Ubuntu should be cooler?

[xxhopingtearsxx]

Feel free to say this is stupid, because I hardly come on here anyways..

I've been using Ubuntu since it was created, and I've been thinking.. Anyone else think since Ubuntu (I'm speaking as if Ubuntu is a person) basically is trying to grab the average user's attention (I mean we've got Unity despite the bugs, I think we're trying to be more appealing), maybe they should also fix their appeal? I mean, it's not Fedora (have you seen their picture of their contributors, just a bunch of geeks holding a peace sign) but I think if it's trying to grab a bigger market share of operating systems, they should give it a shot to have more appeal on their website? That is because the first place people go to download or check out the software..

Some ideas:


More pictures of humans on their website.
Something that screams "personalization".. The idea that you could make your computer your own, with your own customizations.
Videos with actual narration. The video tour has no sound.


I don't know, I kind of had more.. I just literally sat here and imagined Ubuntu.com trying to appeal to the average user (I'd say teenagers but that's really stupid). Maybe I was drugged or something, but that sounds like a cool idea. I just think we should try to get rid of the notion that people that use Linux are a bunch of nerds.. unless I'm the only one that honestly wants Linux to be a little more popular.. and the only Linux user whose idea of party isn't related to computers.

I think the people that would bash me for my idea are going to be the same people that commented on a Tumblr post when I said "Ubuntu should live up to being Linux for Human beings", they said "Well if they don't like it, grab the source code and make another distribution."

Pftt here comes criticism.

[Oxwivi]

Appealing to teenagers is going to be an awful lot of hardwork. Sure, there's Gwibber and Empathy but they won't be playing WoW out of the box.

[xxhopingtearsxx]

Appealing to teenagers is going to be an awful lot of hardwork. Sure, there's Gwibber and Empathy but they won't be playing WoW out of the box.

I've only met one teenager that played WoW.
The average teenager seems to be into parties, dating, Facebook, Twitter.. at least from my experience.

[Oxwivi]

I used that as an example. I don't know about the Western teenagers, but we Asians at Middle East play an awful lot of games. (Ah, but I must say, being 19 and still using a Pentium 4, and an interest in computers more than gaming, I can't relate)

[kaldor]

Teenagers usually tend to hate everything that's different from what they know anyway.

[timZZ]

"Cool" is a hard word to put into such a large user-group.

I think it is cool / personal that a group of people made Ubuntu for MY use and that what makes it MORE COOL is that I can change it for my needs.

[scouser73]

Is Windows cool; is Apple cool, what is cool, what does it mean?

Ubuntu is striving to be a great operating system, so does "cool" come into account rather than people wanting to actually use it because it serves a purpose as a real alternative to other operating systems?

In my opinion I don't care whether Ubuntu or any other O/S is considered cool, just as long as I have a satisfying user experience and can perform tasks and objectives that enabled me to via the O/S I am using.

It's subjective to people's perspectives whether something is "cool" or not, just as long as it get's the job done and without any headaches then that's what people should focus on rather than wanting to say they use X,Y or Z.

[jerenept]

Teenagers usually tend to hate everything that's different from what they know anyway.

Thanks for lumping me into your stereotypical views. I started using Ubuntu at 12 or 13 years old. Before I had only used XP and MacOS.

[jamesjenner]

Most people who are not "into computers" just want their computer to work. They are impressed by flashy things, but they don't want to have to learn how to make it flashy. So I'm not sure how an operating system can be made 'cool', when to be into an operating system kinda requires you to be into computers, which I suspect is a minority of the population.

To be honest it's the features that are driving what people go for now a days. Look at the evolution of the tablet and smart phone market. Initially targeted business, as that was where the money was and all of a sudden apps exploded on the scene. While I'm not an Apple fanboy (I have several apple devices but now other options are available I do not intend to buy anymore), one thing apple has done well with their iPod, iPhone and iPad is to make it very simple for non technical people to use the devices, download things that they want (be it apps or music or videos) and make their use of the device far more enjoyable then it used to be. To be honest, as much as I like Android, I think some of the things it does is a tad confusing to end users who are not tech minded.

If Ubuntu could do that for whatever niche Ubuntu is seen to fill, then yes, I think Ubuntu could become cool. However I suspect that it's a long shot and the short term future is most prob some kind of laptop or tablet hybrid. These markets seem to be up to the manufacturers as to which OS is used and then it's often chosen on what will help sales.

I just don't see Ubuntu breaking into this territory and as such do not suspect it will ever be cool. While I admire the path Ubuntu has taken, I see it as being a tad reactionary to developments in commercial operating systems, not a leader.

[IWantFroyo]

When I look for a new distro to mess around with, I usually check the website. First impression really counts. For example, I've seen people who don't like Apple drooling over the pretty pictures of Macs, and I don't doubt that Apple would be less popular if they didn't have such a (I'll admit it) pretty website.
I also agree that the Ubuntu.com website needs major work.
I would recommend just showing off the features more with a sort of tree system, such as:
-Web Browsing and Social
-Office work
-Programming capabilities
-etc.

Actually, the website doesn't need to be redone as much as added on to.

[kaldor]

Thanks for lumping me into your stereotypical views. I started using Ubuntu at 12 or 13 years old. Before I had only used XP and MacOS.

Talking entirely from my experience where I didn't know a single person who didn't call Mac users f**s. No offense intended, hence why I said "usually". Then again, I come from a small town. There are obviously lots of level-headed teens in existence.

Edit: I see I've made the UF Fail Thread. /waves

[jerenept]

Talking entirely from my experience where I didn't know a single person who didn't call Mac users f**s. No offense intended, hence why I said "usually". Then again, I come from a small town. There are obviously lots of level-headed teens in existence.

Edit: I see I've made the UF Fail Thread. /waves

:p you seem reasonable... lol
these guys (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=10829605#post10829605) seem to agree that ubuntu needs to be cooler...

P.S. if you''re sick of OnBoard's unbelievable ugliness, you might want to try Florence (SourceForge (http://florence.sf.net/)) apt://florence

[kaldor]

<3

[Thewhistlingwind]

The average teenager seems to be into parties, dating, Facebook, Twitter.. at least from my experience.

I think it's pretty cool. Of course, I don't think I've ever done any of the things on that list, aside from chatting with friends.

EDIT: I didn't write that with the quote in front me, as it would turn out, chatting wasn't even on the list.

[athenroy]

I guess I'd have to agree, the Ubuntu website could be "spruced up". The video should include audio as well, otherwise a person might get the impression you cannot make a video with audio using Ubuntu. You have to remember, though, the people working on Ubuntu but all of their energy into the project, not into designing websites. I'm sure they would welcome volunteer web designers.

I think the main goal is to develop the best free operating system they can and let "word of mouth" from users do the "advertising".

As it stands right now, if I ever got back into the computer "refurbishing" business and I knew someone, even an older person, wanted a computer mainly to surf the web, email or chat with family and maybe visit the social websites and do the occasional letter writing and maybe budget bookkeeping, I'd have no problem selling them a box running on Ubuntu 11.04. It would better and safer for them than a Windows machine. Less to go wrong and less for them to mess up! :P

[xxhopingtearsxx]

Well, nice responses here. I'm not going through the definition of "cool" but, I think that open source, and free software should be more popular. It is true, Windows and Mac users prefer something shinier, and I think that there needs to be something that drags them into it. The Ubuntu 11.04 Installer is now foolproof, Ubuntu had a major design overhaul (Every other distro looked very similar like the previous one, while Windows and Mac went design overhauls. I was waiting for something to make my computer look newer by default)..

Windows and Mac users tend to use the default programs and settings. Well, not Mac users usually, but Ubuntu doesn't look like much to attract them..

Maybe I regret the word "cool" (although everyone else I've talked to seemed to understand what I meant by cool ;) ) but I basically mean there has to be something that attracts more users. Doesn't anyone else want to see Ubuntu get more popular, with companies like HP, Toshiba, coming to our side? Maybe not the operating system but at least releasing compatible programs.. AIM doesn't even have a Linux version ffs.. Songbird left us, wish honestly sucks since that was the only goodlooking music player I actually found that truly had an Itunes-style UI.

The website is simple, but I think it should have a little more to attract people. Google Chrome is attracting people, and their website is extremely simple, but they have some neat videos with sound. Maybe I'm just insane.

I just like the idea that people can get rid of the notion that Ubuntu is for nerds. People may say that there's a stereotype for Mac users, but not really. I've seen photos of Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, and Kid Cudi with Macbooks.

[Onoku]

Let's package it in a leather jacket and sunglasses!!

Really though, marketing is almost non-existent for Ubuntu. I don't even remember how I heard about it. I think I randomly stumbled upon it while looking up Linux.

[Triblaze]

As a teenager, I think Ubuntu is plenty cool, especially more so than Windows in terms of almost everything (except gaming, which is one major and ever-persistent problem). And Macs are seen as "cool" by some because they're "slicker" than Windows, but with Ubuntu's customization options, I can emulate a Mac or a Windows desktop, or better.
But that's not what the thread is about.

I'd have to agree with you on how cool it appears in terms of marketing. Not that there is much. But the website definitely could be updated in all the ways you said. I think a lot of people would like Ubuntu if they tried it out for a while, even teenagers (other than the gaming facet). The problem is getting them to try it and have them sit through more than one use. Once that curve is passed, it's a bit easier for them to see the advantages, but you're right, Ubuntu isn't exactly marketing it in a way that makes people try it.