good as always
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| tuxchick Sep 24, 2007 3:03 PM EDT |
Bruce Byfield is one of my favorite tech authors. I might quibble with his dislike of the way Ubuntu uses sudo, but overall he's right on. I'll add 'disdain for bug reports' to his list of problems with Ubuntu. They do a lot of things right, like the nice clean customized KDE and Gnome implementations, pioneering new things like Upstart, and the easy install. But I definitely agree there is way too much unquestioning acceptance of flaws and poor practices. |
| azerthoth Sep 24, 2007 4:46 PM EDT |
I agree that they do alot of things well, better than the Debian boys in some areas, worse in others. Hardware detection and configuration on initial install is light years better in Ubuntu. I cant agree that Upstart is an improvement nor the adoption of blkid which is seemingly spreading and 99% of the time worthless. My biggest complaint about Ubuntu ... by the time it is released as "stable" and we all know it's not, it's also out of date by 4 to 6 months. If I want "Debian done right" as Ian called Ubuntu, I am more than capable of making it right all by myself. In the overall scheme of things, PCLOS is easier to use for a new user, and Debian is much more versatile for the experienced user. Ubuntu is media hype, but at least its a recognizable name to the unwashed masses who are looking to switch away from windows. |
| jacog Sep 25, 2007 12:22 AM EDT |
Unfortunately, Ubuntu is the one that newbies will likely end up trying out, and after they possibly have a bad experience with it, may well just abandon Linux in its entirety. |
| vainrveenr Sep 25, 2007 7:24 AM EDT |
Quoting:Unfortunately, Ubuntu is the one that newbies will likely end up trying out, and after they possibly have a bad experience with it, may well just abandon Linux in its entirety.Makes sense, but as written, this is effectively a negative-feedback loop. 1. Windows users are already using MS-Windows (say, WIndows XP) and are stuck within the Microsoft lock-in cycle. 2. They hear about Ubuntu as one of the supposedly most-popular Linux Operating Systems. Tthey might or might not completely grasp the concepts of GNU/Linux "distributions" and F/OSS in general, even though such Windows users may have actually used or been exposed to RHEL or SLED in the business world. At the same time, every Windows user is definitely aware of viruses, other forms of malware and AV software, which taken together may serve as one of the top reasons for trying out Ubuntu. 3. Such Windows users then try Ubuntu out via its iveCD or by going through the challenge of installing Ubuntu to their hard-drives. They then may "possibly have a bad experience with it, may well just abandon Linux in its entirety" exactly as jacog writes. At the same time, it is likely that such Windows users have never heard about the non-commercialized Linux distro PCLOS, and even possible that they have never heard of Debian --- this even though Debian has been around for a longer time than Ubuntu and is the very basis for Ubuntu! 4. Such Windows users will then probably just go 100% with their tried-and-true Windows even with MS locking them in to upgrading to the lousy Vista and its eventual withdrawal of support for XP. 5. Such Windows Vista users may then try the "new-and-improved" Ubuntu versions of Gutsy Gibbon, Hoary Hedgehog, Illustrious Ibis(?),... etc, once their Windows Vista experience again appears too negative to endure (limitations, security/license issues, high expense, ... you-name-it). Maybe by this time more and more Windows users will have heard of PCLOS and perhaps other equally popular and effective Linux distros as well. 6. The same types of issues with Ubuntu that tuxchick, azertoth and others continue to bring up may just simply re-occur in one form or another regardless of the particular "improvements" each successive Ubuntu version espouses, and this then just perpetuates the negative-feedback loop right back down to MS Windows. |
| Steven_Rosenber Sep 25, 2007 2:42 PM EDT |
I was trying to do a Ubuntu install from the alternate disc, and while it was screwing up (I didn't manage to complete the install), I went backward in the process and was presented a screen that asked me whether I wanted to use sudo or a traditional root account. So even Ubuntu can be run the "normal" way with a root account and password. But the text installer somehow skipped it -- I only got the screen by going backward. That said, I'm OK with sudo. |
| Steven_Rosenber Sep 25, 2007 2:47 PM EDT |
And here's another round of applause for Bruce Byfield. He's written many great articles in the recent past. |
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