Because of Ubuntu’s big release tomorrow, a review of the latest release candidate. It concludes: “To sum up my experience with Ubuntu’s Dapper I will say that it is easily the most impressive Linux distribution I have used to date. The combination of speed, stability, ease of use and the excellant apt-get package manager, makes it the Linux distro to beat. The 5 years of upgrades is another incentive to try out Dapper as well. This would be the first time I would recommend a Linux distro to any computer user (including Windows users) and feel confident they would like the system, as well as be able to use the system proficiently shortly after testing out the system.”
I have a Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop. I tried wiping out my harddrive and installing Dapper Drake (Beta1, Beta2, RC) through the text install on this machine. I had no luck with Beta1 as it crashed every time I tried to install it. Beta2 was released shortly after and had no problem installing. While I was a bit unhappy about the word Beta being plastered everywhere, the distro was quick and snappy, and worked very well. Also, as I slowly updated the system, the system started to look better and respond quicker. However, somewhere along one of the update, my dpkg database got hosed and I was no longer able to install/update anything. I then tried to install the RC from scratch and it crashed exactly the same place where Beta1 crashed. Overall, I had a very good impression of Ubuntu but have two major worries. My first worry is that the Ubuntu team seems to be spending a lot of time on the live/graphical installer and very little on the text installer. I truly hope they have a stable, working text installer since it is actually a pretty good installer. My second worry is that my dpkg/apt system got completely hosed. I know it is beta but it is still disturbing.
I have similar experiences with my desktop. The old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies. I remember acquainting myself with Dapper through Flight 4. I was impressed. On my Amd64 desktop, hibernate worked perfectly. So did compiz: lots of oooh’s and ahhh’s for 3d! But ever since Flight 6, up to RC, I can’t get hibernate to work, nor compiz. Must be a kernel thing. Think I’m gonna stick with Flight 4..
No kidding, it is a magical distro. I use the text based installer, the graphical crashed in the Flight series, no need to use it. Btw, the acroread plugin from the repo don’t work for me with firefox, had to download acroread from Adobe and do the browser plugin install.
Does anybody know if the latest nvidia driver (8762) will be included in the release (Ubuntu is lagging behind) or is there some legal impediment to including the latest nvidia stuff?
What company produces this? I thought it was MS, but no.
I tried out the beta releases for a while, but some of the updates were a bit unstable…it *was* a beta, after all
I am looking forward to giving Dapper a shot (a good, legitimate shot) as my primary OS, especially since package management on SUSE 10.1 is such a nightmare (please God let them fix it soon).
It would be nice if they included an easy (scripted?) way to enable xgl and compiz, but it’s just eye candy, and definitely not required…I like tinkering anyway, but for noobs it would be nice. A graphical way to enable/disable repositories so that users wouldn’t have to hit the CLI would be nice too.
I agree on the Xgl/Compwiz issue, it’s easy enough now, but it still relies on the CLI, so not totally N00bie proof like the SUSE implementation. As for the way to enable/disable repositories graphically, it’s there; go into Synaptic, choose Repositories, and you’re given the option to check/uncheck universe/multiuniverse/etc. I can’t rem the exact steps (I’m at work) but it’s in there.
You should have a look at the ubuntu project gnome-bling-manager
Link to the bling manager: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GnomeBlingManager
Great review from someone who understands Ubuntu. Dapper will be supported for 3 years on the desktop and 5 years on the server yet I don’t think it will be the “Vista-killer”.
It is an excellent Linux distribution and with the Xgl/compiz effects it far surpasses anything I’ve seen in the Vista betas I’ve played with. However, Vista will be released early next year and by then the next version of Ubuntu, Edgy Eft will be out.
The Linux desktop is gaining some serious traction as shown by projects such as {U,K}buntu, Fedora, and openSUSE. Folks, it can only get better from here.
Yes, I too have played with the Vista betas, and I can honestly say that Microsoft are about to catch up with the look and feel Linux had this time last year.
Imagine what the Linux UI will be like by the time Vista is mainstream, (I don’t mean when it is released, I mean when almost all Windows users are using Vista). Maybe by then, the Linux UI will look and act like all those made up interfaces in Films and TV programs, eg CSI.
If only cops had computers like those !
I’d just like to comment on your first paragraph.
I think it would be hard for Dapper to be a Vista killer since Vista doesn’t really exist yet and Dapper will be out tomorrow.
In spite of how nice Dapper is, for me Microsoft is the real Vista killer.
After experiencing Windows since 1.0, I just don’t care anymore. Each release promises to fix things that have always been irritating to me, both as a user and as a developer, and they never quite get it done. Vista is the same. Endless slipping, dumped features, and a bunch of DRM crap is what has killed Vista for me. Not Linux.
So tomorrow, I’ll be downloading and installing Dapper and I will be happy. In a couple of years, for me anyway, Vista will slip by largly unnoticed.
Edited 2006-06-01 04:53
I just did an apt-update; apt-distupgrade on my iBook that was about a month out of date with Dapper, and wow; the fit and finish and just nice touches really show. I’m glad they waited, it was the right decision. The only thing I don’t have working is WPA with my home WiFi. I’ve followed the HOWTO on the forums, but I was still only given the option of using 3 different WEP options, nothing about WPA. I was hoping this would make it into the release, but now I’m not sure. Does anyone have WPA working on Dapper?
Oh, and I will be installing Dapper (with Xgl/Compwiz) on a MacMini to run alongside OSX soon.
apt-get install network-manager-gnome
Do that once you have universe and multiverse enabled — and then disable all your network interfaces through the normal tool and everything should work through the network manager
will it play my WMV files?
Thought not
-n-
of course it will play WMV files. Ubuntu Vista is made by microsoft, isn’t it?
You must to install easy ubuntu to play wmv and more…
Yes, if you care about tweaking it.
But don’t expect all WMV-files to work.
It will play non DRM WMV files no problem! But if you have DRM WMV files you can’t play them anyplace but on Windows.
Then again if they have DRM then they are not “your” WMV files anyway.
f they have DRM then they are not “your” WMV files anyway.
hehehehe, pity that point will get lost with the Windows fans and the iPod generation.
Thought so, I play them all the time, on Breezy, and Dapper will play them too, good to see you checked it out before commenting
my install of Dapper plays most wmv files..some of the encrypted ones won’t.. but they wont on my mac either.. oh well..their loss..oh.. but mplayer plugin still chokes on real streams at bbc..kinda pisses me off.
hmmm, last I heard was that the BBC implemented an IP address checker that will not allow streams to play if you are outside the UK.
The answer is: it’s a WMV file — it’s not “yours,” it’s licensed to you by Microsoft and the copyright holder (even if you created the content, MS exerts rights over it for use of the format).
That said — yes, you can play WMV files, even DRM’d ones, provided you install the software to do so. By default Ubuntu doesn’t install it, but EasyUbuntu does.
Can u give some details? What SW/lib plays WMediaDRM?
The reviewer can’t spell the word excellent. Credibility of the review approaches zero.
Apparently the Dapper release candidate didn’t ship with a spell checker. Did someone patent spell checking? Maybe you have to download a spell checker after the install like with Fedora.
For everyone who doesn’t want to hunt around installing things and making video support like windows media work, install easyubuntu:
http://easyubuntu.freecontrib.org/get.html
but, as it is linux, there is a choice……
http://www.beerorkid.com/arnieboy/automatix_6.1_i386.deb for Automatix, this version runs on Dapper and has a lot more than EasyUbuntu.
Mplayer + Codecs
Firefox 1.5 + Codecs
Realplayer 10
Acrobat 7
Java 1.5
Flash
Streamtuner
Amsn
Gaim
Azureus
BUM
DVD Ripper
Libdvdcss2
Frostwire
Win32codecs
Opera
Thunderbird
Firestarter
NVidia Drivers
Wine
Skype
Audacity
Kino
VLC
and many more…
But I’m not sure anyone would want to select Automatix (instead of EasyUbuntu) after reading this thread:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=122797
Did you read the thread ?
It is entitled Ant-Automatix FUD….
People around here should know the damage FUD is supposed to do !
Like the author said, a few people might have problems, that is to be expected with any software, but these people start spreading FUD about the software rather than report the errors to the devs.
In all honesty, I think the people that do this are people who have recently switched from Windows and who are not used to getting their problems fixed.
but these people start spreading FUD about the software rather than report the errors to the devs
Sort of like your “Ubuntu doesn’t enable DMA by default” FUD that you haven’t reported to the devs?
What makes you think I did not notify the devs ?
What makes you think it was FUD ?
What makes you think I did not notify the devs ?
http://www.osnews.com/permalink.php?news_id=14747&comment_id=129357 makes it look awfully like you didn’t, and I can’t find a bug report from you.
What makes you think it was FUD ?
Because it’s untrue? As I said, any situations in which DMA isn’t enabled by default are bugs. I haven’t seen it happen for quite some time.
hmmm, then why does Automatix have a tick box to enable DMA ?
The reviewer stated that the desktop ran slower with XGL/Compiz turned on than when turned off. I noticed that the reviewer stated that an nVidia 6600GT video card was being used, which I understand is hardware fully supported by XGL/Compiz. I have seen other articles where it was stated that on systems with supported GPUs, that XGL/Compiz ran faster than the vanilla graphics environment. Maybe it was slower on this version of UBUNTU because its BETA? Anyone care to comment?
By the way, are the binaries for UBUNTU as provided in the ISO images compiled for i686 or i386? i686 would be better for most systems out there, and I have heard from many sources that optimizing for i686 gives a real, noticeable performance boost.
On my Toshiba Tecra M2 laptop, XGL is noticeably quicker than plain old metacity etc. This is with a geforce Go 5200, so nothing spectacular. It depends how you quantify how fast it “feels” though I guess. There is still a definite slowness in moving windows around, nothing too bad, certainly not as bad as stock metacity and the redraw that goes with it.
As for the binaries, they are i386 compiled with i686 optimisations I believe. You can certainly select an i686 kernel from the repositories if you so desire. As for the other applications, it would be up to a 3rd party to provide i686 versions (of which there isn’t one currently AFAIK).
The reviewer stated that the desktop ran slower with XGL/Compiz turned on than when turned off. I noticed that the reviewer stated that an nVidia 6600GT video card was being used, which I understand is hardware fully supported by XGL/Compiz. I have seen other articles where it was stated that on systems with supported GPUs, that XGL/Compiz ran faster than the vanilla graphics environment. Maybe it was slower on this version of UBUNTU because its BETA? Anyone care to comment?
It’s not because of Ubuntu, but rather the Nvidia drivers.
There is a particular OpenGL instruction used by Xgl (I forget the name of it now) that’s not supported by the current version of the Nvidia drivers, so Xgl has to use a software (Mesa) implementation of it. This means that when you’re busy wobbling windows about, part of the process is done by the CPU rather than being accellerated by the graphics card. Thus bizarrely, CPU use is higher for the supposedly hardware accellerated Xgl than it is for plain old X.
Whether this is noticable or not I guess depends on the system and the user in question. I can’t see it on my system unless I’m watching the CPU meter at the time. In fact, given the silky-smooth compositing and lack of redraw, my desktop feels more responsive rather than less.
Hopefully Nvidia will address this in their next driver release to that we can have a completely hardware-accellerated desktop.
Interesting note about the state of nVidia drivers and their ability to support XGL/Compiz. Do the ATI drivers fare better?
Seems that there is also some debate regarding whether compiling Linux distributions with i686 optimization really does provide any benefit over using i386 on P2 and later CPUs. Would be nice to see some benchmarks that address this rather than subjective evaluations. I know, I know, I could do this myself, but I have a day job that does not involve Linux ;-).
Not that it matter much, but I downloaded the RC when it came out and it has a different wallpaper than in the sreenshot there, which by chance looks just EXACTLY as the one I saw some months ago in Nexenta !
http://www.gnusolaris.org/gswiki/ScreenShots
I think that Ubuntu has learned a lot from Nexenta about how to make a “human” theme look good, with nice icons, brighter colours… Finally Ubuntu looks good out of the box.
By speed and stability is nowhere near Slackware or Arch. I find it buggy and slow. But ok, I think that’s just me…
Silly!
Nextena’s packages are mostly taken from Ubuntu, in fact it’s basically Ubuntu Solaris more than it is GNU Solaris. Thats why the wallpaper looks the same – they stole it from Ubuntu!
Copying:
“All I had to do was edit the xorg.conf found in /etc/X11 and change the driver from nvidia to vesa”
OK, no big deal for any of OSNews readers and probably Lunapark6′ either, but in contrast with the summary
“This would be the first time I would recommend a Linux distro to any computer user”
I know what the issues are and *I* know how to fix that problem. But we are still far from real-life users, aren’t us?
The nvidia driver does it for you now with the nvidia-xconfig and has been for about the last three releases.
No need to edit the xorg.conf anymore.
If you expect normal users to install their own OS, that is true. But none of my friends and family has ever done that. Not Windows either. I’ve allways had to install and configure for them.
My sister is currently running Ubuntu 5.10. She lives in another town then me, so I set up the computer and sendt it to her. She doesn’t know much about computers at all, but she’s happily using and updating Ubuntu at need and has become a Linux-fan in the process. I didn’t have any Windows license for her and she got the computer from bits and parts I’d collected. It’s a 2,8Ghz with 512 MB RAM and a silenced power supply, so it’s not a bad PC.
So, in instaling the OS I can agree with you, but using it? Now, I think 6.06 will be even easier to use and 5.10 if newbie friendly in heaps!
Nalle Berg
./nalle.
It looks like there won’t be any last-minute updates for Dapper. So what we have here is the first in the series of “long-term support” (or “enterprise-level”) releases of Ubuntu.
All in all, Dapper looks a bit conservative:
* Linux kernel is not the latest version
* Xorg is not the latest version
* ALSA is not the latest version
Kubuntu users will notice that:
* koffice is not the latest version
* k3b is not the latest version
* amarok is not the latest version
The all-time favourite text editor of all Linux geeks, Vim, had recently a major update but Dapper doesn’t seem to ship with the latest version of Vim.
If this were a normal Ubuntu release, I’d expect that most of the above mentioned apps would be upgraded to the latest versions before the final release. I’m glad that the next few Ubuntu releases will again be normal releases targeted at home desktop users and not to corporate market like these LTS releases.
No, I think this is normal for Ubuntu. Version freezes happen well before release, and not many updates slip past.
You will still be able to get new versions for most of those packages on dapper-backports, when it opens.
“It looks like there won’t be any last-minute updates for Dapper”
It doesn’t matter for most people. Noobs know nothing about newer versions, they would care only if what they get really works. Considering that Windows XP is several years old, I don’t think anyone will really care. And for powerusers and geeks, well, you already know how to update your sources.list and apt-get into it. Eventually, you will get newer packages when updating.
Anyway, it’s not final release. I don’t know if the packages are freezed.
If the rumours are true and Ubuntu Dapper will be released tomorrow, then I expect that the packages must be in a pretty frozen state by now. 😛
The updates that Dapper seems to miss are mostly minor versions and they don’t really matter much. But, in general, if you think that newbies don’t care about program versions, you are wrong. Actually it’s precisely newbies who are always looking for the latest and greatest and these newbies will also abandon a distro pretty quickly if some other distro can offer newer programs. More experienced users don’t usually care that much about program versions — that the program does what it’s supposed to do is what matters.
A much more important concern is, however, that we don’t know yet if Ubuntu can keep all the different kinds of users happy with its future releases. When Ubuntu was first started, its goal was to give the home desktop users an up-to-date Debian-based system with a polished GNOME desktop. Since then Ubuntu has been widening its target areas all the time. There’s Kubuntu for KDE fans and there’s Xubuntu for XFCE users. There are Ubuntu servers. And now Ubuntu Dapper targets “enterprise-level” users (whatever these may be) but it looks like it’ll still manage not to disappoint the home desktop users. OK, Dapper is now six weeks late of its original schedule and it’s not quite there on the cutting edge, but it still looks like Dapper will be a pretty good release for all kinds of users.
But what will happen in the future if Ubuntu becomes a successful “enterprise” distro like RedHat? Will there be more compromises where new features are shunned in favour of stability? Will Ubuntu concentrate on server solutions and corporate desktops and forget the needs of the ordinary home desktop users who gave Ubuntu its momentum in the first place? Will money speak louder than ideals? It’s way too early to say anything yet but this kind of development is certainly not totally impossible. We’ll just have to wait and see which way the wind seems to be blowing…
Installer is pretty much the usual. No big deal, no hassle. Wireless now works out of the box. Default fonts seem a little better.
Haven’t tried the XGL stuff because I run the desktop to a nx client on my XP box, and I’ve got an ATI card. It looks like the release will be real soon because the messag boards are/were down.
How about a 250MB internal atapi Zip drive.
Have they figured out how to make it work properly?
I tried an earlier release and the Zip Drive icon came up on the screen but it couldn’t mount the drive.
It is a udev problem with using a partition on a removeable drive.
It is refreshing to see a Linux review that is targeted towards Linux users. I, for one, am quite tired of reviews basically being all about how user friendly it is and how the reviewers grandmother would have a hard time with a particular part of the installation.
It’s hard to say, because I already use Ubuntu, but I think this review really lets an experienced user know what Ubuntu is like.
If only all reviews were like this so that I didn’t have to actually try out the distro myself.
Edited 2006-05-31 21:30
> The combination of speed, stability, ease of use and the excellant apt-get package manager, makes it the Linux distro to beat
You can remove the “ease of use”.
Install wpa_supplicant. Then either configure a wpa_supplicant.conf with all your options and use wpa-conf /path/to/wpa_supplicant.conf in your /etc/network/interfaces, or put all the wpa-* options in there.
Works like a charm on my Kubuntu 6.06 and Debian testing laptops.
What is my hardisk crunching about for approx 10 secs every first-time-open to http://www.osnews.com?
This is what ubotu (an IRC bot in #ubuntu on freenode) has to say about Automatix:
well, automatix is unsafe, it overwrites configuration files, and does things like “echo -e ‘y
Y
‘” that are considered risky. Please do not use it. There are alternative applications, such as !easyubuntu.
apt-get install network-manager-gnome
Do that once you have universe and multiverse enabled
network-manager is actually in the main (officially supported) repository.