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.
Planning Dapper +1, The Edgy Eft
I read that headline eight times. I ran to the mirror and smiled to make sure both sides of my mouth were working. Then I made sure both my arms lifted fine. "Hrm...", I thought, "I didn't have a stroke. Why does that headline make no sense?"
Trolling is a art,
I got better. But it did make me a bit, you know, edgy...
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
As an Ubuntu user and fan, I'd just like to say: for fuck's sake, stop it with the stupid names! Breezy Badger, Dapper Drake, Edgy Eft. Seriously, I feel like a jackass enough saying "Ubuntu". I don't understand, are they actively trying to discourage people from using it?
Yes, Ubuntu, we get it. I mean, I know version numbers in press releases are so corporate and everything, but but some day (say, when they're releasing Zoroastrian Zebra or whatever) they'll look back on this little phase and feel a little silly. Like when you see your really cool high school yearbook shot about 10 years later, when it's so absolutley, positively, not cool (and worse: you realize it wasn't then, either!).
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
"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
Are they going in alphabetical order?
At first, they had Hoary Hedgehog, but then they went Breezy Badger, Dapper Drake, and Edgy Eft. If they're going to do this, what happened to the 'C'? And why not start with an 'A'?
Ride the skies
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.
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
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DevelopmentCodeNames
It's a long list!
i'm GLAD to see they're implementing Xgl in this big release..
Actually you can get xgl and compiz from the dapper repos now. It's pretty cool.
What's the ugliest part of your body? Some say your nose, some say your toes, but I think it's your mind. -Zappa
confirmed: the homepage would be myspace.com :)
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)
Freakin' Franklin Gonzo George Holy Holistics Invisible Irwin Joyful Juliet Kingsized Kings Laughable Lables Micky Mouse Nourished Nigerians Outstanding Opensource Pornographic Phonographs Quenched Quickens Real Reasons Super Skidmarks Triumphant Tubas Upsidedown Umbrellas Victorious Villans Wicked Wakasachi Xtreme Xenocide Yelling Yams Zaney Zoolander (its linux, fuck copyright)
The ability to fork software away from bureaucracy is one of the greatest strengths of open source. I wish I could do that at my place of work.
How we know is more important than what we know.
I think that the original poster was hoping for some logical, specific arguments rather than name calling. Could you try to do that, please?
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
Yeah, I get Ubuntu versioning, but jeez... this version name sucks. The only suckier name I can remember is when SuSE named their Chamelion maskot "Geeko".
I initially thought Ubunutu was a bad name for a distro, but it's growing on me.
I thought Warty Warthog was a *GREAT* name for a "beta" or early release.
I thought Hoary Hedgehog was a dumb name - Hoary?!? Hoary???
Breezy Badger was a dumb name for a release. I mean... what end of the badger is the breeze coming from?!?
Dapper Drake was a less sucky name.
But... Edgy Eft! That's the worst yet! *NOBODY* knows what an eft is.
How many times are Ubuntu fans going to have to answer the following question: What the F___ is an EFT?
I know I get Edgy when my Dapper is full !
Eft ! Eft ! Come change my Dapper !
*drools*
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
Specific Magic Weapons /bin/target!'
The Edgy Eft
Stats: Planning Dapper +1, (1d4+1, 20/x3)
Special: 3 Times per day, the wielder can activate this weapon using a command word (anything alliterative), causing it to gain +2 to attack and damage against any single foe designated in the previous round. This effect lasts for 1 hour. The target may be changed at any time by pointing it at a new target and shouting 'emerge
Description: This light walking stick seems to have an air of ease-of-use surrounding it, despite being an exotic weapon. It is made of solid chrome, with a gemstone at the top emmiting rainbow colors randomly at all hours, thus earning it it's nickname.
Minimum CL (coder level) 10. Must know C and be a worshiper of Linux to create. Market Value: 0gp*. Cost to create: 10,000gp
*Must be installed by a cleric of Linux, who typically demand pizza and cola in exchange for their services.
A person on Ubuntu Forums, as reported from my dear friend that runs Debians.org, posted up this link for AMD64 users.. He got it working flawlessy.. http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=13165 9
*plays the Apogee theme song music*
If they're experimenting with new stuff (Xen and XGL are pretty risky already) why not add Beagle? It's matured pretty rapidly and with both Vista and Tiger sporting real-time search capability now is the time to get it into Linux.
Not really. From day one with Dapper Mark has planned for it to be a higher quality release. For example, he plans to support it longer than the rest. Why did he do this? Well for one many people don't like an upgrade every six months. I talk to some people that think that Windows upgrades (like SP2) come around too quickly. The Dapper release is for these people. If the corporate world wants, it can skip from Dapper quality release to Dapper quality release (as such will be released every two years) while being supported the entire way.
A problem with Dapper is that "higher quality" also means "more boring." Ubuntu is meant to be on the bleeding edge, but with Dapper less risks were taken. Edgy will fix this problem and bring Ubuntu back to the edge once more.
Wouldn't it be smarter to have a "risk team" playing around for the next release while the current release is being polished so that when the rest of the team starts working on the next release there's already been enough time on it to make sure it is production quality?
There are many things needed to make a production quality Linux OS. Ubuntu is a slave to its release cycle- if the programs are ready when Ubuntu releases then it will be a good release. Dapper is more "corporate worthy" than say Breezy because when it releases it will have many landmark pieces of software in it - a non buggy OpenOffice 2, Firefox 1.5, etc. Mark can't change the release dates for all software used in Ubuntu, so some releases will just have to be worse than others for this reason.
Plus, making every release of equal quality will cost a lot more....
Open Source Sushi
I can't be the only one who heard "F'd" mentally when reading that headline... hopefully that's not a statement on the release or users who choose to install it. :D
(I love Ubuntu and their funky names.. bring it on!)
Cryptic Allusion - New Mac and Dreamcast Games!
The Dapper quality releases will be strongly tied to future corporate plans. Plus in every release announcement they will clearly state that the Dapper quality releases get extra long support.
Yet the overall quality of the other Ubuntu releases will never hopefully lower to a point where they are unusable by lay persons. I would hope that the kinds of people that a Dapper release was made for (IT managers) would be able to figure out which releases to use where.
Also, I didn't realize that ONLY this release was going to have the extended support. I thought it was from now on they were making releases that would get the longer support. So the in-between, risky, releases will use the breezy support model?
Every two years will bring a Dapper quality release. The way Mark has described it before, its as if the releases in between those two years are basically building up to these Dapper quality releases:
Our current plan is that the Dapper Drake (Ubuntu 6.06 if we hit our June 2006 release date goal) will be the last of this first "set" of releases. So post-Dapper we have the opportunity to define a new "feel" or overarching theme. It would be unlikely to be... blue. But it might be substantially different to the current Human theme.
Each of these in between releases will get the same level of support as all the Ubuntus before Dapper.
I personally have been excited about Edgy long before it was announced. Once you get the hang of it, its easy to spot which Ubuntu releases are for you.
The first releases after the two year major releases will have changes in styles and will be very distinct and maybe a little crazy- just like Warty was when it hit back in the day. All the exciting things the major release had to skip during the year can be added to this release. Mark has already said that Edgy will bring a new color scheme- exciting!
The second release after the major release will be the best of the in betweens- the craziness of the previous release will be polished down some and the time when these releases will come (Spring) is after all the major releases at the end of the previous year. Hoary was really great for this reason.
The third release after a major release will be the most compromised- many new things might be dumped on this release so the Dapper quality release can use the release as development time for its more boring platform. Long before Breezy came out I was scared because it in a bad time of the year for a distro release (right before the new Open Office, Xorg and Firefox were released) and because it had to take on large bites (modular Xorg before Xorg was ready, GCC transition for PART of the system, etc.) to make life easier for Dapper. As a result Breezy seems to be the most buggy release (yet many of these problems - like floppies not working and an unstable OpenOffice- has been fixed post release).
Then we have another Dapper quality release and the IT managers of the world can pay attention again. Long live Ubuntu.
Open Source Sushi
Why must everything be "Edgy" now a days? When I think of edgy, I think of some dude strung out on too much caffiene and cigs.
If that's cool, whatever, I'm out of touch anymore anyway.But it still doesn't paint a good image.
I used to be with it... but then they changed what "it" was, and what I'm with isn't "it" anymore, and what's "it" seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you!
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/salamand/thumbs /images/red-eft.jpg
;)
Just so the Photoshopers have a starting point
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
Mark Shuttleworth call for Edgy Eft (https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+specs) is nice but does it really have any impact on improvement on Linux systems, on it's market share. Does he really think that this will produce any new ideas which are needed for the break through of Linux in the desktop area? I think not.
If a developer is interested in edgy work he has to drop a lot of the out dated circumstances taken over from the old UNIX area which is now almost dead. He has to get rid of thinking along all the current implementations and work on something which isn't as limited. There are IMHO two very important areas where hard cuts are a necessity and both are linked with the look&feel.
First any edgy work has to get rid of all the Gnome/KDE/etc desktop guidelines and replace them with a single set of guidelines as outlined in wyoGuide (http://wyoguide.sf.net/). Only then will OpenSource application become competitors to the commercial counterparts.
Second any edgy desktop has to get rid of X11 and replace it with a frame buffer implementation (DirectFB) as outlined in wyoDesktop (http://wyodesktop.sf.net/). Only then will the Linux desktop be possible in a sensible fashion on anything ranging from super computers to embedded devices.
I'm well aware that these two suggestions throws away the most important corner stones of the OpenSource world. I also knows that this means a huge load of work but to become successful this is simply necessary. Believe me if it isn't done and if not soon the OpenSource will fail. So I encurrage anybody, developer or not, to visit the two projects and subscribe to the users mailing list else the Ubuntu Bug #1 (https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/1) will never be fixed.
O. Wyss
See http://wyoguide.sf.net/papers/Cross-platform.html
The vast majority of people on this world don't use English as a mother language. They don't even speak it, for the most part, regardless of whether it's the world's most widely spoken language or not. Do the names for various software applications mean the same thing to them as they do to you?
Is Ubuntu less offensive to a Corsican reading the newspaper "u ribombu" or a Zulu businessman using Linux to do his backoffice?
Does GIMP sound the same when read by a Frenchman, or by someone from China who doesn't even use the Latin alphabet?