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I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

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Re: I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

#101

Post by orp »

tdrgabi wrote: post #65
drivebyacct2 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Turns out Ubuntu has a hidden log file that logs errors, with no sanity checks on size, and it hit 300+ GB. Uh, what is this hidden log?

I'm guessing here but it might be .xsession-errors I've had it filled up once, because vinagre disagreed with some other library and it kept printing the same error message over and over. After several days it filled up the hdd. Not saying it's vinagre's fault, just that it might happen and it's a "hidden ." log file

Yup, that one.

I'm not saying it was a hard problem to diagnose - I mean, the file was right there in the home directory.

Figuring out how to turn it off, by the way, was a little more involved.

Re: I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

#102

Post by orp »

tikhonj wrote: post #74
orp wrote: post #3

I am unfortunately forced to disagree. I recently moved my home machine from Windows to Linux. After a little research, I picked Ubuntu 11.10 (with Unity). The installation went by pretty smoothly, everything seemed to work out of the box. The only manual configuration I had to do was to teach my Linux box to ping my Windows laptop. So far so good. Then, 2 weeks later, my disk went out of space. Turns out Ubuntu has…

That sounds more like you ran in to some random, unfortunate bug more than an indictment of Linux. All systems have bugs like that and yet people don't bail from OS X or Windows as soon as they encounter one.

I've been using Windows for many, many years now. Never encountered anything like it.

In addition, I don't think it's a random bug. Having a standard error file that programs are supposed to write to, without any sort of automatic control by the user or (better) the OS is not 'being ready for prime time'

Re: I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

#103

Post by davesmylie »

Perhaps ubuntu is getting closer to being ready for the desktop for some users, but I find that for the last few releases, each new version takes me further from my ideal environment. For me, Ubuntu peaked at about 10.10 (or maybe 11.04)

Each time a new release comes out, I give Unity another try, but it just doesn't work for me. For a while I was just reverting back to Gnome, but now the default Gnome is Gnome 3 which is (purely my opinion) very much a regression in terms of UX from Gnome 2.

I know this is Linux, and I can install whatever I want, but I don't want to have to. When I was younger I was happy to spend hours (and days!) tweaking stuff to make it work just the way I wanted it to. With all the other time sinks that growing up entails, when I get the chance to sit down at my computer these days, I just want it to work. I don't want to have to invest time I don't have learning a new way to do the old thing when the old way was perfectly fine. (Probably me just getting old and curmudgeonly I know!)

Due to computers getting older and being replaced etc, I can't even reasonably keep using Ubuntu 11.04 - my latest laptop will not work correctly under anything less than 11.10 without hours of manking around compiling and installing wireless and graphics card drivers. (I blame the laptop for this, not linux). Research before buying indicated this laptop was reasonably well supported under linux. After purchase I found this model of laptop used a number of different chipsets for wireless and the one I ended up with (ath9k) was poorly supported at that time.

So, after having linux as my sole computing environment since 1996 (and using Ubuntu as my main distro since Breezy Badger) I have just this month packed it in and bought a 13" Macbook Air to use as my main computer. I'm still using Ubuntu 10.10 server edition at work, (virtual machine running under xen) for development and as a production server - but I can't see Canonical breaking the command line as bad as they did the desktop any time soon!

Ubuntu may be finally ready for the desktop for some people but definitely not for me.

Re: I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

#104

Post by Derbasti »

tikhonj wrote: post #72
spurgu wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. I don't see why a normal "surf-the-web, read emails, import/upload pictures" -person couldn't have Linux as their main desktop, especially if it's a user friendly distro like Linux Mint or Ubuntu. The main problem is that people haven't used a Linux desktop before and most are reluctant to try anything new (just notice how everyone curses every time FB changes something about the interface). It helps to have…

Actually, I think it isn't even reluctance to learn something new--people aren't even aware of Linux as an option, and if they are they think it's only for geeks. I bet if you could go out and get a $500-800 laptop at places like Staples, more normal people would be using Linux.

I think it's good that Linux is for geeks. I mean, what other options are there for geeks? I would much rather have Linux optimize for geeks and leave the fluff for OSX and Windows.

Re: I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

#105

Post by Derbasti »

davesmylie wrote: post #103

Perhaps ubuntu is getting closer to being ready for the desktop for some users, but I find that for the last few releases, each new version takes me further from my ideal environment. For me, Ubuntu peaked at about 10.10 (or maybe 11.04) Each time a new release comes out, I give Unity another try, but it just doesn't work for me. For a while I was just reverting back to Gnome, but now the default Gnome is Gnome 3 whi…

So, tell me, how do you use your Macbook? Are you a console junkie and live in the terminal anyways? Do you see value in the strictly commercial Mac App Store? What do you miss from Linux?

Re: I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

#106

Post by tikhonj »

Derbasti wrote: post #104
tikhonj wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, I think it isn't even reluctance to learn something new--people aren't even aware of Linux as an option, and if they are they think it's only for geeks. I bet if you could go out and get a $500-800 laptop at places like Staples, more normal people would be using Linux.

I think it's good that Linux is for geeks. I mean, what other options are there for geeks? I would much rather have Linux optimize for geeks and leave the fluff for OSX and Windows.

Well, remember that Linux is just the kernel. In my post--and I assume others' posts as well--I used Linux as a synecdoche for Free Software. In reality, it could as well be BSD or Hurd--it's just that (as far as I know) neither is quite as suitable for mass consumption as Linux.

However, just because Ubuntu--which happens to use the Linux kernel--becomes popular with the general public does not mean other distros have to change at all. Even now Ubuntu is not that much better for "geeks" than OS X or Windows--other distros and environments offer much more customization and power. You can still use Arch, or Gentoo, or Slackware or with whatever environment you like however you like. And since "Linux" is really a loose confederation of Free Software, nothing can change that.

That said, there are some immediate benefits for everyone if Linux gets wider adoption. From a purely selfish standpoint, interacting with and supporting my less-technical friends' and relatives' computers would be much easier if they were on Linux. Also, large companies would be much less likely to disregard Linux when releasing drivers and software. And on a less selfish note, I really do think--and it matches my admittedly anecdotal experience--that non-technical people are themselves better off on Ubuntu than on OS X or Windows. If all you do is browse the internet and some casual document/multimedia stuff, Linux is great (as soon as you sort the hardware out, of course). There is also the philosophical justification of Free Software I won't get into here.

So really, you present a false dichotomy: Linux for casual users and Linux for power users are not mutually exclusive; if anything, you can't force Linux to only fit one mould. And since we could benefit both power users and casual users by making Linux more accessible and wide-spread, we really should.

Re: I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

#107

Post by RexRollman »

bishnu wrote: post #76
RexRollman wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. Windows and Mac OS X don't have to fail for Linux to succeed.

What do you mean "to succeed"? I consider Linux a success...

To some people, Linux will only be a success if it becomes the most popular OS in use. I would contend that, since it is free software that exists to provide freedom to its developers and users, it is already a success (as are the three main BSDs).

Re: I’m calling it: Ubuntu is finally ready for the world.

#109

Post by Iv »

freehunter wrote: post #31
Iv wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a Microsoft webcam. The kind that is sold with a big label on the USB plug saying INSTALL THE DRIVER BEFORE PLUGGING ! It never worked on my wife's Vista. It worked without installing drivers on Ubuntu. A microsoft hardware failing on a microsoft software. This day I decided Ubuntu was ready for mainstream. A few hardware makers play foul (I am hating nVidia a lot on the whole Optimus issue) but when it comes…

People are really not reading my last paragraph, are they? If Windows rates a 6/10, you don't unseat them by being 7/10 or even 8/10. You need to be better than "better than Windows". Ubuntu is striving to not be "better than Windows" but rather "really good on its own merits, without need for comparison". I like this and I appreciate this, but they're not quite there yet. Two years, maybe.

IT is not a question of grades, but solely of marketing power. Vista was unanimously hated. How many millions copies did they sell ? Merit has nothing to do with that. Even a 10/10 Ubuntu would not manage to unseat windows as it is.
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