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Why The Linux Desktop Matters More Than Ever, This Time?

Posted by ubuuser on · 21 comments
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LXer Feature: 12-Feb-2012

If we look back at failures of Linux on Desktops till today and analyze the technical part, it was due to hardware support and the software quality (GUI) that general computer users could use.

This article is talking about Ubuntu 12.04 aka Precise Pangolin

If we look back at failures of Linux on Desktops to this day and analyze the technical part, it was due to hardware support and the software quality (GUI) that general computer users could use.

This time however with Intel having already released the graphics drivers (after a disappointing year with sandy bridge) even for upcoming hardware aka Ivy bridge, kernel developers and open source graphics hackers can sit back and relax (not really). With new xinput (multi-touch), multi-monitor support and some software that matters appearing in the Ubuntu Software Center.

The stage is set for Canonical to get the user experience right for the normal user. Here normal user is the one that may come from any platform, or may be new to computers. Normal user is going to buy Ubuntu laptops, tablets or burn a DVD or install ubuntu via flash drive within half an hour.

Within that half hour, if a user can boot from usb and get his/her mov or mpeg file playing then we can say canonical did their job well. Besides having the multimedia file work he/she should have no issues at all (and I mean any at all), that would make them frustrated, and the quality of software that goes into that hardware should bring no issues (graphics, power management, networking and security) at all. It should save user's preferences (brightness, history, or not save history if user chooses to do so).

The bottom line is no update should break anything or bring any major changes to the user experience. Software updates should be configurable to update only when user chooses (daily, monthly, manually etc). Important security updates can have little more granted, but not to the level where it interferes with the user's experience (e.g dirty and noisy notifications that we always tried to avoid).

The sound experience should not break, themes included should be consistent. Mouse cursors, if included, should be consistent around the whole Desktop. Music applications like rhythmbox must have equalizers with presets and should sound better when the user chooses them. Calendar application must return back to Ubuntu. And Ubuntu should get a new icon theme. In my opinion that is the base line for ubuntu 12.04.

If they get it right this time or even complete these major tasks, will not get a half baked ubuntu experience and we can recommend ubuntu to anyone. I use ubuntu on my office and home. One of the junior developers, who has never used Linux before started to use it. He could use it because I left the computer he started using and switched to new one. I had configured everything I usually do after installing Ubuntu.

Stuff like sound issues, wireless network, proprietary drivers and installing basic software used for development. His expertise on Linux is very low. i.e. He does not care about the terminal (calls it dos) and uses it only to run mvn and svn. He can connect DSL and wireless internet and run other development tools. I can say with confidence, anyone can use a well configured Linux. But the gap between unusable Linux and unusable Linux is very big.

I had to remove annoying update notifications (I don't want his Ubuntu to stop function, for no apparent reasons), install wireless drivers and setup some kernel parameters like fbc and aspm. With new kernel implementing aspm and stuffs, the only issue that remains is the wireless.

"If you don't have an internet connection, how can you know why the internet is not working" - South Park.

Over the years and recently via direct feedback tests and bug list over launchpad, Canonical has gathered almost all the problems users have. Even if the 'upstream' keeps on complaining about Canonical not participating on code development (they might be right), but the user feedback Canonical collects is priceless even for those upstream developers.

If we go back 5 years and see to today, we all know we have come far in a positive way to strengthen the quality of Linux software, user experience, reliability and more which Canonical has a great share on. At the end of the day developers want their code to be useful to others. The quality of our code can only be measured via user's easiness to use the software and their productivity increase via that software.

I often find comments like "can do". "Can do" implies if there is a feature in the software, users can make certain changes on the settings to make that feature work. We Linux folks have wanted features so badly that we do not care about how an average computer user is going to use that software. Due to such configuration developers always become lazy to provide basic features and leave it open.

Most Linux software has always been heavily configurable via settings file. We always follow "Do one thing and do it well". As a result we have fine grained packages (all configurable), which are the basic components of all our complex software. That means even if we wisher in a library we might crumble the whole software city.

This is the reason why I like Ubuntu's decision to remove ccsm from software center. I like consistent look of unity desktop (even I might have my own opinion about what ubuntu should look like and behave). If I have to go to the machine city (eg in virtualbox), I can remove all GUI and load just the terminal interface or go arch way.

That "can do" is for people like me who cannot settle until they break Linux. I am against every Linux Desktop to look the same, unless they have some targeted software or users. I want Ubuntu to be Ubuntu and nothing else. If I don't like Ubuntu I might not use it or make configurations as I want, but Ubuntu must take the path of normal user centric Desktop, and provide features that would not break the user experience on any way.

The theme of ubuntu "Linux for human beings" is what it should be. Ubuntu for this release and until 14.04 must focus on usability rather than anything else. Any human being should be able to use it, and should have no previous knowledge of anything to use it. They must test from a user's prospective rather than a developers prospective.

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Comments (21)

1 earlier comment in the full thread.

tracyanne ·
From the article

Quoting:Over the years and recently via direct feedback tests and bug list over launchad, canonical have gathered almost all the problems users have.


I suggest this is not true, Cannonical, and the devs who work for Canonical may believe this to be true, but the users they need to reach to really become a popular and widely used operating Sytem (and by this I mean as widely used as Mac OSX), never post reports to Launchpad, and never engage in Forums. As a consequence neither Canonical, nor any other Linux distribution has statistics on what sort of problems these users have with Linux based or any other operating System.

Apple and Microsoft might think they do, due to their use of focus groups, but I doubt even they actually understand.
flufferbeer ·
@helios 'n tracyanne

Spot on! For the time being, forget about Apple's and Micro$uck's minions and look at Shuttleworth(toomuch)'s minions including this "useful idiot". It seems to me that the latter are getting nicely paid to keep drumming it into new Linux-users' heads how great Ubuntu is, d#%n whatever else other actual BONA FIDE users really use -- Distrowatch's positive linux mint ratings anyone??? The Ubuntu fanbois continue to downplay or spin away the user-based Distrowatch reviews as much as they can, and anytime a n00b is up for grabs, they almost always seem to manage to SURROUND that n00b with Unity-laced Ubuntu. "Use whatever Linux YOU want... WE all use Ubuntu... there are TONS of things 'n advantages Ubuntu has better than other operating systems .... and now HEEEERE's Ubuntu!!!!"

I actually read somewhere (maybe from tracyanne?) how a few diehard Ubuntu fanbois have foisted off Ubuntu on n00bs by the sly tactic of continually and vocally attacking the Losedows desktop UI and directly implying that THEIR Linux (Ubuntu of course) is the better option! Also, incidents of clandestinely setting up shill users on at least one Ubuntu forum. Pure blind arrogance -- and probably somehow trickling down from Shuttleworth(toomuch) hi$$elf!!

2c
tracyanne ·
My point here is that focus groups don't work, because people either give the answers they think the group conveiner wants, and Ubuntu's information is likely highly scewed towards users of reasonable technical skill, users willing and able to get involved on the forums. Neither gives accurate information on what less skilled users want or the problems they have.

ubuuser ·
@tracyanne You are absolutely right. Ubuntu's information is likely highly scewed towards users of reasonable technical skill. This is a Linux hazard altogether. If you however build a user oriented operating system (e.g android) and market it a lot, it can penetrate a huge user base. There are tons of things Linux has better than other operating systems. If only they get the user interface right, they can actually advertise all those things. We all know even the slickest of operating system has flaws, so if Ubuntu or any other distro you like gets a user penetration, they can actually improve things that normal user think must be included. The iterative improvement only is going to come, when at one point current distros magically get it right (they never have, may be in terms of marketing) after that only they can really improve things for the ones it really matters. Linux is close to "it just works", but never get it 100% right, so many new users find it hard to adapt Linux, when they are stuck on some hardware related issues. However if Linux gives up on every hardware support kind of thing and markets Linux on Linux classified hardware, people are going to know what hardware works on Linux and what does not.
tracyanne ·
@ ubuuser, I can tell you this from my own experience. The popular desktops among non technical users tend to be the WIMP paradigm, be it Windows or Mac or Linux. Among the non technical users I deal with GNOME 2 and 3 Panel is preferred to GNOME 3 Shell and Unity, KDE 3 was very popular, as is KDE 4.

Some, those with a somewhat more open mind to technology, have tried to get used to Unity, and GNOME 3 Shell, but invariably head back to something like GNOME 2 Panel or KDE 4. Why do you think that is?
Koriel ·
This guy whoever he is keeps talking about Linux's failure to capture the desktop and that we should all be kissing Shuttleworth's a rse.

Feel free to correct me if i'm wrong but it was never the goal of Linux to capture the desktop so I totally fail to see, this so called failure.

Its like me saying that I failed to win the gold medal at the Olympics or set a new world record at the 100m sprint, since I have never had such goals in life how have i failed? Maybe I should just settle down in a nice warm bath and get the razor out since apparently i'm a total failure based on this guys logic.

I couldn't care less if Linux is on everyones desktop or not and i suspect i'm not a minority either, its on mine and that my friends is all that matters to me and screw the Ubuntu apologists and shills.



gus3 ·
Linus has gone on record that his mission is world domination.

Given how scared s--tless the big players are, I think he might actually have a chance.
vainrveenr ·
Quoting:Linus has gone on record that his mission is world domination.
Perhaps this is not just Linus's mission anymore.

As appropriate for this particular thread:
Quoting:Never shy with his ambitions, Mark Shuttleworth still has his sights set on world domination.
(source: 'Ubuntu everywhere', linked to at LXer via http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/159407)



JaseP ·
Canonical is making their play for the non-technical and consumer box user,... and dumping their established user/developer base. Fine. I hope their power play works for them,... It won't effect me that much. I'll switch to another distro. I've done it before (SuSE to Mandrake/Mandriva to Ubuntu, with a few pit stops like Fedora and Debian along the way). I wish Canonical luck, I really do. If they can bring more users over,... It helps with getting drivers, software development, etc. How neat will it be for a Smart TV user to realize that their TV can be a video game console, telephony terminal, big giant picture frame and can let their kids do their homework on it with just a few tweaks by the local hacker down the block?!?! That can only help Linux.

But Canonical has got to realize that they have a tough row to hoe. By leaving their established user in the learch, they've shot themselves in the foot and lost many of those "hackers from down the street," who could have helped their street cred.In the meanwhile, Google has the street cred with Android, and can easily spin it over to other embedded devices. Again, good luck Canonical,... .you'll NEED it.

Steven_Rosenber ·
I'm glad Canonical is going its own way with Unity. That means we get another desktop environment with developer support. I'm not using it right now, but plenty are, and everybody has ample opportunity to use something else, within and without the Ubuntu "family" of distributions.
gus3 ·
I seem to remember another family, that someone wrote 3 books about...

"It would be a shame if something were to happen to this beautiful distro of yours."
tuxchick ·
Psst. It's 'row to hoe.'

It isn't new stuff that annoys and alienates users, it's discarding the old without a second thought for its userbase.
JaseP ·
@tuxchick

Thanks, I knew that,.. but once again was the victim of word prediction and fingers being faster than the brain.

All fixed now ...
montezuma ·
Spelling Nazi here: It's "lurch" not "learch"

/ducks
JaseP ·
It's stayin' misspelled!!!
tuxchick ·
JaseP, I like to think about the origins of phrases. Like shank's mare, apple of your eye, pie hole, cake hole (those two are my faves), gaslighting, burning the midnight oil, toe the line, load of codswallop, fine as frog's hair, dollars to donuts.... I shall stop now, for I could go on and on and on and on. :)
skelband ·
Psst, it's "shank's pony".
tuxchick ·
Heh skelband, I want to say "shut your pie hole" but that sounds mean :)
skelband ·
Well, it's actually "shanks' pony" to be properly correct.
JaseP ·
My wife used to think it was quickety split, instead of lickety split.

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