Ubuntu - Whats still missing

[klahjn]

Reverse the tables a little:
I tried Windows XP the other day and this is what i found missing:
Antivirus Software - For some reason I can't keep those bugs off my system
Spyware Remover - For some reason I get too many popups
Customized Blue Screen Of Death - I see a blue screen all the time, can i at least change it to purple or something? Maybe it will lighten the mood.
Desktop Choice - Where is the option to use Gnome? I can't find it anywhere
Graphic Design Program - Where is Gimp? It doesn't install from the beginning?
Office Suite - You mean to tell me I have to install OpenOffice??
Xgl - Where is my 3d spinning Cube & Wobbling windows?
Games - You mean i only get 5 games to start? Where is Konquest? What about AisleRot Solitare w/ dozens of game options? What about Atlantik? etc...
Package Manager - Where is the Synaptic on this? I can't install programs from Windows Update?
Money - Where is the money i should have used to pay my bills? I think someone robbed me....my wallet is empty.....

I am an ex-windows user. I use linux now, and will for probably as long as i am able to. This is just an example of how you can turn something "good" into something "bad". I believe that windows,linux,unix,mac,bsd,solaris,etc each have thier own place. I also believe linux has a place in my home, my heart, and my computer. d;] Just a thought.

PS- some of this was meant for humor.....so lighten up and laugh a little. I also want to state that i believe the original poster does have some valid points, but i think also to point out that linux is constantly evolving, so the features you request in linux usually come into play ALOT faster than if you request them from windows.

[puelocesar]

I agree with him in some points, but the majority of them are manufacturers fault.

Something it's strange is what he said about external printer.

I configured the servers printer in my ubuntu dapper workstation very easily, only with gnome printers dialog and the printer address on network

[j_baer]

An ex MS employee post : http://keithcu.com/wordpress/?p=24 basiclly summing up what he still thinks is missing:

• Multimedia often skips or doesn’t display properly in the browser (Gstreamer)
• Sleep and hibernate don’t work on my hardware yet (Driver Problemns)
• Gnome will mount NTFS, but I can’t browse because of permission problems
• Enabling external monitors isn’t easy (!!!!!!!)
• Remote printing requires manual textfile configuration
• Installing non-free software or drivers requires lots of manual work (!!!!!)
• Driver bugs ( as always )
• apt-get dist-upgrade hosed my machine

Any one add to that list?

Good points but trying to get it right for every conceivable environment is probably not going to happen. I believe Microsoft would say hardware is cheap, upgrade if you want to run the lastest and greatest. Dell can hardly wait for Vista to be release.

Multi media has been a challenge of which only half is technical. On my computer MPlayer offers the best solution although Totem-Gstreamer is very close. Music players development under Linux is just crazy. Look at the choices ... Rhythmbox, Banshee, amaroK, xmms; new ones like "Listen"; and ones under development like Songbird.

I don't know about the non-free software part as I used what is provided and I am not constrained by the choices that I have. Probably not a fair comparision as I can remember being challanged by software installs under Windows and attempting to get a driver to work.

I haven't had the problem with remote printing so I don't know what the issue is.

All in all delaying the release of Dapper to tidy up loose ends my well prove to be a stroke genius. The bugs will be fixed, it will only take a little time.

Cheers ...

[Anthem]

Good list of bugs. I might have to follow his blog, he's a good writer.

[EPOX123]

A good Flash editor would be nice ..... cant use linux for flash stuff.....

[adam.tropics]

I agree with klahjn and would go further to say, that in the world of MS we are talking about a paid, sometimes heavily paid for product. As such its development is largely closed, and there is not nearly enough 'community' involvement in windows; average users generally just get what they are given.

We have a different agenda within Linux. As we find these 'missing' things, we are able to see them evolve, and perhaps help them do so. We don't have to wait until the next big (often expensive) release. We can choose at what development stage we start to use much of the software available to us, we can provide feedback, which genuinely taken notice of, and have a real effect on the product we end up using. At the end of the day, if something is missing in Ubuntu, then we the community should, and can do something to change that. And we don't need to wait four years to see the benefits either.

This really isn't a race to the finish. How Ubuntu progresses is pretty much up to us. If many MS users don't see the benefits in it then fair enough. In time, they may change their opininion. But for now, as a community in general (not specific to this post) we need to stop slating MS and concentrate that energy on aiding Ubuntu. More constructive by a long way.

Just an opinion.

Adam

ps that said, where ATI are concerned..........!!!!!!

[gamma]

I read his article today, pretty fair review. Yes there are issues, but things are getting better. The desktop is constantly getting new features that are going to lead to a better user experience. Ubuntu for one is making Linux easy and simple and Dapper is going to be an excellent release.

[xrado]

sleep and hibernate works on my laptop

but printing is missing a lot of features compares to MS

..anyway i use linux all the time and its geting better and better

[Jingo]

I agree with him in some points, but the majority of them are manufacturers fault.

Whether it's the manufacturers fault or some open source problem doesn't matter... the problem persist. Drivers need to be stable whoever makes them. I figure most driver I need are stable.

I agree with this ex-MS guy, that first problem we need to find the bugs and priotize them. It might be very helpful if people could vote on bugs, but other scenarios might get better results. Anyway we need to find out which bugs really matter for the overall user.

Second problem: whos responsible. I don't care who solves bugs, as long as they get solved. I would say, those who ship the distro are responsible to the end-user. And I think Ubuntu/Canonical does a very good job!

[KillerKiwi]

> Enabling external monitors isn’t easy
http://sax.berlios.de/ <- need this in Ubuntu !