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Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

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Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#201
post #189
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why switching to linux mint when you can replace unity by cinnamon while remaining on ubuntu ? Except the desktop, what are the compelling advantages ?

Doesn't Ubuntu insert amazon affiliate links into your search results while Mint doesn't, or was that removed? Or does Mint just do it as well?

That is and has always been a unity feature (or 'feature') - unity-lens-shopping. It's not even installed if you don't install unity, e.g. if you use xubuntu, kubuntu, lubuntu, etc.

Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you seem to be saying is that in order to use a personal computer, you should be an expert. I disagree, and I'm glad that most people disagree as well. User-friendliness is important regardless of what system it is, even Linux. Have you noticed that the most successful distributions of Linux are the ones that are most friendly to beginners? This elitism is destructive and serves only to make the "experts" smug a…

> What you seem to be saying is that in order to use a personal computer, you should be an expert. No. What I am saying is that a) using a device is different from administrating it and b) in order to administrate a device you have to be an expert. You don’t expect to buy a car and never ever go to a workshop with it, because, you know, you shouldn’t have to be an expert to service your car. Similarly, expecting to b…

I would argue that popularity is actually a great indicator of the quality of an OS and your experience with it.

I am what you would consider an "expert" (or at least, I can definitely competently administer a linux computer) but I don't use linux distributions for day-to-day computing. The reason is that linux computers, even ones running "popular distros" such as Ubuntu, are considerably more prone to interoperability foibles and installation/updating problems.

The reason popularity matters, even though I have the technical skill to administer any OS competently, is that popularity is the single best incentive to encourage third parties to iron out the kinks on a particular platform. The reason AMD drivers work better on Windows than they do on Linux is not because Windows is "better" by any of the metrics of quality you espouse, it's because Windows is more popular. The reason Steam for Linux is only supported on Ubuntu is not because Ubuntu is "better" it is because it's the most popular distro. The reason to use popular platforms is because all of the little things that require a half-hour of expert time to work around would have already been solved by the vendor who recognized that such issues are worth testing for and fixing for a platform with 100 million users, but not for one with 20,000. That's distasteful to some because it doesn't seem meritocratic and it's out of the control of the creators of the OS, but it's a fact of business, and it does affect the quality of an OS in tangible ways.

As for the "expert" thing, the costs really aren't that different for various kinds of users. The reason I care about this stuff is because the opportunity cost of my time spent solving menial issues that would have been solved by the vendor if I were on a more popular platform is too high. The reason my mother cares about this stuff is because the transaction costs of finding someone who will spend the time to figure out what's going on and fix her computer is too high.

Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#203
post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The correct move then is to return it.

No. The correct move was to install Ubuntu, which had the correct drivers. Point being that all software has issues. More so if the software is as complicated as an OS with two releases per year.

You bought a product and it did not work as advertised. The recommended path would have been to have it serviced or return it to the distributor. You could also attempt to install the correct working drivers, as this most likely would not void your warranty. However, changing the entire OS is a very big not-recommended move on a recently purchased laptop that's having such a simple problem.

Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#204

Doesn't seem to be any point for me [1], I don't use Python, or Libreoffice. And I use gnome-session-fallback, can't stand Unity, and just wish they'd give me an OOBE setting for having an 'old-school' Gnome 3 session! Although Linux 3.8.8 might well make me upgrade. [1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RaringRingtail/TechnicalOverview

There is a GNOME flavor of Ubuntu. You can simply install `sudo apt-get install gnome-shell`.

Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#206
post #188

Have they gotten rid of Unity yet? No? Pass.

At the risk of stating the obvious:

sudo apt-get autoremove unity && sudo apt-get install [xubuntu-desktop|kubuntu-desktop|lubuntu-desktop|etc.]

Or just install the one you want in the first place: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ has images for all eight official Ubuntu flavours.

Seriously, it can't hurt you just by being in the repositories if you don't install it...

Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't use Skype (imo.im works much better, and you don't have to install any programs), so I don't know anything about it, but Chrome seems to work.

imo.im and similar services have one disadvantage: you give keys to all of your communications to additional 3rd party (as if microsoft wasn't enough)

3rd party? Microsoft own Skype.

Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. The correct move was to install Ubuntu, which had the correct drivers. Point being that all software has issues. More so if the software is as complicated as an OS with two releases per year.

You bought a product and it did not work as advertised. The recommended path would have been to have it serviced or return it to the distributor. You could also attempt to install the correct working drivers, as this most likely would not void your warranty. However, changing the entire OS is a very big not-recommended move on a recently purchased laptop that's having such a simple problem.

Why post something like this? I don't get it. He stated what he did to fix the problem and it apparently worked.

So his recommendation is proven to work and yours is....?

Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#209
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fully agree. I just want a desktop that stays out of the way. I have ubuntu and I have replaced unity by cinnamon. It is not very polished, but in a couple of minute, you can configure it to be usable.

The desktop that does the best job of staying out of your way is no desktop. I've been using Ubuntu for years without a desktop, just the dwm window manager. Now and then I ask people, because I know the desktops are evolving, what they might have to offer me, but I never get a coherent response.

dwm is great, but I like twm slightly better due to its more conventional window management.

It's also extremely satisfying in a mischievous sort of way whenever I walk into some public place and pull out my T410 with that setup. I can't count the number of stares I get. One guy even asked me why I used a laptop from the 1990s.

Re: Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Released

#210

Warning: according to the known issues in the release log [0]: * Skype won't start (without a fix [1]) * Google Chrome won't install (without a fix [2]) [0] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RaringRingtail/ReleaseNotes [1] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/skype/+bug/1155327 [2] https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=226002#c...

"Actually, having a workaround by definition lessens the severity, as if someone wants to still run Skype, they can." I don't think everyone is on the same page about Ubuntu being a consumer distro and not a hacker's only distro... I have definitely noticed a decrease in the stability of Ubuntu releases over the years and it's attitudes like this that seem to be in part responsible for it. EDIT: Oh I kept reading, th…

>many of my programers are too busy being productive to be interested in dicking around with making things work anymore, and increasingly I hold this view

This is a sign of maturity. Time is our one true finite resource, and we need to prioritize what we do with it.

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