Slashdot Mirror
Ubuntu 10.10 Release Candidate Launched
tuXx writes "On Thursday, Canonical rolled out the official release candidate of its upcoming Ubuntu OS version 10.10, codenamed Maverick Meerkat. The release announcement has a feature list, and a review of the RC is up at ITWorld. It's available for download at the Ubuntu wiki site. If all goes well, the stable release is planned for Oct. 10th."
Does this version clean up the mess that is their init system? Some init scripts were sysv, some were upstart-native in 10.04, and there was no commandline utility that made sense of it all.
I ran into that problem in the *server edition*, what is more central to a server installation than managing services?
I'm an Ubuntu fanboy myself, and I find it irritating that test releases make the news on slashdot. Then it just becomes a "ubuntu sux!" flame-athon, since folks are still finding bugs.
But it is understandable that slashdot reports as it does. Ubuntu is "in". It is the most interesting and latest linux distro out there. Redhat/fedora had years to make a name for themselves, and they did, but now what? Is Redhat doing anything cool? If they are, be sure that Ubuntu will steal it (ie. just get it through importing gnome). And all the cool stuff that Shuttleworth is doing (that some love to hate) is only in Ubuntu. Love it or hate it, it is interesting and not in Redhat. Basically, everything cool in FOSS is either in Ubuntu only, or in Ubuntu also. And most people don't care about the actual differences between each distro. So if you want to talk about FOSS, might as well be with Ubuntu.
I think most other sites are going to be reporting on Ubuntu, and slashdot is just trying to stay ahead of the curve by reporting the release before everyone else.
Is Pulseaudio still required? I really got fed up in Ubuntu 9.10 when they made the volume control stack Dependant on it. If you removed PA, you would get a "waiting for sound system to respond" message when trying to select an audio device... and your graphical volume control would break. There is a third-party PPA to fix it, but that is a pain.
I'm also not happy about the integration of a system to purchase proprietary software. Proprietary vendors have no respect for me or my property, and I don't want them having root-level access on my machine. For all I know, the proprietary vendor could start installing rootkits or hidden device drivers, similar to the way many modern Windows games work.
Also, put the buttons back on the right!
These are all reasons I switched to Debian.
42... The Meaning of Life Day!
In my opinion they release new versions too quickly. I know there are a lot of differences between versions, but what I'd like is if they slowed it down by a bit.
That way, they could release each new version as a dramatically different thing than the previous ones. At this rate, Ubuntu 11.x will be roughly the same as Ubuntu 9.x
I don't think it should be like that. Also, someone up-comments (I figure that's how I refer to someone above me in the list) pointed out the horrible mess that the init scripts are. This is absolutely true.
Someone find them and mod them up, please.
They must build a partnership with Oracle (and support their database) in order to be seriously considered in enterprises and (finally) get some profits. BTW I don't like Oracle at all, it's just my opinion collected from some real companies that currently pay for RedHat and Suse support.
Given the option to buy commercial software is an excellent idea. You don't have to buy it and the opportunities for then to make money from an App Store is great idea. I am annoyed that they did not offer an opportunity to buy the Humble Bundle game bundle with a consistent easy way to install then. Hopefully they are wooing game developers as I type.
As for buttons on the right...put then on the left...and while your at it install a dynamic wallpaper, faenza icons, conky colours, and a dark dark theme, get compiz scale/wall working from the bottom corners, and install awn. I'd say use the droid font, but the new Ubuntu font looks amazing.
If all your hardware works...and you are more interested in stability(after your fixes) over features...and your happier with Debian stow release cycle go with it. Whats interesting is people today are moving towards rolling releases. It excites me because I use Gentoo because I am one of these people and a stable supported version seems like bliss.
I tried Mint on my Atom HTPC, I installed Ubuntu 10.04 over it pretty quickly. I couldn't stand the Windows XP menu, and some of the other graphical elements seemed a bit underdone or amateur (like the update manager). It was nice that it saved me the five minutes needed to install codecs, but that is about the only benefit I found. The default theme is better than Ubuntu's, but the default Ubuntu theme generally only lasts around a day on a fresh install. It had the same problem with sound over HDMI as Ubuntu, and really didn't offer any noticeable improvements.
But then again I'm used to Ubuntu, been running it on and off since 7.something or another, and pretty much constantly (on my laptop) since 9.something or another. It might be perfect, for all I know. Sadly it doesn't matter, since running Ubuntu or Mint of an Atom box with an Ion chip is like delving into some nasty circle of hell where anything using flash (Like Hulu) is impossible yet taunts you constantly like a vulture. I wish my old Mac Mini could handle 1080, the Linux box would turn into a headless server. I prefer Ubuntu to OS X, but it is barely usable (at least the HTPC, my Laptop, also running 10.04 works fine).
Go-go NVIDIA drivers!
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
The linked review is pretty damn weak. It mostly goes over the installed software without actually talking much about what it all does and how it all works together. And the author "doesn't understand" why MP3 codecs or Flash Player are not installed by default, even though they are a click away when you need them. I would expect an IT professional to understand the licensing issues here, and how they come in to play when shipping a FLOSS distro. Ubuntu handles it quite elegantly, IMO, but to do what he wants would violate some laws (stupid, bad laws, but laws nonetheless).
:q!
Good thing about OSS is that it doesn't need high market share to be a success. The people who use Ubuntu on a daily basis are quite happy with their desktops, but don't let that stop you from whining about how it's not acceptable to YOU.
I installed the Netbook Remix with the Unity UI on my Acer Aspire One ZG5 and I *hated* it. Slow, unclear, and very buggy. And this was the last beta. I don't understand the concept of combining the start menu with an off-line and on-line search function in one action. That made launching programs a tedious and frustrating experience. I don't think that this is a direction that Canonical should take at all.
Can anybody explain the appeal of Unity to me?
I am glad Ubuntu keeps shipping new versions at a regular pace but I would advise to wait a few weeks before upgrading. It is cautious to let others try it first and detect any problems. In any case, I must say that the last versions of Ubuntu I tried worked pretty well out of the box.