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Ubuntu 12.04: Desktop perfection within reach

With Steam working on compatibility and free gaming sites like dotdeb.com getting bigger and bigger, Ubuntu is definitely at the top of choices for a windows alternative.

I downloaded my first distro over 14.4 dialup and about a hundred 3.5 floppies (Slackware, baby!) I really, *really* like Linux.

BUT! When I get through working, I really, *really* like gaming. I only play a handful of games, and if they don't work, I won't run it.

I updated to 12.04 yesterday and the HUD has not been working for me through VNC.
It is working when I am directly connected via Monitor, Keyboard and mouse.
I don't really have the time to investigate further, so I simply start gnome-panel and use that to launch my applications

You may want to try "XRDP" which for me worked out of the box (sudo apt-get install xrdp)...?

A bare desktop comes up. no menus, no icons, no working shortcuts.
Compiz crashes at the start of the session. I can force a terminal session by exporting the display and sending a command in SSH then run gui programs from that terminal but try as I might, I canot get the desktop to come up or compiz to stabilize.

I am forced to use an old P4 laptop that doesn't have all the pci drivers installed from the LTS boot disk. I get frequent crashes because of driver dependencies for the TI bus controller PCI1410 failing. This has been an on going problem since release 10.10. I thought someone else had submitted a bug report on it so I have not investigated it further. One option Canonical suggest in the user manual is to switch off noPCI and reinstall Ubuntu from there future calls to PCI buss will not hang.

Thanks amabilis but it seems to me that XRDP uses vncserver (I could be wrong).
Oh well, gnome-panel until its sorted in the future....

Yes it is using vncserver. BTW: I'm using it in a VM (ESXi5), so probably we have different xserver settings. I was quite impressed that it worked without tweaking, in opposite to LM12 what I used before.

I am totally sold on the Heads Up Display! It's truly a gutsy move on the part of Canonical. Yes, it's a different way of thinking but that's the way things go if you try to go down any new path with technology. Yes, there will be people who will find it uncomfortable who are used to the other more familiar desktops and ways of accessing their programs. Yes, it means adapting to a new paradigm. However whenever you have change, that's what you are going to have.

...but I must admit it is quite usable and it is probably a valueable step into the direction of having a single kind of desktop on various devices from a smartphone to a TV-set where a traditional "Startmenu" will not work anymore.

There are still tons of work to do for Ubuntu (read Unity) developers to perfect the user experience...

http://linuxblog.darkduck.com/2012/04/ubuntu-1204-stairway-to-heaven.html

Maybe my terminology is lacking here, but...
I have UBUNTU 12.04 loaded on my constantly-with-me- Netbook and a few of my desktops. They are all loaded on a separate partition and you select the OS you want at boot. It's nice that Linux can 'see' and actually use files in other partitions - such as Windows. Meanwhile, Windows remains blind as a bat.
In general I'm very happy with UBUNTU. There are two things that rather irk me.
1. The ability to control the 'Launch Bar' appears to be very limited, i.e., loading the sequence of programs.
2. I need the panel switcher and the system monitor in the first 2 positions on the Launch Bar.
Ok, maybe the above is possible with a very minor 'tweak', but that 'tweak' is not very transparent - at least to me.

Drag the icon out of the launcher bar, then up to the position where you want it, then release the mouse button. (Maybe too transparent? :^)

ubuntu will be the perfect os with games(pes,fifa....)

My main machines are running Ubuntu and Mint. From past experience I will wait at least a month until I try an updated version of Ubuntu. The last few versions of Ubuntu were really buggy just after their releases. I don't want to experience the freeze-ups, email problems and black screens this round until it has been widely used for at least a month.

Have been on Unity since 11.04 and still don't like it. Inertia and lack of real need (for the present) of lost features has kept Ubuntu as the boot OS on my only personal computer, a laptop.

What's wrong with Unity? To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, "known unknowns (KU) and unknown unknowns (UU) can't be found". Maybe the HUD changes that.

KUs - when there's an app I use infrequently I often don't remember the name, e.g. Startup Disk Creator. Maybe HUD changes things but with Dash I've looked through the list of all installed apps, 151 of them, more than once to find it. Didn't have any luck coming up with search terms that showed it so had to take that route. With a menu, an option in 11.04 and always there before, could simply inspect the menus and always able to find that forgotten app I needed. And a bonus was getting a refresher on what's there and the context for use based on the menu it appeared on.

UUs - the apps that are installed but I don't use them until I start exploring the installed software suite and launching to see what something does and whether it's useful to me. My 2?? they're not as readily identified and found again in Dash as they are on the menu. So I've lost the opportunity to expand my use of the available applications.

I'll second Regulus about the configurability of the launch bar. Favorite example... I use KeePassX. Would love to have a button on launcher to launch my password file but can't figure that out. Having KeePassX remember the last used file is a limited workaround because I sometimes create temporary databases or for other reasons don't feel like opening my password db. So having the app on the launcher IS NOT the solution. Having the file is.

Others, how about a configurable default folder to open when the launcher "Home Folder" is clicked? Or a right click on Home Folder at least lists the built in and custom shortcuts. Or being able to launch another instance of a folder from the launcher.

Or... there's many more capabilities lost on the Unity interface. In a work environment, Windows XP to Windows 7, use those capabilities all the time. In Ubuntu used same capabilities all the time 11.04 (non Unity) and earlier editions. On Unity the features are lost.

So lack of driving need keeps me from changing. Even after a year on Unity I still feel the loss of functionality. If my use cases change and Unity doesn't enable the lost capabilities I will be migrating when the time comes.

First thing i did was going to settings > appearance and set launcher icon size to the minimum (32 and that is still to big for some reason...) Why do they have to eat up all that space ALL of the time?? and switch auto hide on.
Size 16 really would be big enough for the blob icons

Gnome 2 was a good companion in 10.04 and I'm yet not convinced of Unity... therefore I will certainly wait with a permanent switch to 12.04 on my desktop. This 'forced' desktop switch feels a bit microsoftish to me.

Somehow i have a thought that the live CD would have been better with XFCE / Xubuntu and then the installer with a choice menu for Gnome2 / 3, Unity, XFCE, LXDE, E17

Mainly because XFCE runs more smoothly on a live CD / stick

Synaptic removed? The one thing that might help newbies most in the world of GNU/Linux they remove?? What's that all about? Is their aim to focus on people who have no interest in the actual technology they use? That would not be smart for a system that depends on a community...Sure there is software centre, click and never look deeper.. Though i guess their average user has more interest than that.

For the rest, it's feels stable, looks intuitive. Not bad at all. The switch to Unity doesn't seem to hard, even it is clear to me that it will be many times less frustrating then what people are used with on the 'Gates boxes'. Apart from switching to the Unity environment, there are only a few minor changes to the rest of the system, and none of them are totally different then before.

A job well done.
Still for me the move back to Debian is starting to become a real option now.
Ubuntu is great and it just works, Debian on the other hand feels more free, and doesn't fence things in.

I didn't like their DE choices so I opted for retro KDE Trinity. Loving it! I prefer to make my own decisions.

BUT, it's good we can choose between all those choices, a perfect world is on another planet. I like Ubuntu, but they now are loosing me a bit (Windows already lost me and I doubt if I ever go back). Hoping for Gnewsense to come to life a bit.

Near perfect for me is something like this:
100% GNU (even the kernel) the Debian way of package management in a Human Ubuntu working space. Though if things dwell away from me then I just have to find an opiton that feels better. And yes even KDE might one day be perfect for me.

Compared to PCLinuxOS, I found it slow, sluggish and buggy. I thought I'd try a test out and ask my wife to open up the email app, she couldn't find it on 12.04. Virtual Box was a hassle to install whereas on PCLinuxOS it's just a click on an icon. PCLinuxOS isn't perfect but generally I find that more things work straight away without the need to drop to the command line.

It is that Linux is Linux is Linux. I can get any Linux distribution to do what any other does if I feel like it. Don't like how one boots, build a custom kernel, and turn off whatever is slowing the process down. The Gimp is supposed to be a program, not a description of a Linux user!

May be your definition of "desktop perfection" but outside of current Ubuntu users, who will actually use it? Your typical [novice] user won't. You can't find it in the vast majority of stores [let alone any Linux version].

I think it is about making Linux a desktop STANDARD that NORMAL users can go to. The "OS" for NORMAL users needs to be sooo friendly that NORMAL people can just install & run there apps because THAT is what is the most important issue for NORMAL users. Use there apps & get there work done or just enjoy themselves. They don't WANT to configure there OS they just want to use there computer. So how about a research project where they get let's say 20 or more users to try different systems & see which one comes out best. 'OS" for the MASSES is the FINAL test of greatness.

I think when the Unity interface and HUD can be used from a tablet it will turn some heads.

12.04 really got me excited and when the beta came out I enthusiastically installed it via wubi. (I find dual boots to be too problematic with one OS or the other playing "king of the hill"). It was everything you complimented them for above.

Problem is the LTS release is wayyyyyy slower than the beta? The load is a little slower...the updates are wayyyy slower...what happened? Is Ubuntu now to mimic Windows where its best to wait until they get the bugs ironed out? (tried both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions)

Also, the details window for the updates is weak (too small, scrolls badly and doesn't display the update itself...only the update.source? I'll be following Ubunyu's progress but...

It is a step forward but not a giant leap.

when im not using windows, my top choice is ubuntu.
Its always been so smooth and user friendly

For the majority of "ordinary" users (i.e. non-Geeks), a new interface is an incredible barrier to using a new OS/version. I have been making the transition from WinXP to Win7 for my work PC, and that relatively small barrier is a real hindrance to getting my work done. The same applies to my home PC choice, Linux. I have gotten comfortable with Gnome2 over the last few years, mostly on Mint9, and I can focus on the "fun stuff" of actually using the PC.

But, every few years, I realize the base platform is getting too old for the hardware (although I normally stay several generations behind on hardware to save money), and some newer software tools/features I develop a strong preference for along with the end of security updates (a big motivator!). I go through the pain of this migration with some reluctance since it takes up a lot of my time, but the inducement of LTS lets me hope it won't repeat too ofen. Also, being in IT over 35 years, I still enjoy the challenges after I get "into it", and start seeing some benefits.

Believe me that a lot of people are more like my wife, and will NOT be persuaded to go through such trauma if there is any possible way to avoid such change. They do not care how much more "efficient" it is claimed to be - it is NOT efficient for them to spend such an inordinate amount of time to unlearn the muscle memory of mouse clicks and key presses in certain locations and sequences for little noticeable gain (noticeable to non-geeks, to be clear). This is the kind of issue that will keep Linux from ever replacing Windows in any large way no matter how technically superior it might be - all the varieties and changes destroy any kind of uniformity and stability that most PC users need to feel comfortable and be productive.

Of course, Windows is hitting the same resistance itself going from XP to 7 (Vista being skipped by many if they had a choice, but more due to technical glitches), and now the rants on Windows fora about the horribleness of Windows 8's Metro interface show that the same motivations for resistance to change are OS-agnostic (lots of how-to's for getting to the "hidden" traditional-sort-of GUI seem to be quite popular). For many, if not most, PC users, UI change is a huge barrier to be avoided at almost any cost.

I admit though that smartphones and tablets seem to be avoiding this problem, but I think it is due in large part to their fundamentally different use mode primarily for consumption, more like a TV, and brief discrete tasks like making a phone call, or tapping a blobby button image for a web page or opening an email, than for extensive content creation. Their interfaces are fairly conducive to selecting and arranging, and not so much for extensive input that a keyboard works better for (which may be why there is a market for the folio cases with imbedded keyboards to bridge that gap a bit for the "edge case" users). People are not having to unlearn an interface when the whole device paradigm is new, and relatively easy to get at least basic proficiency in. Instead they learn from scratch when the payoff is big (which is why I think the rise of thumb keyboards about 10 years ago was a huge, and missed, opportunity to introduce users to the keying efficiencies of a Dvorak layout, which would have saved a lot of "extreme thumb antics" - oh well, Paradise Lost ...).

Indeed, many are switching to tablets as their primary computing device when they find it is "just enough" for their needs, and much more convenient to have to hand for those needs - PC's are just unwieldy overkill for these users, and strange new hybrids like Unity and Metro probably will not lure them back, and will turn off many of the remaining "traditional" users.

FWIW

I think you nailed it perfectly (or should I say with perfection in reach). All tablet users I know use them as an high-priced gadget (or toy). They do send SOME e-mail, but use them more for reading e-mail, articles, pictures (grandkids, etc.), watching youtube videos and the like. I can see that tablet being appropriate for a "Personal Information" gadget more than getting real work done. BTW, not to sound like a "broken record" in my posts, but try Zorin_OS 5.2 Core. It is based on Ubuntu 11.04 and works like Ubuntu 10.10 and earlier (Gnome 2). It also provides for a Windows XP and a Windows 7 look and feel. BTW, it installs Google Chrome as the browser rather than Firefox. But it has a menu under System Tools to install browsers - Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera and Midori. Same place to choose the Win. XP, 7 or Gnome 2 desktop.

I started running Linux in 1995 and if I wanted to I could still use the same PC, and the same programs I did then today. In some cases with some of my favorite programs I do. I've had a couple different PCs in that time but not as many as Windows users usually go through though. One fellow I chat with keeps on telling me he still runs FVWM2 as his desktop Window Manager. I guess he likes it? Even I have to admit I've changed WMs a couple times over the years just for change sake. The bottom line is in order to be successful running Linux you have to take control of your system, and run what you want. Start off with a minimum custom install, then add only what you want. You'll be happier than if you take the raft of trash distros offer with a "Desktop Environment".

"trash distros" indeed : Ubuntu 12.04 base and KDE do not support my Dell D800 2.1 Ghz Pentium M due to its lack of PAE support, but the Xubuntu and Lubuntu variants do support it. That is "trashy treatment". That 2.1 Ghz CPU can still do a lot of work fast, just not in more than 4GB of RAM - c'mon, that is what 64-bit mode kernels are for.

However, even the kernel is constantly dropping "outmoded" hardware. Just keep up with all the changes in the "diff -u" column in Linux Journal, and it is about depressing to see all the stuff that is being "tossed".

On one system, after upgrading all I got was a blank screen. With some fooling around (going into a terminal), I was able to load icewm and get a useable system but gnome/gnome classic/XUbuntu and Ubuntu do not work for me on that one.

On another system, the upgrade broke GRUB -- no matter which choice, it came up with an error something like "no such partition". I was able to fix that by loading a live CD and re-installing GRUB. However, in Ubuntu I find that the drop-down menus don't work in many cases. Also, Synaptic is broken. The error has been reported, but not fixed yet.

I have been playing with it for a couple of evenings. To me it is still crapola. I didn't see any great difference between it and 11.10. In addition, I am constantly getting "Sorry, Ubuntu 12.04 has experienced an internal error". So much for testing. I just had another one running the Update Manager. I am running it in VirtualBox on a WIn. 7 machine. I also installed the Classic Gnome Desktop and have not found a way to move the "Min, Max, Close" icons to the top right (the ability to do it from the "Appearance" screen has disappeared and a Help search was NO help). I also tried to change the background to a solid color and it would not do it, While some change is understandable, too much looks like change for the sake of change. I knoow a lot of people will move up to it and adapt to missing items and different wasys of doing "easy things" in a more convoluted manner. that is their choice. As for me, I'll stick with Zorin_OS for now. Maybe some day, Ubuntu (and Windows) will realize that tablets and desktops are two different animals. I do sympathize with the idea to have one OS size fits all, but it is a failure IMO.

Still no proper support for dual monitors. (Windows works out of the box)
No easy way to mount network shares. You still have to go through fstab (Windows: right click -> Map network drive)
Want to change system locale? Forget about it! (Windows: 4 clicks)

I don't know why people think that Ubuntu is any different from any other linux distro, but if the makers of Ubuntu don't start thinking about home users and making their life easier (or at least as easy as Windows) then they can forget OS domination

in 10.04 i had DisplayLink/UbiSync (VGA over USB) working, but now in 12.04 I can't get it to work. Stuff like that should be more of a standard in my opinion. It is hardware... Plug and Play will it ever work???

My Mint 10, I just go to the search thingy and type resolution, this takes me to the control panel thingy and I click my second monitor (a TV) and click the use this screen button (was that what it was called...) and it just works, same as Windows.
Maybe its because I use the nVidia drivers?

AMD just works. Nvidia needs its driver in order to work. I'm guessing you have a Nvidia card?

Neither Nvidia nor AMD/ATI cards require their manufacturer's drivers to work, only to enable high-performance (3D) features. All VGA manufacturers support the VESA standards, including those two.

In addition, all major Linux distributions ship with non-proprietary/open source drivers for a dozen or so of the most popular manufacturers' graphics chips/cards (including the 'nouveau' driver for Nvidia cards). These are enabled automatically when the corresponding video chips are detected during installation.

So is there a difference between Nvidia & AMD/ATI when it comes to Linux? Actually, yes... Nvidia has a reputation for strong support for Linux, whereas ATI has given themselves a reputation of providing grudging support and releasing sub-par drivers. (If this has changed recently, and ATI users can vouch for improved support/quality for their hardware, please let everyone know... I only buy Nvidia for my machines; they all run Linux.)

*DUAL* monitors!

I stand corrected! :^D

(That'll teach me to reply to long blog threads on a smart phone!)

do not guarantee intelligent usage.

I have been trying to run this 12.04 in an Oracle VM Virtual-box environment. Its the 64 bit version and actually runs very smoothly. However it will not detect my nvidia 520 graphics card. All I get (thus far) is the vmbox graphics adapter as the display card. Other than this issue, which I am still trying to work through, this has been running very nicely. I have to adjust my usage of the desktop, but what's life without a bit of change? As long as its a change for the good ...