Day 1 – 10 Days of Ubuntu 10.10 Feature Requests

Today is day 1 of my “10 Days of Ubuntu 10.10 Feature Requests” series, and the topic is creating a great package management experience. (Some may know this better as the “Add/Remove Software” dialog.) Canonical is attempting to address many of these concerns with their forthcoming “AppCenter” / “Software Store”, so I won’t bore you with yet another lengthy list of requests for this hotly debated item. Instead, this article distills the essence of Ubuntu package management into a simple list of “must-haves”…

10 Days of Ubuntu 10.10 Feature Requests

If you’ve read my past two articles (here and here), you’re hopefully aware of several things:

I am a very happy Ubuntu user.
That said, Ubuntu is not perfect.  <gasp!>  Yes, it does have some problems.  These are outlined in more detail in my Ubuntu Report Card (2009) article.
Out of a desire to help, I’ve been compiling [...]

Ubuntu Report Card (2009)

For the last 12 months, I have used Ubuntu as my primary OS. I remain a very happy convert, but I worry that Ubuntu is being unevenly developed. Certain areas have seen great improvements over the last 12 months while other areas have languished or been largely ignored. To that end, the purpose of this article is not to whine or rant, but to bring some perspective to the evolution (or lack thereof) that Ubuntu has experienced between versions 8.04 and 9.04. I write this article in an attempt to help – because as has been pointed out elsewhere, Linux is reaching a point where it needs less zealots and more (loving!) critics…

Ubuntu: One Year Later

Hard to believe, but it’s been almost a year since my first Ubuntu-themed article appeared on this site.  Last October I made the decision to try Ubuntu 8.04.  This was the end result of a number of factors, including months of trying to squeeze every drop of life out of XP.  Eventually the futility of [...]

10 Things I Don’t Miss About Windows XP

Six months ago I moved from XP to Ubuntu, and I can honestly say that my relationship with my PC has never been better. To celebrate six months of freedom, here is my top ten list of “reasons I’m glad I switched from XP to Ubuntu.”

The Only Feature Ubuntu 10.04 Needs

Why am I talking about Ubuntu 10.04 when the 9.10 release (Karmic Koala) is still months away? I’ve picked 10.04 because there’s still time for us, as an Ubuntu community, to have some say on what happens to it. The feature set for 9.10 has been mostly laid out, but 10.04 is still an open slate – and I think two significant things need to happen between 9.10 and 10.04 if Ubuntu wants to stay relevant on the desktop.

Linux vs. Windows Hardware Support: The Truth

If you’ve heard of Linux, you’ve probably also heard the following comment (or something like it):
Linux won’t be ready for mainstream use until it “just works.”
Or maybe:
I wanted to like Linux, but after installing it my (insert hardware) and (insert hardware) and (insert hardware) didn’t work.
Some are even so elegant as to say it like [...]

Desktop Linux + Portable Hard Drive + PS3 = HD-DVR

This weekend I finally took the time to get MythTV running on my HP Media Center PC (under Ubuntu Linux). For those who don’t know, MythTV is a free Linux application which turns a computer with the necessary hardware into a network streaming digital video recorder, a digital multimedia home entertainment system, or home theater PC. MythTV is quite the application. Honestly, it’s a bit daunting at first – there are a TON of options/features, much more than are probably necessary. (But you know Linux – someone somewhere has probably made use of every one of those obscure settings…) Despite this, the community documentation for getting MythTV up and running with my TV card was exceptional…

Spread the Ubuntu love

In the spirit of Christmas, here are some free images you can use to promote Ubuntu! Send them to everyone you know (including those who have no idea what Ubuntu even is…).

The best Ubuntu 8.10 install guide

There are many Ubuntu install guides available online, most of them falling somewhere between mediocre and okay – but this one is *great*. Detailed instructions are included for users looking to switch from Windows, and this guide covers more than just the install process itself – it also includes information on configuring stubborn drivers, enabling codecs, and making sure Flash works. Highly recommended.