
Fix Ubuntu - panarky
https://fixubuntu.com/
======
zx2c4
Solution: stop using Ubuntu.

There are lots of other very able distributions out there, many of which not
only have better privacy features but also are technologically superior in one
way or another.

In no particular order, these are all very capable operating systems for a
variety of needs:

* [https://fedoraproject.org/](https://fedoraproject.org/)

* [http://www.centos.org/](http://www.centos.org/)

* [http://www.opensuse.org/](http://www.opensuse.org/)

* [http://www.mageia.org/](http://www.mageia.org/)

* [https://www.archlinux.org/](https://www.archlinux.org/)

* [http://www.gentoo.org/](http://www.gentoo.org/)

* [http://www.sabayon.org/](http://www.sabayon.org/)

* [http://www.debian.org/](http://www.debian.org/)

* [http://www.linuxmint.com/](http://www.linuxmint.com/)

This list is non exhaustive. They are all free. They all work well in
different places. There are others too.

We've all had ample indication that Ubuntu was headed for the pits. It's time
to move on.

    
    
      -- a proud gentoo dev

~~~
levesque
The problem with other distros is the lack of a design. Ubuntu was the first
Linux distro I used that did not look like a donkey's ass (back in 2008~).
Even today's Gnome Shell does not look as good as Unity... it also does not
scale well for my display's 1600x900 resolution (top bar icons are way too
small).

The other distros might work well technically, but imho they don't look as
good and they require more tweaking, which is a hassle for me.

~~~
0X1A
That is completely subjective. A lot of people hate Unity, the same way people
hate every DE that exists. So much so that some do not even use a DE. Using a
DE as an argument for Ubuntu's advantage is weak as they're usually ambiguous.
I say usually because it tends to be that Unity, like Mir, isn't really
adopted into any other distribution in official repositories. Even more so
after Mir's release, since it'll be dependent on it.

~~~
stackcollision
Reporting in from the "I hate Unity" department. If I wanted to use something
that looks like a mac, I would just get a mac.

~~~
emn13
Favorite "bonus" feature: annoying semi-transparent blurs you can tweak but
not turn off. Gratuitous fades. Choppy animations on an underpowered GFX.

------
rlpb
I (still) don't think online searches are a privacy violation.

1) It's a search box. Stuff not typed in the search box never leaves the
machine (unless you count things that do by design, such as web browsers and
email, obviously).

2) It's plainly obvious the first time you use it that results are coming back
from the Internet. No real user is going to be misled into believing that
searches are local. This makes it no more a privacy violation than the default
Google search box in Firefox.

2b) There is a prominent notice saying so. If you don't think it's prominent
enough, see point 2.

3) It's a search box that didn't exist previously. Canonical invented it. I
think it's reasonable for Canonical to create a "search the universe"
mechanism on the desktop. Fair enough if you don't like it, or don't want to
use it. It's trivial to turn it off (there's even a global Privacy Settings
dialog) or to use other searches. But that doesn't suddenly make it a privacy
violation; nor the results of your search "ads".

Edit: I should have expected the downvotes. I notice, though, that the
downvoters are unable to actually respond to my argument.

~~~
stolio
I'll respond, though I'm sure the reason nobody's responded is they're as
tired of this conversation as I am.

1) Yet. When boiling frogs it's best to turn the heat up slowly. Canonical
isn't providing a service for free here, they make money mining your searches
and sending them to 3rd parties like Amazon. Compare this with its parent
distribution's Social Contract. [0] Especially the phrase "We will be guided
by the needs of our users and the free software community. We will place their
interests first in our priorities." Note the lack of a profit motive as
compared to Canonical's continuous search for monetization schemes.

2) Real users may not realize they have a choice, or that sending searches to
3rd parties is NOT normal in the GNU/Linux world. Ubuntu has intentionally
made itself a "My First Linux" distro so many of its users are new to the idea
of software freedom and are in need of guidance.

2b) EULA's are no excuse. Did you know that using Adobe Flash prevents you
from working on GNU Gnash? It was in the EULA you agreed to. [1] Everything's
confusing during your first *nix experience, the average person probably has a
mental list of a dozen things that don't make sense, that's a questionable
time to get people to sign off on privacy compromises.

3) Blurring the lines between local and global is interesting. Blurring the
lines between Open Source and spyware is not. [2]

[0] -
[http://www.debian.org/social_contract](http://www.debian.org/social_contract)
[1] -
[http://www.gnashdev.org/?q=node/25#eula](http://www.gnashdev.org/?q=node/25#eula)
[2] - [http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-
do](http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do)

~~~
rlpb
I said that there is no privacy violation. None of your arguments demonstrate
otherwise.

> 1) [profit motive]

The Mozilla Foundation's main source of income is making money through Google
searches. If you accept Mozilla in the GNU/Linux world, then you accept this
motive on your own terms.

> 2) Real users may not realize they have a choice, or that sending searches
> to 3rd parties is NOT normal in the GNU/Linux world.

This is a philosophical argument about foisting your own beliefs onto new
Ubuntu users. Ubuntu has always been the pragmatic distribution. It gained
popularity by making non-free codecs and proprietary drivers easily available.
This pragmatism has not changed.

And this still doesn't have anything to do with a claimed privacy violation.

> 2b) EULA's are no excuse.

Which is why I had my point 2: that it is plainly obvious that the search is a
global search, and that the query was sent out to the Internet. You don't need
to read any notice to see this.

> [spyware]

You have not shown that there is any spyware present. That would require some
kind of privacy violation.

~~~
bronson
There is a big difference between typing "calendar" in Firefox's search box
and typing it in the local desktop's search bar. You seem to imply that
they're equivalent.

If Apple felt the need to monetize me every time I typed "Terminal" into
Spotlight I'd switch platforms fast.

------
cs702
Ubuntu provides by default an on/off slider in its privacy settings for
disabling _the display_ of online search results in the dash[1], BUT I'm not
sure if changing that slider to 'off' will also disable _the sharing of
searches_ with Canonical's servers. (The language used by the settings app is
ambiguous: "When searching on the dash, include online search results -
ON/OFF.")

Moreover, I don't particularly feel like spending time & effort examining
Unity Dash source code to figure out if and how my information might be shared
with Canonical and/or other third parties. Canonical should make an
_unambiguous promise_ not to transmit any data to anyone, right there on the
privacy settings screen, whenever that slider is set to the 'off' position. I
would trust such an unambiguous promise.

So thank you for submitting this website here -- I've bookmarked it for when I
upgrade my desktops from 12.04 LTS to 14.04 LTS next year.

\--

[1] [http://b2b.cbsimg.net/blogs/screenshot-
from-2013-03-24-09342...](http://b2b.cbsimg.net/blogs/screenshot-
from-2013-03-24-093428.png)

\--

Edit: Added second paragraph.

~~~
rlpb
It's open source. Since it sounds like you won't trust Canonical's claim on
this anyway, why don't you take a look, or ask somebody who can, instead of
creating fear about it?

If it turns out that searches leak out despite the setting, I'm sure you'll
hit the front page of HN. Since this hasn't happened, and Canonical have been
under considerable scrutiny about it, I think it's safe to say that your
conspiracy theory doesn't hold up.

~~~
mdeslaur
If the searches leak out despite the settings, I would like to know about it
so I can promptly issue a security update.

~~~
bronson
Shouldn't you explicitly ask the user's permission before letting the searches
leak out?

~~~
mdeslaur
When someone uses a box marked "search online sources", they probably don't
need to be asked "Are you sure you want to search online sources?"

~~~
fsckin
The default is to leak information. There's no opt-out in the installer.

------
nisa
My personal fix Ubuntu:

Be careful, this is pretty rude and may break stuff - it is also not complete
but some dependencies are too entangled. Only geoclue and indicator-datetime
still annoy me. The idea to poll the internet regulary to check for the
timezone of the machine is beyond me.

    
    
       apt-get purge ubuntuone* # I don't use it
       apt-get purge unity-lens-music unity-lens-video unity-lens-photos # I don't need the integration
       apt-get purge friends* # I don't use this either
       apt-get purge telepathy-logger telepathy-indicator telepathy-salut # pidgin is enough for me
       apt-get purge unity-scope-musicstores unity-scope-openclipart # No need for that in Unity
       apt-get purge oneconf # I don't want to sync my settings
       apt-get purge empathy # pidgin works fine 
       apt-get purge software-center* # synaptic is enough 
       apt-get purge evolution-data-server evolution-data-server-goa evolution-calendar-factory # thunderbird and lightning for me
       apt-get purge unity-scopes-runner unity-webapps-common xul-ext-unity xul-ext-websites-integration # my browser is enough - no integration for me
    
       apt-get --purge autoremove
       apt-get install pidgin synaptic 
    

Shrinks RSS from 622MB to ~400MB on my system.

~~~
sandGorgon
here's mine - [http://www.lambdacurry.com/super-fast-lean-ubuntu-
setup/](http://www.lambdacurry.com/super-fast-lean-ubuntu-setup/)

It removes Unity and switches to gnome-shell, removes nautilus and other stuff
and replaces it with nemo, geany, etc.

I do have some additional tweaks to improve wifi, etc. but the base install
brings my RSS with firefox (I consider that a minimum) to about 500 mb on
12.04

~~~
rthomas6
Why even use Ubuntu at this point? Why not Debian? Or even something totally
different?

~~~
epsylon
Why switch to Debian? It's not like his customization does transform it into a
radically different distro. For one thing, he keeps the Ubuntu repos (which I
personally find better on a Desktop).

------
Pxtl
All Linux distros should be free charities and their developers should eat
catfood and ramen.

~~~
jenius
While I see why people are unhappy with the sale of their data and ads, I have
to agree with you on this. While obviously I don't enjoy having my information
collected and sold without me really knowing by default, they do need to get
money somehow.

I feel like we're in a weird transitional period where the "free internet" in
which all major apps and services we used were VC funded and growing,
completely free with no ads and nothing you have to pay for, and are suddenly
starting to realize that they have to make money. So they start selling data,
serving tons of ads, etc and then people get angry that their data is stolen,
they are being showed ads, posts from people they don't follow are getting
injected into their streams, etc.

There's nothing to be angry about here, it's just this now gigantic company
putting in work on something you love and use all the time trying to get the
funds to _continue working on it_.

I understand that a lot of people just won't pay for things no matter what,
and you know what, that's fine - they can use the versions that are packed
full of ads and sell your data. But what I would really love to see is when
you use a service for them to give you an option between the two. You can
either use this for free and we'll sell your data and show you ads, or you can
pay us and we won't do any of the above. At least that way it's clear, and if
you choose to use it for free then you are conscious that they are making
money off you somehow.

I think the closest model I've seen to this honestly is in the app store - a
lot of apps release 2 versions, a free and a paid version. The free version is
somewhat limited and has ads all over the place, and the paid one has none of
the aforementioned flaws.

We are just so accustomed to not paying for anything, and I feel like when
reality comes crushing down that oh wait, now that the VC funds have dried up
and the company needs to actually be profitable, the money has to come from
somewhere.

 _tl;dr_ pay for the things you use, because they are worth it. and if not,
stop using them.

~~~
Karunamon
Somehow, _every other publicly available Linux distro_ doesn't need to include
spyware in order to do their job.

~~~
efuquen
And is every other publicly available Linux distro working on the same scale
and trying to accomplish the same goals Ubuntu is trying to?

Also, is it just me or do most HN users now do not know what spyware means?
Openly conducting a search that is clearly sending that data over the internet
is not a covert way of collecting data, quite the opposite it's very much in
your face.

------
Mikeb85
This whining about Ubuntu is ridiculous. Removing the shopping features is
easy enough anyway, without devoting a site to it, never mind posting it to
HN.

Furthermore, there's plenty of choices out there. The best of which (IMO) are
openSUSE, Fedora, and Arch/Manjaro. Mint is terrible - like a buggier version
of Ubuntu or unstable Debian...

Furthermore, Canonical puts alot of work into Ubuntu. They deserve to get
paid. Maybe consider actually using Amazon through their app as a way of
contributing?

~~~
tonylemesmer
is it possible to pay them and get an "ad free" version?

~~~
taeric
Since it is basically possible to get an "ad free" version by disabling that
feature, and it is possible to donate to them. Yes?

~~~
codygman
That isn't the same thing as you clearly know... Paying to have things privacy
infringing settings disabled and donating _and_ then having to disable said
privacy infringing settings are very different things.

~~~
taeric
I am somewhat sympathetic to your point, but do feel it is overstated in this
case. It would be one thing if there was some indication of ill intent. From
all I've seen, I just don't see it as an attempt at being deceptive.
Marginally useful? Sure. Trying to trick people into thinking their computer
isn't sending data back? This is akin to hating cell phone providers for
creating tracking data on you. It is rather obvious that the data has to have
been sent across the wire.

------
NateDad
If people did 30 seconds of searching they'd realize this information is
available on the official Stack Exchange site AskUbuntu.com which is directly
supported by Canonical's paid staff:

[http://askubuntu.com/questions/192269/how-can-i-remove-
amazo...](http://askubuntu.com/questions/192269/how-can-i-remove-amazon-
search-results-from-the-dash-or-disable-the-feature)

~~~
sbarre
True but this site also acts as criticism to the approach in the first place,
and also guarantees that this information will remain available and findable
in the future, should Canonical change its mind about making this information
easy to find.

~~~
NateDad
I'm just trying to point out that the people who say Canonical is trying to
silence the guy are just talking out their ass. They are freely providing this
information in the number one place people go to ask questions about Ubuntu.
All they did was say (incredibly nicely and politely) "Hey, umm... so, that's
our copyrighted name and logo, and you know, you're really supposed to ask
permission before using them".

------
bitwize
[http://www.debian.org](http://www.debian.org)

There, fixed.

~~~
Supermighty
I love Debian. But I wish they had a stable version released more often.

~~~
octagonal
You could try getting on the testing release which (as far as I can tell) is
still ten times as stable as Ubuntu while still getting frequent updates.
Testing is the best of both worlds IMO (stability <-> freshness)

~~~
codygman
My only problem is compiling nvidia drivers on the testing default kernel
right now. At least there was a bug keeping it from compiling with dkms.

------
wojt_eu
Why you shouldn't paste code from websites directly into terminal:
[http://thejh.net/misc/website-terminal-copy-
paste](http://thejh.net/misc/website-terminal-copy-paste)

~~~
shortstuffsushi
Did you read the part explaining what each of the commands does...?

~~~
ktf
Did you read the linked article? It doesn't matter what it _looks_ like you're
copying/pasting, or how it's explained in the site you're copying/pasting it
from.

~~~
cakeface
Thanks for posting that - I came in here to do the same thing but you beat me
to it. Please read the linked article before ever copying and pasting from the
web!

------
ktf
Alternative method: click the big on/off switch for online search results.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not defending Ubuntu. I think it's gross that they
include this at all, and extra-gross that it's on by default. But let's not
get _too_ carried away with the hyperbole and conspiracy theories.

Just read the source! Or if you don't trust the source, just examine your
network traffic. Pretty easy to verify whether the button does what it
claims...

 _EDIT /PSA_: Don't copy/paste things from a website directly into your
terminal. See [http://thejh.net/misc/website-terminal-copy-
paste](http://thejh.net/misc/website-terminal-copy-paste), for example.

------
panarky
"In case you are either 1) a complete idiot; or 2) a lawyer; or 3) both,
please be aware that this site is not affiliated with or approved by Canonical
Limited."

"This site criticizes Canonical for certain privacy-invading features of
Ubuntu and teaches users how to fix them. So, obviously, the site is not
approved by Canonical."

"And our use of the trademarked term Ubuntu is plainly descriptive—it helps
the public find this site and understand its message."

~~~
rlpb
> "And our use of the trademarked term Ubuntu is plainly descriptive—it helps
> the public find this site and understand its message."

I disagree. askubuntu.com already exists and is officially sanctioned. From
domain name alone, I think it's reasonable to assume that users will believe
that fixubuntu.com is also officially sanctioned. Traffic generated by users
being misled into going there is not legitimate in terms of the trademark.

OTOH, ubuntusucks.com is obviously critical commentary. I don't think that
would (or should) be a trademark violation.

~~~
DannyBee
" Traffic generated by users being misled into going there is not legitimate
in terms of the trademark."

FixUbuntu is a very very very very clear case of nominative fair use.

I can't think of a less close case in recent memory. They are using the
trademark as it should be used - to describe the product they are talking
about.

The fact that Ubuntu may not like what they are saying makes no difference.
The disclaimer makes clear it's not associated, and they don't pretend,
anywhere, that they are associated.

~~~
clarkm
Then how was Facebook able to force the extension FacebookFixer to rename
itself to FFixer?

~~~
tedunangst
They were also using the Facebook name to describe their own product. Fix
Ubuntu is not (yet) the name of a separate product. When they start hosting a
downloadable UbuntuFixer package, expect more trouble.

------
daniel-levin
I use XMonad, and don't have these problems to fix (in a sense, because XMonad
'fixes' them). For those who are on Linux who've never used XMonad, I suggest
you give it a try. It's awesome. I'm on Ubuntu 13.04 and have never been
bothered by ads. Also, I find the instantaneous desktop switching and
fullscreen windows, resizable tiling invaluable.

~~~
levosmetalo
For people that love Emacs and Lisp, I would suggest to also take a look at
StumpWM. It's implemented in Common Lisp, and you can customize and develop
extension on the fly.

------
themstheones
I started using Ubuntu in 2005, and fell in love with it almost instantly. It
was great for a long time before the slide began. It's sad that this site
exists.

~~~
philliphaydon
Sad that it exists or sad that it needs to exist?

------
jccc
Regarding that "disclaimer" in the corner, here's why it was added:

[https://micahflee.com/2013/11/canonical-shouldnt-abuse-
trade...](https://micahflee.com/2013/11/canonical-shouldnt-abuse-trademark-
law-to-silence-critics-of-its-privacy-decisions/)

~~~
balls187
US Trademark law is kind of sticky. If you don't actively defend your
trademark, you can lose it.

~~~
orionblastar
But isn't there a 'fair use' clause? At least there used to be one at one time
before we lost our liberties, rights, and freedoms with the DMCA and Patriot
Act.

------
facorreia
I fixed it by switching to Mint. I'm liking it so far.

~~~
danielweber
It's so depressing that I need to keep on devoting mental energy to Linux
environments. When I use Windows or OSX I don't have to keep on guessing on
what-the-what is going on.

Then I go back to Linux for something and everything I used to know is now
completely useless.

~~~
gecko
I'm pretty openly not a Linux desktop user, but come on: if Windows hasn't
rearranged core functionality in the XP to Vista/7 transition, and again in
the 7 to 8 transition, and _again_ (less so, but noticeably) in the 8 to 8.1
transition, then I don't know what your standard is. (Apple's been better
about it following the initial iOS-esque feature landings, but that, too, was
disruptive.) Conversely, Ubuntu's operated roughly the same way since Unity
initially landed, and if anything, has become more coherent. I can't speak to
other distros, but I doubt it's been a radically different story there.

~~~
danielweber
I really haven't noticed a big difference between XP to 7. The control panel
things moved around a bit, but the settings were all still in the Control
Panel (and you could get the classic view back easily), and I had to figure
out how to right-click on things "run as Admin". My son just hopped from XP to
7 and he's been having zero issues.

I admit I haven't gone to Windows 8. I owe myself a new laptop and I just have
this feeling of dread about that.

~~~
J_Darnley
As someone who recently had little choice but to start using 7, I can say that
the differences between XP and 7 are vast, many, and annoying. Some can be
fixed with Classic Shell, some by a few choice changes to settings and
appearance, but some are just features that were removed.

~~~
danielweber
As I get more experience in 7, I am finding it more painful. It might be one
particular implementation where any attempt to bring up network settings
resulted in nothing happening, not even an error message.

Also, clicking on the "volume" icon should not bring up a spinning blue
circle, not even for a millisecond.

I just might get chased into a MacBook or whatever they are called these days.
And I don't like Apple very much right now so that's something.

------
berrypicker
I'm not whining here, I'm a long-time Ubuntu user and want it to do well and
become more popular, but if the 'year of the Linux desktop' is ever to happen,
there are greater fixes that Ubuntu needs (Ubuntu is pretty much the only
distro that, at this time, has a chance of becoming mainstream i.e. reach at
least 5% usage share).

For starters, it needs to work out of the box with the average user in mind. I
don't think I've ever had a smooth install that didn't require searching the
Ubuntu forums to get basic stuff running. If Ubuntu wants to compete with
Windows, it can't ship an operating system that can't wake from a suspend on
most laptops and requires using a terminal (which most people don't even know
what it's for) to perform basic tasks and configuration. The experience for a
novice computer user, however terrible you think Microsoft is, has always been
excellent on Windows in that it suits their needs of requiring only little
knowledge of how software works.

~~~
Piskvorrr
Interesting; I mostly agree, except for the "no smooth installs" \- from my
data points, where I was struggling with Windows drivers, Ubuntu had been
mostly plug-and-play (since about 10.04 onward). Then again, my userbase is
mostly using office PCs and laptops, without too specialized peripherals.

~~~
l337n1nj4
Agreed. Most of the time, I have no problem getting my laptop upgraded to the
newest version, and all of my drivers are already there; no need to search
online for any of them.

However, I also have the problem with small, minor things either only
partially working or being completely broken (e.g. when I updated to 13.04, it
started hiding applications on me, but it 'fixed' itself some time ago).

I think it would be a double-edged sword if the 'year of the Linux desktop'
did occur. On one hand, more people would be using a great set of OS's and we
would probably get more updates and flashier new features. However, with more
people understanding the Linux kernel and how it operates, more 'black hats'
and 'script kiddies' would have the tools to damage Linux systems, create
Linux-based viruses, etc. In my opinion? I'm OK with where Linux is right now.

------
drill_sarge
People use default Ubuntu with Unity? From what I see, most people use a
variant (X/L/K) of it and those are really well put together without (most) of
the Canonical crap.

~~~
username42
I like very much ubuntu-gnome. They need some help
[http://ubuntugnome.org/](http://ubuntugnome.org/)

~~~
drill_sarge
I tried it with, I think, 13.04 and you could see they need people testing it.
For a raw Gnome distro Fedora is the better choice.

------
ansible
Ahhh... Unity.

Shortly after upgrading, I needed to burn a CD. So I go to fire up Gnome's
Brasero. I start typing it in, and before I've finished, Unity helpfully
provides me with advertisements of bras for women. At work. Yeah, that's
helpful.

------
applecore
If you're looking for a simpler OS, you should try Xubuntu:

[http://xubuntu.org/](http://xubuntu.org/)

~~~
bsg75
Does Xubuntu have any of the privacy concerns / "features" built in that
Ubuntu does?

~~~
xendo
Nope, all the "features" are built into desktop environment (unity) rather
than ubuntu itself.

------
adrianmalacoda
Proud user of Trisquel[1] since 2010. It's a fork of Ubuntu that adheres to
GNU's Guidelines for Free System Distributions[2].

While I'm aware that the general opinion of the free software movement ranges
from "extreme" to "considered harmful," it is a nice feeling knowing that the
creators of the distro have some ethical guidelines in place to prevent things
like this - as it turns out, the free software types also tend to be some of
the louder privacy advocate types as well.

Mint is probably a better option unless you know your system does not require
proprietary drivers, as GNU/FSF kosher distros use a version of the kernel
that lacks those proprietary drivers.

[1] [http://trisquel.info/](http://trisquel.info/)

[2] [https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-
guideli...](https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-
guidelines.html)

------
orionblastar
Canonical is using people and organizations who use Ubuntu:
[http://arstechnica.com/information-
technology/2013/11/canoni...](http://arstechnica.com/information-
technology/2013/11/canonical-abused-trademark-law-to-target-a-site-critical-
of-ubuntu-privacy/)

I had recently made Blastarix:
[http://blastar.in/linux/](http://blastar.in/linux/)

I am now scared that I'll get sued, just because I modified Ubuntu, renamed it
to Blastarix, and removed the Amazon search and ads feature with some other
tweaks. I do not know how to remove the Ubuntu logo and startup screens and I
used uck to make the distro. I also added the 32 bit Steam for Linux client so
gamers had it pre-installed and most developers play games on Steam anyway.

------
davidgerard
" I wanted to update/install my nvidia drivers, so I opened the dash and typed
"drivers". IT DISPLAYED GOLF CLUBS on sale at Amazon!"

[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/bikeshed/vtXkVdALoJ8/N...](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/bikeshed/vtXkVdALoJ8/Nh-R5UuhHyUJ)

Of course, 14.04 will increase the usability level by automatically charging
your credit card, with _next day delivery_ of the golf clubs _guaranteed_.

~~~
badman_ting
Ha, check out the petty retorts to the sentiment as well. One guy even stoops
to nitpicking the other's (perfectly cromulent) grammar. And of course the
requisite brandishing of the dreaded "FUD".

This whole thing is pathetic, why defend it? Why is it so hard to admit that
your precious free software has problems?

------
bowlofpetunias
You misspelled "Fix Unity".

Yes, of course average desktop users don't get the difference between OS and
desktop manager, but a) wasn't that one of the issues we were supposed to
solve with Linux on the desktop?, and b) those users are never, ever going to
follow those instruction.

I'm all in favor of spreading awareness, encouraging people to turn this crap
off and putting pressure on Canonical to at the very least make this explicit
opt-in.

But this is just jerking off in the dark.

------
harel
As a Gnome user all this Unity madness just went over my head - I never had to
deal with it. But there are things that keep breaking from one release to the
other (for which I blame myself for having twitchy update-trigger fingers).
But as a whole I'm a happy user in particular that now Steam is on Linux. My
question is - how does Steam work on the Ubuntu derivatives like Xubuntu and
Mint? Will it work on Debian?

~~~
splawn
Steam works fine on both Xubuntu and Mint. Haven't tried it on Debian yet

~~~
Derpdiherp
I use Steam on Debian stable and it works absolutely fine, I've never had an
issue with it. The games run great too.

~~~
codygman
How did you install it? Also what games work great? For instance team fortress
2 had some weird shader problems on stable for me.

------
ChrisNorstrom
He should have added the code to install a compiz plugin to move that damn
Unity Bar from the left to the bottom of the screen like 90% of normal human
beings have wanted it since the beginning.

Let's just be honest, Mark Shuttleworth has Steve Jobs envy, as many creative
types do. They want to be the "creative arrogant leader that everyone has to
listen to".

------
pacofvf
if you are worried because what you type at the dash is being sent to third
parties for advertising then you should stop using google to search anything
(yeah including maps), this is the last reason I wouldn't use Unity, I
actually don't use it, but I don't use it because of the friggin vertical
toolbar and the sluggish performance.

------
davidrudder
Pasting code from a website, even with explanations, worries me far more than
someone recording my Internet search history.

------
lacion
frankly is canonical is getting money from me typing "gedit" or virtualbox a
couple of times them thats ok for me, its not like their scanning every
document on your pc and sending information around.

on a side not i would like to know how much people complaining about ubuntu
practices still google services.

------
j7
This becomes more relevant every day: [http://magnatecha.com/moving-from-
ubuntu-to-debian/](http://magnatecha.com/moving-from-ubuntu-to-debian/)

------
sbarre
I really like the disclaimer in the bottom right. Except for the "idiot" part
at the beginning which I feel cheapens the message, it is very well written in
clear language.

~~~
Houshalter
The use of idiot is necessary as no sane person will learn anything from
reading that that they didn't already know.

~~~
sbarre
Spoken like someone who lives in a tech bubble and has no concept of tact.

Are you a developer by chance?

------
MarcusBrutus
I get:

    
    
        No such schema 'com.canonical.Unity.Lenses'
    

when running the script, and a few lines below:

    
    
       E: Unable to locate package unity-lens-shopping

------
kclay
Been using lubuntu on my laptop ever since I got it

------
jiggy2011
I'm surprised there isn't an offshoot distro that is exactly identical except
has all of these features disabled by default.

------
notatoad
why yes, let's encourage people to copy and paste random code snippets from
the internet into their terminal.

------
schmichael
If only this also replaced Mir with Wayland, upstart with systemd, and Unity
with Gnome.

------
jbeja
I am just using Elementary Os.

~~~
h43z
How do you like it so far? Any issues,bugs?

~~~
jbeja
Been using for the past 4 months and i can say that is fast, easy, out of the
way, no bugs so far, boots in a blink, and the design although is a rip off of
OSX, is very pleasant to the eye.

On the "bad" side, several packages are outdated (since is base in Ubuntu
12.04) and not too many tools for customization. Is almost perfect. If just
want something that just works and not to worry about in the future, use eOS.

------
vladtaltos
this should give a nice boost to fixubuntu.com page hits. nice work canonical
- I knew you secretly wanted people to disable the default security
problems... cheers...

------
OHMYGODUSETHIS
Use Arch. Problem solved. Yes, it takes a bit more work, but you get a much
better understanding of your system and learn how to block or eliminate things
(like this ad-serving search crap) you don't like.

~~~
keithpeter
Or: CentOS with EPEL and Nux repos for slightly older but solid packages,and
just get work done...

Conservative VS leading edge I suppose.

------
alexanderchr
Wow, this made the search a _lot_ faster. Thanks!

------
mariuolo
I see a Streisand Effect in the making here.

------
camedee
s/fix ubuntu/fork ubuntu/g

------
surge
I just installed 13.10 today, perfect!

------
Sami_Lehtinen
Choose Debian, Mint or Xubuntu.

------
mergy
Better option >> [http://www.crunchbang.org](http://www.crunchbang.org)

------
Zardoz84
Fine but I simply use KUbuntu.

------
lcedp
I just don't use Unity

------
dllthomas
1) Install ratpoison...

------
puppetmaster3
fyi, Arch has the best wiki. that is all.

------
andyl
Just use Xubuntu!

