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Posts in Distros
I’m not saying we shouldn’t have hundreds of distros competing for our hard drive; in fact I think that sort of competition is quite healthy, but do we really need a new distro for everything?
Apparently Watt OS thinks so. Now in its third beta, WattOS is an Ubuntu-based distro aimed at having low power consumption. I’ve already got a distro for saving power, though. It’s called the off button.
Saying I need a distribution just to save power is like saying I need a distribution to keep my cat off of my computer. Saving power or keeping the cat off my keys isn’t very useful unless I can do the other things I want to do.
It just doesn’t make sense to offer a new distribution for a small improvement on an existing distribution. I’m sure the power-saving work WattOS is doing is great and it is certainly needed, since Linux is rather lacking in power management, but it would be far better as an application, not its own distribution.
Update: One of the developers of WattOS, iggykoopa, responded:
“The point of a distribution is a focus on desirable applications and functionality in one grouping.
For WattOS, the focus is on power saving and lightweight environments (not as much stress or power consumption on a CPU, is the theory). This is intended to show, if you want what they consider to be lightweight and “green” software, how to get this all in one package.
The idea is good; you most likely can use the same utilities and such in your regular distribution. This CD just packs it all into one live and installable grouping (a distribution).”
That’s fair enough. I’d choose a different packaging (application instead of distro), but great work regardless.
Earlier I wrote about Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala planning to offer a greater and more diverse set of wallpapers. Now that a little more time has passed, here are some of the most promising wallpapers for Ubuntu 9.10:
Category: Default Wallpapers
Title: Silhouette
Author: michote
This is a very attractive wallpaper, largely due to the contrast between the foreground and the background. Hopefully, this would be distributed in two versions, one without some of the distracting background options.
Category: Default Wallpapers
Title: Tranquil Aspiration
Author: See-ming Lee
Though this might be more appropriate n the abstract section, it looks very cool. It provides a refreshing change from some of the previous abstract wallpaper Ubuntu has used, while still not being overly distracting.
Category: Abstract Wallpapers
Title: Unspecified
Author: ogalbraith
This is obviously not an entirely finished wallpaper; it is an interesting concept. It looks more default-ish than most of the wallpapers on the abstract page, but those are just the details. The art itself is quite promising.
Due to all the attention that is put on Ubuntu releases, it is often easy to miss what is going on in another distribution, such as Fedora. Fedora, too, though has some interesting features coming in Fedora 11, which should be out in May.
20 Second Boot Times It seems that everyone is suddenly realizing that their boot times are too slow. Windows, OS X, Ubuntu, Fedora, and, undoubtedly, countless other Linux distros are also at work reducing start times. Fedora is targeting 20 seconds, but that will, obviously, be very hardware-dependent.
EXT4 As Default File System Despite the EXT4 filesystem, which brings improvements in speed and reliability, only being released a little while ago, Fedora plans to make it the default filesystem for new Fedora installs.
Improved, Graphical Fingerprint Reader Support Fedora 11 will be featuring an easy-to-use GUI for configuring fingerprint scanners, unlike previous fingerprint software, which usually required that you run it from the terminal, which is not exactly the most user-friendly way for new users.
Windows Cross-Development With the help of Wine, Fedora is hoping to help eliminate the need to run a Windows machine just to write software for it. Pretty soon, you should be able to write and test a single set of code from a single computer and release versions for all operating systems.
Using VLC for Video Playback and Seamless Player Fallbacks
With the start of CES, I have needed to play some unusual video formats, including some that I couldn’t even get to work on Windows or OS X. In these cases, I have turned to a trick I have heard before: use VLC. So far, VLC has been able to open just about everything I have thrown at it, including a live video feed of Balmer’s keynote (there was always the chance of him making a fool of himself 
). This leads me to a tip, which is something I don’t do very often:
Install VLC (if your on Ubuntu, it can be added from Add/Remove…) and use it whenever you can’t make something play.
That may be an old trick for many of you, but it is still incredibly useful.
This got me thinking about new users’ experience with videos or, for that matter, audio on Linux. Obviously there are licensing issues, but there are also just strange inconsistencies. Various programs open various different types. Some may be better than others, but nothing is perfect.
The real solution to this is to just go through each one and test them all, but that’s not very realistic… unless the computer does it for you. Imaging this: you download a video and open it to play it. Behind the scenes, the operating system or some application attempts to play the video with Totem. If that fails, it tries VLC. Then, if that fails it tries Miro. And so on. The idea is that the process of hunting for the right software could be automated by one program that tries a list of programs until one works. This could greatly enhancce a user’s ability to play obscure video or audio files, such as live streams. It would also make this much less confusing for new users. Sure everything would still not be playable, but at least it wouldn’t take you 10 minutes to find that out.
This morning I went to find the name of a piece of software through Add/Remove programs, only to find that there was only one category (“All”) and there were no applications listed at all. It took me less than 10 minutes to find and implement the solution, but I shouldn’t have to deal with this stuff. Worse, I find that these sorts of little problems are almost common. They don’t take long to fix, but they happen way too often. Not every day by any means, but still often enough to be annoying.
Ubuntu has all the features it needs for the moment. The best thing that could be done right now for Ubuntu would be to create a less-frequent highly stable, well supported release. Oh wait, that’s called a Long Term Support release. And it’s what I’m using right now.
What I am suggesting is really just a change to the way LTS releases are treated. There are four things I would like to see change about LTS releases:
- Each LTS should focus almost exclusively on improving stability and fixing bugs. The point of regular releases should be to introduce new features. LTS’s on the other hand, should have their number one feature be less bugs.
- All feature changes should have to be essential to the long-term usability of the release. In other words, the approval process for new features should be very strict. In fact, the only case in which a new feature would be approved would be if it were something like .docx compatibility that users are almost certainly going to need in the near future.
- Make it easier to continue using the LTS release. Right now, by the time the next LTS release comes along, the old one feels really out dated. Sure there are the backports, but staying with an LTS release should be much easier. Ideally, there would be selected application updates and new features made available after some time for the LTS release. Not everything, but highly important applications, popular improvements that are easy to bring back, and new artwork. All of this should be on an individual opt-in basis, so you don’t get anything new (other than regular maintenance updates) unless you specifically ask for it.
- Recommend new users download the LTS. Considering how the current system works, recommending the latest release to new users makes a lot of sense, but if the above changes were implemented, it would be a great idea to encourage everyone to use the LTS.
These chagnes would hopefully make Ubuntu much more stable without sacrificing the ability to rapidly add new features.
I recently came across this list of the top ten Linux-powered devices. Most of the devices on the list are things everyone would recognize, yet I was only aware that half of them ran Linux. In fact, I would only expect most people to know that two of them ran Linux, the Eee PC and Google’s Android. That might even be generous. Most users of these devices will probably never know they are running Linux.
This can easily be viewed as a loss of possible marketing for Linux, yet the truth is that Linux is just not made to market itself. In reality, the similarities between a GPS device running Linux and my computer are almost non-existent. Linux is just a name and a bunch of code. It has no ability to promote itself, nor does it easily identify itself. Instead it stretches and bends, as was pointed out in this article, to fit the needs of whoever is using it.
This is the base reason why I sometimes point out that promoting “Linux” does not make a lot of sense. It would be like promoting “appliances.” They all share the same basic “code” (the basic circuits), but they are made by many different companies to do many different things. Thus, it makes more sense to promote a Mr. Coffee Coffee Maker, which is the equivalent of a distribution.
Though the kitchen appliance analogy does not work perfectly, the same basic idea applies to both kitchen appliances and Linux distributions: promote the product, not the category.
How Ubuntu Lost Its Credibility and the Road to Regaining It
If Ubuntu announced that a radically new theme would be included in Ubuntu 9.04, would you believe them? After promising exactly that in 8.04 and again in 8.10 without ever delivering, I would not. What if they promised to ship a perfectly stable and bug-free release for the next LTS? I might sort of believe it, but I would be skeptical, after what happened with Hardy Heron. What if they told you the next release would be so exciting you would have to upgrade the second it came out? Once again, I would be skeptical. The thing is, I still use Ubuntu on my computer with absolutly no intention of switching. So why am I so skeptical of Ubuntu’s ability to do anything? Four words: over promise, under deliver.
I admit that Ubuntu is in a really difficult situation. Being under the level of scrutiny that Ubuntu is under and not getting some negative press would be almost impossible. Still, Ubuntu has not had the best track record for the past couple of releases.
Back when Ubuntu 8.04 came out, it was widely criticized for including beta and early-release software in a Long Term Support Release. Though Ubuntu 8.10 seems to have been received better, I am not the least bit impressed with the choice to leave one of the most highly anticipated features, the ability to easily have an encrypted “Private” directory, out. If you want to use it, you have to install it yourself. Perhaps the biggest problem, though, is the art. For a long time, people have wanted a new theme for Ubuntu. In 8.04 a radical new theme was promised. Unfortunately, it never came. Instead it was delayed until Ubuntu 8.10. Guess what, it never came. All of these seem to be cases where Ubuntu over promised, bit off more than they could chew, and fell just a little short.
The good news is that I think a single great release could put these problems in the past. The biggest priority has to be new artwork. It has been promised for so long, it needs to happen. Next, a really great release would have to be rock solid. No beta software and minimal bugs are a must. Finally, something new and exciting would have to be included. I realize that you can’t introduce much without also introducing bugs, but a great release would need something to make people really want to upgrade, even if it were something simple. I believe that if this happened, Ubuntu would quickly regain people’s confidence. Let me be clear, Ubuntu is a great distribution, but I feel that it needs to do a better job of delivering on its promises.
Fedora 10’s release is coming up at the end of this month, all the features are decided, so why not take a look at what to expect?
- A Cleaner Startup Fedora 10 is expected to have a much improved startup. In addition to a faster time to boot, there are supposed to be less flickers and glances of text. The goal is to have a fast startup without any flickers out of the GUI.
- Better Hardware Support As with every new release, Fedora 10 is supposed to have better out-of-the-box hardware support. This release, the focus is on remote controls, webcams, and printers. If you have a troublesome device of any of these types, you will probably want to check out Fedora 10.
- First Aid Kit Mess up your system? No problem with Fedora 10. First Aid Kit combines numerous methods for recovering messed up systems into one automated, safe process. This should be good for tinkerers and anyone who has a habit of messing up their systems.
- More Desktop Environments Fedora 10 is also going to feature some new less common desktop environments. LXDE, a lightweight, modular everyday desktop environment as well as Sugar, the OLPCs interface, will both be included for you to try out, or even use day-to-day.
- Online Service Integration Perhaps the most interesting new feature of Fedora 10 is the integration with web applications, though the GNOME Online Desktop. Functionality is still fairly limited, but you should be able to log in to some accounts, such as your GMail account and enjoy some integration between your desktop and the cloud. GNOME Online Desktop may not be the most impressive feature today, but it certainly stands to be in the future.
What I Will Be Looking For In Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex
As you know, this Saturday I will be doing a live review of Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex. Today, the day before the review, I wanted to let you know what I will be particularly looking for in this release.
- Artwork. The artwork for this release was a bit of a train wreck up until a few weeks before the release. I will be very interested to see how it comes out in the end. I sharply criticized the original plans, but that was before the last-minute art overhaul. Still, I doubt I will like what I see as much as I like the Heron in the previous release.
- Choice of Software. Last release, Ubuntu included a beta version of Firefox and early versions of other programs in an LTS release. This drew criticisms from many and, although I don’t believe I every wrote about it, certainly annoyed me. Still, without including the beta version of Firefox, Ubuntu would probably not have Firefox 3 yet. This release, particularly since this is not an LTS release, will be interesting. Will early and potentially incomplete software be included, or will this release be more cautious.
- Integration of Private Directory. One of the most talked about features of Intrepid was an encrypted private directory for each user in their home folder. Early reports have suggested that manual configuration is needed to get this working, though. I am going to be interested to see if it is set up out of the box or needs configuration. And, if configuration is requiered, how much.
- Guest Account. This release will bring a special guest account, designed to let someone else check their email or something on your computer. My question is: how is this feature implemented and how useful will this be?
- Overall. The biggest question for me is: do I see a good reason to run out and upgrade my computer to this release. I will most likely be testing it out in a VM for purposes of the review (specificially, so I have the chance to take screenshots if I want) and installing it on my computer later on. Will I see the need to do the upgrade the next day,though, or will I be happy to wait?
These are the main things that I am going to be looking for in this release. If there is anything else you would like me to make a point of covering, please mention it in the comments, or just come and bring up whatever points you want in the live review.
Either way, don’t forget to come! The event will occur on November 1st at 1:00 PM Eastern US time here or at live.linuxloop.com (either works).
Ahh… Much Better: Ubuntu Updates The Intrepid Ibex Wallpaper!
A while ago I complained that the wallpaper for Intrepid Ibex looked like a “pile of crap.” Luckily for all of us Ubuntu users, the latest build of Intrepid Ibex has a new wallpaper.
While I cannot claim to like this new wallpaper quite as much as the one included with Hardy Heron, I like it a lot, lot better than the original wallpaper for Intrepid. Whatever you may think about it, I certainly think that it is at least in the realm of the Hardy Heron wallpaper, which was great.
To whoever created this wallpaper and to whoever got it included in Intrepid, thank you and congratulations!