Ubuntu Look

With Ubuntu, Canonical has had notable success in convincing people to switch from other platforms, but potential Ubuntu users are still running into trouble in several areas. Having spent some time on Canonical’s forums, I’ve identified 10 points that seem to be common sticking points for new users — that is, problems that have the potential to prevent a new user from adopting Ubuntu in the long term. These problems span the entire Ubuntu experience, but they all have two things in common: they are all serious enough to evoke the dreaded “I tried Linux but it didn’t work” excuse, and they are all solvable.

Read more at Linux.com

The wonderful team over at Linux Mint has just released their fifth version (release notes, download) of the operating system, codename Elyssa, presenting yet another stable and elegant system. I’ve installed and used every version of Linux Mint since Celena (3.1), and have lurked around the forums for a while. I decided to write a review for this version as this will mark the first release for Long Term Support; I hate updating my system every six months, so I plan to make this version my main operating system for the next three years.

I’m lucky to have blindly bought a computer that is very compatible with Linux. Wireless and Compiz work automagically, even from the Live CD environment.

I decided to do a sort of mix between reviewing for Mint newcomers and for those who have used Mint in the past. This review is not intended for newcomers to Linux, however they are encouraged to download Linux Mint and see how they like it. Linux newbies (and Linux Mint newbies!) can download the user guide to see the system and its features.

Read more at The Gay Hacker

The Good:

It’s fast.

Hardy Heron is a fast, exceptionally stable operating system. It is a significant step up from Windows XP and better than Vista when it comes to efficiently using resources, and frankly, ease of use.

I’ve noticed that Hardy runs faster than its predecessor, 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon.” Firefox 3, which is the default web browser, is a major improvement to the solid Firefox 2.

It’s more stable.

There seems to be an improvement in the suspend-to-ram and suspend-to-disk (hibernate) functionality, however there are still bugs. This is an area Canonical, the developer behind Ubuntu, is well aware of and I’m hoping they’ll get sorted out in the next few releases.

Read more at The Tribune Bits

Look and watch the interview with Mark Shuttleworth at ONLamp.com

I’ve toyed with Linux since 2002, when I first installed Mandrake. With the latest release of Ubuntu, I was interested to see how far Linux had come since then in terms of being used easily by the mainstream. So, I tricked my grudging girlfriend Erin into sitting down at a brand new Ubuntu 8.04 installation and performing some basic tasks. It’s surprising how many seemingly simple things become complicated and even out of reach for someone without a knowledge of Linux. There are a lot of little things that could be done to make the experience a lot more friendly for non-computer-literate people – some of them easy to implement, others not at all.

Read more at Content Consumer

This appendix contains the foundation documents for the Ubuntu project.

The Canonical Ltd. location for each of these documents is the Ubuntu Web site, and any updated versions can be found there. These documents are presented verbatim except where wording or presentation assumed a Web-based reading. The appendix contains the following documents:

* Code of Conduct
* Ubuntu Philosophy
* Description of Ubuntu Components
* Ubuntu License Policy

Code of Conduct

Ubuntu is an African concept of “humanity toward others.” It’s “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.” The same ideas are central to the way the Ubuntu community collaborates. Members of the Ubuntu community need to work together effectively, and this Code of Conduct lays down the “ground rules” for our cooperation.

Read more at InformIT

System76, one of the best-known providers of Ubuntu systems, recently introduced new servers certified to run the operating system. All About Ubuntu caught up with System76 President Carl Richell to discuss his views on the Ubuntu server market. The following interview — more of a quick chat — occurred over email:

All About Ubuntu: Is this the first time System76 has offered Ubuntu Servers?

Richell: System76 has offered Ubuntu pre-loaded servers since the release of Ubuntu 6.06 LTS in June of 2006. Early success encouraged us to expand and deepen our offering with Ubuntu Certification and Canonical support.

Read more at all about Ubuntu

For those not familiar, “Launchpad is a free software hosting and development website. We make it easy to collaborate across multiple projects.” More information about Launchpad is here: Collaboration, project management and code hosting for free software https://launchpad.net/+about

One thing I like about services such as these, is that I often find interesting (and usable) projects. Let’s see what Ubuntu based projects are hosted on Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/projects/?text=ubuntu

The following are just some of the ones that were more interesting to follow-up later:

Read more at Ubuntu Linux Help

Ubuntu seems to be the latest, greatest thing in the world of operating systems. The creators of Ubuntu have done some good things in terms of making Linux easier to use and in providing guidance for Linux newbs. But with newbs you bring ignorance, and there are a couple things I’ve been seeing that are kind of ridiculous.

First, I saw a post stating that “I’m of the opinion that Ubuntu could not exist without Debian.” The poster of that comment is Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of the Ubuntu project.

Read more at Cooking With Tehnology Blog

Put a Rocket in your pocket…

THE idea of low-cost computers running Linux operating systems is steadily gathering ground in the market place. In the UK, Dell report steady interest in their range of Ubuntu-driven machines, and the diminutive Asus Eee, running a customised Xandros desktop, has been a global sensation. Then there’s America, where Everex’s range of PCs featuring the upstart Linux distribution known as gOS have been selling out faster than they can make them. But can cheap and cheerful also mean innovative and interesting?

Read more at Raiden’s Realm