Thoughts on Ubuntu 11.04?

Pygmalion

Just figured a lot of people here would be trying this out in the next few days, figure there might as well be some discussion.

Unity is a bit ****, as everyone has been saying, so first thing I did was switch back to Gnome.
I was trying to give it a chance, I figured a lot of the hate would be just people who aren't used to it and hate change, but everything about it seems completely non-intuitive and gets in the way of just basic operation of the computer.

Not a huge fan of Gnome either (Long time KDE user), but I'm liking the theme and stuff (apart from the minimise/maximise/close buttons being on the wrong side).
Giving Gnome 3 a download now, I reckon if it's in any way tolerable I'll use it for a few weeks before deciding whether to use KDE, but I can't imagine Gnome being nearly as easy to bend to my liking.

Software Centre is pretty good (if a bit hard to navigate), haven't really used Ubuntu in a while so I have no idea how new a lot of the features are, but I'm really liking that I can get a description, ratings and reviews.
As well as that it seems to list optional dependencies for packages (and a brief description) and allow you to install them in the same screen (e.g. I go to the qt-creator package and it automatically ticks the GDB box, and recommends cmake and subversion)..

redt0m

Have it on a Dell laptop, don't like Unity either, have it running with Gnome - you can switch the location of the minimize, maximise and close buttons in gconf-editor - its grand for a free OS, but is a royal pain in the ass at times when you have to use the command line... also, it runs dangerously hot on the laptop, so don't know if I'll use it long term in case the heat damages the hardware.

Naikon

**** it, I am going back to WindowMaker from now on.

MacGyver

Pygmalion wrote: »

(apart from the minimise/maximise/close buttons being on the wrong side).

Follow the instructions here and see if the bottons go to the right position. It did in 10.10 anyway and i doubt it has changed much since then. Might help you decide between gnome and KDE a bit better

Pygmalion

MacGyver wrote: »

Follow the instructions here and see if the bottons go to the right position. It did in 10.10 anyway and i doubt it has changed much since then. Might help you decide between gnome and KDE a bit better

Got it switched back, but ended up just getting too annoyed at the (real or perceived) lack of functionality in Gnome.
Just seemed like I was running into walls trying to get it set up the way I like it, installed Kubuntu now.

Yes, I'm aware I didn't give it much of a chance, but there was nothing about it that really struck me as amazing in the short time I gave it :P.

Stuxnet

unity is muck, went back to classic gnome also, missed my compiz effects too much !
new xorg and new 11.4 ati driver still dont play well with my external monitor,

Eliot Rosewater

Tried to install it but it froze on the partition part.

And it seems Ubuntu still has the error on my computer whereby if you hit shutdown it restarts instead.

But judging by the comments above, it doesn't look like I'm missing much!

Bluefrog

Tried to update my dev machine here from 10.10 and lost my keyboard and touchpad in the process - this was probably my own fault though as I had started using the Natty kernel release candidates as I got better performance (particularly video) out of them.

Fortunately I have my home folder on its own partition so I decided to do a clean install and just reinstall all my apps. Process took about 40 mins and I was back but now in Unity.

I had tried the Unity interface a while back on my netbook and it was a dog so I was pretty skeptical about the version shipping with 11.04 but unlike other posters here I have to say I really like it.

Its pretty different to Gnome alright. In some ways its more like a mobile phone interface IMHO but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think people commonly resist change and that might explain some of the early negative reaction here but having used it now for a few days with reference to the keyboard shortcuts doc at http://askubuntu.com/questions/28086/unity-keyboard-mouse-shortcuts/28087#28087 I am finding ti very productive - Compiz effects are nice but do I really need my closing windows to turn into paper planes as they exit?

The extensibility of the lens system looks very interesting too - integration with youtube and other online services give it a very bright future in my opinion - Google docs integrated right into the desktop experience for example.

And lets remember, Natty isn't all about Unity - there have been significant improvements in the way the kernel processes tasks apparently and as mentioned above, this is most evident to me in fullscreen video.

Not sure Banshee was ready for prime time and have had a a couple of crashes with my 19GB audio library but from what I have heard from the Banshee project devs they are very committed to speedily addressing bugs so the jury is still out on that one. Integration with the Internet Archive and a podcast directory are nice touches.

So, to sum up, I think 11.04 continues an upward trend in quality for Ubuntu releases. Sure it won't please everyone but isn't that what Linux is all about - choice.

Knasher

Wasn't too impressed with Unity, so I decided to take the opportunity to give Arch and Gnome3 a go. The only thing I really miss from Gnome2 so far is the menus, the wall of icons that gnome3 has just feels cluttered to me. Other than that it's going reasonably well.

Stuxnet

using regular gnome with 11.04 is great tho !
i find it very fast, havent had a chance to check out any new features tho,

Naikon

"Gnome Shell" is a monstrosity.

Unregistered.

Looking forward to mint 11!

Dartz

Am I the only one who uses Xubuntu here?

Once I got rid of the bloody dock at the bottom and adjusted the panel settings to something I like, it was grand. A few little niggles but far less fwackhery than Gnome/Unity and it's not KDE which I never liked. It just gets on with the job.

The applications and folder menus have improved a bit, though it'll take a little of getting used to, once you figure it out it's pretty good.

Did a full reinstall this time, rather than constantly upgrading like I'd done since 8.04. The system had gotten so crotchety that the only way to keep it going after each software update was by symlinking a bunch of new libraries to their old names and it just started to fall apart.


Ironically on Windows 7 atm thanks to Portal 2, but thems the breaks.

bnt

I'm using 11.04 on my 3-y.o. Netbook (10"), and so far I quite like Unity 2D. (I had to install the unity-2d packages for that to work.) Previous versions were buggy and incomplete, but it seems to have come together now. The keyboard shortcuts are finally working, which is important to me, and it's light on resources. I also have GnuStep installed in case I feel like a return to the old days. My main annoyance is Firefox, which is not Ubuntu's fault: I like the facilities, but it's a pig.

One bit of confusion I had to clear up was the File & Folder search facility: it's based on Zeitgeist, so it only finds files you've already used. To get a full indexing and search facility I had to install Tracker. I don't really see the point of Zeitgeist, to be honest - I simply don't need a log of everything I've been doing.

mach1982

I use Xubuntu , did a dist upgrade over the week end looks ok , need to play round a bit more .

Dartz wrote: »

Am I the only one who uses Xubuntu here?

O

pickarooney

I use Xubuntu but I won't be upgrading to Natty.

DeepBlue

Dartz wrote: »

Am I the only one who uses Xubuntu here?

Another Xubuntu user here.

pickarooney wrote: »

I use Xubuntu but I won't be upgrading to Natty.

Any particular reason why?

I'll probably wait a month and then do a full upgrade.

evolutionqy7

Doesn't even want to star on my laptop. Works on the desktop but can't get all the animations to work.

Though I find unity better than Gnome

VampiricPadraig

Updated Ubuntu 10.04 to 11.04 on the laptop this evening. Something happened at the end of the installtion, but it still completed.

Unity didn't work at all. I ran classic GNOME 2 for a while and decided to install xubuntu-desktop and use it for a while.

I have 11.04 on the desktop with Unity. While it is good at times, it can be buggy and when it does, you know about it. Also, has anyone tried playing Minecraft with OpenJDK on ATI 11.4 Cata Drivers with Unity. When I exit, the desktop goes like hfuewkfgiofqyofrequfore for a minute or so, and I have to create a box (Click and drag a box on the desktop) to get rid of it.

Anyway, I personally don't like Unity, I prefer FULL ON GNOME 3 that is with Fedora or OpenSUSE. I would say, give Unity until the LTS. There needs to be customisation on it. This basic stuff is annoying.

Also, how freaking hard is it to get to Nautilus in Ubuntu 11.04, It's so annoying!

Bluefrog

VampiricPadraig wrote: »

Also, how freaking hard is it to get to Nautilus in Ubuntu 11.04, It's so annoying!

It's the first icon on the Unity Launcher or if you prefer keyboard shortcuts try SUPER 1 or you can use the Dash - tap the SUPER key and then type 'na' and you'll see an icon for your home folder.

brianthomas

I upgraded from 10.4 to 11.4 and now cant find the router. Dont know how to use terminal. Need help here. In simple terms.

BopNiblets

Naikon wrote: »

"Gnome Shell" is a monstrosity.

Do you mean Unity or actual Gnome Shell, cos I thought Gnome Shell was pretty cool, and it wasn't released in Natty as far as the info on Wikipedia goes.

Zapho

Hmmmm, I tried 11.04 on a usb stick and decided not to upgrade just yet. I could get used to unity if I have to, but for now I prefer the look of 10.10 and before.

I guess I'm reluctant to upgrade becuase the distupgrade process never went smoothly for me, ever. I usually just install and stick with it.

Also Unity to me seems like something that would suit a netbook better. It does make nice use of the screen real-estate, but having the shortcut bar at the left side annoys me. I'm sure it can be moved to the bottom. Also having a list of suggested software to install at the bottom of the context menus is also annoying so I hope that can be disabled.

So apart from Unity, does anyone have any other recommendations as to why we shoudl upgrade to 11.04?

Naikon

BopNiblets wrote: »

Do you mean Unity or actual Gnome Shell, cos I thought Gnome Shell was pretty cool, and it wasn't released in Natty as far as the info on Wikipedia goes.

Gnome Shell in Fedora 15 is what I used for testing. Unity isn't as bad, but it ain't my fancy either. fvwm and WindowMaker may look ugly, yet both are highly functional. That is all I care about.

d'Oracle

iPwnage wrote: »

unity is muck, went back to classic gnome also, missed my compiz effects too much !
new xorg and new 11.4 ati driver still dont play well with my external monitor,

So it still sucks with ati then?

.

GreenHell

Installed 11.04. Everything worked but didn't like unity one bit. Interesting but too different from what I like.

Installed lubuntu the other day and I'm liking it so far.

OctavarIan

Unity is its current incarnation is a total mongrel of a UI, won't be going near it until 12.04. The search/shortcuts panel is one of the worst things I've ever seen.

kiwipower

I was convinced by a mate of the weekend to dump Vista (didnt take much convinicing) and go with Ubuntu 11.4.

Am enjoying it but find alot of the terminology new and confusing. Any advice on where I can get a crach course on understanding Linux/Ubuntu etc for a new convert from Micros**t!

Also did anyone else have difficulty getting the spell checker to work properly?

Also I am trying to find away of getting an on screen Caps Lock indicatior. (As the lap top had no LED for this) Any idea on how/where I go about finding a solution to this? I would love some thing that shows in what I beleive is the "Pannel" up by the Off and the wi-fi/internet icons

Cheers

kiwipower

bnt wrote: »

I'm using 11.04 on my 3-y.o. Netbook (10"), and so far I quite like Unity 2D.

Could some on clarify for me..
Is Unity the programs running on Ubuntu 11.04 or another operating system all together? Sorry for the Newbi question.

cython

kiwipower wrote: »

Could some on clarify for me..
Is Unity the programs running on Ubuntu 11.04 or another operating system all together? Sorry for the Newbi question.

Unity is the default destop environment on Ubuntu 11.04. It sits atop the Gnome Desktop Manager (gdm), and provides you with a shell through which to use the computer. So in that respect the operating system is still Ubuntu, but the software sitting atop it that you interact with is different from standard gnome. Similar to how Xubuntu uses xfce instead of gnome. You can still use the same gnome interface as was available in 10.10 by selecting it when you log in.

kiwipower

cython wrote: »

Unity is the default destop environment on Ubuntu 11.04. It sits atop the Gnome Desktop Manager (gdm), and provides you with a shell through which to use the computer. So in that respect the operating system is still Ubuntu, but the software sitting atop it that you interact with is different from standard gnome. Similar to how Xubuntu uses xfce instead of gnome. You can still use the same gnome interface as was available in 10.10 by selecting it when you log in.

Hi Cython,
Thanks for explaining that. I have never worked with any of the Linux family before. Had some very limited experience with Mac. Pre-Windows had some experince with MS-DOS on a 286 but not much!
Its fun to have a new learning curve!

Are there any good books etc out there for learning about this new world?

Naikon

kiwipower wrote: »

Hi Cython,
Thanks for explaining that. I have never worked with any of the Linux family before. Had some very limited experience with Mac. Pre-Windows had some experince with MS-DOS on a 286 but not much!
Its fun to have a new learning curve!

Are there any good books etc out there for learning about this new world?

The ubuntu book is good. Failing that, just use the online ubuntu documentation or a general UNIX reference. Give it time. You will hit some problems, but once you accumulate some knowledge, you won't want to leave.

kiwipower

Naikon wrote: »

The ubuntu book is good. Failing that, just use the online ubuntu documentation or a general UNIX reference. Give it time. You will hit some problems, but once you accumulate some knowledge, you won't want to leave.

Cheers,
Thanks for that! Am impressed with the speed of it at present.

Just need to upgrade my partners internet provider (4year old O2 modem, One of them big white yokes! keeps bumping me to a lower signal strength, goes from a blue light to a green one.) Once I have that sorted (and can have more than one computer online at a time) I will be away and messing trying to break the thing!