I have to admit I was not one of the first people to download Linux Ubuntu 8.04 when it was released some time last year. The reason was that I already had Ubuntu 7.01 Ultimate Gamers Edition (which I believe is the best thing to come out of the Linux community) running alongside my Windows XP. A few months back I laid my paws on the shiny new OS from Linux and held it in both hands till I got home. Unfortunately that’s where all the excitement ended, from then on it was all downhill.
Admittedly, the installation was simple and straightforward with wizards to guide me all the way, Ubuntu style. Upon running the OS for the first time I was a trifle disappointed to be greeted with the bland and empty interface. Being one of those people with a natural aversion towards Windows Media Player, I popped in a flash drive with a couple of media files to see how the new default media player on Ubuntu will fare, and whether it will measure up to Winamp & Media Player Classic, my favourite media players. The OS recognized my flash drive without fuss. You can imagine my horror when I couldn’t even play a single audio track.
Put simply, the OS cannot play Mp3 files in their native state, you have to download additional codecs to play MP3 files. Similarly, I couldn’t open video files in MPEG-4 format. Next I tried opening some web files I had downloaded previously with tips on how to configure the OS. Upon double clicking the web files I was further asked if I wanted to run the file in terminal, whether I wanted to display the file or whether I wanted to run the file. I got it right on the second attempt when I pressed “display” and the web page was rendered. Upon opening the second web file, and all the remaining web files, I was asked to make the choice over and over again. I could understand how a machine with a single browser just can’t open a web file when it’s the default opener. Like most people with above-average knowledge of computers I love Firefox but this time I was left disappointed.
One of the main arguments put forward by Linux loyalists is that their OS comes with everything bolted and, unlike Windows, you don’t have to pay for extra software like an office suite or disc-burning software. With Ubuntu, in a minimalist and Spartan way, all the essentials were there. These include a browser, email client, an IM client capable of running several accounts (Pidgin) and Voip and peer-to-peer file sharing software as luxuries. A couple of media players also come bolted on (though they can’t play popular formats like MPEG-4 natively). CD ripping and burning software also come included but these are barebones and honestly they disappoint and their drab interfaces don’t help matters either.
Maybe like the next man, I am entitled to my (often prejudiced) opinion but what I find confusing is the whole concept and philosophy behind Linux. For starters, it is an established fact that Linux is a pastime for IT gurus. It is not for newbies or those learning computers — its learning curve is relatively steeper than that of Windows. Again it is an established fact that you need to have a bit of programming experience (for tinkering with the Linux kernel) to get the best out of Linux. Now that everyone and their grandmother are preaching the gospel of open source (including the SA government) it becomes tricky when it’s difficult to divorce Linux from the whole hullabaloo of open source as the operating system incarnates and embodies the open source concept. This complexity on the part of Linux overshadows all its perceived benefits. With the world coming up with innovative projects like the One Laptop per Child (the laptops will run on Linux), one can argue with certainty that the project’s Achilles Heel is its operating system which is complex even for seasoned IT people. In an article on Tech Leader, Tumelo Mphafe recounted a not-so-pleasing encounter with Linux and it is likely that his is not a lonely voice.
Perhaps the biggest letdown of the Ubuntu 8.04 operating system is its unpopularity as a gaming platform. The fact that some people buy computers and graphic cards sometimes more expensive than the computer shows how far gaming has come. Considering the popularity, scale and growth of the gaming industry, Ubuntu 8.04 does precious little to jump on the gravy train. With the PC platform being threatened by consoles as the gaming platform of choice, Ubuntu 8.04 would have done much better to play its part and help the folks from Windows considering its popularity with the Linux community.
In retrospect, it can be concluded that the very foundation of the Linux platform has become its undoing. The emphasis on open source and a natural aversion to entrepreneurship and market inclination also means there are no funds for research and development from the private sector. Research is necessary for the development of virtually anything in the IT sector. Shortly before the release of Ubuntu 8.04 I read several posts on the internet comparing it to Windows Vista. In my opinion (this time humble) I believe, security issues aside, Ubuntu 8.04 doesn’t stand a chance even against Windows XP. To put it mildly, Ubuntu 8.04 is a good alternative to Windows but as a competitor it takes a bruising beating, even from the Macintosh’s Leopard OS. In terms of comparability, I believe Ubuntu 7.01 Ultimate Gamers Edition leads the pack on Linux flavours capable of comparing with Windows Vista on an equal footing.
Tendai Chiguware doesn’t have any formal IT qualifications (a social scientist by training) but is fascinated with computers. He works at the University of Fort Hare. He is designing a data collection and poverty analysis application and loves trying out new operating systems, especially those that aren’t in the mainstream like BSD
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15 Responses to “Ubuntu 8.04: Just a tad bit disappointing”
Have you tried the up to date version of ubuntu [8.10]? If you try to play an mp3 or mpeg you are prompted to install the codec. Easy for my grandmother even.
Also, if you have free time, the alpha release of the up coming Ubuntu 9.04 looks very promising as well.
[http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/]
If you want to try everything out of the box like mp3 and dvd use LINUX MINT that is based on Ubuntu you just have to test it with the live cd everything works. I installed that distro to a friend that does not even know how to use windows his wife and kids love it and they said is very easy to use, remember there is a lot of distro based on Ubuntu
Ubuntu 8.10 answers most of your problems. The lack of information regarding codecs was a terrible flaw in 8.04.
Regarding CD-burning - remind me what the default optical drive burning software is in XP? If you don’t like it, try another free one. There’s a reason for the Popularity system in “Add/Remove”.
Ubuntu has jumped on the netbook/cheap computer bandwagon. If you want a system designed for gaming, neither the games nor the hardware designed for running the games is designed for Linux.
I fear your conclusions are off the mark - there are big businesses with a vested interest in developing the Linux kernel (eg. IBM). Not for gaming, though. Ubuntu has made more hardware partnerships than any other home distro in recent years.
However, I’ll admit the deep-ends of Ubuntu appear suddenly and often without an apparent answer. The “Help” documentation needs massive work, and solutions to problems are often very different to those in XP.
Funny, you get far less from Windows off the CD than you do with Linux. No DVD, no Blue-Ray, FAT & NTFS file systems only, no Office, no VNC, no Flash, no Java, no Quicktime, ZIP archives only, no PDF support, no burning software, no ISO support, Paint vs GIMP, Note/Wordpad vs GEdit, no ODF support, no NFS support, no SSH, no paravirtualisation support….
Each vendor has several different ways of keeping your software up to date, and you are having to restart when you load drivers or updates.
How long does you hard drive go for when you log in… and have a look on YouTube for Compiz vs Aero, wow, all that 1GB+ on for what, glassy Window borders a switcher.
I hate trying to read through MS forums because no one actually knows deep down how things work unless they are the developer…. “have you tried to reinstall ?” ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.
Spyware & viruses freely come easy without you asking for them.
There are legality issues around having the codecs for various media file formats on the ubuntu install disk. I have never had a problem downloading the relevant codecs though.
I guess if you need to play games on a pc, yeah, linux isn’t your bag. I still prefer my Ubuntu over my XP because I can make the fonts larger. For games - got a Wii and a 360 for that. I’m still of the mindset that PC’s are computing, not games.
Mandriva 2009.1 final release will be out shortly (19 days), so give it a try. I’m using 2009.0 right now and while it too has a quirk here and there, I find it far superior for the average desktop user to Ubuntu.
I have given Ubuntu many tries, since it first came out…even distributed CDs to lots of people to try. It just always seems to have major issues that left me frustrated beyond what I felt was acceptable. I say that because I make a living providing systems support, emarketing and other related things and am always looking for a good Linux distro to provide clients that I would feel comfortable supporting and that they would find usable. That includes businesses and home users. Ubuntu for the home user just left many people who wanted to jump ship from Windows disappointed.
I have one older client (retired) who moved to PCLinuxOS and is quite happy. No surprise, as it’s based off Mandriva. I have a Ubuntu Studio 8.10 CD on my desk…Mandriva is running on my PC (along with Win XP) however.
IF and when the Linux community as a whole (not just Ubuntu) stops making add-on software installation so hard, more users will flock over from Windows. Sure, having the command-line available is great…but having to “su root”, right-click a package to make it executable, having to compile, etc…great geek fun, but who in their right mind actually wants more steps rather than less?
I’m an open source advocate, convince as many people as I can to use all sorts of free and open software…but computers are supposed to make things easier for people, and when they start making things harder than an existing level of ease already known on purpose, that’s a failure and a step backwards. I wish the Linux community would stop worrying about 3d desktops and windows the wobble and zoom out and other useless things and instead focus on getting basic hardware detection and media compatibility rock solid.
What the heck, while this isn’t Ubuntu specific…package naming sucks when you consider having to type at the command-line, and new users repeatedly complain about the “K this and K that, and G this and G that” naming conventions.
Clearly Tendai Chiguware doesn’t know anything about the subject he is writing about. On the one hand he is upset because one version official version of Ubuntu doesn’t compare with an unofficial “gaming” edition. On the other hand, he raises the issue of proprietary codecs which cost money, as a problem for an operating system that is free, and which utilising the amazing Ogg-Theora format, which is open-source and packaged along with a whole host of free software.
Ubuntu is not for lazy people. It is not for your Gogo. It is for young kids everywhere who cannot afford the price of a mainstream operating system like Windows Vista or Apple Mac. Have you seen the cost of Apple Leopard? It weighed in at about R2000 the last time I checked, and Vista is not better.
Yes, Ubuntu has its problems, the chief of which is that like Linux, it runs on text and requires a basic knowledge and understanding of various commands that grew from the large Gnu-Linux and Gnu-Unix community.
However it does have the Gnome GUI and Free Desktop which is a remarkable accomplishment and probably the best example we have of a community working for mutual benefit with voluntary aid.
South Africa needs to wake-up. Ubuntu is much more than an operating system, its a way of life for millions of computer users who share Free and Open Source Software.
Chiguware is also confused about OLPC. The Sugar desktop which runs on the XO, is basically Gnu-Linux. I recommend and excellent documentary called Revolution OS which charts the development of the Free Software Foundation and its offshoot, Linux.
Why are you installing an LTS version of Ubuntu and then expecting it to be full of eye candy and designed to play games with? I think you need to get your facts straight before embarrasing yourself with posts like this.
If you have to go into a Linux base OS I would have to say Ubuntu sucks donkey ass. You still have to use commands even installing programs. BUT ever heard about Freespire http://wiki.freespire.org/index.php/Quick_Tour_of_Freespire
This based upon a Unix based OS aswell but much more userfriendly. It come with a CNG services. CNR is a one-click digital software delivery service for desktop Linux applications, libraries and packages.The CNR Service allows you to easily download hundreds of the most popular software programs for your Freespire computer with a graphical interface offering one-click installing, uninstalling and updating. If preferred, Freespire users may also use apt-get to freely install programs from the CNR Warehouse or other software repositories. BUT again, you will still have trouble catching wireless networks and setting up hardware configurations as allways. Thank you
For a paper of the calibre of the M&G I would have thought that columnists would be more “with-it”.
The piece was submitted only the month before the release of the second replacement of the version being reviewed, i.e. since the reviewed version two versions have been released (8.10 & 9.04).
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Have you tried the up to date version of ubuntu [8.10]? If you try to play an mp3 or mpeg you are prompted to install the codec. Easy for my grandmother even.
Also, if you have free time, the alpha release of the up coming Ubuntu 9.04 looks very promising as well.
[http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/jaunty/alpha-5/]
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