ubuntu-us-ohio team mailing list archive

[Scott Randby <srandby@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 05/08/2011 07:10 PM, Josh Gould wrote:
> Right now, I'm using Gnome Classic.  I would prefer Xubuntu, but am afraid
> that trying to make the switch (again) will cause more issues than it
> solves.  I have a fairly new (read released this March) MacBook Pro, that
> has a fair amount of hardware that has taken some very careful tweaking of
> things to get to work properly.  My wireless is still iffy, but that's
> because the chipset in this model is only used in this model of the MacBook
> and no where else that anyone has seen yet. Unity looks nice, but after
> using it for a little bit, it started to drive me nuts. I need to install
> the xubuntu-desktop package, and haven't been still long enough to do so
> yet.
> 
> If I boot up using the Xubutu disk, I don't get things like keyboard
> backlighting, and I have no clue what package is responsible for that. (It's
> not pommed, I've tried that one under a pure Xubuntu install, and it didn't
> help...) I haven't sat down and tried to figure out what package is
> responsible for keyboard backlighting.  I'm having issues with bluetooth,
> but I think ti's for the same reasons that the wireless doesn't work yet.
> 
> I've noticed that I'm using Linux more than I am the Mac OS at this point.
> Knowing what I know now, and having effectively made the switch from the Mac
> OS to Ubuntu, I would have gone with a machine from System76... (or one that
> has more driver support under Ubuntu...)

I don't use any Apple hardware now because it was just too hard to get
it to work with Linux. I have a Dell laptop which works nicely once the
proprietary driver for the wireless chipset is installed. I also have a
netbook I bought from Zareason which works perfectly and wasn't very
expensive.

Scott

> 
> Josh
> 
> On Sun, May 8, 2011 at 5:16 PM, Scott Randby <srandby@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
>> On 05/08/2011 12:42 PM, skellat@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>>> I use Xubuntu at home and it is used in the course of producing The
>> Burning Circle, our podcast at http://ohio.ubuntu-us.org/burningcircle, so
>> it is fine.
>>>
>>> How specifically is Unity throwing you helter-skelter?
>>
>> Since you asked, I'm happy to explain. But first, I want it to be clear
>> that I'm okay with the change to Unity because there are so many other
>> options out there for those who choose not to use it. I've seen some
>> really vicious criticisms of Unity that are directed at individuals
>> instead of software and I don't want to be part of that.
>>
>> First, some background. The first computer I ever owned was a Macintosh
>> SE which I purchased around 1988. I was a Mac user exclusively for years
>> after that. I was happy when OS X came along because it really opened up
>> the system, but Apple became more and more restrictive and less user
>> friendly as time passed. Around 3 years ago I'd had enough and made the
>> switch to Ubuntu. I chose Ubuntu because it was easy, it worked, and I
>> could customize it easily.
>>
>> Now Unity comes along and it makes me feel like I'm back with Apple. My
>> current system is set up so that I see only those things I want to see.
>> But when I go to the Dash on Unity I see only what it wants me to see
>> and I can't change it. I want the Dash to show only the applications
>> that I use with the option of showing those I don't use. And I don't
>> want it showing available software I haven't installed. If I desire
>> other software, then I should be able to search for it using the Dash,
>> but I'm an Emacs user and don't need other software.
>>
>> Putting application menus on the top panel instead of in application
>> windows is a decision I don't understand. Maybe this is good for a
>> netbook (though I don't like it on my netbook), but it doesn't work well
>> at all when using a large screen. When I'm working on a large screen, I
>> don't want to move my eyes away from the application window when I'm
>> using an application, but Unity forces me to do just that when I need to
>> use a menu (though I have menu bars turned off in Emacs).
>>
>> The Launcher is a huge problem for me. The decision to use the <Super>
>> key to show the Launcher hurts because I use that key to switch between
>> workspaces. Anyway, I'm used to creating my own primitive launcher and
>> attaching it to the top panel. I can't do that with Unity. In addition,
>> adding self-compiled applications (I always compile Emacs from source)
>> to the Launcher requires more steps than before, and I have no idea how
>> to ensure such applications are recognized by the Dash.
>>
>> As I see it, the fundamental problem with Unity is its lack of
>> customization options. This is a serious design flaw, very serious. The
>> ability to customize easily should be one of the primary considerations
>> of desktop designers. Adding customizations options later is a
>> fundamental mistake. The Compiz Settings Manager should be included by
>> default at the minimum. It is fine to set things up one way for
>> beginners, but everyone has different preferences and desires and, this
>> being Linux, they should be able to set things up according to those
>> preferences as much as possible.
>>
>> I've read that studies were done to determine what most people prefer in
>> regard to such things as the placement of the menubar of an application.
>> So fine, the mean preference was determined. But what is the standard
>> deviation? I suspect that it is large and that most people would like
>> something that is at the very least slightly different. I've also read
>> that efficiency studies were done regarding certain operations. But
>> efficiency does not equal usability. You can make people work
>> efficiently but you can't make them like it.
>>
>> When I am able to customize Unity so that it isn't Unity anymore, then I
>> might use it. But Xubuntu is looking really good right now.
>>
>> Scott Randby
>>
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