Ask HN: What do you want to see in Ubuntu 17.10?

FLAVOUR: Ubuntu Desktop

HEADLINE: Lightweight by default - don't follow the Windows/Mac crowd

DESCRIPTION: GNU/Linux - X'ish desktop environments systems in general and window managers in particular - used to have a certain way and freedom to be able to do things. Around 2000-2005 I was quite happy with FVWM, KDE3 etc. The window managers allowed me to do things that weren't possible with Windows or Mac. (Focus follows mouse, configurable behavious, handle many windows with ease...) I wish Windows or macOS won't be considered as ideal solutions and GNU/Linux just being a bad copy of that. If that's really the best thing, then it's a better idea to actually use MS Windows or macOS - I use the latter since 5 years almost exclusively. Just recently I started using Linux (Xubuntu) again privately on an older computer and at work as well. (At work we don't have Macs)

Please come up with your own ideas - nobody except "computer experts" use Linux on the Desktop anyways. You could go from there. Also looking at Xubuntu, it's a cool system. I really like it because it's fast, I can work with more than 5 windows comfortably. Unfortunately its bluetooth config is worse - recently I had to login to Cinnamon to make my Bluetooth mouse work again. Same goes for multi monitor, it works okay. ;) That means: when I disconnect my laptop from the external screens, open the display and go to the meeting it's black. I have to shut it down if I want to use it. (Power button or SysRq...)

So yeah, if Windows gets got enough (read: they finally get rid of all these freezes and things that just stop working) and they Opensource even more stuff, why not use Windows? I must admit, I'm no Opensource prophet so my primary reason to start switching to Linux around '98 was because Windows was mega buggy, slow and not nice to use on average hardware when the installation was more than a few months ago. IMHO true Opensource people use Debian, Arch or some unusual combination - like Windows as main OS with Emacs and Arch in the VM like a friend of mine.

Again is a time with so much potential for Ubuntu Desktop because devs are increasingly unhappy with macOS.

- FLAVOR: [Ubuntu Desktop]

- HEADLINE: a better software center

- DESCRIPTION: the software center's ui isn't polished. on certain page, you see improper layout, large white space. there seems to be little update to the software center in the past few years. there is not enough content marketing too, no recommended games/apps ...

Mac thrived partially thanking to the app store. why can't we have something similar under linux?

The first two examples relate to codecs that are not installed by default. Most probably they should not be available for installation at all, but then it's the way that packages are available in the "universe" repository.

The third example is a valid issue, and got fixed. Apport is important to receive feedback from crashes. It is not enabled by default if you use the final versions of the installation ISOs. It is enabled only in the dev versions of Ubuntu.

Bug bounties would be interesting. Should they be monetary or should be something else (nice t-shirt). The issue with monetary bug bounties is that they make sense to money-making software and services.

- FLAVOR: all? - HEADLINE: Improve experience of using 3rd-party apt sources - DESCRIPTION: This suggestion is more apt related, but Ubuntu could lead the improvements. Many software providers (Microsoft, Elastic, etc) are using their own apt repositories to be able to deliver updates faster than the Ubuntu release cycle, which is great. However, configuring them usually requires Googling the instructions and at least 3 commands. For example, installing SQL Server for Linux has the following commands before you can even run apt-get install (from their official documentation):

curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | sudo apt-key add - curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/16.04/mssql-ser... | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-server.list sudo apt-get update

That is not user-friendly at all. It would be great if apt could help you out here. i.e. if I type in "apt install mssql-server", it could detect that it is not in the Ubuntu sources but that it is available in a trusted 3rd party source, and prompt me to add that source to my local apt sources. It would then also automatically update that source.

Also, perhaps the Ubuntu sources have an older version but a newer version is available at a trusted 3rd party, and provide an informational message and an apt command-line flag that would allow you to add the source. i.e. "mssql-server 17.0.0 is available at the third party source 'microsoft'. To install it, run 'apt install mssql-server -S microsoft'" which would add the microsoft source and install the package. - ROLE: software engineer

FLAVOR: Desktop

HEADLINE: Sane power defaults for common laptops

DESCRIPTION:

Using Ubuntu on a laptop requires installation of TLP and powertop, then tweaking stuff until it works. For example I had to disable power saving for a specific HDD because it would cause random lock-ups, but it's really trial and error.

By default installing Ubuntu on a laptop should give optimized battery life by default

ROLE: CEO