Brilliant Brainstorms is a weekly-ish summary of some of the best brainstorms from the Ubuntu Brainstorm site. In the beginning it may not always come exactly once a week or on the same day, but, if it becomes popular, it should become more regular.

First, I have been eagerly watching the Brainstorm Blog, but there have really not been any new posts in a long time. I hope this changes soon.

Now on to the ideas. Starting with the small ones.

If you have ever downloaded a lot of wallpapers to try out, you know that adding them all manually can be a little annoying, so why not just have a folder that Ubuntu automatically watches?

Sometimes applications have weird, err… creative, name which can be confusing. Instead of forcing everyone to use dull names, just add what the application does at the end.

This is more of an advanced feature, but it would be nice for some people to know why they can’t use Compiz, not just that it does not work on their PC. As long as it is hidden behind an advanced button, there is no reason not to include this.

More organization is always better, so the more small tools to help people organize their folders and files the better.

Another organization tool, being able to name drives and partitions. Sick of remembering the size of each HD you use AND what it is for? Vote for this idea.

You may know that this is a bit of a rip off from Vista Ultimate, but, while I am usually against simply copying a feature like this, two things make me feel differently about this. First, in my experience, all you would have to do in order to implement this better than Vista did is make it not freeze after extended use. Second, Ubuntu can do better than Vista by offering more than just video. Perhaps sideshows of your photos/photos from friends streamed from the internet or a Fedora-like background that changes based on the time of day?

For a new user trying to install Flash from the Adobe website, it is very hard. If Adobe just included a .deb package, it would be soooo much easier.

And finally, the big idea. People are already using Ubuntu Brainstorm to add their ideas for other open-source projects, so there is clearly a need for more projects to implement a Brainstorm-like site. Instead of making all those projects, some of them possibly very small, make and maintain their own site, there could be one site for ideas for all open-source projects. It could even be part of Launchpad.

Ubuntu Open Week, a week of IRC presentations by various members of the Ubuntu community, is finishing up today. For those of you who were unable to attend the sessions, you will be glad to know that logs of the meetings are available for you to read. The sessions were very informative, so I would definitely encourage everyone to check them out. Particularly if you are new to the Ubuntu community, you might want to check out some of the following sessions:

One session many people may be interested in is the Community Q+A which consisted of various questions about Ubuntu and the Ubuntu community. Although it is not very in depth, it is an interesting read.

Another session that should interest almost any Ubuntu user is “The Future of the Ubuntu Desktop.” Don’t expect screenshots of what Ubuntu will look like in 10 years, but you might get some idea of what the desktop team is thinking about in terms of Ubuntu in 10 years.

For those of you who are interested in helping out Ubuntu, you might want to check out the session on reporting bugs, which can be tricky at first, but easy once you get the hang of it, the session on triaging bugs, or the session on packaging. All of these are arranged sort of like a tutorial.

Finally, if you are interested in a specific project, there are lots of sessions focusing on smaller projects within Ubuntu, such as Ubuntu Mobile Edition, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Server, the Art Team, the Documentation Team, and more.

This is nowhere near all the sessions, so go check out the full listing on the Ubuntu Open Week page.

Quick Note: I am not trying to confuse Ubuntu and Linux here. I realize this could be done on almost any distro, but the recent news part is related specifically to Canonical, so I am focusing on Ubuntu.

For most geeks, the key advantages of Linux are stability, security, and Compiz Fusion, but these advantages (excluding Compiz Fusion) are not visible to the average user. How can you tell LInux is more secure or more stable just by using it for a few days. Sure it didn’t BSOD on you, but does that really tell you anything? The point is that you can talk about security and stability all you want, but, in the end, it is very unlikely to be those advantages that pull people to Linux. This is why I am such a big fan of Compiz Fusion and making everything happen smoothly. This, possibly more than anything else, not only looks cool, but also gives you a sense of the system being stable. It may not make sense technically, but if everything is smooth with no flashes of black or anything, it looks like the system is more stable. Because of this and a recent news story I am very excited about the next Ubuntu release.

Ars Technica recently reported on some development being done by Canonical’s (Canonical the company behind Ubuntu) Mirco Müller. He has created a proposal and basic example of a new login screen for Ubuntu featuring slick animations thanks to Clutter (Which is, according to the Clutter website “an open source software library for creating fast, visually rich and animated graphical user interfaces”.)

Now with this, I believe all the tools are in place for a completely smooth, animated Ubuntu experience from start to shutdown.

The Fedora project has already worked on creating a startup experience that is smooth and completely graphical. Some of this should be able to be used by Ubuntu (which is what is so great about FLOSS) to deal with startup and shutdown. Then at login, the recent login screen proposal will take over. Finally, a well configured Compiz Fusion can make the desktop slick, too.

In this way, the next version of Ubuntu should be able to be 100% smooth, slick, and polished, giving Ubuntu a much more cool and professional feel to it that should help convince even more people that Linux is the right way to go.

I don’t care what people say, if Linux ever goes mainstream, there will be real security threats to Linux. To be prepared for this, people should be encouraged to let Ubuntu automatically download and install security updates.

Now on to the promotion.

Both of these brainstorms propose something similar: an organized and focused effort to promote Ubuntu. Some projects like this exist already, but they should be better known. The question left is exactly what is the best way (or the best ways) of promoting Ubuntu. Below are some suggestions from Ubuntu Brainstorm. Feel free to discuss which ones you think are good in the comments.

The Idea: Distribute free advertising posters for Ubuntu to schools and stores.

The Idea: Start running ads online, on TVs, on the radio, etc.

The Idea: Create a screensaver that shows off the features of Ubuntu for stores to play on Ubuntu machines. (That sort of video could also be used as a general promotional video.)

One issue that has been discussed a lot in the past few months is the need for better release notes or feature lists for distributions. With the recently released Hardy Heron (8.04), Ubuntu has taken a giant step in the right direction.

When you first go to Ubuntu.com, there is a large space dedicated to promoting Hardy Heron with three buttons to the right of it. Those buttons are “Download,” “Upgrade,” and “Find Out More.” None of this is really new, but what is behind the “Find Out More” link is.

After clicking “Find Out More” you are taken to this page. The page looks very professional and gives a nice description of some of the features of Ubuntu as well as screenshots. Additionally, to the right, is a navigation bar with links to more specifics about certain features. If you have not already seen this, you should really check it out. It looks great.

Although this is a huge step in the right direction, it could still be improved upon. My main, and really only, complaint has to do with the content. It has come a long way in becoming less technical, but it still largely focuses on the ordinary tasks that Ubuntu can do. This has to be a major part of the feature list, but more emphasis should be put on the cool or useful things that Ubuntu can do that other OSs cannot. One notable example of this is the lack on significant Compiz Fusion information. While there are some screenshots, Compiz Fusion is such a cool part of Linux that it should be heavily advertised.

Easy to understand features and advertising are very important towards promoting Linux and Ubuntu, so, although there is room for improvement, I am very happy to see Ubuntu taking a huge step towards creating a better feature list.

Today Ubuntu 8.04 LTS was released! You can download it or read about the features on the Ubuntu website.

I am sure I will say more about 8.04 in the future, but for now I don’t have much to say. I have been running the beta for a couple of weeks now and it has been great! The only problem I have had is with Firefox 3 Beta 4 messing up some sites (including mine), but the final has Beta 5, so I hope the issues are resolved. Other than that minor issue, which is a Firefox bug not an Ubuntu bug, I have been very impressed the release. If you had let me use the beta and not told me it was the beta, I would have thought it was final. Also, the artwork is great!

I would encourage everyone to upgrade or at least try out the new version now that it has been released.

Good job Ubuntu on yet another great release!

Recently, an article appeared on OSWeekly titled “Everex: The Dell of the Linux World.” The article makes a good point that Everex could be what Dell should have been for Linux, but based on their products so far, I am skeptical that they will succeed.

Right now, what they seem to be is what Dell is now. Full of potential, but so far from meeting that potential. Dell’s big mistake, in my opinion, is mostly not publicizing their Linux computers enough on their site. Even if you are looking for Dell’s Linux PCs, it can be difficult to find them. Everex has not made this mistake in particular, but they have made other mistakes.

Their first Linux computer, that I am aware of, was the gPC. The gPC was an inexpensive desktop PC ($200). Unfortunatly, it had two major problems. First, the software (Everex’s gOS) seemed to have lots of issues. Second, and not the fault of the gPC really, many reviews criticized the minimal hardware.

Next, Everex introduced the Cloudbook. From what I can tell, it was a fine Eee PC competitor, but it never managed to get the hype around it that the Eee PC had and still has.

Most recently, Everex has introduced a Mac Mini-ish computer for MySpace users. I think the idea of targeting a small niche is a good idea, but making your computer look like a beige CD drive from 10 years ago is not a good idea. Also, including a DVI port (mostly used on fancy monitors) instead of a VGA port (used on almost all monitors) is not smart, especially in a low-end PC.

So basically, Everex has a lot of potential, but they keep messing small things up and never really meeting their potential. What can Everex do to fix this, though? Below are some of the things I would do to change Everex if I was in charge.

1. Leave gOS behind and use Ubuntu. There are a number of reasons for making this change. For one thing, it would generate a lot of good press and get Ubuntu fans excited. Another advantage is that Everex’s products would no longer be plagued by small bugs that seemed to be a lot of the downfall of the gPC.
2. Instead of taking a lesson from Apple’s software, take a lesson from Apple’s hardware. Recently, Everex has been modeling gOS after Apple’s OSX in many ways. Instead of doing this, since they would be using Ubuntu, learn from Apple’s hardware. Apple is, after all, very good at making a box look pretty and Everex is a hardware company.
3. Consider dropping Windows completely. Without seeing Everex’s sales figures, it is impossible to know if this is even realistic at all, but a well timed dropping of all Windows computers could really bring the attention back to Everex. Imagine that a few months after introducing some new Linux PCs, Everex dropped their Windows PCs completely. It would excite people and bring the hype back to Everex.
4. Don’t make small, but important, mistakes that could easily be prevented. For example, don’t put a DVI port on a low-end PC. It is like saying here is a low-end computer that only works with an expensive monitor. It makes no sense.

Whatever Everex does, I hope they correct some of the problems they have had in the past and start producing great Linux PCs.

Brilliant Brainstorms is a weekly-ish summary of some of the best brainstorms from the Ubuntu Brainstorm site. In the beginning it may not always come exactly once a week or on the same day, but, if it becomes popular, it should become more regular.

The current Ubuntu homepage looks far too static and shows off very little of what Ubuntu can do and what Ubuntu is. A new homepage with news, applications, and links to the many various Ubuntu sites would both be more useful and helpful in promoting Ubuntu. It is important that the homepage remain professional, though.

Anyone that has attempted to use Gnash, the free Flash Player alternative, will know that is does not work for everything, but it does work for some sites. If you have to choose between one or the other, you are basically forced to use Flash Player, but if you could easily switch between the two, you could use Gnash whenever possible.

The Fedora team put a big push into not just with the boot screen but with the entire boot experience to make it look more professional and less confusing to new users. Although it may seem like a small thing, small things do matter, so it would be much better if Ubuntu too eliminated text screens at bootup.

Although this idea may be very difficult or impossible to implement in practice, part of the idea of brainstorming is to come up with lots of ideas, possible or not. Sometimes there is simply not a .deb file for a piece of software and if newbies (and anyone wanting to save time) were able to simply click on a source package and have it install, it would be great.

In the past, the configuration for Compiz Fusion was always amazingly complicated, but now that there is a much simpler configuration tool, Simple CCSM, it should be included.

There are really two reasons to use the cube desktop effect instead of the wall effect. First, the cube is the one that is demonstrated more often, and therefore people are more likely to be familiar with. Second, even though Linux had it first, the wall could be thought of as a Mac rip-off by someone who was unfamiliar with Linux.

Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, just announced an online course intended for “corporate and home desktop users to get started with Ubuntu.” The course is available for $100 and covers the following topics, according to the announcement:

• Understand the concepts of open source and how they tie in with Ubuntu
• Customize the look and feel of the Ubuntu desktop
• Navigate through the file system and search for files
• Connect to and use the Internet
• Perform basic word-processing and spreadsheet functions using OpenOffice.org
• Install and play games
• Add, remove and update applications
• View, draw, manipulate and scan images
• Play, edit and organize music and video files
• Seek help on Ubuntu from free and commercial sources
• Create partitions and dual-boot options

To be honest, I can’t imagine any home user wanting to take a course in using Ubuntu, but I do think that offering this to businesses is a great idea. Here is why:

For a company planning on switching to Ubuntu, their IT people, who would probably not be familiar with Linux, would want to get some training in Linux, before deploying it to all the employees. With this course, they can not only learn how to use Ubuntu, but also how to teach other people at the company how to use it, all while only paying $100.

This is an advantage Ubuntu really needs to compete in the enterprise space. Right now, many people are probably tempted to go with Red Hat or Novell’s comercial Linux offerings, because of the support that comes with it.  By providing even this modest kind of support for commercial users, Canonical may be able to develop a bigger presence in that market to complement its leading position among non-commercial users.

Brilliant Brainstorms is a weekly-ish summary of some of the best brainstorms from the Ubuntu Brainstorm site. In the beginning it may not always come exactly once a week or on the same day, but, if it becomes popular, it should become more regular.

Last week I mentioned that there was a new Brainstorm blog to enable better transparency between developers and users. Now we have seen the first real post on that blog. The post covers some recent ideas and suggestions and what the Brainstorm team intends to do about them as well as discussing how to enable other projects to create a Brainstorm-like site. I think the more open-source projects use a Brainstorm-like site the better. It enables the developers to communicate directly with users and there is clearly a need for it, since it is very common to see suggestions on Brainstorm that are really for other open-source projects, not Ubuntu.

As you can tell, I am very happy with how the blog is going so far and I like what Brainstorm is doing. I would still like to see more discussion on the blog about how Ubuntu, not Ubuntu Brainstorm, developers are reacting to the ideas.

Now on to this weeks ideas:

Anyone who frequently reads Brilliant Brainstorms or who watches the Brainstorm site will know that this is not the first of this type of idea, still it is worth bringing up, since it is a great idea. Basically, the idea is that there are lots of people who would be happy to help Ubuntu out, but are not sure how to get started developing. With a site to explain how to get started and what you need to know, more people would, hopefully, join the development team.

Again, this is an idea we have seen before, but it keeps  coming back. Backups are very important, since most people now keep their precious memories as well as their work on their hard drive, and so Ubuntu should have a good built in backup utility.

As new users transition to Ubuntu, they may want to be able to boot into Windows when they need to. To make this even easier, it is a great idea to have a GUI utility to let users configure what OSs are in their GRUB menu and which one is the default. This may not be something new users will use a lot, at least not without help, but it should be there in case it is needed.

If you especially like any of these ideas, click on the image at the left and vote for it!