
Ubuntu 12.04 Review: This is the Distro you’re looking for. - BryanLunduke
http://lunduke.com/?p=2813
======
keithpeter
Does anyone have examples of _good quality_ criticism of GUIs? Examples of
reviews that changed the way you think about the GUI would be very welcome.

We are going to get a rash of articles like this one, which make some valid
points, but do not really compare Unity in its 12.04 guise with any kind of
model of interaction or external standard.

It would be nice to try to produce something better. Canonical design have
done a lot of testing and have documented some of their work. I think they
deserve a _critical essay_ rather than the kool-aid type response, or the
instant dismissal that seems quite common.

~~~
batista
> _Does anyone have examples of good quality criticism of GUIs?_

I would suggest you check out John Siracussa's reviews for OS X releases on
Ars Technica.

~~~
simonw
Absolutely. I'd love to see a Siracussa-style review of the new Ubuntu
release.

~~~
keithpeter
Challenge: can anyone out there do the bits about the change in the libraries,
the indicators, the way Unity ties in with Gnome 3 (remember Gnome Shell and
Unity are both Gnome 3 shells)?

I'll risk the slings and arrows and have a go at the surface/UI bit. That'll
be next weekend. I'm no Siracussa but everyone has to start somewhere.

PS: 12.04.1 is when you install on a production machine, that's around June

------
stock_toaster

      > The short version: Ubuntu 12.04 is the best release they’ve ever had and 
      > absolutely blows the upcoming releases of Windows and MacOS X out of the
      > water in just about every way that matters.
    

The second half of that statement may be a touch hyperbolic.

~~~
demetris
It says more about the quality of the review than about the relative merits of
the 3 systems.

These things are simple: If Ubuntu were so much better, or just plain better,
than other operating systems, more people would use it.

Firefox is, and has been for a long time, much better than IE, and so people
use it.

OpenOffice/LibreOffice is not better than Microsoft Office, and so people
don’t prefer it over Microsoft Office.

Ubuntu is not better than Windows or OS X, and so very few people prefer it.

~~~
bho
The cost of switching is a high barrier for many people.

Changing from Windows to Ubuntu requires you to find equivalents for all of
the software you need.

Changing from your browser -> Firefox = most websites will still work, no
additional effort on anyone.

Changing from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice forces you to ensure all the
documents open correctly and others can open yours correctly.

It's not always so black and white.

~~~
demetris
“Changing from your browser -> Firefox = most websites will still work, no
additional effort on anyone.”

Now.

When Firefox v1.0 was released in 2004, 8 years ago, that was not so, and
early adopters who were thinking about recommending Firefox had to consider
two important issues:

First, compatibility.

Second, the fact that the idea that you would install a third-party program to
browse the web seemed strange, even pointless, to people.

Yet, Firefox was so good already by that time, and it held so much promise,
that those who already knew about it did recommend it. As a result, within one
year it had 15% market share—an impressive achievement—, and webmasters had to
start doing something about browsers that were not Internet Explorer. Today
the compatibility problems are largely confined within intranets, and the idea
that you would need one particular browser to browse the web seems strange.

Let’s compare that with where desktop Linux is today. What is the promise it
helds? Which are its redeeming virtues that would make me and you recommend it
to other people?

I have Linux installed on my auxiliary desktop system since 2004 — either
Ubuntu or Debian Sid. The main issue that prevented me from switching when I
was more enthusiastic was this:

I like to have two sound cards on my desktop systems: The on-board one, which
I don’t care about, and a good one with a good DAC. The music I listen to is
fed to the good card, which then feeds the amplifier. All other sound
generated by the system goes to the on-board card. In 2004, and also in 2005,
2006, 2007, 2008, there was only one—I repeat, one—audio player that allowed
you to select a non-default sound card for its output and at the same time met
some basic requirements like proper gapless playback and good UTF-8 support.
That was Quod Libet. The option was not exposed in Quod Libet’s GUI; you had
to search for it, and then pass it to the program as a command-line argument.
But at least there was one program that supported this simple thing. However
there was another issue: Because of a bug in ALSA or the kernel (don’t
remember which any more) the sound devices of the system were enumerated at
random upon booting, with the result that 50% of the times the audo player had
the wrong card selected upon starting! :-) So, after some time I got tired of
struggling with the system in order to listen to music and abandoned the idea
that I would use Linux as my main desktop system. I don’t know how much better
things are today, but I would not be surprised if such problems remain.

I still use Linux today but only on my auxiliary desktop system (Debian Sid).
I also use Debian on my laptop for a simple reason: I use the laptop for about
5 to 10 hours a week for a narrower set of tasks, and the high maintenance
requirements of Windows seem to me too much for that. Debian, even Debian Sid
with its occasional hiccups, is MUCH easier to maintain.

Now, one could say that the one issue I say prevented me from switching to
desktop Linux is an edge case. It may be. But I am afraid it is only one of
the many edge cases that are frought with problems on desktop Linux. Desktop
Linux in my eyes is a heap of edge case problems. Not everyone is affected by
every problem, by everyone is bound to hit upon a serious one at some time or
other. The two exceptions I know are folks who use their machines mainly for
developing for the vibrant Linux web ecosystem, and folks who need their
desktop/laptop systems for a narrow set of basic tasks.

~~~
eslachance
This is precisely the reason why Linux hasn't stuck on me, even though I've
tried multiple times to use it. Every time, on different systems, there was
something off. Sometimes the sound card that wasn't properly supported, other
times the video card (ATI at the time) had big issues with secondary monitors,
other times it was my low-end, weird brand WiFi card. It's never "Just Worked"
and, even though the exact same happened with Windows at one point or another,
the fix is generally simple with Windows (locate the manufacturer, download
the driver for your Windows, works with any decent age hardware), wheras it's
harder with Linux (google it, find half a dozen possible solutions, download
one driver which installs 30 dependencies and breaks your system, try another
driver which completely prevents the OS from booting, give up and reinstall
Windows).

And then, there's the Software & Games issues... but that's a story for
another day.

------
adamtaylor
The current obsession with tablets is maddening. Tablets are great for many
things, but I still spend much of my life sitting at a workstation: a computer
with a keyboard, a mouse, and (lucky me) a big-ass monitor. So, for me, it's
just sad that everyone is now rushing to optimize their OSes for tablets,
often at the expense of usabilty in a workstation-like configuration.

~~~
downx3
I think that there is middle ground to be had, with some sensible defaults,
and sensible configuration options.

Make it good for the mouse, good for touch and good for keyboard! And let me
mix it up a bit. And good for small and large screens alike.

The last time I tried Ubuntu, probably 11.10 - I could not use it without a
mouse, just because of some wretched dialogues that I couldn't get keyboard
focus on!

------
jiri
I've also tried beta 12.04, seems ok, but article is a really bit hyperbolic.
IMO this ubuntu has similar progress from previous version as other versions
in the past.

Big surprise for me: I've upgraded 4 years old laptop with new SSD disk and
12.04beta and its really lightning fast compared to windows 7 (altough I have
to switch to Unity 2D because of too hot gpu). It really feels like new
machine.

~~~
franciscoapinto
Too hot gpu? If you have a ATI graphics chip on that machine, you can try one
of the following:

\- Installing the proprietary drivers (fglrx).
<https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI> \- Properly
configuring power management for the libre ones.
<http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1569512>

Disclaimer: I'm not an ubuntu user (debian here)

~~~
dfc
No self respecting debian user encourages the use of non-free video drivers.

~~~
Karunamon
No self respecting user _cares_ \- they want want does the job in the most
effective manner. Anything else is pointless, stallmanesque self flagellation.

~~~
SkyMarshal
Agree and disagree. It's not pointless, it's principled, and Stallman has this
way of being right in the long term, so we ignore him at our peril.

However, for Linux to be a 100% replacement for Windows or OS X, we have to
use to non-free software for some things. You could always choose not to do
those things, as Stallman does, and sometimes I'm tempted given how little
real utility movies and whatnot have in my life, but for Linux and all the
free software it brings to make headway with the general public, non-free
software is a necessary evil.

It's a tradeoff, both sides have pros and cons, gotta know them, and make an
informed choice.

------
keithpeter
<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8403291/1204-poster-4.pdf>

I did this poster aimed at end users going from Ubuntu 10.04 to 12.04, just in
case it helps anyone who is supporting end users.

The best way to explore Unity is to click around of course.

~~~
SpaceDragon
Beautiful Keith. This should help me transition back to Ubuntu. Thanks!

------
knewter
Multi-monitor support in 12.04/gnome3 is unbelievably good. There are tons of
horror stories, that I've lived and that I've read, regarding multi-monitor
breaking jut when it's most needed (presentation at conferences, etc). This
has happened to me in the past.

Now, my system keeps track of my preferences per-configuration, so plugging in
the monitor that I mirror display on automatically does mirroring, and
plugging in the monitor I use as a secondary monitor automatically does that.
Also, just plug and go for multi-monitor.

It's fantastically better than ever before. Anyone else noticed this?

~~~
downx3
Is that Ubuntu specific? I'm running Debian Wheezy with an Intel GM45, and I
was pleasantly surprised to find that hot plugging of my monitor worked. I'd
read in the past, that that was Intel specific. Either way it's very welcome.
I'd imagined I'd be stuck with Windows because of poor multi-monitor support -
on my laptop.

Multiple monitors need a good window manager. I sacked off my second monitor
out of frustration in the past, I wanted shortcuts to move apps to the other
screen, the ability to turn off one screen when not needed - I inevitably had
to turn it back on, when I'd loose a window or dialogue somewhere. Full screen
apps chose the wrong monitor, some windows sat between monitors etc. It was
just a bind, and a distraction in the end. Virtual desktops were a better fit
for me because of the inadequacies.

------
cobychapple
The author says that doing something simple:

"takes several clicks on parts of the screen that are nowhere near each other
and are not immediately obvious the first time you see them".

... and that this process requires the user to:

"click the “Ubuntu” button in the top left, then click the little white icon
on the bottom center that is, I assume, representative of “a comb, a pencil
and a building with pacman on it”. Then you expand the “Installed” section by
clicking on the left/center of the screen. Then you click on “Filter Results”
in the top right."

Doesn't like like a great thing to use at all to me.

~~~
bostonvaulter2
You need to read further. The next sentence says: "Remember when I said “quick
and easy”? I lied."

------
Joeboy
As a non-Unity user I honestly don't think I've noticed any difference
whatsoever since upgrading to 12.04. Which is mostly a good thing - it was
fine before and it's fine now.

~~~
argarg
If you're running it on a laptop I believe there's been a lot of work in the
latest kernel in ubuntu 12.04 to help with the power management and battery
life.

------
dlsym
Unity and gnome-shell might be OK on a netbook. Or a notebook. Or maybe on a
single monitor desktop.

For a triplehead setup this concept is just not bearable. I think this really
bad design-decision goes back to the days when there was this "Linux the great
netbook / eee-PC OS hype".

The good thing is: Nobody is forced to use this ____. There is Mate
(<http://mate-desktop.org/>), or KDE, or XFCE, or ...

The only thing that I find a bit pity, is that so many resources are spent on
Gnome3 and Unity :-/

~~~
rbanffy
20+ people on my team are using Unity on dual-head setups and it works very
well. There was some pain in the transition from Gnome 2 to Unity, but, in
general, people are happy and productive.

Most have split their desktops into 9 spaces and run all apps full-screen,
usually with a terminal on the notebook screen and something else (Eclipse,
Emacs) on the larger LCD.

~~~
BenoitEssiambre
How is the multiple spaces experience? This is my biggest fear. If this isn't
very streamlined my productivity is going to go down.

It is my biggest gripe with OSX that the "Spaces" functionality requires
multiple clicks with lengthy animations in between to navigate the spaces. I
could setup keyboard shortcuts but, damn it, a one click panel or dock widget
is what I am used to and what I like. This has been included in unix type IDEs
since the early 1990s (except Apple who managed to break it) the lack of it is
a deal breaker for me.

Do we get one in unity.

~~~
rbanffy
Multiple desktops work as expected under Unity - you move between them and
both heads follow. It's a very easy way to organize your stuff when you are a
spatial thinker. This makes it natural to keep working contexts on separate
spaces (editor + terminal, editor + browser, browser + terminal, email + IRC +
IM) and easily switch between.

On the Mac, I like the Lion way to deal with it, despite it being
unidimensional. The only thing is that you'll need to get rid of the mouse and
buy a trackpad (assuming you are on a desktop or with the notebook docked).

I find it confusing when both heads move independently between their own
spaces.

------
swah
My yearly "lets see if Ubuntu is good enough now" a few days ago: installed
the beta, froze when I connected the external monitor. Then the same happened
with 11. And with Xubuntu. And I went back to Windows 7.

~~~
sharms
Let me offset that with a different view: I have bought 4[1] different laptops
over the past month, running Ubuntu 12.04 on them. One of my key tests was
plugging in my external HDMI monitor, in which it worked for all of them.

In all seriousness, if this is happening to you send me a private message and
we can look over your specs and dig into what could be causing it.

[1] HP Envy 15 3033, Acer S3, Asus TimelineX, Macbook Pro

~~~
SkyMarshal
How is Ubuntu on Macbook Pro? I'll be in the market for a new laptop soon, and
MBP is a consideration, but I'd like to dual boot Ubuntu (using Basecamp?).
Seems there was some issue with BIOS and bootstrapping, is that solved now?

~~~
moonhead
i'm dual booting 12.04 and lion on my late 2011 macbook air. very simple.
install refit in OSX. you may have to reboot several times or do a complete
shutdown before the refit bootloader will show up. then it will be a very
familiar install from there. you can use the mac disk utility to partition
your drive beforehand. i haven't tried bootcamp, so i can't comment about
that.

------
SkyMarshal
I just upgraded 11.10 to 12.04 final beta yesterday, and so far I can confirm
what he says about performance and stability - 11.10 was ok, but 12.04 is
noticeably better.

Two problems 12.04 solved:

1\. On 11.10 I was getting frequent kernel panics when watching flash in a
browser (Youtube in Chrome, Chromium, Firefox), and when watching video in
Movie Player. That's all gone.

2\. In 11.10, Ubuntu Software Center was sluggish as hell, so much so that I
never used it. It's much faster now, just a smidge away from being downright
snappy, and hence useable finally.

I like how the upgrade (via sudo do-release-upgrade -d) resulted in what seems
to be a really clean installation, and that I didn't have to do a fresh
install to get that (still scarred from my Windows days).

I hear battery life is improved as well but haven't tested that yet. Hope
that's true.

This is on an hp dm1-4050us, Intel i3-2367, HD3000, 8GB RAM, 5400rpm hdd.

------
jamesu
When i tried out the 12.04 beta on my HP Microserver, installation went
smoothly. However when booting up the installed system, all i'd get is a blank
screen. Turns out for some odd reason it doesn't set the textmode display
correctly, so you need to add a cryptic line to the boot options to see
anything. Upon doing this, i found it was throwing a fit at a degraded raid
array on a disk i happened to have plugged in at the time, and so wouldn't
continue booting until i entered the emergency console and typed exit.

Certainly not the distro i'm looking for.

~~~
Karunamon
You regularly boot with degraded RAID arrays plugged in? I'd want my system to
drop everything on possibility of data loss - would seem to make sense.

~~~
jamesu
In this case i was using the machine as network storage, with the RAID1 array
being part of a backup. The main system was on a separate disk, so the RAID
was in no way required for booting up. In fact, i never explicitly set it up
during installation.

Not only could i not see what was going on, i couldn't even access the machine
from the network. All for no good reason.

------
adamtaylor
Anyone who recommends Wine as a solution for running all your Windows
applications loses a lot of credibility with me. In my experience, Wine just
doesn't work all that well---certainly not well enough for doing real work.
Obviously some applications work better than others, but every time I've tried
Wine, at least one of the applications I use a lot has had serious problems.
In my opinion, VirtualBox is a much, much better way to run Windows
application on Linux.

------
pan69
I've tried the beta of 12.04 the past few weeks. Unity is still a pile of
----. Gnome Shell (3) isn't much better and fall back mode (Gnome Classic) is
riddled with bugs that basically makes it unusable as a desktop to work on.
The Linux desktop has finally officially failed.

~~~
waterhouse
As an effort to make this conversation productive for all involved: could you
name a couple of these bugs in Gnome Classic?

~~~
downx3
I'm running Gnome Classic as I don't fancy Gnome Shell at the moment. And it's
nearly there for me. My quit applet hangs my machine, my cpu applet has redraw
issues. And nautilus and gedit are giving me some agro, but that's going off
topic. It's taken me a week to theme the thing (Gnome 2 at least had a helper
app - where I could make my own changes - though it was still problematic - I
run a dark theme.) My keyboard switching applet sometimes doesn't respond to
clicking. And I'm lost when it comes to audio configuration.

I think that's where the pain lies, when you run into a wall it hurts.

I guess these are teething issues. I'd like to know what GTK3 does bring to
the table?

I get video flicker in games under Gnome Shell, and I've had flickering issues
with video under Unity (11.10) on an Intel GM45 and Nvidia 6200 respectively.
I crashed Unity in about an hour and made my desktop inaccessible the last
time I used it. Unity 2D wasn't that bad, but some elements of the UI didn't
gel well together at all - dialog boxes that are out of place etc.

The sad thing for me, is that I remember seeing Compiz for the first time. And
there were elements and plugins that I really liked about it, and it felt like
the desktop was moving forward. I was hoping that Gnome Shell would take the
best bits of Compiz - but really get to the point where it would manage my
desktop for me . But I can't say it brings me anything.

The negativity is just a case of sour grapes. We'd prefer to see the free
desktops outdoing their commercial cousins. OSX10.4 Tiger is a pretty good
benchmark to beat. And that's a 2007 OS.

It would be nice to see a Desktop OS competing with Android, W8 and the iPhone
though.

------
pooriaazimi
What's with Ubuntu's versioning? 8.04, 8.04.4, 10.04, 10.04.4, 11.04, 11.10,
12.04? I don't understand it. Anyone knows?

<http://releases.ubuntu.com/>

~~~
pimeys
The first number is the release year (8 == 2008) and the second is the release
month (04 == April, 10 == October).

I really don't know what the third number stands for. At least they're not
using it anymore.

~~~
ward
For the LTS versions, there are "service packs" of sorts. Indicated by the
last number. eg later this year you will see 12.04.1

------
mariuolo
Pass the crackpipe.

Unity is horrible and complicates every single operation. I think it will be
the end of Ubuntu.

