Ubuntu Brainstorm: Let the Ideas Roll!

Today, the new Ubuntu Brainstorm site was released into the wild. The site has been inspired by Dell’s IdeaStorm site, which is what introduced the idea of preinstalling Ubuntu onto Dell computers.

I am excited about this, because the most popular ideas posted will get discussed at the Ubuntu Developer Summit. This way, instead of having feature suggestions uploaded into Launchpad for the developers’ reviews, ideas that are popular with the users will get special attention. The Ubuntu Brainstorm site provides a look into what is most important to users. The extra focus given to the actual needs of the users will help make Ubuntu better than ever. Not to mention, not any of the other available operating systems, both Linux and others, have this easy feature request system.

Each of the “ideas” are uploaded and posted to the Ubuntu Brainstorm. Then, users can vote, either voting for or against the idea, and giving it a score. That score determines where the post shows up on the Brainstorm site, with the ideas with the highest score placed at the top of the list. Users must register before they can upload ideas or vote, and they can only vote once on an idea.

As a sign of Ubuntu Brainstorm’s popularity, the idea with the most votes is the “Professional-looking Bootloader.” The idea has recieved over 600 votes as of 9pm EST.

EU Slaps Microsoft with a $1.3 Billion Fine

See this article over at the AJC.  Microsoft, being in their more “open” self, claimed that since they opened up some system documentation and developer API’s, they are free of the EU’s claims of overpriced patents and information… Obviously, they were wrong!

1.3 billion dollars is a lot of money; approximately a month’s worth of Microsoft’s yearly profit.

VirtualBox: Premade Images!

Since I have been using VirtualBox for virtualization on Ubuntu, I decided to look for premade images, built for VirtualBox. Every major virtualization platform has an image index, such as VMware’s Virtual Appliance repositories, or QEMU’s FreeOsZoo. I found that VirtualBox has one of it’s own, too.

It’s called VDI Index | veeDee-Eyes; V(vee)D(Dee)I(eyes)… get it? Took me a day to figure that one out. You can visit the site here.

Currently, there are 22 disk images available, up 2 from just two days ago, so this site is growing rather quickly. Since Linux is free, the images are available for, well, free. If you run VirtualBox, I definitely recommend you check out the VDI Index.

The New Microsoft?

Over the past couple of days, Microsoft seems to be showing itself to be a “new” Microsoft, one that is friendlier towards competitors. Personally, I find that hard to believe.

The first thing Microsoft did was start the “DreamSpark” program, where you can get (if you are in college) a free copy of a Microsoft programming application, with several available.

The second thing Microsoft did is open some of its APIs to the public. Is there something behind this?

From my point of view, Microsoft is making an effort to keep development happening on Windows. There would be something seriously wrong if they did not try. As younger programmers try different systems, there is the possibility that they will choose to program on a competitor to Windows. As Microsoft has pointed out in the past, developers are some of the most valuable assets, as applications make the system. They are not after just regular development, but Open Source development as well. First, Microsoft offers their best programming applications for free for future programmers in college. They are giving them the free program as an incentive to program for Microsoft Windows. Next, they open up many of the API’s. This echoes the statement made by a certain Microsoft CEO a while back that he wants all of Open Source development to happen on Windows.

Put two and two together, and you get new programmers writing code, both open and closed, on Microsoft Windows. Simply put, every developer they can get to program using Open Source lessens the chance of that developer to develop on competing systems. I imagine it will take the “new” Microsoft a while to dig itself out of the PR hole they dug themselves into.

New Link!

I have added a link to the All About Ubuntu site! You can find it under the “My Links” sidebar.

I ran across the site this morning, and it is currently in beta. Here’s an excerpt from the site’s “Our Mission” tab:

“Originally, we launched All About Ubuntu to help change the world — one desktop at a time. But then we realized Ubuntu was gaining considerable momentum on the server.

Thousands — perhaps millions — of PC novices, power users and even server administrators are seeking a reliable alternative to Windows and Windows Server. Many of the people around you (friends, neighbors, business owners, business partners, customers) would eagerly try Ubuntu — if they knew it existed. This blog offers a bridge between frustrated Windows users and Ubuntu experts.”

Now THAT is cool!

Ubuntu 8.10 to be called…

Intrepid Ibex.

That’s the new name that has been chosen for the 8.10 release, due in October this year.

From the announcement, one of the focus points of the release will be internet connectivity.

Jon’s Review: Sabayon 3.4 MiniEd

Introduction

For my second review, I have chosen to review Sabayon Linux, currently at version 3.4. Sabayon is based on Gentoo, and is based in Italy. I have never used Sabayon or Gentoo in the past, so this was going to be a new experience for me. Historically, Gentoo is a more advanced system, better for more advanced Linux users, which left me with the question – will Sabayon be any easier?

Installation

Since Sabayon MiniEd is a LiveCD (there is also a full DVD available), I simply booted the system, and began the installation though clicking an icon on the desktop, which happened to be running KDE. The installation was quick, easy, and trouble-free. See the screenshot below:

Something that I had found interesting about the installer was that it allowed me to install different desktop environments. The three provided choices were 1) KDE and 2) Fluxbox and 3) a base minimal system, with no GUI. Note that in the screenshot, Fluxbox is noted as “geeky,” a good safeguard against new users accidentally installing the much more difficult window manager, Fluxbox. As a clarification, Fluxbox is a window manager, while KDE is a desktop environment. A desktop environment (e.g. Gnome, KDE) is a full-software system, with extra features that support a window manager, typically packaged with the desktop environment. A window-manager manages the everything to do with the program windows and the desktop, and relies on a desktop environment to provide advanced features. I decided to install KDE.

After configuring my installation, the LiveCD began to copy files to the hard drive. (see screenshot below)

After the installation was complete, the system rebooted and I was greeted by the KDE login screen.

First Impressions

There is no denying it: Sabayon looks good. It uses a red theme by default, and uses two panels, something unique to most KDE-based systems, but more on that later. A link that I found helpful that was placed on the desktop was a “Get Live Help” button, which linked to the Sabayon IRC channel. Along the top panel, there are numerous buttons as well as the time, and the bottom panel is basically the default KDE panel, with the K menu, as well as links to places in the system. Here’s a screenshot of the desktop:

Ease of Use

Sabayon’s LiveCD comes with a good number of applications preinstalled. Working with Sabayon was relatively easy, and many of the applications that came preinstalled were aimed at home users. Some, however, were meant for system administrators, rather than the average user.

The ease of use took a hit, as the package manager showed itself to be slow. In Portato (a front-end for Portage package manger), I got a strange message, stating if I updated my package list more than once a day, I would be added to a “temporary ban” list. That’s a heart-warming message for a user!

To top it all off, the package manager did not include a help manual, leaving me to try and figure out how to use the application. Here’s a screenshot of Portato:

Graphical Appeal

Sabayon looks very good as far as the artwork is concerned. Sabayon uses a red-based theme throughout the system, and all of the applications, including Firefox blend well with the system. This distribution prides itself on the artwork, and it should — the graphics are well done, and there has obviously been a considerable amount of work done. The only complaint I would have is that the theme is a little dark. Since a picture says a thousand words, see the screenshot several paragraphs up for the default desktop.

Application Availability

As I mentioned earlier, I had some problems working with the package manager. I eventually had to work through the terminal, although it was clear that there are a good number of packages available. According to Wikipedia, Sabayon has around 12,000 packages, which is a little more than average as distributions go. Installation of packages was certainly faster than working with the package manager, and they installed fine.

The applications that came preinstalled in the Mini Edition include Firefox and Thunderbird, as well as many KDE applications. One of the software choices that stood out was the use of KOffice, instead of the typical OpenOffice installation. KWord, KSpread, and KPresenter of the KOffice suite were installed. There were also some QT (KDE is based on QT code) development applications installed.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Using Sabayon has been an interesting experience. On one hand, the system showed that a Gentoo-based system can be rather easy to use. On the other hand, the system has some rough or difficult edges. As you have read above, the main problem that I had was with using the packaging application. Here’s my rating for Sabayon 3.4 MiniEd.

Installation: 9/10 – Installation was extremely easy. I hope to see this pattern in Linux distributions that I review in the future. Those distributions who make installation easier help bring Linux further into the mainstream.

Ease of Use: 6/10 – As far as KDE is concerned, it was easy as usual, but the package manager was difficult to impossible to use, with no provided help file or manual. The program, according to the sourceforge site, also seems to be in the middle of development.

Graphical Appeal: 8/10 - The red theme looks good, although in my opinion, it’s a little dark.

Application Availability: 9/10 – The applications I was looking for were there, but to install them I had to use the command line. Not much fun, but about like using apt-get, which is another command-line package manager.

Overall Rating: 8/10 – Personally, I would recommend Sabayon for power users, since there was a good number of tools and controls, all tailored to help make the system your own. Sabayon is a very interesting distribution, and is definately worth a look, especially if you want to try out a Gentoo-based system, without the difficulty of installing Gentoo.

8/10 is my final rating for Sabayon, and it is one that the Sabayon has earned. The system, although not free of quirks, is still a good distribution. You can visit the Sabayon hompage to download either a LiveCD or a full DVD system. Also, there is a new version in the works, which which is already loaded with great new features and applications.

1 Year Later

I just realized last Saturday, the 17th, was the 1 year anniversary of my involvement in the Ubuntu Georgia Local Community Team.

When I first saw that a Georgia LoCo team was formed on the forums, I quickly joined. We had about three active people then. Over the next year, I watched the team grow, have monthly Face to Face meetings, hold an InstallFest, and grow to include more than 80 members. I have also placed an UbuntuBox (a tabletop CD stand) at a local border, and have already delivered over to 200 CDs.

Looking forward to the next year, I am excited about several new things we will be doing within the LoCo team, working to bring Ubuntu to more users than ever. I hope to keep providing CDs to the public, and do even more things to help bring Ubuntu into the mainstream.

I have been provided with some great experiences, and have met some great folks. My personal thanks goes out to John Von Hollen for creating the team, and to Nick Ali, who welcomed me to the team, and has helped me considerably since then. Over the past year, the LoCo has grown and we have done things I could never have imagined when I first joined.

Thanks guys for a great year! (and here’s to the next!)

Jon’s Review: PCLinuxOS Gnome 2.21.2

Introduction

For my first review, I have switched my virtualization application to InnoTek’s VirtualBox, which has recently been purchased by Sun Microsystems. After trying multiple times to create a system on VMware’s sever, only to fail each time. With VirtualBox, setting up the application was easy as installing it from Add/Remove applications, add my username in VirtualBox’s group via System > Administration > Users and Groups, and then create the virtual machine. Performance has been wonderful, since VirtualBox uses fewer or my system resources than VMware.

I found that choosing a system to review was difficult, since there are so many to choose from and I had already reviewed many of the popular systems in the past. One release stood out, however. PCLinuxOS Gnome 2.21.2 is PCLinuxOS with, well, Gnome 2.21.2. PCLinuxOS is one of the most popular Linux distributions that is built and run by a community of users.

First Impressions

When starting PCLinuxOS Gnome 2.21.2, PCLOS’s default theme is very clean, and shows a lot of work put into the artwork. While the artwork does not always make the system, it sure makes for a good first impression.

There is a large set of applications installed by default, with Firefox and Evolution, Gnome Office, and IDLE, the Integrated DeveLopment Environment for Python just to name a few.

Installation

Installing PCLOS Gnome 2.21.2 is much easier than installing the previous versions of PCLOS. When installing the PCLOS Gnome 2.21.2, you no longer need to restart the computer in mid-install. Using the “drake-live enhanced” installer was quick and easy, which I see as a big plus for the system.

Ease of Use

Using PCLOS Gnome 2.21.2 is brings much of the usability found in KDE to Gnome. The applications provided give a good impression of who the system is targeted at. With the applications provided, it is clear that the system is aimed at power users. Let it be known, however, that using PCLOS Gnome is not that difficult or confusing. Sure, the number or applications provided and the level of expertise needed to run some of them requires advanced skills, the system could still be used by an average user, with some basic instruction.

Configuring the system is also easy, via the Administration Center. The Administration center controls all of the aspects of your PCLOS system. Since PCLOS also provides all of the default system controls from the Gnome Desktop Environment.

Graphical Appeal

As I mentioned above, PCLOS Gnome 2.21.2 looks great. It especially looks better than the previous versions of PCLOS. Since it uses Gnome, there is a simple look-n-feel, giving PCLOS a very quick interface. To be more specific, the colors blend well from the desktop background to the panels on the top and bottom of the screen. The black, textured plastic look of the background also works well with the blue theme provided. For some examples, take a look below:

The above screenshots show what the default PCLOS Gnome 2.21.2 looks like. As you can see, the extra work done with the graphics really does pay off.

Application Availability

PCLinuxOS uses the RPM format for packages, and has its own repositories. There are, as of 2/16/08, a total of 7,532 packages available by default. That number is about average as Linux distributions go, but the applications available are great. Given, the larger RPM distributions such as Fedora and OpenSUSE all have more packages, so there will be more choice with those systems, but still PCLOS is more than likely to have all of the applications that you will need.

The applications that come preinstalled are all popular applications for Linux, with a wide range of internet applications, Gnome Office, and Python programming tools to name a few. There are also a large selection of sound applications, with multiple audio playing and media editing applications. There are also the “default” set of graphic editing utilities, such as F-Spot, G-Thumb, and the GIMP.

All of my favorite applications, both popular and obscure, were easily found through Synaptic package manager, which is the same package manager that Ubuntu uses. PCLOS also uses apt-get for package management, which is also the same as Ubuntu, Debian, and other Debian-based systems.

Conclusion/Final Thoughts

PCLinuxOS Gnome 2.21.2 is a much better release than those past, and I am not saying this just because PCLinuxOS 2007 uses the rival K Desktop Environment. Usability is much smoother, the tools feel much more complete, and installation was a breeze, and every bit as easy as Ubuntu, Fedora, or any other distribution that is known for easy installation. There are many applications available, and they are all updated to the latest packages available. PCLinuxOS Gnome 2.21.2 gets the job done without complaining, and looks good while doing it.

Installation: 9/10 – Installation was easy, plain and simple. My only complaint is the start-up questions, which are really only useful for system administrators or someone who is using just the LiveCD. The start-up questions are also used in Mandriva, since PCLOS is based off Mandriva.

Ease of Use: 8/10 - Power users will find themselves right at home in PCLOS.

Graphical Appeal: 8/10 - Nice dark theme that blends well into the desktop, but personally I think they could make their own awesome icons.

Application Availability: 9/10 – The repository has all of the applications I need, but there may be something that is not present which may be in another distribution. If you do find one that is not available, you can search for them via RPMseek.

Overall Rating: 8 1/2 – As with any system, there are many different factors that do not fit within a normal review. I feel that I have covered most of them, and if there are any that you, the reader, feel are missing, let me know.

I have found PCLinuxOS Gnome 2.21.2 to be a great release, with updated applications and a quality application set. What is even more amazing is that PCLinuxOS is built by the community that uses it. I know that I have been hard on PCLinuxOS in the past, but now I can truly say that I am very impressed with the Gnome 2.21.2 release, and would certainly recommend it to any power user.

The Reviews are Coming!

Now that I have VMware Server installed on my Ubuntu machine, I can test numerous systems without having to “distro-hop.” I have set up a review machine, with 512MB RAM, and an 8GB hard drive.

My goal is to review a system once every week, which means I will have 1 week to test the system, review it, and see what it can do. Then, the process will start again with another system. I will also rate the systems that I test on several factors:

1. Ease of Use

Certain distributions are harder to use than others. This doesn’t mean, however, that the harder distribution is worse than the easier one. Often times, distributions are aimed at a particular user base. Perhaps this rating is better called “Level of Annoyance” or “Level of Quality.” I think I will split the Ease of Use into categories, but time will tell.

2. Graphical Appeal

Graphical Appeal is a rating of how a particular distributions look. Some look great, others REALLY need some work.

3. Application Availability

It has been said time and time again that applications make the system, and it is true. A system without applications is practically worthless. Guess why Microsoft Windows has done so well? They have thousands of applications available. Application availability in Linux is different depending on which distribution you are using. Typically, the larger software repositories have more application choice, yet sometimes the distributions with smaller repositories have a better selection of quality software.

4. Conclusion/Overall Rating

This rating will be one of my own opinion, as well as one based off the other factors. I will rate the system based on whether or not I believe the system is a quality distribution, and give examples to back up my opinion.

During the review process, I will take screenshots of the system while in use. Using a VMware image will make it easier to test systems on an even scale, as I will not be using different hardware for different systems.

I will begin testing today, and will have a review out the door by next week. I’ll give it a name, for the purpose of searching the reviews, but I will figure that out later.