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Planning Dapper +1, The Edgy Eft
Christian Jensen writes "On the ubuntu-announce mailing list, Mark Shuttleworth announced the plans for the next Ubuntu release - 'The Edgy Eft', the successor to Dapper Drake." This release is being touted as both cutting edge (edgy) and containing several comparatively "young" software additions ('Eft' being a 'youthful newt, going through its first exploration of the rocky territory just outside the stream.') like Xen, XGL/AIGLX, and others.
"We can afford to take some risks with Dapper+1, because Dapper has turned
out so well."
I love Ubuntu and all that, but jeez, get it out the door first!
This is rather off-topic so I'll expect the usual down-mod.
/. should get a new icon for Ubuntu instead of using the Debian one. Yes, I know that Ubuntu is based on Debian Sid, but seeing that Ubuntu is arguably more popular than Debian (based on Distrowatch stats), perhaps an Ubuntu section/icon would be in order?
Perhaps
It's real prevelant in the OSS world, unfortunately. Clever names that, well, aren't. OGG Vorbis is a good example. It just sounds... Odd. It's not descriptive of function and doesn't have a cool ring to it. I think that's part of the problem with adoption. MP3 sounds cool (so does AAC). They are the nifty-technology acronyms and they are easy to say.
OSS people need to think more marketing driven. Had I been the one in charge of making the Ogg Vorbis thing, I probably would have looked at calling it something that made reference to MP3. Call it MP5 maybe, for 5th Gen Music Packer. Something that's clearly intended to draw a reference to MP3. If not something so direct, then think up a cool acronym, and figure out something that works for it. AAC is good, nice acronym, good name (Advanced Audio Codec). Sounds all high tech and shit.
Same thing with shit like GIMP. Ok so the full name, GNU Image Manipulation Program isn't horrible, but calling it GIMP is fucking stupid. For nearly everyone the assocation is either Pulp Fiction, or a crippled person. Not something you want. Now Photoshop, that's a good name. Says what it does, sounds cool, conjures up ideas of picture editing, which is indeed what it's for.
So I'm not at all suppirsed to see Ubutnu (which is odd to Western ears at any rate) doing stuff like this. I'm sure they think it's terribly cool and clever, and I'm sure many people agree with them. However I'm also pretty sure they haven't thought it over marketing wise.
I'm sure it's been visited before -- here's a list of names we're used to...but would seem strange without some sort of common usage or marketing force behind them:
Windows NT, ME, XP, Vista, Xbox
OSX...Jaguar, Panther
Apache, IIS
iPod, Nano
MS Excel, Powerpoint
Yahoo, Google
Ubuntu -- Humanity to others. Now as far as the naming conventions of hoary hedgehog, breezy badger, dapper drake, and now edgy eft...get over it. There are lots of fscked up names for projects and sure, it'd be better if they had more appropriate names, but they're still as useful. It's a matter of pulling enough of a marketing spin on things, that's all.
I like and use ubuntu (well kubuntu, really). I don't care about the naming conventions. If nothing else, it's a conversation starter. "Yeah, at home I run dapper drake" -- "dapper drake, what's that?" "oh, it's a version of a linux distro called Ubuntu...you know how Windows has all these version numbers and strange names? Ubuntu's folks decided to use animals in theirs. Kinda like Apple and their big cats."
To each his own, bro...and as long as the Ubuntu folks come up with good stuff and package it in that wonderfully user-friendly manner, I'm all for it. Now if they call the next version "fscked-up falcon" I may reconsider. Nah, I'll probably still use it.
It's hard not to warm to this announcement, imho. It is written in a clear style by someone who comes across as open, approachable and not afraid to take risks. Such a contrast to corporate chiefs who bark out orders, rubbish their competitors or spout incomprehensible jargon written for them by a marketing droid. OK the names for Ubuntu releases may be a bit eccentric but this cool, direct approach is what attracts me to Linux. It's my PC to do with as I wish and it absolutely doesn't have to have a toad from the office or authentication central inside it.
Just my 2 cents, but I think Ubuntu does have some pretty big challenges in front of it quite apart from incorporating "edgy" new technology. It needs to find a self-sustaining financial model and some kind of interface with business and the enterprise, which the Dapper release is meant to kick off, I believe. Anyway, Kudos to them.
Las qué passoun
tournoun pas maï
For fuck's sake, stop being 13 years old. If saying "Ubuntu" is enough to make you feel like a jackass, you've got some issues. And anyway, I cannot really understand how "Ubuntu" is any worse than "SuSE." Furthermore, names like Dapper Drake are code names for release targets, not brands.
Our intelligent designer has never created an animal that we couldn't improve by strapping a bomb to it.
Maybe you've heard of it. That's what us open source developers do, have fun. If you don't want to use our software, fine, don't.
What's the difference between open source software an proprietary software?
Open source software is made by engineers.
Proprietary software is made by managers.
How we know is more important than what we know.
Do you run Windows? Which version? Memphis? Cairo? Whistler? Longhorn? Or maybe you're a Mac guy. So would that be Cheetah? Panther? Tiger? Leopard? Of course, now that they've moved to Intel chips you can run either one on your Yonah CPU.
:P*
Everyone does it, it doesn't hurt anyone, and you can always call it by the version number if you really want. Well, except for Windows
*(yes, I know there really is a version number but it won't mean much to most people)
For fuck's sake, stop being 13 years old. If saying "Ubuntu" is enough to make you feel like a jackass, you've got some issues.
Not if you're trying to convince a company to use Ubuntu you don't... To the non-Linux crowd (99% of the population), telling your public relations people that you just "Uninstalled Windows XP Professional" and installed "Ubuntu Dapper Drake", they're gonna get a mental image of a Dapper Dan doll in the woods or something.
I agree that the names could be better - but it all depends on who you're talking to. Engineers love weird names like that, it promotes a sense of fun and optimism instead of something mundane and "work"ish. I don't see anything worse about the name "Ubuntu" than "Google" or "Yahoo" at all, at least Ubuntu means something significant.
So "Ubuntu 6.06" to the marketing types, and "Dapper Drake" to everyone who's not trying to fit the mold I guess.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
> Linux can use swapfiles. Swap partitions are just a generally better way.
Since Linux 2.6, the latter half of that statement isn't really true anymore.
As I understand it, it used to be the case that to use a swap file meant that
any swap I/O would have to hit the filesystem code, but that as of 2.6, that
is no longer the case. Swap files are the same speed as swap partitions and
a lot more flexible. =)
25% Funny, 25% Insightful, 25% Informative, 25% Troll
These are code names, not the name of the product. The name of the product will be ubuntu + versionnumber just like all the other software packages in the world.
You are merely complaining because they let you know what the internal code name for the project is. Sheeesh, get a life will you.
evil is as evil does
If you think Ubuntu is a dumb name, that's your problem. Lots of people seem to like it fine.