debatable which application is better, AppArmor does provide for another layer of security for Ubuntu. The program is accessed via the command line and to see a list of commands you can visit https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AppArmor.
A feature first found on Ubuntu 7.04, the restricted manager now offers the ability to handle drivers that are free but require non-free firmware. In particular bcm43xx drivers for Broadcom wireless cards work well with the restricted-manager.
Ubuntu has added some interesting new features to Firefox as well. Installing plugins and extensions are now easier with Ubuntu’s “Apt-Enabled Plugin Finder” and “Extennsion Manager.” To launch the Extension Manager you can select Tools/Addons/Get Ubuntu Addons from within Firefox. Familiar extensions like Stumbleupon, Adblock and Greasemonkey can be now easily installed through that program.
It’s really amazing how fast Ubuntu is developing their distro for mainstream users. In the very near future it seems the days of messing with ndiswrapper, xorg.conf, and cups will be a thing of the distant past. Ubuntu’s Gutsy Gibbons is shaping up to be one of the more user friendly desktops ever from a Linux operating system. The new features found in Gutsy Gibbon all adds its own piece to make Ubuntu one of the must user friendly operating systems out there.. The “Screen & Graphs” has been needed for a long time and works well.. Other features that looked impressive were Tracker, the new printing services and of course Compiz-Fusion. Mark your calendar for October 18th, because Gutsy Gibbon is coming out and you will want to download it.
Articles of Interest :
Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) Desktop Edition – Review
Ubuntu Gutsy’s new default wallpaper
Compiz Fusion 0.5.2 – Review
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Comments
76 Comments so far
You didn’t mention the greatest new Ubuntu, let’s say GNOME, feature.
http://internet.ls-la.net/ms-evolution/windows-1.03/windows-1.03-13.png
23 years after Windows, 11 years after KDE, say, after everyone else, AT LAST GNOME 2.20 ENABLES YOU TO INTERACTIVELY CHANGE COLORS FOR APPLICATIONS.
This is great. GNOME at last is hearing us! Next on list is file previewing in the Open dialog, 10 years after everyone else (featured in Windows since Windows 98, KDE since KDE 2.0) Go, GNOME!
I dont now why but seems most of people only loves it because the desktop effects……
Yeah it is a really nice eyecandy but out of the desktop effects itself I think I mostly like the perform of this distro…..
I have tried this version of Ubuntu on my laptop and just like the 7.04 I was unable to make the Netgear USB WLAN adapter to work. I am not sure how to get it to work, I don’t think there are drivers out there for it. I am not a Linux person, but am desperately trying to enter the fold. I am a software engineer, but not PC OS (DSP firmware), so I am mostly a user of PCs and the Windows XP so far seems to be the best option for my machines. Seeing where Microsoft is going with Vista, though, I am planning an exit strategy from the MS world. There is no way I want anything even remotely like Vista with all that DRM paranoia in my household. So, I am trying to become a Linux user and Ubuntu seems like an excellent distro. It ran great on my desktop fine, but I run a generic NIC there (wired) and the laptop is wireless using a USB Netgear adapter. If anyone knows how I can make Ubuntu work with it, I will be very grateful.
Thanks in advance!
I installed Gutsy NOW!!!! All perfect.
Config your compiz fusion in Gutsy.. Active more effects!!!
Jamie : I agree with your general sentiments, but I don’t agree with your taste in cars. :)
I say… to each their own. Someone alluded to cars earlier, and I will use their reference: I drive a Buick because I like it. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t like my Iroc when I drove it, or my Thunderbird when I drove it. It means, simply, that I prefer my Buick. The same thing goes with computers. Some people prefer Windows. Others, Macs, and still others like Linux. We all have our reasons for liking what we like, and one of us isn’t a bad guy for preferring the one that the other of us doesn’t like. Diversity is the spice of life, as it has been said.
I do think that a more united front would be more convenient, however, as M$, Mac, and Linux should make things more interoptible with one another. However, they are going to do what they have to do in order to continue making money, and Linux developers are going to continue to find ways around it.
On the subject of Gutsy Gibbon… I am waiting very impatiently for 18-OCT. I am using Feisty on my laptop, and would have switched to the beta of Gutsy back when, if I didn’t use this EVERYDAY for work, and it has to be stable. The 3D desktop thing is cool… I have Beryl installed on this one, and it is neat… but that’s it. I have no real use for it, other than to show off. The new printer system will make my life a whole lot easier, however. All in all, there is still room for improvement, but, it is still my choice of Operating Systems, and I think that it will be for a long time to come. Peace and howdy from Texas.
Great news especially the automated printer install. I’m using my Ubu 7.04 daily and enjoying the experience, other than having to use a CRT. I hope something has been done to enhance ease of selecting native resolution in LCD monitors, a terrible oversight up until now. Yes we know there are video res work-arounds of exquisite complexity. Excellent Article. I’ll tag your site.
Bill
Indy
I am waiting for Gutsy, seems like a long time till release. I have Suse 10.2 Solaris 10 and several others on removable drives and Fiesty beats them all, been using linux since RedHat 5.2 and don’t even care to look at a M$ windozes box of any breed, but am not that lucky because I repair and build new systems. UBUNTU RULES in my opinion..
Wow. I’ve been running 7.04, got it set up all nice and pretty with Beryl (don’t get me started about ATI cards), got my ndiswrapper mojo going, I was all set. I was sure, sure, mind you, that I wouldn’t upgrade to 7.10. Now I have seen the light. I can’t farckin’ WAIT to set this up. Now, all my students who currently drool with envy because they have Windows will have yet another reason to drool- or switch.
uBuntu rocks!!
Cant wait to get my hands on the same..
http://www.freelinuxcd.info
gutsy is okay, I did the sources upgrade so nothing EXACTLY like what your talking about :) I think i did have tracker at start up, however i removed it. However the stuff your showing looks absolutely wonderful. Again I just did the sources update :) Ditto on the java pics.
I love ubuntu!
@Spartan2276: Thank you!!! I really do think some ppl are really really dumb!
@ all the complainers: No one is forcing you to use Ubuntu or Linux. It’s like, Ford decides to give you a free car, and you complain it’s not as good as Chevy or Toyota or whatever! Just use it if you want to, if not go back to Windows!!! If you don’t like something, or want something to be improved, suggest it to the developers and designers. They’re doing all they can to listen to thousands of people’s suggestions and do something about it! Appreciate their work!
@Terence: I’m glad you’re loving Gutsy, same here. but the reason people like to bash Windows is because they’re taking 700$ (Windows and office) out of our pockets and not giving us what they actually can or should! In case of Linux, we can tell the developers that something is not working or would like something to be added, and they’ll try to do it. But in case of windows, they’re not listening to us, even though we pay them money. The crash report screen that pops in windows claiming that the error will be reported?? What the hell, I don’t see anything being done about that by MS!!!
I like some things about Windows, but I’m definitely not satisfied with what I’m paying for it. However with Linux I’m getting more than what I asked for, for free!!!
Gutsy, is really gutsy! i have seen it running and it’s amazing. Being a Mac users for over 15 years, i have to admit that Linux, with Ubuntu, is coming from far away, and is becoming a very powerful very user friendly OS.
I see it as a threat to Mac OSX more than Vista in a way. Even my good friend, who is a MS man, roll back to XP after installing Vista. No comment!
As for the bashing on MS from Linux people, well it’s simple. It’s easy to bash on the most used OS when it’s actually unfinished and not well written.
Example:Why when i install a software on XP i get hundreds of little files all over my OS, and when i un-install it there is still so many files left. Why, if i remove it, it should be completely gone!
We can go on and on. But by making such a user friendly OS Ubuntu will win market share for sure, and not only in the advanced users world. Everybody finds his way: the super user who wants to use terminal to hack the planet or the novice user who just want email, internet and text editor.
Ubuntu rocks (and i am an Mac OSX dude)
@rob: “3D effects enabled by default? That’s going to give a lot of people a bad impression, as their machine crawls to a halt or has graphics errors. Fine having 3D desktops as an option if you need such things, for those that use their computer as a toy.”
Actually, my experience is that the “3D gadget enabled” X server performs MUCH better than the “regular” X server, using less resources and giving me more in terms of battery life. This is what I experienced after I installed Mandrivalinux 2007 on my ultraportable which has just a Core Solo 1.06 GHz processor. Regular X with DRI enabled was less responsive (draaaag and waiting for windows to redraw, huffing and puffing from the cpu fan (and yes, DRI was enabled)) and used up more CPU resources than compiz did, and it looked great at the same time :) I think it’s simply a matter of allocating resources away from the CPU and onto the GPU. So, this exact argument I can’t really follow, sorry :)
“…with a slick “Screen & Graphics” gui app to manage their X settings. The program is found by clicking System/Preferences/Screens & Graphics.”
Rather, it is located at System/Administration/Screens & Graphics.
“Why do you feel a need to bash Windows? Is it because you are “fighting the system”? Is it a way to make yourself feel good about your OS of choice?”
Gee, why do you think we use another os to begin with? We ARE fighting the system. How DARE we bash a 40 billion dollar a year business. Poor, poor microsoft!
“I feel remorse when I see on every article comments on linux, constant MS bashing. Get over it. Grow up, use your OS of choice and forget about MS if you wish. I think that Linux users are the most immature bunch I have ever seen. Look at youtube. Watch some videos of MS customization, and some knucklehead linux user will come in with “windows still sucks, linux had that years ago”. Look at linux videos, and you barely see MS users bashing. Mostly on the Linux videos you will see a bunch of Linux fanboys chatting about how much MS sucks.”
That would be largely because linux DID have it years ago. Or Os X had it years ago.
“Seriously, use your OS and move on with your life. MS is not knocking on your door begging for business.”
No, they install thier software on your computer whether you ask for it or not and make you pay them for it!
3D effects enabled by default? That’s going to give a lot of people a bad impression, as their machine crawls to a halt or has graphics errors. Fine having 3D desktops as an option if you need such things, for those that use their computer as a toy.
But if you’re using a computer to work on probably the first thing you’ll have do is switch all that timewasting “eye candy” off (but then I turned off XP’s ugly rounded corners etc to get back to the “classic windows”, years ago). Just give me something that works out-of-the-box and fast, not a pretty toy.
i can’t wait till gutsy comes out after reading this, i was a bit worried that i would have to mess around with my bcm4318 wireless cards. i hope my ATI 200M graphics card works too.
Yeah, I have an ATi Radeon 9200SE PCI, and it was a pain to get it working — /despite/ the fact that I’m using the open source driver. I don’t have cash to go throwing at a new system of course, so I hope gutsy handles that a bit better.
It would also be awesome if one could run:
sudo apt-get install sphinx
sudo apt-get install libioq3 ioq3-tremulous ioq3-urbanterror ioq3-openarena
So if Canonical is looking for ways to make Ubuntu even more awesome, it would help to contribute to some of these other projects in that way and include them in their repositories.. Also– are we going to get some kind of delta-deb system soon?
Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon sounds great, can’t wait till it comes out, the new features look great, hopefully the restricted drivers manager will work better with video cards, because it surely sucked with nVidia and ATI cards I have used in the 7.04 released. Hopefully there will be the SWL-2300U WiFi card in the new restricted drivers manager as well.
Difference between Windows and Linux users would be that the majority of Linux users started off with Windows and then migrated to a better operating system.
Windows users either started with Windows and stayed with it or flirted with Linux at one point but went back as soon as they found out there wasn’t an .exe file they could click:)
So the hate from the Windows user side is an obvious inferiority complex from not being able to master the other system and knowing their software is shoddy to begin with.
With Linux users they do have a superiority complex because they have started from what the others promote but found it be a awful mess.
Windows is Cool Ubuntu is cool I use both when it suits me. Warty was wonderful, Breezy was great, Casper is on my flash drive, Dapper print serves for months at a time no reboot. My other old laptop runs Edgey wanting to upgrade I think not. Fiesty goes everywhere with me all day long. No doubt Gutsy will be awesome I think I will join tribe 5 now on box 45.
@terence: the reason windows users don’t bash linux is because there is nothing to make fun of. windows sux in some ways. i personally don’t rat on it, but i understand where all the hate is coming from. and it is understandable that a lot of linux users bash windows. we are the new generation. most kids ages 14-25 who are into computers love linux. so we’re sorry for being so immature, as you say it.
on another note: i can’t wait for the final version to come out. :)
Gutsy is awesome so far. I get sound right off the bat (i got no sound with Feisty). Enable the special effects and install the compiz configuration and you got one baaaad desktop.
@Lucky
Why do you feel a need to bash Windows? Is it because you are “fighting the system”? Is it a way to make yourself feel good about your OS of choice? I feel remorse when I see on every article comments on linux, constant MS bashing. Get over it. Grow up, use your OS of choice and forget about MS if you wish. I think that Linux users are the most immature bunch I have ever seen. Look at youtube. Watch some videos of MS customization, and some knucklehead linux user will come in with “windows still sucks, linux had that years ago”. Look at linux videos, and you barely see MS users bashing. Mostly on the Linux videos you will see a bunch of Linux fanboys chatting about how much MS sucks.
Seriously, use your OS and move on with your life. MS is not knocking on your door begging for business.
I love me Ubuntu and pity the haters still strapped to the Frankenstien known as Windows. Gutsy is looking great (I’m using the alpha build as we speak) and somehow my missing windows borders in Compiz-Fusion just fixed itself with a new update. YEAH!!!!
Wow is just amazing how many people love to complaint about something that is Free, no one is asking or telling you(the ones who complaint) to use Ubuntu, if it is not for you then is not for you plain and simple, trying to argue about certain points which required some codecs and are not included because of legal ramifications or better yet software that is not available for Ubuntu but it is on windows. Then guess what stop bashing the people here who do use Ubuntu and complaint to the people who make these software packages so that they make them available for Ubuntu, but complaining and bashing the wrong people won’t help.
Also as far as user friendliness Ubuntu takes the cake the OS could not be any simpler, No spyware, malware , viruses or the rest of the crap with XP/Vista. so spare me the FUD BS and go back to using wincrap, because I don’t know about every other Ubuntu/Linux user but I certainly don’t want any of you in our Ubuntu community unless you are willing to give the OS a shot and supporting it rather than complaint, what Open Source means and FOSS is that you use the Free as in speech and sometimes free as in beer software but the catch is that you give something back to the community. This maybe word of mouth, code contribution etc…But certainly not complaints or bashing an OS which has been given to everyone free of charge, what a much of dumb ass human beings can’t even appreciate other peoples work. And yes how else can you be described! Oh and before you start with the feed back, you are entitled to your opinions, but they can be put in a more constructive way. Ubuntu is for everyone if my 62 year old dad can use it and he is way below the normal average user then the average user should have no issues using Ubuntu and with this new version well let’s just say we will see a whole lot more FUD coming from the Microsoft camp oh and more trolls too just like the one’s present here!
@luna6: It’s true you can’t beat Linux apps on the price tag. I would buy cinelerra for the half of what premier costs and I would still feel happy :)
It is also true that Linux and Linux apps are doing MAJOR leaps forward.
For the time being however, the point is that if you compare end-user applications, windows apps usually have some gizmos more (which you pay for dearly).
I would also agree that having many desktop manager alternatives would be a good thing (competition, innoovation and all) IF they have reached a certain level of maturity. I prefer GNOME (and it’s HUGE list of bugs) over KDE (and it’s huge list of bugs). Maybe because the applications don’t have to contain a stupid unprofessional ‘K’ in their title :)
But seriously, are KDE apps perfectly integrated into GNOME?
Why should there be a ‘dcopserver’ process running to translate between GTKQT ?
Why are applications written using either the GTK toolbox or the QT toolbox?
Which bring us to the major problem: development tools. I program in C and C#. There is no rival for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. That’s it. Surely there is Monodevelop-zero-point-something but come on…
Why not adopt the best of all worlds? Compiz Fusion you mentioned is a remarkable example. But it shouldn’t stop here. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had ZFS as a filesystem? A unified desktop manager with GNOME or KDE “flavors” switchable on-the-fly?
If Linux communities don’t present a unified front to the world nobody will take it seriously. Including hardware manufacturers and their driver support [...]
Hyperspaced : I think the level of software available on Linux is perfectly acceptable depending on your needs. I use Linux primarily (do own a Macbook) and when on vacation and in front of a windows computer I download all the open source applications I can to give me an almost Linux like familiarity.
I find Gimp (and Krita is coming on strong) for image editing to be more than acceptable as a Photoshop replacement. The $599 price tag for Photoshop versus the $0 for price tag for Gimp makes it even better.
Video editing is an area Linux is improving and there are capable replacements depending on your needs. Give Cinelerra a try if you need a Premier like application. Website here.
The thing about Gnome vs. KDE also depends on your point of view. I love choice and that’s one of the primary reasons why I got interested in Linux. I would much rather have the option of KDE and Gnome rather than one single desktop manager. Why? Nothing beats competition as a motivator for innovation. Rather than being stuck with one desktop interface, I would much rather have a choice and use the one I find more suitable to my needs.
Same thing with the repositories. Sometimes the latest packages are not available instantly but so what? Having reliable repositories to update all my packages in one swoop beats the windows method of updating every individual program you remember to update – with the possibility of getting strange pop-up alerts and spyware after installation.
Personally I haven’t used a Windows operating system since 2002 and there’s no way I would go back. I love the way work Linux works (options/security/unbeatable price) and its only getting better at a faster rate (Compiz Fusion!).
Well you can do stuff with Ubuntu but your can’t do some stuff you can do with Windows, because there is no professional-grade software that does them.
Can you find a linux equivalent for PhotoShop? Or Premier? Or even Virtual Dub? (I tried AVIdemux — nice program but still way far..)
Not to mention GNOME vs KDE wars. OMG! They are trying to defeat the Windows empire and all they do is split their efforts into 2 similar projects.
How about install packages? DEB vs RPM wars. OMG! (again!!) Windows is doing a REMARKABLE job to keep applications setups back-wards compatible, despite the changes in the kernel, and on the other hand Debian, Suse, Red Hat use the SAME KERNEL but different application setups!
How many distros are out there? A thousand?
How about the file system? ext3? Reserved space? What kind of unix-community and sharing are we talking about, when ZFS -the best filesystem IMO- is still a Solaris-only filesystem?
How about repositories? That’s a shaming disgrace! Sure, I like the idea of clicking a button and having the application up and running in no time. Hell, even my grandma would like that -if she was alive. But I want the LATEST application. I don’t want to install Monodevelop 0.14 to create my apps since 0.15 is already out! So either update the repository faster or leave it.
Office suite: Without argue, office applications are one of the most common reason many people actually buy a computer. But have you seen OpenOffice? It has 1/10 of the gizmos Office 2003 has and the damn thing crashes on my IBM Pentium 4, 2GB RAM. And my Toshiba Satellite notebook. And…
I really hate Windows and how it’s made. Microsoft too. And with Ubuntu you get way more than you pay for. But if we are talking about getting your job done fast and reliably, you have to use Windows, because there is a HUGE software base behind you.
I hope the situation changes. But so far, I haven’t seen a joint-effort of the major linux-developing software houses.
@zugu
man.. u have serious mental issues.. u should go see a doctor… who said i can’t get work done with ubuntu? that’s what it’s all about!
Srsly, this windows VS linux “grandma” debate is getting ridiculous.
Look, the general “end users” you’re all talking about don’t even have a profound idea of what the hell an “operating system” is. Most of them run in to problems from day one, they ask someone else for help, and if the solution is intuitive, they tend to catch on.
That’s all there is to it. And it’s hard to put yourself in the shoes of such an end user, when you *do* have experience.
The “I can’t play DVD’s” argument is a good example of this. My dad, a computer illiterate, nearly threw his laptop out of the window because he couldn’t get a DVD to play on windows. He managed to figure out he needed “windows media player” when the pop up box showed up as he had inserted the DVD. The problem: he needed additional codecs. Of course, not even knowing what a codec was, he just tried opening windows media player from the Programs List, hoping it would solve his problem. We all know this won’t help, but it was the best he could come up with.
What I’m trying to make clear is that no matter what OS you run, the “end user” always has to learn how to do things. Linux and windows just approach things differently.
Right now, a linux system needs “setting up”, so it has a steeper learning curve. But after that, it’s almost completely hassle free. A windows system (vista specifically) avoids this by pre-installing lots of different programs, and having an easy installation system and simple GUI. The problem lies with it’s maintainability. You’ll allways run into spyware/addware sooner or later, and you have to maintain your own programs. Also, the error pop are all written in tech-ese. These things *will* end in frustration if you don’t have enough computer experience.
But srsly, as we’re all computer literate here, why don’t we just all use Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu? Things are done differently, but you’ll have virtually no maintenance.
The only downside is that you (kinda) can’t play your windows games on a linux box.
I am impressed with UBUNTU 7.04 so these improvements should make a good thing better. Only thing I miss from Windows XP is laptop hibernation and a 3D video driver that functions. Those two enhancements would convert my laptops to Ubuntu only zones with XP relegated to a VertualBox. Thank you, bill m
If you want to install Thunderbird 2.0 download it from there website! Software is compiled and ready to install, just like those other systems.
For Pidgin same thing except you have to compile it yourself. If you don’t want to compile it yourself then wait until October. The difference in time is minimal. And guess what? If you want to install the latest Windows Messenger and you’re running anything but Windows XP or Vista what do you do? Um…buy a whole new operating system. Sheesh!
“In Windows I just remove Firefox 2 and install Firefox 3, in Ubuntu I have to wait for a long time or upgrade the whole operating system just to get the latest Firefox.”
As impressed as I am with Ubuntu, zugu makes an excellent point here. I’m using Feisty. If I want Thunderbird 2.0, Pidgin, etc. I have to wait until October.
Sure I could apt remove them (maybe–doesn’t removing Gaim remove some crucial stuff?) and do some janky BS with the Pidgin .deb or put Thunderbird into /opt and create a launcher, but the point is that in Windows I could just snag an .exe file to my desktop, double-click and bam, I have the latest version. And yet, Windows Itself remains the same; I didn’t have to update the friggin’ kernel, desktop environment, and a bunch of libs to run a newer version of an e-mail client.
Like I said, maybe I could wget the .debs and/or compile from source, but I was doing that years ago with Slackware. Why should I be doing that in 2007? Plus nowadays, with the increasing amount of dependencies for all this complicated software, it’s even harder, especially for the average computer user.
I truly feel this is a fatal flaw in GNU/Linux. While Windows people are running the bugfixed latest version of something, or at least can install it whenever they feel like it, a person running a particular distro has to wait months for the update.
leebojamming and Dr. Pepper:
It’s not illogical at all and it has nothing to do with age. It has to do with experience. Right now, you can buy a Linux-based machine from Wal-Mart. It’s the cheapest so it wouldn’t be surprising for Grandma or someone else who knows very little about computers to buy the thing. She’s afraid to use Windows because of all the problems and she won’t pay the price for a Mac.
When you get a Mac, it’s pretty much a complete system and there isn’t much to download. Many installations are drag and drop. Protecting the machine is a matter of finding the firewall and enabling it. Most services are off by default.
With Windows, you need more patience and some research or you can buy an expensive package and pay subscription fees or, if you’re knowledgeable, you download free alternatives. Even if you do those things, you can always run into problems with applications using OLE2/ActiveX.
With Linux, and it’s coming along, you have to research more and do more to get to the same state. I understand with Ubuntu they want to avoid legal conflicts by not including certain pieces but at the same time, they’re presenting it as a much easier, ready-to-go system.
Now, as the experienced Linux users you are, if it doesn’t play a DVD, you fill in the software that’s missing or if you need to activate the firewall, it’s not a chore but not everyone has your experience. Grandma probably doesn’t have it.
very interesting :)
leebojammin “Grandma” was the average enduser brought up by another person and I merely replied that the average user is not “Grandma”. That’s not to say grandmothers can’t or don’t use computers but they certainly would not be the average user by my guesstimation.
Regardless, “…dont know the difference betweeen easy to use OS’s and apps and those that require console BS..those that think so need to acquire LIVES ;)” is simply begging the question. Linux does not REQUIRE console use anymore than OS X or Windows. It’s available for use just as it is in Windows or OS X. Furthermore what is EASY is purely subjective and I would think grandmothers who have never used a computer and not stuck in Windowlogy would prefer Linux. They don’t have to worry about spyware / malware from clicking random emails or emails, run anti-spywire / virus programs, worry about defragging their hard drives, and have the availabilty of the best open source programs one click away.
bousozoku you’re point about the average end user being “grandma” is woefully misguided, but who knows? Maybe one day there will be a ubuntu spin-off called
Grandmatu.
———
no, its illogical and subjective to conclude that grandma can’t handle working a computer..also alot arrogant to think only certain age groups dont know the difference betweeen easy to use OS’s and apps and those that require console BS..those that think so need to acquire LIVES ;)
guess which OS is winning the war on usage..it sure as HECK isn’t linux.
ahem..I think you need a pepper Dr. ;)
chow baby
If grandma doesn’t understand the concept of downloading there’s not a lot of things she can do with ANY computer.
I would also guess grandma would have a better concept of the 3d desktop and enjoy it more than setting up a firewall. Not to say that a firewall is any more difficult to setup on Linux than Windows.
bousozoku you’re point about the average end user being “grandma” is woefully misguided, but who knows? Maybe one day there will be a ubuntu spin-off called
Grandmatu.
New user here with UNIX background trying Ubuntu for the first time.
The 3D stuff is pretty but it’s not helping me configure a firewall. What does the 75 year old grandmother say when you throw something like this at her? “I hate that !@#$ computer!” Some Linux user tells her that she has to download or compile something. “Universe? What’s the universe got to do with that !@#$ computer?”
If the target audience is full of end users, Ubuntu is coming closer but clearly missing what most of them need–hand holding.
Gawd, so what if other distributions have had these features “for a long time” or whatever. Now the best and most popular distro has them and we can build and move on from there. If they didn’t include them, you guys would be whining about that.
How about easy way to install fonts like in Windows. Plus better networking applets like fedora has and get rid of the brown backgrounds make it feel more alive less fisher price.
So I guess going to the Firefox homepage and downloading a nice little package that contains all the dependencies and integrates well into the system and installing it is bad, cause Mozilla is evil and bundles malware with it.
Irony aside, what’s bad in this model? You get to install software the minute it is released, you don’t have to wait 6 months or less until some package maintainer decides to package, if he decides to.
In Windows I just remove Firefox 2 and install Firefox 3, in Ubuntu I have to wait for a long time or upgrade the whole operating system just to get the latest Firefox. Or, worse, compiling it myself, and that is seriously a risk since the backport team didn’t backport it for a reason. Where’s the flexibility, the modularity so praised in the Linux world?
Why be overprotective of Linux users, since by default Linux they’re supposed to be the smarter ones?
Regarding the Apt-Enabled Plugin Finder & Extension Manager for Firefox. I hope it provides better support in the AMD 64-bit distro. for using 32-bit plugins with the 64-bit Firefox. The AMD 64-bit v7.04 distro. required a fair bit of hand tweaking in this area.
kubuntu (KDE) has had most of these features for along time and gnome is still lagging in a lot of areas. It is perplexing why gnome is more popular. It is also disappointing that so much time is spent on ubuntu and kubuntu is unnoticed. It reminds me of the story of Cinderella.
Well if you think that precompiled software, and one click installation from any untrusted source is a good thing then on you go. Spyware, viruses, registries filled with crap, thats all the things I don’t miss about Windows……
I quite like the fact I can get the majority of my software from a trusted source. And otherwise, if it needs to be compiled then the source code is available, so it any crap like that will likely be noticed by someone.
Removing spyware and keeping a Windows system clean is another thing end-users should not be bothered with unless they’re some hardcore basement dwellers.
@russel, zugu:
please, don’t let me go back to the mess Windows was in terms of software management (or, the complete lack there-of)… Each app had to be individually managed. I’m so happy I don’t have to do ANYTHING but click “OK” every 6 months when Kubuntu asks me if it should upgrade to the new release… A new Windows version is WEEKs, of not MONTHS of work, looking for all the new apps, downloading and installing them, trying to get rid of the accompanying spyware and shit – it’s horrible. Truly is, when you know better. It’s amazing how brainwashed normal people are, putting up with this mess. Computers exist since what, 50 years? Still a normal user can’t install anything, it’s just too complex. At least on linux, you can tell your grandma how to install any app. She doesn’t have to go to any website or store, doesn’t have to download, unpack, crack & hack anything, no questions asked – just point and click.
OK, you are used to the horrors of Windows and you don’t know any better. Poor you. But don’t tell us it’s actually great to bang your head to the wall all the time. It’s not, really not.
@zugu
Ok, now you elaborated.
Lots are complaining, not everyone is complaining.
I see lots of users happy with centralized repos. I see lots of them happier than with the mess of “search, dowload, accept, press-next, uninstall-the-other-similar-program, blablabla” typical of Windows.
Many developers are unsupportive, not everyone.
I see lots of developers and teams that are willing to adhere to well-done standards like the mighty configure&&make&&makeinstall.
@Luna6:
I guess that the reasons behind choosing tracker instead of beagle are just technical reasons (as performance), and have nothing to do with legal issues surrounding Mono.
I mean, GNOME itself comes with GTK# and Mono for running tomboy since GNOME 2.16:
http://www.gnome.org/projects/tomboy/
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/devel-announce-list/2006-August/msg00000.html
And doesn’t Ubuntu come by default with mono and tomboy?
And about those “possible” legal issues:
http://www.mono-project.com/FAQ:_Licensing#Patents
I don’t see any “possible” legal issue in using a software that implements the ECMA standards (C#, CLI) + GNOME bindings. It’s by far more dangerous using WINE, and nobody is “scared” about WINE. Even Google makes Google Picasa available for Linux through WINE as you may see in:
http://picasa.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=12570&query=linux&topic=&type=
And other Mono useful software, as f-spot, is also quite integrated in Ubuntu.
@Luca: everyone complains about the lack of a unified package management system across Linux distributions.
Also, you might not have heard about the GTFOs developers send to users requiring packages. “It’s not our job to package our software for your particular release of your favourite distro, go complain to the package maintainer”.
@zugu
> Developers won’t package in this mess
Once again? Who is this “developers” guy now?!?
@zugu
> everyone complains
Who? Please, elaborate.
Is this “everyone” guy one of your friends?
Yes. I might use LTS, but then there’s no easy way to upgrade my apps. Ask to all the people that found out that they couldn’t install the newest release of Firefox because backporting it “would be too difficult”.
No sane OS can have releases every 6 months and expect users to upgrade just to be able to use new versions of their applications. That’s just madness.
Actually, the benefits of having a central repository are easily defeated by the advantages of a decentralized software ecosystem (developing, deploying and managing software is much more easier).
It’s just that Linux is not a platform, every release of every distribution is a platform instead. Developers won’t package in this mess, everyone complains and you people argue the minimal benefits of having centralized system in order to feel you’re on the right track.
Well, guess what, the most successful operating systems, like Windows and MacOS are using decentralized software management. Developers are directly responsible to the users and software is flourishing. heck, even the BSD operating systems you hate so much got it right and use a base system as a platform. There’s a straight line between the OS and the rest of the software.
Library redundancy and “wasted” HDD space? We’re not in 1995 anymore, HDD capacities have exponentially increased. With a little bit of incentive and optimization, this should not be a problem.
Security issues in a random library? The developer is responsible for upgrading his/her application, because there’s no such abomination as a “package maintainer”.
I look forward to PC-BSD and their “as it should be” pbi system.
In the meantime, you zealots jerk off to some compiler output while I get work done™.
Of course compiliing is not the supported way of installing software. Apt/Aptitude is and YOU were complaining about Apt. Or should I say crying? Whaaaa. So I told you what the alternative would be. If you have a package that’s outside of the apt repository then compile it yourself! Whaaa.
@ zugu, Rusell: I think the use of a central repository is one of the strengths of the linux ecosystem.
You can update your system with one click. Dependencies are centrally managed. One place to submit bugs in case of problems. Etcetera. Try that with Windows/OSX.
And you can still easily install packages from outside the repository if you want. For example Google desktop for Linux: Just go to the download page, click on the Ubuntu package, enter your password and you’re done.
So it’s just a bunch of BS, you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.
O RLY? You seem to forget we’re in the twenty-fucking-first century, end-users should not compile unless they’re some hardcore basement dwellers.
Also, compiling things is not the “official”, “recommended”, “supported” way of installing software. Compiled software is software the package manager is not aware of. Now how’s that for non-geeks?
If you want stable every 2 year releases download Ubuntu LTS (long term support). Duh.
The ability to run any software that is released on the linux platform is already available. It’s called compiling duh.
Get your head out of your butthole Beavis.
New features? How about getting rid of the centralized way of installing software?
It’s time Linux became a stable platform, with releases every 2 years and the ability of running any software that is released in this period.
Apt-get is all bells and whistles, until you actually have to install something that is not in the repositories. Now tell me the repository system is not rotten to the core.
Ubuntu’s “Fast user switching” will pretty much never be fast. It still starts a whole new X11 session and switches to it, and that always causes two display resolution changes as well as a considerable amount of processing. This also means that Ubuntu can never have a smooth graphical transition between two users, as it will be interrupted by a black screen for nearly a second.
It’s great to leverage existing technologies, but X just sucks in this day and age, and it’s one of the big things ruining the Linux desktop.
PS: This also means you can have a maximum of what, 6 users logged in at once with the default config? Awful.
R.C. – thanks for pointing that out…currently the version running on my Gutsy box is 7.2.5 so I think for now gutsy will ship with 7.2 but with parts of 7.3 included.
Slike : Just my opinion but I believe the Ubuntu team didn’t use Beagle because of its dependency on the Mono library. I don’t think it had anything to do with a Novel vs. Ubuntu thing because AppArmor was developed by Novell and included in Gutsy (Ubuntu could have used SELinux). Rather because of the “possible” legal issues surrounding Mono I think Ubuntu would rather just stay away from Mono.
Ubuntu looks nicer every day :)
Why is Tracker, written in C, considered better than Beagle, written in Mono/C#? Is it because of the performance of the programs, or is there more behind this choice (Novell, .Net/Microsoft, any other reason?,…)?
Are you sure that X.org 7.3 will be included?
They said that it had been postponed a couple of days ago:
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/xorg7.3
Although that information seems to be prior to releasing Tribe 5:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GutsyReleaseSchedule
Thanks
Hey..what about the desktop environment ? Unless an untill there’s some eye candy on GNOME, things however good with 3D would be the same for all Ubuntu distros.
Ofcourse – Synaptic and easy package installation makes Ubuntu the most liked distro in the Linux world.
ok i’ll admit that ubuntu develops relatively fast and that is has some good points but overall the distro still seems to lack a clear vision of where it’s going and continues the trend of providing several tools for the same job while none of them actually performs even close to great.
At the end of the day after all the hype about ubuntu is gone it is still nothing more than just another linux distro and still no contender to a more professionally presented OSes like Windows and OS X. And that’s a sad thing …
Looks like Linux is finally catching up with the state of Windows in 2001. Now, if only they got rid of the insane repository’s system and installing software and hardware drivers was as easy as it has been on Windows for decades, they would definitely be on the right track. Oh, and fix once and for all the integration problems between KDE and GTK applications. It is annoying and make the system look completely amateurish and unprofessional.
I installed Gutsy Tribe 5 of Kubuntu yesterday, and although I’ve been having some issues with DEB file installs cr@pping out, beyond that issue, it has been a fantastic experience.
I am very very happy with Gutsy. Overall, it is very stable, looks nice, and is fast.
The issues with some DEB file installs failing only affects the attempted install, not the underlying OS. It has been amazingly stable for an “alpha”.
Virtually all system configuration tasks can be done from within a GUI environment on Windows. Linux still requires the use of command-lines for advanced things. Linux has some ways to go before the GUI functionality is as powerful and comprehensive as the command-line.
I might add: the terminal is nothing for you and I (who use it a lot) but is probably less intuitive for the average Window user, who are used to only GUIs.
I agree with the author’s final thoughts on Gutsy. In fact, I might add, that now Gutsy might actually be as user friendly as Windows (Vista incl) and for Linux, that is real progress.
Looks interesting.
But most of these features are already in other distros like Fedora 7. Fast User Switching, Printer service with PDF printing, Tracker, Deskbar Applet, Display configuration manager, etc.
Fedora doesn’t have AppArmor but does have a GUI to configure SELinux. Fedora also has a whole suite of security features besides SELinux.
Still, looks like a good Ubuntu release.
Even though Ubuntu is my favorite distribution, I don’t really get it what you so excited about? Most of these features were implemented for long time now in SUSE. Such as graphical X configuration, Printing, search and AppAmor with graphical configuration.
Wow, Tracker instead of Beagle. I’ve been hoping for this change. It is a lot faster than Beagle and offers all the features except some useless bloat.
Stability means more than adding experimental new features that may cause endless problems to many users, Marco. Experienced geek users are perfectly free to install, test and run whatever experimental software and features they want, Gutsy will not prevent them from that. Also, in time and after Gutsy is out, there’ll be lots of backports easily available, of newer software that didn’t yet get into the official Gutsy selection.
this is a great news. This features are very important to launch Ubuntu to new level of Desktop Experience and will be a important oponent to all the restricted option on graphics effects of W… V…
It looks not so new so called features to me. This is only a slight different layout of thinks presently available. Come on guys, try to be a bit more daring and bold in your designs and interactivity! please!