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Ubuntu Makes Public Desktop Metrics (ubuntu.com)

Canonical introduced Ubuntu Hardware/Software Survey in Ubuntu 18.04 and has since been collecting data (it is optional, and users' consent is taken; Ubuntu says 67 percent users opted in to the survey). Now for the first time, it is revealing the stats, shedding light on how Ubuntu users like things around. The takeaways from the result: Installation Duration: The average install of Ubuntu Desktop takes 18 minutes. Some machines out there can install a full desktop in less than 8 minutes!
Installer Options: Another interesting fact is that the newly introduced Minimum Install option is being used by a little over 15% of our users. This is a brand new option but is already attracting a considerable fanbase.
CPU Count: A single CPU is most common, and this is not very surprising. We haven't broken this down to cores but is something we will look in to.
Disk Partitioning Schemes: Most people choose to wipe their disks and reinstall from scratch. The second most common option is a custom partition table.
Display: Full HD (1080p) is the most popular screen resolution, followed by 1366 x 768, a common laptop resolution. HiDPI and 4k are not yet commonplace.

73 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Custom install by craighansen · · Score: 1

    I'd be doing a custom install to have more swap space if it wasn't such a chore to do it manually.

    1. Re:Custom install by Thelasko · · Score: 1

      I haven't found it to be a chore. There's a nice GUI and everything. I even setup my system to have a separate /home partition so I can switch to any distro I want without touching my data.

      --
      One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
    2. Re:Custom install by Boern1138 · · Score: 1

      For me it's the other way around. Why do I need a swap partition? I'd rather use a swapmanager, like swapspace, which only creates a swap file when I need it.

    3. Re:Custom install by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I'd be doing a custom install to have more swap space

      Can I ask why? What's the point of extra swap space unless you're running Ubuntu on a potato?

    4. Re:Custom install by r_naked · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'd be doing a custom install to have more swap space

      Can I ask why? What's the point of extra swap space unless you're running Ubuntu on a potato?

      I don't know about the OP, but I like being able to hibernate...

      --
      -- http://anonet.org -- The internet the way it was meant to be. Check it out, you may be surprised.
    5. Re:Custom install by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I don't know about the OP, but I like being able to hibernate...

      Yeah which would be achieved by the default. No need for any custom install there.

    6. Re:Custom install by r_naked · · Score: 1

      I don't know about the OP, but I like being able to hibernate...

      Yeah which would be achieved by the default. No need for any custom install there.

      So 16gigs is going to hibernate on a 900meg swap partition? Now THAT is some compression.

      A fresh, default install of 18.04 gives me a 900meg swap partition.

      --
      -- http://anonet.org -- The internet the way it was meant to be. Check it out, you may be surprised.
    7. Re:Custom install by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      So 16gigs is going to hibernate on a 900meg swap partition? Now THAT is some compression.

      Maybe you should file a bug report. The default Ubuntu full disk partition scheme creates a swap partition identical to the amount of RAM.

  2. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wow, so Ubuntu has more voluntary users than Windows 10.

  3. Kubuntu ROCKS (yes, penguinized now, finally) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    See subject: It's FINALLY gotten to where I prefer it over Windows (@ least 10, 7 I still like) due to excellence in dev tools (FreePascal + Lazarus IDE 1.82 = awesome) which is REALLY all I need.

    I have one of those system noted that installed FAST (little longer than they said for me, maybe 20 minutes or so iirc) by using MINIMAL installation choice (installing other things via DISCOVER later (really nice GUI front))!

    I tried Linux in 94 (Slackware 1.02) - lousy hardware support/weak in software available (it was only a baby then though). Then Redhat 1999 (better on hardware but still weak (software too & quality of it)). Then 2010 on Kubuntu 10.10 (THEN, I was like "it's close now but no cigar").

    HOWEVER 18.04 + patches = excellent...

    I mean it: I really, Really, REALLY like it (over Windows of any kind now & BSD (both of which I have on other SSD/HDD here now & what am I running daily? Linux)).

    APK

    P.S.=> I didn't OPT-IN to that data collection BUT I am contributing to the effort of MAKING Linux even BETTER via creating a "1st of its KIND" program in GUI (afaik/afaict) in APK Hosts File Engine 2.0++ 64-bit for Linux (Blows away the Win32/64 model I did years before by FAR on tons of levels (speed/efficiency/features)) https://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=12218352&cid=56765500/ & GUI is the FUTURE + "the FUTURE, is now"... apk

    1. Re:Kubuntu ROCKS (yes, penguinized now, finally) by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      KDE is barely open source. That's a major problem.

      How's that? There's a pretty long list of project repositories.

    2. Re:Kubuntu ROCKS (yes, penguinized now, finally) by higuita · · Score: 3, Informative

      >KDE is barely open source. That's a major problem.

      ?!?!
      are you from 1997?
      KDE is open source, in fact almost everything is GPL or GPL compatible... even QT today is GPL ... so yes, you might have time-travel !!

      --
      Higuita
  4. Bottle feeding by tepples · · Score: 4, Funny

    Number of people using it who have ever touched a boob: 0

    You have identified what appears to be a correlation between lack of breastfeeding and an interest in non-mainstream PC operating systems later in life. Correlation does not imply causation, but it does imply that someone ought to research the common cause.

    So what might be the common cause of the two? Is it parenting style? Some missing nutrient in infant formula? Some hereditary disability that leads to both failure to lactate and interest in information technology? A brief Google Search session dug up a demonstrated correlation between bottle feeding and autism, and elsewhere there is a correlation between highest-functioning (Asperger-type) autism and IT interest.

  5. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by jedidiah · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Short of certain AAA games that don't exist on any other platform, there really hasn't been a compelling reason to bother with WinDOS in a long time. It's simply no longer the "default necessary option". Those days have been over for awhile now.

    You can get over the Stockholm Syndrome now.

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  6. Monitors by Thelasko · · Score: 2

    My monitor is about 12 years old. I've thought about buying a new 4k monitor, just because mine is old. This data really surprised me. I figured most people would have 4k monitors by now. (especially with all of the advertising Apple is doing about their Retina displays)

    Why is that? Reading some reviews online, a few people said 4k was unusable as a computer monitor because all of the icons became impossibly small. Is that true?

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
    1. Re:Monitors by jmintha · · Score: 2

      I'm running kubuntu on my 4k 15" laptop. Most everything scales pretty well. Desktop/icons are fine, dialogs are good. You get the odd application that doesn't which can make some thing really tiny, but nothing I use regularily has a problem.

    2. Re:Monitors by guruevi · · Score: 5, Informative

      No, only shitty OS don't adjust for DPI. The main thing about 4K is that it's expensive. Everyone already has a 'flat screen'. I see it happen a lot that they buy a brand new computer but skimp on the display because they have one already. I'd also rather have a 1080p at 120Hz than a 4K at 30Hz which a lot of budget displays (and the HDMI connection itself) is limited to that. You need DisplayPort to drive a proper 4K@60 or 120.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    3. Re:Monitors by Boern1138 · · Score: 1

      4k support in Linux is very poor, unless you want to have everything be very tiny. There are some ways to get most of your system look quite nicely. But as soon as you add a second monitor without the high resolution everything falls apart. I'm currently running my shiny 4k screen at 1920x1080 because I have a second monitor at work that only goes that high. Wayland will hopefully make everything better.

    4. Re:Monitors by Early+Six+Digit+UID · · Score: 1

      Only if the OS or software don't support high DPI displays. Last year I was using Ubuntu in a VM on a Microsoft Surface Book (3000x2000 13" display) and everything worked fine. Debian? Not so much. Could be fixed by now though. I'm definitely ready for 8K to start becoming mainstream :P I do find it interesting that they didn't collect information on physical and logical cores. I don't really understand the value of only collecting information on number of populated sockets. I'm generally in the more information is better crowd, though I do wonder if business and government users and use cases are mostly absent from these results - I would imagine that most organizations wouldn't like metrics on their systems being given out even if they're anonymized.

    5. Re:Monitors by sconeu · · Score: 3, Informative

      I'm running Bionic on a Dell XPS 13 with a 3200x1800 screen.

      It's WAAAY to small, so I have my resolution set to standard HD (1920x1080).

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    6. Re:Monitors by greenwow · · Score: 1

      4k monitors really aren't that common. We have a Java app that customers run, and it simply doesn't work on 4k. The Java 8 runtime declared itself to be "DPI-aware" but didn't really supported it for AWT and Swing. Out of over a thousands customers using it (don't know how many individual users, but I would guess about 1,500), only one has a 4k monitor so far.

    7. Re:Monitors by ledow · · Score: 1

      Like the MP3 vs uncompressed debacle:

      The vast majority of people just can't tell the difference at any reasonable working distance.

      There's little point paying out for a 4K monitor.

      The software dpi etc. settings can be overcome by scaling the interface on any modern OS, but you're still filling four times as many pixels - which hits performance of the graphics - no matter what.

      I had a 17" laptop on my lap. I literally can't see a pixel even in the most basic of sans serif fonts. It's almost impossible to focus on the dot of an i or a period. Increasing my resolution won't benefit me in any way, will cost a ton of money, and will severely increase the demands on the graphics cards for any non-trivial purpose.

    8. Re:Monitors by bananaquackmoo · · Score: 1

      Untrue! Proper video cards and HDMI 2.0 will run 4k@60.

    9. Re:Monitors by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      My monitor is pretty old as well, I'm not giving up that 16:10 ratio.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    10. Re:Monitors by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Why is that? Reading some reviews online, a few people said 4k was unusable as a computer monitor because all of the icons became impossibly small. Is that true?

      If you're still running Windows XP, or Ubuntu 6.04 then yes it is true.

    11. Re:Monitors by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      You need DisplayPort to drive a proper 4K@60 or 120.

      Hasn't DP been a default on pretty much every device for the past 5 years anyway, and if you're using a potato then why attach a 4K screen?

      Also HDMI 2.0 can do 4K@60Hz and and 2.1 can do 4K@120Hz. And for Display Port you need at least DP 1.3 which was released AFTER HDMI 2.0. So basically if your video card is less than 5 years old you're good to go.

    12. Re:Monitors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      To make things readable, there are at least two options:

      1) scaling through xrandr, for ex:
      xrandr --output Virtual1 --scale 0.7x0.7 --fb 3840x2160
      Depending on your desktop environment (KDE, gnome, etc) you can do that with a mouse click in the display settings

      2) scaling the fonts, windows decorations, icons, etc. separately.
      This also depends on your desktop environment. With KDE, you can do that in systems settings: fonts, icons, application style - widget style -> window decorations -> border size, application style - gnome application style (for gtk based app)

      Option 2 will cover 99% of the things (some java JVM runtime still require their own settings from command line) but you can really optimize the space "lost" by the windows decoration and icons and pack more information/data on the same screen than, say, Windows.

    13. Re:Monitors by antdude · · Score: 1

      I bought a 22" 1080p HD monitor in the end of 2014 because my old 5:4 19" LCD monitor was having power issues. Same for HDTV since I didn't want to move the heavy Sharp 20" CRT TV to the new nest. Same for many other things. I just don't bother buying the (lat/new)est stuff anymore due to their high costs, bugginess, incompatibilities, etc. I'm old now. :(

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    14. Re:Monitors by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      Yeah a few companies still sell 1920x1200 displays. What I really want is something like the old IBM T221 but new manufacture. Those did 3840x2400 resolution more than 15 years ago!

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    15. Re:Monitors by amorsen · · Score: 1

      A typical A4 PDF fullscreen in full HD on a 15" laptop screen is unreadable. The same A4 PDF on a 15" 2880 x 1800 laptop is very readable. Since laptops are widescreen anyway, you can even fit two A4 PDF pages side by side. I have no opinion on whether 4K is any better than 2880 x 1800, but full HD is bloody annoying. I am on a full HD laptop right now. Text is both jagged and blurry at the same time. I could disable subpixel rendering to make it purely jagged, but that just makes it even less readable.

      --
      Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
  7. USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by tepples · · Score: 1

    or just buy enough ram to meet your memory needs

    And attach it to a laptop how? Some compact laptop models sold in 2018, such as the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 series, max out at 4 GB of internal RAM. Would it be practical to buy a USB RAM drive for use as swap, /tmp, and bcache?

    1. Re:USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by guruevi · · Score: 3, Informative

      Using SSD (especially USB) as a swap drive/ram drive is ludicrously slow. Dell indeed still sells 3 and 4 generation old machines but you get what you pay for. If you need more RAM, don't buy those.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    2. Re:USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by tepples · · Score: 2

      Then which current-generation 11.6 inch laptops that take 8 GB or more RAM are good for running Ubuntu?

    3. Re:USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And attach it to a laptop how? Some compact laptop models sold in 2018, such as the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 series, max out at 4 GB of internal RAM.

      Just three problems with that.

      1) Contrary to what you seem to believe, the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 isn't the only laptop available.

      2) The Dell Inspiron 11 3000 works fine with an 8GB memory module.

      3) You are a fucking moron.

    4. Re: USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by c6gunner · · Score: 2

      Using SSD (especially USB) as a swap drive/ram drive is ludicrously slow.

      How the hell is this marked informative? SSDs are way faster than spinning rust for swap. USB flash drives can be shit for it if you get a crappy one, but there are several thumb drives out there which have full on SSD controllers in them which makes them suitable as an alternative for an internal SSD (and, hence, also perform very well as swap drives).

      I'd love to see what metrics you're using to conclude they're "ludicrously slow".

    5. Re: USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by tepples · · Score: 1

      No, I didn't know that. In the past, several laptops such as the ASUS T100TA and X205TA have had serious problems with X11/Linux. Basic hardware features lacked working drivers, such as Wi-Fi, audio, backlight brightness, and suspend. (Source; check its revision history)

    6. Re: USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by guruevi · · Score: 2

      Yes, SSDs are faster than spinning rust but you'll still notice your DDR4 RAM swapping to a device 20 times as slow. Using USB has a lot of overhead, it's an option but not at all advisable. If you're looking for a swap drive at least use the PCIe slot (which laptops have in place of PCMCIA these days)

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    7. Re: USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by guruevi · · Score: 1

      Welcome to the 21st century.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    8. Re: USB RAM once you max your laptop's RAM? by tepples · · Score: 1

      I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that. These particular laptop models were sold with Windows 8 and thus shipped on or after 2012, well within the 21st century.

  8. Number of users by darkain · · Score: 1

    How do they know the number of users if consent is required? If they said "don't participate", and Canonical KNOWS this, that means data was sent back to them regardless of consent!

    1. Re:Number of users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      1. they know how many installs, even if they get no other data from them.

      2. they know how many of those that opt-in to the survey.

      3. math.

  9. Consent to security updates by tepples · · Score: 1

    My first guess is that Canonical has some way of estimating the number of users who consent to security updates from its repository but do not consent to the Hardware/Software Survey.

  10. 18 minute install... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Win10 takes 18 minutes to check updates, installing those updates requires your bosses approval for a 3 week time off from work, a preacher, a chiropractor, and some green vomit cleaner.

    1. Re:18 minute install... by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      Altar boys can keep the old priest satiated too

  11. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Huh, seriously? Ubuntu is like the normie distro. It would be stuff like Gentoo and Arch with a disproportionate share of virgins.

  12. I use 4K by crow · · Score: 1

    I recently upgraded to a 4K display since my employer was willing to provide me with one. I figured I would mostly just appreciate that it was a physically larger screen than I had had before. I also figured I would get most apps to scale such that they would take up the same space and look the same.

    I had a few surprises.

    Not surprising is that some apps just don't scale. I've had problems with tk-based apps in particular. But I expected problems with xterm, vncviewer, and other apps that all worked perfectly with a little tweaking. I was surprised how well most stuff worked. Occasionally the only solution is to run the app in a VNC session, and then use the vncviewer to scale it.

    What has blown me away is how frustrating I find my other desktop with 1080p screens. My eyes never complained before, but now that I'm used to text properly scaled on a 4K screen, the 1K screens are painful.

    So don't upgrade to 4K unless you're ready to upgrade all the computers you regularly use.

  13. Why Ubuntu doesn't hibernate by default by tepples · · Score: 2

    My first guess is that OP doesn't need to hibernate his PC because normal sleep is good enough to get the user's computer to the next power outlet (if a laptop) or past a brief power outage (if a desktop on a UPS). In fact, Ubuntu disables hibernate by default in PolicyKit for a couple reasons. One is that hardware support is so spotty. Another is that hibernating with a read-write mounted file system that other systems can write in the meantime can cause data corruption. This could be removable media or a shared partition on a dual-boot system.

    Besides, I thought the swap space should be separate from hibernation space in case the committed memory at hibernation time exceeds the size of the swap file. This can be the case if (say) you have 8 GB of RAM and 12 GB of swap, but you have 14 GB of committed memory.

  14. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Spoken as someone who is completely out of touch with the normal workforce.

    Trying to do my job without a windows machine would be impossible. The software I use simply doesn't exist for linux.

    The same goes for the software I use for my hobby / side job.

    If you can point me in the direction of professional pipeline analysis software that runs under linux that would be a good start. Keep in mind we also need to run structural software, cad software and 3d modeling. All have to be vetted by the industry and need to be compatible with industry normal practices. So something that is fully compatible and with comparable output to Caesar II (for piping) STAAD or RISA for structural, AutoCAD, Plant 3D, REVIT for CAD, Inventor and Solidworks for 3D modeling.

    For my hobby I just need linux to run photoshop, or run an equivalent which is fully compatible a wacom cintiq pressure sensitivity and will output in CMYK. (So no, GIMP will NOT work here... for the tenth, or perhaps eleventh time). It would be nice if linux supported the first party software for my film scanner as well, so I can take advantage of the infra-red scanning for dust removal for old slide film.

    But yeah, sure, there are no compelling reasons to bother with WinDOS. If all you do is browse the interent and work in computer science, I'm sure linux is "the-bees-knees". For the rest of use, however, it's not even a bit player in this game.

  15. Count first-time apt update by tepples · · Score: 2

    Or are they basing it on number of downloads vs number of opt-ins?

    There are ways to count installations. Install image downloads aren't one of them given how easy it is to install multiple machines through sneakernet or BitTorrent. A better way involves estimating how many people are running sudo apt update (or the automatic counterpart) to obtain the latest package index from default repositories.

  16. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Are those windows users really CHOOSING to use that OS? Or was it forced upon them and they are either too lazy or don't want to learn something new?

  17. Re:Ubuntu says 67 percent users opted in to the su by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    how is your precious privacy violated by declining to answer a survey, Anonymous Coward? Mind you, if you answer this question, information about your browser, ip address, previous site visited before coming to slashdot, etc. will available to slashdot.or and other sites like google-analytics and content delivery systems. In addition, other readers on this forum will be able to view and respond to your message.

  18. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by keltor · · Score: 1

    As an aside, a LOT of Engineering software does in fact run on Linux though, some of it exclusively. CAEPIPE a competitor to Caesar does run on Linux. There has also been a lot of pressure on CADWorx to port to Linux as I know some orgs would like to move their engineers to A LInux platform. I for one am not suggesting that it needs to happen either. In my world, people use all three major OS together without any issues.

  19. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by higuita · · Score: 5, Insightful

    > in that Windows has every Linux feature, plus AAA games.

    Can i recompile windows kernel?
    Can i replace the window manager?
    Can i remove closed source programs? Even, can i really disable MS tracking? Will never again those options show up again as enabled?
    Can i just trust MS to update all my software, like in linux with their package manager?
    Can i choose what installs i do want to install? will windows really obey to that?
    Can i setup complex network setups (hint: MS used linux to setup the network in their azure)?
    Can I run play games many games with vulkan (hint: all new feral ports are using vulkan, while the windows version is still in direct3D)?
    Can i run big servers, with lot of services with little performance lost?
    Can i ... you got the idea...

    By the way, we do have AAA games in linux... not as many as windows, but we do have then and they work fine...
    Yes, windows can run many linux apps, but performance sometimes shitty... if i want to run a docker linux, why would i do it inside a windows? even linux instances/vm are cheaper and faster in linux... So If linux do everything that windows do, faster, cheaper, cleaner and with more freedom, why would i switch over to windows, just because some AAA games? with 1300 linux games i have in my steam account, i really do not care about those games

    --
    Higuita
  20. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by apoc.famine · · Score: 1

    So something that is fully compatible and with comparable output to Caesar II (for piping) STAAD or RISA for structural, AutoCAD, Plant 3D, REVIT for CAD, Inventor and Solidworks for 3D modeling.

    That's fucking hilarious. Allow me to quote the relevant part back to you:

    Spoken as someone who is completely out of touch with the normal workforce.

    --
    Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
  21. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by higuita · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hey, the right tool to the right job!

    If your job require windows, that is OK... now most people do not really need windows anymore, but most still use it because they really do not know how to switch or want to learn new tools... and yes, some tools are better than other, you will miss some features but you can also learn new ones... but you should know that, you use several CAD/3D software, you already know that one tool is good for one task, but bad for another.

    But it is possible to do 3D work in linux, many people already do it and with 3D printers, that field should improve even more. From a quick search freecad, Qcad, maya, blender, brl-cad, k-3d, Archimedes. I did work with people that used Maya and Blender on linux and they made amazing jobs

    Finally, you can also require your software makers a linux version... in the past all of then would ignore then, but slowly they start to listen... and with opengl, vulkan, .NET, C#, QT all working on all systems, it is easier to add the support.

    --
    Higuita
  22. Custom Partition Table to the Rescue by organgtool · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I recently had to reinstall Ubuntu on several machines because of corruption on ext4 partitions due to a power failure. In all cases, it booted to a screen indicating that fsck had to be run manually and then the machine wouldn't boot after running fsck or it would boot but critical apps would crash on startup. I learned my lesson and now ext4 is completely dead to me. When I rebuilt the machines, I used xfs instead since I've been running that on all of my other machines for almost 15 years and have never had stability issues regardless of how many times the machines unexpectedly lost power. Pro tip: if your machine uses UEFI and you want to install Ubuntu with a root partition of xfs, Ubuntu will allow you to do that but it won't boot after installation - you need to create a separate partition for /boot which uses one of the ext variants and then an xfs partition for /.

    1. Re:Custom Partition Table to the Rescue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Whether you can UEFI boot directly from XFS seems to depend on your motherboard's UEFI rather than your partition setup. My Asus desktop can do it but my HP laptops cannot when using the same Ubuntu version.

  23. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by c6gunner · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In other words, there is no compelling reason to use Linux. I'm simply using your logic, in that Windows has every Linux feature, plus AAA games.

    Come again?

    Features windows doesn't have: btrfs, zfs, custom kernels, minimal text-only installs, ability to run from a USB stick or CD without a bastardized container install.

    Features Linux doesn't have: price tag above $0, shitty activation requirements tied to a single machine, built-in spyware, unavoidable "upgrades" which often break the OS, and some games.

    Yeah, sure, they're just about equal ...

  24. Re: To each his own/perhaps to you but not I by c6gunner · · Score: 1

    What I'm getting from your comments is that even Gene Ray now prefers Linux.

  25. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Short of certain AAA games

    Huh? Who gives a shit about gaming?

    How well does Linux run widely used design tools like Altium? How well does it support commercial drawing software with pen input? How well do the non-existent Creative Suite ports work? Where's the native Netflix app or Edge needed to stream in the highest quality due to DRM restrictions, to say nothing of the bluray support? What about all those email clients which can't seem to even provide a small portion of the functionality of Outlook, let alone Office apps that don't at all integrate with Microsoft Sharepoint, Exchange, or Skype for Business? And if you are into gaming, what about the actual non-AAA games that don't exist on Linux and are much better than their AAA counterparts anyway?

    You can get over the Stockholm Syndrome now.

    Why would we want to? You're not presenting a compelling alternative.

  26. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by Bert64 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The activation requirements can be very dangerous too, if it decides that your install is somehow not legit (which can occur due to false positives) it can cause a denial of service and shut the machine down. Linux doesn't self-destruct like that.

    --
    http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
  27. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Come again?

    Features windows doesn't have: btrfs, zfs, custom kernels, minimal text-only installs, ability to run from a USB stick or CD without a bastardized container install.

    Windows has IFS interface allowing new files systems to be plugged in without permission. btrfs and zfs IFS driver are available for windows.

    Windows server core / nano does exactly this.

    I've run windows from a USB stick. Not a big deal. It's just as pointless as running Linux from one.

    Features Linux doesn't have: price tag above $0, shitty activation requirements tied to a single machine, built-in spyware, unavoidable "upgrades" which often break the OS, and some games.

    There are commercially supported versions of Linux that do cost money. Ubuntu came with built-in spyware.

    Personally I desperately want Linux to work because I hate Microsoft's spyware and forced updates. When 7 is no longer viable it's Linux all the way no matter what.

    As far as upgrades go I'll take windows over Linux any day. I have VMs of all manner of Windows and Linux dating back 20 years. Can't even install basic software on these Linux systems anymore without pulling source code and compiling it myself because even relatively modern versions ... package libraries for that version were wiped from package servers years ago and no longer exist. Windows I can plug an XP client in today and still get updates for it that exist without any problems.

    Even "LTS" distros are not supported nearly as long as Windows XP or Windows 7 is. Linux major upgrades are a crapshoot as to whether the system will be bootable and in working order to the extent where it is not a viable option to even attempt it. Every Linux system I have ever used inevitably comes down to me pulling source code and compiling shit myself because the distro owners think my life revolves around upgrading to the latest and greatest version.

    Linux needs to do a LOT better with compatibility.

    It needs a stable driver API for hardware drivers. Right now if it isn't in mainline it stops working a version or two down the road.

    There needs to be a continuous upgrade path that is continuously available and reliable over timescales of decades.

    Software must be fully backwards and forwards compatible over timescales of decades.

    With each new day compatibility is increasingly worth more than new features.

  28. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by d0rp · · Score: 1

    Huh? Who gives a shit about gaming?

    Looks like about 1.2 Billion people

    If it weren't for games, I wouldn't be running Windows on my primary home computer. Unfortunately, while Linux support for games is getting better, many of the games I like to play are only Windows (and sometimes Mac as well).

    But I am fortunate that I can run Linux on my work computer, since I'm doing web development and don't need any specialized programs. I do have a Windows VM I can fire up if I really need it (checking IE compatibility of the web-pages, for example), but I can't even remember the last time I've had to do that.

  29. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by c6gunner · · Score: 1

    Windows has IFS interface allowing new files systems to be plugged in without permission. btrfs and zfs IFS driver are available for windows.

    They're both test implementations which are completely unstable, are missing features, and apparently have no ongoing development. Ergo no, windows does not have zfs or brfs.

    Windows server core / nano does exactly this.

    I don't think you know what the word "custom" means. So no, windows does not have custom kernels. Though I'm sure MS will make one for you if you have a few million to spend.

    I've run windows from a USB stick. Not a big deal. It's just as pointless as running Linux from one.

    I agree; it's completely pointless for windows because, as I said, it requires you to install it in a container and it runs like crap. It also requires you to buy a corporate version of the OS, so again you're paying out the ass. Whereas Linux doesn't care one bit whether you put it on a hard drive or a USB stick and will work perfectly fine on both. So we agree that no, windows cannot be properly run from a USB stick.

    Your responses are zero for three at this point; do I really need to go through the rest?

  30. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 1
    I used to have two business machines (bought from PC world's business division, Staples or similar) which MS declared had fake installs, while my two machines with Windows licences bought from a Ukranian guy at the computer fair, and one with a "windows loader" I downloaded from somewhere in Africa were all reported as Legit.

    MS is in the same position as the 90% of housewives who "cant tell talk from mutter".

    All machines now run legit copies on Linux, except the OpenBSD one.

    --
    Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
  31. Kernel mode code signing requires EV certificate by tepples · · Score: 1

    Windows has IFS interface allowing new files systems to be plugged in without permission.

    In what way? I thought developing to the IFS interface, or any other Windows kernel-level interface for that matter, required paid permission from one of the Extended Validation (EV) code signing certificate authorities trusted by Microsoft. An ordinary $15 open source developer certificate from Certum won't work; it has to be specifically EV for Windows 10 (source), and last I checked, EV certificates were available only to a corporation or LLC, not an individual developer.

  32. Re: What I get from your troll comment... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

    Nice one, Gene. What happened to your website bro? I noticed it's not up any more. Give up on the Time Cube thing?

  33. Re:Monitors - it's not about DPI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    No, pretty much everything - even GNOME - handles the higher DPI at least moderately well.

    The problem is that you need to DRIVE all those pixels, and LCDs are garbage at anything other than native resolution. For gamers, who are usually the primary adopters of any tech, even gimmick ones like 4K, that means an extra $300-$800 to have your games not look like @$$, and even then you're going to have to sacrifice certain VQ options to keep a decent framerate.

  34. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Looks like about 1.2 Billion people [geekwire.com]

    I was being facetous while pointing out there's a shitload more to Windows lock-in than gaming.

  35. Re: Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by Bert64 · · Score: 2

    Exactly, copy protection schemes only ever hurt the paying customers...

    I used to buy Amiga games which had those stupid code wheels or required codes from the manual etc... Invariably i would lose the manual/codewheel, lose the original floppies or they would become corrupted etc. Usually i ended up acquiring a cracked copy of the game i had bought so i could continue playing it, eventually i just skipped the redundant purchasing part and went straight to acquiring the cracked copy.

    --
    http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
  36. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    What's a "living LOL" and why wouldn't a dead one suffice?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  37. Re:Most important Ubuntu desktop metrics by nukenerd · · Score: 1

    Percentage of people using it: 1%
    Number of people using it who have ever touched a boob: 0
    Percentages of people using it who also post on /.: 100%

    Mac User :
    https://s8.favim.com/orig/72/b...

    Windows user :
    https://farm4.static.flickr.co...

    Linux User :
    http://78.media.tumblr.com/926...

  38. Re:Ubuntu says 67 percent users opted in to the su by tepples · · Score: 1

    I do NOT expect locally installed and contained software and operating systems to "call home".

    Then how do you expect that the publisher of security updates for your operating system notify you when said updates are available?