Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu? • Hacker News Board

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#11

Post by SlipperySlope » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 4:55 PM UTC

Alterlife wrote: post #6

Linux Mint has put Google custom search into the distribution in order to raise revenue. It's in firefox both from the address bar, the search box, and in the quick search from the 'start' menu. It's very annoying, and it isn't just a matter of opting out. Mint doesn't support an easy way to remove it from all three locations without getting technical. I used mint for a couple of months, the custom search engine came…

What about if Google Chrome is one's preferred browser and Google search is one's preferred search engine. Would Mint's custom search still be as annoying?

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#12

Post by mbq » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 4:56 PM UTC

It seems that nothing made more for the spread of minor linux distros than the introduction of Gnome 3...

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#13

Post by wx77 » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 4:59 PM UTC

Alterlife wrote: post #6

Linux Mint has put Google custom search into the distribution in order to raise revenue. It's in firefox both from the address bar, the search box, and in the quick search from the 'start' menu. It's very annoying, and it isn't just a matter of opting out. Mint doesn't support an easy way to remove it from all three locations without getting technical. I used mint for a couple of months, the custom search engine came…

This was my main dealbreaker as well and it was so annoying, especially considering how bad the google results look with the custom search.

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#14

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 4:59 PM UTC

Alterlife wrote: post #6

Linux Mint has put Google custom search into the distribution in order to raise revenue. It's in firefox both from the address bar, the search box, and in the quick search from the 'start' menu. It's very annoying, and it isn't just a matter of opting out. Mint doesn't support an easy way to remove it from all three locations without getting technical. I used mint for a couple of months, the custom search engine came…

[deleted]

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#15

Post by mbq » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 4:59 PM UTC

SlipperySlope wrote: post #10

pekk wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's wrong with installing xfce? It's only an apt-get away.

But I've grown use to Gnome apps and applets. I especially like the multi-tabbed terminal.

XFCE's terminal can do it too. And you can use Gnome applets.

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#16

Post by gks » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 5:00 PM UTC

kokey wrote: post #9

It reminds me of the die-hard KDE users and Kubuntu. I think Canonical did well with the creation of Ubuntu, which made it possible to throw a Linux desktop at a newbie user for the first time. From the sounds of it, Unity hasn't lost that angle. Since it's actively looking at tablets, I think they are here to stay. With tablet hardware getting more powerful, it could be surviving contender to iOS and Android.

Extremely doubtful that we'll see Ubuntu as a contender to iOS and Android.

If you're going to run linux on a tablet-sized device, why not just use Android? It has an existing application store(s), and more importantly an existing userbase.

Look at WebOS, if there's any competition out there to compete with Android or iOS WebOS would be the best option. From everything I've seen and heard it is quite fantastic. If not slightly buggy and a little slow. It wasn't executed well by HP or Palm but there's obvious potential.

I figure, if Palm and HP can't compete with Android and iOS, there's no way Ubuntu is going to do it.

I'll happily be proven wrong if they do, but I just can't see it.

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#17

Post by nicwest » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 5:00 PM UTC

As a fairly recent main machine ubuntu convert (6 months or so), I'm actually a fan of unity. Like everyone I hated it at first, but now that I have got used to it I prefer it to regular gnome stuff.

I agree however that 11.10 has been a nightmare as many useful (but not hardcore) features have been removed from the UI of many packages for reasons such as "casual users are unlikely to need this". This is the problem that is likely to get me looking else where for distr.

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#18

Post by fromany » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 5:01 PM UTC

I hope that instead of running to Mint as refuges, linux users and developers would actually build a new desktop, and maybe a new OS around it.

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#19

Post by fromany » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 5:01 PM UTC

I hope that instead of running to Mint as refuges, linux users and developers would actually build a new desktop if they just don't like Unity

Re: Linux Mint: The new Ubuntu?

#20

Post by SlipperySlope » Fri, Nov 11, 2011, 5:01 PM UTC

kokey wrote: post #9

It reminds me of the die-hard KDE users and Kubuntu. I think Canonical did well with the creation of Ubuntu, which made it possible to throw a Linux desktop at a newbie user for the first time. From the sounds of it, Unity hasn't lost that angle. Since it's actively looking at tablets, I think they are here to stay. With tablet hardware getting more powerful, it could be surviving contender to iOS and Android.

In my opinion its a gamble by Canonical. Patent royalty fees level the mobile and tablet playing field. Why would any hardware manufacturer use Unity/Ubuntu when they could either use Android from Google, or fork the code base like Amazon and the Chinese are doing. Likewise Microsoft will likely subsidize manufacturers to use their Metro OS, which Canonical cannot match.

A key is how to monetize content delivery and search results. I don't see what Unity/Ubuntu adds that iOS and Android don't already have