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Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal Out Now; Raring Ringtail In the Works
An anonymous reader writes "The six month cycle that Canonical adheres to for Ubuntu releases has come around again today. Ubuntu 12.10 'Quantal Quetzal' has been released. There's a whole range of new features and updates, but here are the most important: WebApps — treats online services as if they are desktop apps (Gmail, Twitter, Facebook); Online Services — control logins to all your services from a single window and get them integrated into search results (e.g. GDocs for file searches); Dash Preview — right click any icon, get a detailed preview of what it is; Linux kernel 3.5.4; GNOME 3.6; Nautilus 3.4; latest Unity; No more Unity 2D, fallback is the Gallium llvmpipe software rasterizer; Default apps updated (Firefox 16.01, Thunderbird 16.01, LibreOffice 3.6.2, Totem, Shotwell, Rythmbox); Full disc encryption available during install; Single, 800MB distribution for all architectures." It's now available for download. The next version, due in six months' time, will be called Raring Ringtail.
I am waiting for the Zapping Zebra
WebApps — treats online services as if they are desktop apps (Gmail, Twitter, Facebook)
Do. Not. Want.
Online Services — control logins to all your services from a single window and get them integrated into search results
Do. Not. Want.
Dash Preview — right click any icon, get a detailed preview of what it is
Why? Should this not be the job of the file manager? Doesn't it already do this?
Full disc encryption available during install
You win some points here. Good! You can finally do this without using the debian-installer alternative.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
From the announcement:
The timing is such that users can experiment before deciding if they want to invest in Windows 8 or go with an alternative and bypass that confusing new user interface Microsoft will be shipping.
(emphasis mine)
I'm even more eager for Trolling Tuna, which will usher in the year of Linux on the desktop.
I abandoned plain Ubuntu in favor of XUbuntu last year after giving 11.04 a try for a couple of months. In a recent discussion, a lot of people have told me there's a huge improvement in Unity... I actually don't really like concept that much, but I'm going to give it a go in case I was swayed more by the execution than the concept. However:
WebApps — treats online services as if they are desktop apps (Gmail, Twitter, Facebook)
Do. Not. Want.
Online Services — control logins to all your services from a single window and get them integrated into search results
Do. Not. Want.
Dash Preview — right click any icon, get a detailed preview of what it is
Why? Should this not be the job of the file manager? Doesn't it already do this?
I'm thinking the last thing I just wouldn't use - I'm hoping I can just disable the first things. I'm trying to get away from "social" apps, not get more into them. The only thing I'd use is gmail, and I'm happy with it in my browser and, if I wasn't, could configure an email client to use it. IOW, I agree - I don't personally see any value in these things.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
I know, what a missed opportunity for Queasy Quail.
Still time to rename their next release to Roaring Ringwraith, though.
Now that both Unity and Gnome have their own completely separate APIs for online accounts, it's time to start thinking about making life easier for application developers (instead of harder.)
Why haven't we created a single, standard shell API? Is it that so much to ask? Us app developers shouldn't have to spend extra time customizing our applications so they work under each shell.
Users shouldn't have to worry about whether or not their app's features will work with their shell. Why should they be forced to care?
No, it's time to put standard APIs in place and stick with them. Linux is supposed to be about choice for the user, not about preventing interoperability.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
I vote for Stubborn Sturgeon.
You know, since they seem to be so insistent on all this UI "revolution" nonsense.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
Why haven't we created a single, standard shell API?
Not disagreeing with you, but... http://xkcd.com/927/
"Is that dad? Either that or Batman's really let himself go."
You know, I've been down on Unity as much as the next guy, until a wild thing happened: my 13 year old son sat down in front of it, never having used it before, and started navigating and using it like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I was shocked, he didn't have any of the old UI paradigm hangups that I have, he looked at it with completely new eyes, and was immediately productive with it, using it in ways that had not been obvious to me.
After seeing this, I really had to reconsider my Unity griping. These guys really know something about usability, and while yes, there are flaws, they seem to be getting ironed out.
Drinking habits can be dangerous. You can choke on the cloth and the nuns will wonder where their clothes are.
To get rid of the annoying adware/spyware in Unity.
$ sudo apt-get remove unity-scope-musicstores unity-lens-shopping
I recently to a spin on the PPC linux road, after aquiring a free, used PPC platform from a friend.
Dropped on Ubuntu PPC. Completely unusuable with the Unity UI, because it gobbled down resources like an amphetmine junky. I am talking, unusably slow here. Like click the mouse and wait 10 seconds slow.
Boot to a root console, nuke unity, and install gnome 2. Oh, what a releif it was!
I'm sorry, but I am of the opinion that software should be be written to take as little horsepower way from user applications as is inherently possible, while retaining reliability and quality.
Unity seems to operate under the premise of "resources are abundant ad cheap, and I can squander them like mad all I want and get away with it. It's revolutionary!"
Seriously. If you search for 'titanic' and don't type fast enough you may see adult content.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/18/ubuntu_12_10_review/
Or see the bug "No obvious way to restrict shopping suggestions from displaying adult products".
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-lens-shopping/+bug/1054282
I think the devs and the people responsible are underestimating the degree to which this is a major fuckup.
Real nerds run whatever the hell they feel works best for them and don't bother with trends.
As sad as I am to say that, each Ubuntu release looks more and more broken, in fact it even reminds me of Windows.
Really? Your computer suddenly shuts down for no apparent reason whilst you are playing a game, only to find it reboots and completes some random update? You can't work because of the constant stream of Java/Flash/Antivirus that keep blinking at you to update them? All the utilities you regularly use keep flashing up nag screens at you or are crippled requiring you to upgrade to the "pro" version?
YMMV, for me Ubuntu gets more and more stable with each release. I have zero problems with PP (only a few apps like Simplescan and a couple of others). The only reason I won't upgrade for the forseeable future is the advertising spam in the Dashboard.
Phillip.
Property for sale in Nice, France
Maybe I'm a wide-eyed optimist, but I see a lot of potential in Ubuntu to bring desktop Linux to a whole new level.
Mint Maya with XFCE is out, and simply useable. 'nuff said.
Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
I never understood the appeal of Xubuntu. What's wrong with debian testing and the xfce-desktop task?
Ubuntu is a bit more updated and you can use PPAs because you'll have the deps. If these things don't matter to you, then nothing.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I already had Randy Racoon shirts printed!
I'm holding out until Wascally Wabbit is released.
I can't say I'm comfortable with the direction Ubuntu is heading regarding privacy, online services and "apps" and more.
The whole Amazon shopping "lens" is by far the most blatant issue. I'm sorry, no operating system (or truly, any program) should build in covert, opt-out only targeted adware/spyware/affiliate, especially without informing the user. The error is all the more egregious because it is made by an OS that is supposed to be respecting your privacy, tuned for the user's benefit, and generally operating under the ethos of Linux and the open source community. How much trouble could it have been to let the user decide for themselves which elements the search/lens system would use? Those that had any sort of affiliate/financial benefit, upon its first activation would provide a notification to the effect of "Please note that the Amazon lens appends the Ubuntu referral/affiliate ID to searches made on the website. This means when you purchase an item on Amazon that you found using the lens, Ubuntu will receive a small portion of the proceeds. Please note that we at Ubuntu do not receive any record of what item your purchased or any other personally identifiable data related to your Amazon transaction. We encourage you to leave the affiliate ID opted-in as it helps us to bring all the great software in Ubuntu to you without cost, but if you wish to opt out simply uncheck the box to your right. You may also enter another affiliate ID if you check the box below and enter the information of your preferred supporter". With this honesty, I can gather that many users would leave the affiliate ID intact. It is completely unacceptable to not provide this information.
Thanks to Canonical demonstrating their lack of ethics when it comes to the Amazon lens, I'm increasingly suspicious that the OS is not designed with user preference and privacy, but instead puts covert financial benefit ahead of everything else. For instance, I think the lenses and web-apps themselves are dangerous from a security standpoint as it seems that by incorporating both local and remote/Internet results and programs, without the discreet choice of the user to do so, it obfuscates what data resides where, especially amongst the less technical users who need the most protection. There should be clear definitions of local, offline data and remote, online data and all users should have to make the conscious choice to say "Yes, I want my desktop search or application to interact with and pull data from the Internet, and this is exactly how". I also have to wonder how much of the data prevalent in these searches is being harvested - if Canonical is willing to covertly include their Amazon affiliate in the default desktop search of their OS, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't just as covertly take any information that their WebApps/OnlineServices/Lenses etc... and make it available for sale.
Users of a Linux OS, much less the vanguard desktop Linux OS which acts as the face of Linux to many newcomers, shouldn't have to worry their OS is being designed to undermine user experience, preference, and privacy for profit. It damages the entire Linux and open source community, which have brought many users to their distributions by saying "Hey, we're not like those guys. We put user experience and ethics before profit. Look, its all Free and Open etc...". While it isn't exactly fair to the entire Linux and FOSS community, Canonical's actions will bring down judgements of hypocrisy and be an easy sticking point for critics and competitors. I know many will say "Just apt-get remove XXXYJASDJFDFDSD if you don't like it" or "Switch to another distro", but realize that especially for those who are new to Linux/FOSS, they aren't going to stick around for that if they have a bad experience - they'll just leave.
Linux and FOSS have made some huge gains in the past few years, especially on the desktop. Look at all the new development and interest brought simply by the announcement that Steam will be coming to Linux.
WebApps — treats online services as if they are desktop apps (Gmail, Twitter, Facebook)
Do. Not. Want.
Then do. Not. Take.
Online Services — control logins to all your services from a single window and get them integrated into search results
Do. Not. Want.
Then do. Not. Take.
Seriously, what is WRONG with you? Entitled much?
OSX does have one big advantage. It's written for a very limited range of hardware, which allows for far more extensive testing and optimisation. It's also high-volume enough to get the full support of the hardware manufacturers. If PCs only came in fifteen different models, you can be sure linux would run just as perfectly on them all.
I'm trying to get away from "social" apps, not get more into them.
Glad to see I'm not alone in my sentiments towards the "social" apps".
If only they had a 'KILL' button for 'em.
As great as open source is that indeed is one of the two elephants in the room (the other being documentation*.) Bugs get completely ignored as new versions get rolled out and then later marked as "Won't Fix". Firefox fixing their memory leak "any day now" is the running joke.
It's no different from commercial version in that respect; only commercial software vendors won't communicate that they're not going to fix it or that its a bug at all to start with, and you have no visibility to their bug databases.
And, FYI, many security vulnerabilities present in Win7 have been reported or related to reported bugs in Windows going back over 15 years.
Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. - Elvis Presley (source: imdb.com)
That is a click, and 4 key presses, followed by another click.
When I could do it in 3 clicks in either gnome or xfce.
Linux pretty much lives in the console. To do anything of any gravity, you will invariably have it open at some point. Being such an essential tool, obfuscating it makes no sense.
Some distros use a hotkey combo to start a console session anywhere.
Unity comits the same sin as apple and microsoft, by trying to coddle ignorance, and make the computer try to protect itself from the user through obfuscation and draconian controls.
I am not 12 years old. I don't need things hidden from me not my hands to be duct taped inside pairs of mittens.
Thanks, but no thanks.. More than happy to stick with 12.04LTS till after 14.04LTS is released.. Been on that schedule since going from 6.06 to 8.04.. I usually wait till at least the .1 update on each LTS before I migrate to it, as I have better things to do then upgrade every damn six months... When Canonical announced that Unity was going to be the default WM in 12.04, and after I tried it out for a couple of weeks and damned near tore my hair out by the roots, I began looking for a replacement for my soon-to-be-EX-favorite distro.. Fortuantly I found Cinnamon, and with it installed on Ubuntu 12.04, it makes Ubuntu usable again, and its again my favorite distro.. Sure hope the Unity fiasco is a one-time burst of insanity and not a precursor of more insanity at Canonical/Ubuntu...
THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
WebApps — treats online services as if they are desktop apps (Gmail, Twitter, Facebook)
Do. Not. Want.
Well maybe you don't. But millions of people use gmail, and some of them use ubungu. I know several people who have made the jump of forwarding all of their email accounts to gmail and using that exclusively as a mail client, because honestly it is a better client than the desktop alternatives (thunderbird/evolution/kmail). Making gmail a full-fledged citizen on ubuntu means it can behave just like a desktop app, with a gmail icon in the launcher, notifications arriving together with those from other applications in the system, etc. I for one am looking forward to this feature.
Dash Preview — right click any icon, get a detailed preview of what it is
Why? Should this not be the job of the file manager? Doesn't it already do this?
Well, maybe you're not searching through your file system. Maybe you search for an application to install, and can see a screenshot before clicking. Maybe you are searching for a song in your music collection, you get a preview of the album art, and a button to enqueue it or start playing it. And so on, with many third-party extensions likely to be coming. Is this useless eye-candy? maybe, but it is a lot more than the file previews in your file system browser, and I bet that after a bit of experimenting and tweaking some cool stuff will come out of this.
Now try to open a second one.
ctrl + alt + t
ctrl + alt + t
ctrl + alt + t
ctrl + alt + t
now I have 4 terminals open, how many do you want?
Well, to be fair, back with Win98, OEMs were bundling all kinda shit in the way of online services like AOL, MSN, etc, when they shipped a new computer out. They got a 'kickback' from the service for each license they shipped, which helped lower the cost of the computer. This is just more of the same, with an eye to put a buck or 3 in Canonical's pocket without too much fanfare or hassle.
Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.