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Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx)

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Deozaan:
Yeah, I'm using Ubuntu (Gnome), as opposed to Kubuntu (KDE) or Xubuntu (XFCE).

Neowin.net has the latest on the 10.10 netbook version that features a single menu bar design:-zridling (May 03, 2010, 02:27 PM)
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Wait, what? That's supposed to be new for October 2010? As in 5 months in the future? Your screenshot is actually how it has looked for over a year now, since the 9.04 Netbook Remix, and how it currently looks in 10.04, so I don't get what's new (except the color scheme which is new to 10.04). There are basically three versions of Ubuntu: Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Desktop, and Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Not sure where Neowin.net was for the last year, or even for the brand new release, but that look is not new to Ubuntu Netbook Remix Edition.

Speaking of which, this post is dedicated to my experience with the Netbook Remix Edition.

Good luck with installing it on a laptop. My biggest fear is waiting around to find drivers for the ordinary laptop's [unusual] proprietary hardware (here today, gone tomorrow).-zridling (May 03, 2010, 08:12 AM)
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The Netbook Remix edition is actually designed with netbook hardware in mind. So it installs flawlessly. With drivers working great for (almost) everything.

It's good and it works, but that doesn't mean it isn't without frustrations.

My frustration with it is really only that I expected it to be better. I figured that since it was built with Netbooks in mind, and since my perception is that netbooks are generally made up of almost the same hardware inside, that everything should "just work" and for the most part it does. One thing that never did work for me in previous Netbook Remix editions was that it doesn't recognize my built-in webcam. The new 10.04 version still doesn't recognize it. In fact, the first thing I ran when Ubuntu finished installing was Cheese, the webcam software, and the software locked up. That's not supposed to happen!

So it's really not as bad as I probably made it out to be from my "hint." Really my only frustrations have been the webcam not working and then trying to change and install things but it not letting me tweak stuff while my queue of 20 different software applications is being downloaded and installed.

I'm also frustrated with the fact that their idea of a version of Ubuntu made especially with small screens of netbooks in mind basically means making all the icons and everything so huge that it takes up half of the screen and you have to use scrollbars on everything to be able to see it all.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx)
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx)

And there are other little things that are annoying. For instance, in Firefox, changing the toolbars to use small icons doesn't actually change the height of the bar. The icons get smaller, but the area the toolbar takes up is still exactly the same. So there's no reason to use small icons. I change to small icons even on my 19" monitors just to save the visual real-estate. But on a netbook especially, those 10 or so pixels would make a difference.

My idea of "optimized for a small screen" is to make everything minimalist and compact so I can see as much information as possible. But they did the opposite. It just feels so contradictory. It's like buying a Large Print edition of a book that's printed on paper the size of 3x5 notecards: Sure, the whole book is there, but you'd be turning the page every 3 or 4 words.

The tiny screens already have low resolutions to keep things from getting too small. No need to use 128x128 pixel icons when the vertical space only measures at 600 pixels.

For some reason the big, dumbed-down UI just feels restrictive to me. It gives me the feeling that all of the same controls of the desktop edition aren't there. It makes me feel like I'm using a Smart Phone OS, rather than a "real" computer OS. And even though I'm pretty sure you can still do everything from the terminal at the very least, I can't get over that feeling that I'm limited.

For example, when I grab a screenshot, it defaults to save to a desktop, but there is no "desktop" in the Netbook Remix. I can't make my own shortcuts and arrange them how I like, even though I typically don't like anything on my desktop. And maybe that's part of it as well. Normally I like my desktop to just be a picture. But I'm forced to have a toolbar on the side and huge icons filling up the screen.

I know this probably all comes across as scathing and negative. Don't get me wrong, Ubuntu works just fine on my netbook (except my webcam), even the wifi and video drivers. But I just don't think I like the Netbook Remix Edition. It's not my style. I prefer the minimalist approach. Ubuntu Netbook Remix Edition prefers to be in your face and your space.

EDIT: Added pics and rearranged first part.

zridling:
Ah yes, and all those niggling issues is what drives minions away from Ubuntu, me included, and in the process gives Linux a bad name. Life no longer permits me time to endlessly futz with software frustrations.

Deozaan:
I should make it clear that I like Ubuntu and don't intend to give it (or Linux) a bad name. I'm not very fond of the Netbook Remix Edition, and think that on my netbook I'd prefer to have the regular Desktop edition.

No OS is without it's problems. It's just easier for me to figure out how to solve them in Windows, due to my experience with it.

I'm not sure if Linux will ever be my primary OS since I do a lot of gaming. But I can easily see Ubuntu being perfect for my wife, my mom, and some friends who only need/use computers for internet, Office, and e-mail, with some movies and music thrown in as well. And with so many games available in the browser, it's still easy to go with Linux even if you are a gamer. Linux also offers plenty of games for those "casual" gamers who just like playing games now and then but don't really care too much about the latest and greatest.

In short, I consider Ubuntu/Linux a tool which doesn't quite suit my needs, but I can think of plenty of cases where it would perfectly fit the needs of many people I know.

Eóin:
Deozaan, I agree with you regarding the Netbook Remix edition. I wonder though if it's actually aimed at a different audience, specifically a more casual PC user?

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