27 ms·

A Lengthy, Pedantic Review of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver)

294 points by dEnigma 8y ago

nullsteph 8y ago
You didn't mind the app launcher being full screen on all monitors? I run 3 monitors and its a jarring experience to open the gnome launcher. The deal killer for me though was the lack of a shortcut to maximize window top/bottom half of the display. I've been test driving KDE Neon and am pretty happy with it so far.
tambre 8y ago
Still no option to disable mouse acceleration? Come on! Default Gnome has had an option for it for multiple years already.
- gregknicholson 8y ago
  Ubuntu uses Gnome now. This option exists in the Tweaks app.
  - tambre 8y ago
    I'm aware that Ubuntu uses Gnome now. But it's especially annoying now, that I know Gnome has got functionality for it, but they didn't bother to add an option for it in the settings for normal users.
    - gregknicholson 8y ago
      That's Gnome's design decision. I don't understand the comparison between Ubuntu and Gnome when Ubuntu is simply inheriting Gnome's design decision.
willvarfar 8y ago
The technical audience who actually use Linux desktops want more customization not less, and the crowd that Ubuntu seems to be chasing doesn't seem to actually exist? Hmm this doesn't make me want to leave xubuntu any time soon, although I too have noticed the recent xfce issues mentioned in the article.
- blfr 8y ago
  As a member of the technical audience who actually uses Linux (Ubuntu), I want almost no customization. I want sane and tested defaults, not a bunch of knobs to adjust things. I mourn the loss of the Unity Desktop which was virtually perfect OOTB. It had a great management of the screen space, especially on laptops, it was pretty, and it worked. I wouldn't even change the desktop background.
  - DataWorker 8y ago
    And the integration with Amazon was underrated. It’s nice to search your files and always see some great product promotions without having to adjust knobs as you aptly put it.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - _jal 8y ago
      I guess that's nice if you like it. I find that appalling, stupid and distracting ("Why, I was just searching my notes for details of a meeting from last year because the details suddenly became really important, but now that you mention it, now is the right time to consider dress shoes!"). Ads in the OS are awful. If this has to exist, it needs to be off by default with clear, easy-to-find knobs for removing the spyware. Of course, like everything advertising-related, the incentives are to do the opposite. In this case I personally find it in consequential for myself; I know what I'm doing and can easily remove Ubuntu's garbage. But it is an ugly trend and reduces my trust in their judgement.
      - bfa 8y ago
        I doubt the parent was being serious.
  - b3orn 8y ago
    The problem with sane defaults is that everyone seems to have their own idea what the default should be.
severine 8y ago
Any Xubuntu review out there? Fingers crossed...
rhinoceraptor 8y ago
There's a setting in gnome tweak tool to have workspaces affect both monitors instead of the default, which is just the primary monitor.
- gregknicholson 8y ago
  I think this setting should be flipped by default, so that workspaces affect all monitors, at least in the mode where the 2nd (3rd, etc.) monitor extends your main desktop. In 2-screen presentation mode, it makes sense that the 2nd screen doesn't change when you change workspace, because you're presenting something there.
TekMol 8y ago
Ubuntu is dead for me since the release where they were sending the data you typed in the internal search across the internet. And Shuttleworth claimed it's not a big deal. Since then, I'm a happy Linux Mint user. And since we are talking about Linux distros: I tried a bunch of times to live with a distro that has no start bar at the bottom. Even after a few weeks my productivity does not recover. It's a mistery to me how you can live without it. I happily stick with the Mate desktop which has it.
- Thaxll 8y ago
  Mint the distro with shity security model right? You better stay with Ubuntu / Debian they know what they're doing on that side.
  - DataWorker 8y ago
    What was wrong with mint exactly?
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - nmbr213 8y ago
      This, I guess https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/02/linux-mint-hit-by-malware-infection-on-its-website-and-forum-after-hack-attack/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/02/linux...
    - facorreia 8y ago
      Their website was hacked once... I'm a happy Linux Mint user. I've used every major OS in the last 30 years, and that's the one I like the most. There will be a new release soon based on Ubuntu 18.04.
    - Thaxll 8y ago
      See this: https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/60ddd4/comments_on_linux_mints_security_record/df5mwbb/ https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/60ddd4/comments_on_l...
madeel 8y ago
A review of common sense. Stop using things built on top of junk. 30 years and still working on building an OS, great we'll be doing this for the next 100 years as well.
- taeric 8y ago
  What? Doesn't that condemn all OS offerings? And progress?
- simion314 8y ago
  What OS are you using and what projects are you working on?
  - madeel 8y ago
    FreeBSD
    - simion314 8y ago
      So I assume then that FreeBSD has the perfect architecture, uses the perfect language and it's bug tracker is still empty waiting for the first bug to be opened?
      - madeel 8y ago
        More importantly the assumptions can be made about the tech. design and implementation and it's stability/availability across x. amount of time. On the perfect part, I am not intellectually competent to answer that ...
- bovermyer 8y ago
  If I understand correctly, you just said that any operating system that's still under development thirty years after its inception is garbage. Please clarify, because I can't believe that that's what you actually mean.
  - 8y ago
billfruit 8y ago
Why doesn't Ubuntu (and many other distributions) change to a rolling release model. Having switched to Arch, though admittedly the installation process is much more elaborate than of Ubuntu, once you customise it to one's preference, it is much more convenient to keep upgrading individual packages as they are evolving.
- Karunamon 8y ago
  Because rolling releases give you a terrible choice between constant upgrades all the time (read: resource and network usage and reboots), and if you don't, a high likelihood of something breaking when you finally do that pacman -Syu. There's nothing wrong with snapshot releases in a distro focused on usability and stability.
  - the_duke 8y ago
    pacman -Syu was always a dangerous ride in the past, but the last two years it hasn't broken anything for me, ever. I upgrade all packages about once a week.
    - sametmax 8y ago
      Once a week is insane. I have 4 computers and 2 phones. No time for that. My mother update her distro twice a year, when I come over and think about it.
      - copperx 8y ago
        Isn't your number of computers insane? The right number of computers for most people is exactly one.
        majewsky 8y ago
        A notebook is not a gaming desktop is not a server.
        8y ago
petecooper 8y ago
Two pages to monitor if you want to jump on 18.04 as soon as possible: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2018-April/date.html https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2018-April... http://torrent.ubuntu.com:6969 http://torrent.ubuntu.com:6969 (No affiliation beyond being a user for about 4 years.)
- pas 8y ago
  If you want to jump/upgrade, simply add deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic main restricted universe multiverse deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse to /etc/apt/sources.list hit apt update && apt full-upgrade If things look okay (it should upgrade a bunch of packages, add quite a lot new, and remove only a handful), hit enter.
Karunamon 8y ago
It seems like none of the dumb GNOME warts were plastered over. There's still the idiotic, screen-taking-over activities menu (because, yknow, it should take 3840x2160 pixels to show a fucking app launcher. Did nobody learn from Windows 8? The GNOME devs are officially more hard-headed than Microsoft - an achievement of some note) There's still the swipe-to-unlock desktop There's the default Apple scrolling behavior The author said it best: I spend every day in a state of permanent quixotic hope that eventually humanity will comes to its senses and realize that computers and mobile devices are different kinds of technology with different purposes and different usage patterns. Seriously, GNOME is a touch UI. The large buttons, the swipe mechanics, everything. Except nobody uses GNOME on the mobile devices it appears to be made for!
- yAnonymous 8y ago
  GNOME is what you get when you build a team for political reasons instead of hiring good developers and designers. To make it good you'd have to exchange the whole team first. It's LXDE for me from here on out.
  - my123 8y ago
    KDE is sane these days, and separates mobile and desktop UIs too!
    - Karunamon 8y ago
      They took a few too many gulps of the flat design kool-aid for my taste, but at least KDE hasn't forgotten who its users are or what kind of devices those users are installing it on.
  - syndev 8y ago
    I'm very unfamiliar with gnome as an organization. What are the political reasons you're referencing?
    - yAnonymous 8y ago
panarky 8y ago
When the display goes to sleep due to lack of input or whatever, you have to drag upwards with your mouse to unlock the screen. Like some common dirty frickin' smart phone. Yes! Dragging a window to the top of the screen maximizes the window. FOR GODS SAKE WHY. Double yes!
- megaman22 8y ago
  I will never understand why Ubuntu took a very nice desktop Linux distribution, and fucked it up with all these mobile and tablet centric UI absurdities.
  - hiccuphippo 8y ago
    Isn't it Gnome or the *dm? I use Arch with vanilla Gnome3 and it has the same drag up thing. I just press enter.
  - rwmj 8y ago
    Mostly GNOME is to blame for this.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
  - Yetanfou 8y ago
    They did that because they'd caught the one-size-fits-all virus which made them yearn for Ubuntu phones and Ubuntu tablets. Those ventures did not really come to fruition but the side effects still show. Given the prevalence of touch-screen laptops it wouldn't surprise me if part of this idea actually does find a niche to settle in on convertible devices.
  - jackhack 8y ago
    It's the way of the world. Apple and Microsoft seem hell-bent on introducing "phone/tablet" type gestures into their desktop UIs also. It seems only natural that linux distros would follow. Lesson for the kids making these decisions: "new and/or different" != better
reacweb 8y ago
I have a desktop. The first thing I test after installation of Ubuntu is the remote access using ssh, then the wakeonlan, then the remote access using vnc (already painful with 16.04), then the sharing of hard disk directories. Finally, I test the playback of BD and CD. I do not need much customization: ensure that the alt key is not blocked and works fine with photoshop. On the desktop, I will probably only remove the dock on the left.
- pnutjam 8y ago
  Switch your remote access to x2go, you'll thank me.
  - kingosticks 8y ago
    What's the benefit? The best I previously found was nomachine since it has clients for everything. But it's still so laggy over a remote connection, maybe I'm doing something wrong.
    - pnutjam 8y ago
      I was using freeNX, x2go is better. Nomachine is a paid product, it's head and shoulders better then VNC. You didn't experience that? The newer (non OSS) version supports UDP streams for media. It's free to use, but I've not tested it since it limits the number of users and I can stream ok with X2go.
      - kingosticks 8y ago
        I use the single-user free version of NoMachine (which I thought was also closed source). I agree it's better than VNC but that's not hard. I'm not trying to play media, just type etc. What I want is something as good as Windows Remote Desktop where you almost can't tell you are remote - I would happily pay for that.
unixhero 8y ago
Any news on Powermac build?
- yellowapple 8y ago
  I thought Ubuntu dropped support for PowerPC Macs quite awhile back? I know last time I ended up running Linux on one (my eMac) it was with Debian. I've since found that OpenBSD runs a lot better on PowerPC Macs anyway.
  - unixhero 8y ago
    I cannot fathom why they would drop support for the widely used powermac platform. Ubuntu mate 1604 has a fully working powermac big median ppc build. I am using it now and it really rocks my g5 machines. Will install openbsd next!
tinus_hn 8y ago
That was a reasonable review until it devolved into the typical Apple whinery of self-professed UI ‘experts’.
- yAnonymous 8y ago
  From a usability standpoint, Apple's UX is genuinely bad.
  - Rjevski 8y ago
    Disagreed. There are quirks, but it’s otherwise good and light years ahead from Linux or even Windows 8+.
setquk 8y ago
I'm not mincing my words here but Gnome 3 is just an unpolishable turd and needs to go away. It's just trying to be original and clever but has missed the mark so incredibly far that makes it the most frustrating thing possible to use on a daily basis. I have tried on and off for 2 years and it is just eye gouging pain to use. I crawl back to xubuntu and XFCE in the end every time as it does the service of getting out of my way. Honestly they need to actually provide a desktop that isn't a piece of crap, isn't some new paradigm and one where every UI element isn't an inch across (munged up shitty titlebar/toolbar hybrid) or virtually invisible (scrollbars) or has pointless transparency somewhere, isn't built on a stack of processes and packages deeper than a Java enterprise stack trace and actually has some quality control. What we have at the moment, including the terrible QC of systemd, is a travesty which simply discredits the excellent kernel and userland underneath.
- IAmEveryone 8y ago
  UI is simply terribly hard. And the open source “bazaar” model also happens to be at its worst in UI work. You kinda need a dictator with taste to get UIs right, and the Linux community has neither dictators nor taste.
  - andrepd 8y ago
    A counterexample to that is the many other DEs done right: Xfce, Cinnamon, etc.
    - VMG 8y ago
      Why do you think they are less popular? Maybe it's a matter of taste?
    - megaman22 8y ago
      It's not like there isn't decades of prior art out there on what works well... A decade ago I was quite happy with the Gnome2 desktop. Since then, I either go with Xubuntu and XFCE or Mint, which was Cinnamon last time I checked.
    - 8y ago
xur17 8y ago
Has anyone found a good solution for non-integer screen scaling? I use Ubuntu on all of my computers, but they have modern, hi-res screens, and the default scaling is too small. The only options are integer multiples (which is too big), or scaling the font size (which leaves window navigation, icons, etc too small).
- om42 8y ago
  I had switched to Wayland and it (sort of) supports fractional scaling system wide. It did work, its just some things end up being blurry (fonts are blurry) and that was too much for me. My temp workaround is using font scale at 1.4. Its good enough but I miss not having to worry about it with Wayland, especially with multiple monitors that have different resolutions. Some day Wayland support will be better, but I don't see it anytime soon.
  - vetinari 8y ago
    The blurriness seems to be a bug with Xwayland: it runs the apps at @1 scale and scales them UP to the required fractional size. It should run them at the @2 scale and scale them DOWN, to preserve the sharpness. Meanwhile, the best way to achieve fractional scale is to run X11, use the nearest highest integer scale and scale it down using "xrandr --scale 1.somethingx1.something". Not very user friendly, though.
    - pritambaral 8y ago
      > Meanwhile, the best way to achieve fractional scale is to run X11, use the nearest highest integer scale and scale it down using "xrandr --scale 1.somethingx1.something". Not very user friendly, though. KDE's Kwin on X11 supports fractionally scaling displays, and is user friendly. Go to Displays -> Scale Display
      - vetinari 8y ago
        Not correctly, though. When talking about fractional scaling in Gnome, it is meant for all apps, not just GTK apps. Most apps do respect Xft.dpi, so they will scale their fonts, as the desktop environment sets it up, but not the other assets. Scaling all the other assets is the issue, not just the font rendering. So yes, Qt apps in KDE do work correctly, (KDE is seting their QT_*_SCALE env variables). It does not work with GTK apps. Similarly, GTK apps do work correctly with fractional scaling in Gnome, but Qt apps do not, because Gnome doesn't set QT_AUTO_SCREEN_SCALE=0 and QT_SCREEN_SCALE_FACTORS like KDE does. Qt apps in Gnome look broken exactly like GTK apps look broken in KDE. Proper fractional scaling means scaling all apps, not just apps made using single framework.
zby 8y ago
What I really want in Linux is some way to kill apps when it gets low on memory and everything gets stuck. I know there is Magic SysRq Key - but I always forget about the keys and also it requires recompiling the kernel.
- pritambaral 8y ago
  Using Magic SysRq keys shouldn't require recompiling the kernel. Magic SysRq is toggle-able and configurable via sysctl. If you're on Ubuntu, see /etc/sysctl.d/10-magic-sysrq.conf
- pas 8y ago
  Disable swap (or reduce it to <100MB), it'll never get slow, the kernel will kill things for you.
kyledrake 8y ago
I find XFCE/Xubuntu to be better too. Unfortunately, that project does not release often and is having trouble keeping up with the new world. In particular, it's not very good at high dpi monitors, and getting it configured for that was such a problem that I ended up abandoning it.
- youseecomrade 8y ago
  And it has to keep up with Gnome/GTK too. I heard it's not easy.
  - kyledrake 8y ago
    There's apparently been some improvements to HiDPI in this release for Xubuntu, which is giving me hope it works better now. https://xubuntu.org/release/18-04/ https://xubuntu.org/release/18-04/
    - kyledrake 8y ago
      For future travelers, this is how you fix Xubuntu for HiDPI: https://askubuntu.com/questions/652021/adapt-font-and-icon-sizes-to-high-definition-screen-resolutions-in-ubuntu-studio/690420 https://askubuntu.com/questions/652021/adapt-font-and-icon-s...
sz4kerto 8y ago
LTS. Meanwhile Gnome Shell is leaking memory like hell and it has bugs that've been open for 5 years and are marked as 'critical'. (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-shell/+bug/1181666 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-shell/+bug/1... and the rest)
- tutuca 8y ago
  This is fixed in the release version.
- gnufied 8y ago
  I am running gnome-shell on 3 desktops and my current session is running for days and memory usage is stable around 230MB. The leak as discussed in the bug comes from certain extensions. I do not think it qualifies as leaks as "hell".
  - k_bx 8y ago
    If you just press "Super" multiple times does RAM usage go up? Was quite reproducible for me last time I've checked.
    - vetinari 8y ago
      And later goes down, as it gets GC-ed.
      - cweagans 8y ago
        Did you read the bug report? The entire problem is that GC isn't working right. See https://feaneron.com/2018/04/20/the-infamous-gnome-shell-memory-leak/ https://feaneron.com/2018/04/20/the-infamous-gnome-shell-mem... for more info.
    - tomtheelder 8y ago
      Just tried this on my machine and it caused no increase in RAM usage. Hit it ~100 times. Edit: Actually it is increasing memory usage, but on the order of like 1MB per 5 key presses. That would probably become an issue on a long enough timescale.
trisimix 8y ago
For a limix admin your review was suprising. If you hadnt prefaced Id had guessed this to be your first review outside of windows no offense. You didn't mention anything non user-interface, or the files that run it.
singhrac 8y ago
Is there a blog post detailing the state of Ubuntu desktop apps (i.e. a list of apps that don't have a port)? And does hi-resolution display support work properly? I'm thinking about switching but there are certain nice things about OSX that I can't live without.
- mixmastamyk 8y ago
  Try a live CD/image?
gpdpocketer 8y ago
I've been a Linux user since the very beginning, and have settled on Ubuntu as my daily driver for .. now .. decades (or is it, I dunno, feels like it..) .. anyway, I am a systems-level developer, lots of experience, and I enjoy myself a well-put together system. So, since I tend towards the multimedia experiences, I use the -Studio variant of Ubuntu, which is preconfigured and biased, default installations-wise, towards the cool music and video and creative tools, and so on. Its really a treat. Anyway, I have a few systems. A DAW, Digital Audio Workstation, my studio, which handles multiple channels of audio on a regular basis, often 32 independent streaming inputs per REC session .. and a fair swath of plugins nobody has ever heard of before, which is often a positive... On my personal laptop, I run the same thing. A GPD Pocket, with a small satchel of cables, and I can pretty much set up anywhere and review sessions. Through all of this, I have updated my Ubuntu systems - but the only way I've been able to survive, personally, is to avoid Gnome Shell, and select FVWM or LWM at login. That said, the only place Gnome Shell really feels nice .. is on the GPD Pocket. Does this say something about where things are at? I tell you one thing: the GPD Pocket has replaced a Macbook Air ...
- buildbuildbuild 8y ago
  A bit off topic but curious: which pro audio interfaces have you had the best success with on Linux? Especially at 32 channels. I doubt I can ever break my Logic+Waves addiction but your report has me intrigued, might give Ubuntu Studio a shot for some experimental tracks. A GPD could be handy for live tracking MADI at shows if the CPU can handle it.
SubiculumCode 8y ago
As long as I have the old-school styled MATE Desktop I'll be fine (XFCE is ok too once configured, just not my preferred enviro). Honestly, the UI should be err on keeping it simple and fast, animate IFF it is minimal and gives user useful feedback, always include 'open terminal here' contextmenu (be proud Linux), file browser should have up, back, forward buttons and a way to copy the path, and a bar to place oft use applications, and multiple desktops. That is all I want. Simple,no?
NedIsakoff 8y ago
Any idea when it is released? I know its today, but when today?
DCKing 8y ago
Man, the Linux crowd really sucks. Why am I even reading these comments? I'm of the opinion that the Linux desktop has never been better, and I really enjoy using modern Linux desktops a lot more than I used to. To all those developers that made it possible for us to use this stuff on our computers with no strings attached: thank you. Ubuntu 18.04 is a great collection of these achievements (like many other current Linux distros). Reading these comments you'd miss that this review has a (mostly) positive conclusion and a recommendation for people to use it.
- lessclue 8y ago
  I’m of the same opinion. I thought Unity was alright and this new desktop is a great improvement.
- ASalazarMX 8y ago
  I've been using Ubuntu almost since it started, because it works and I sure as hell don't miss fiddling with X modelines or compiling my own kernel. I've stuck with the standard Ubuntu, but have tried all the flavors because I wish some degree of customization, and Gnome wishes less every time. Unfortunately they are not as polished. Since Ubuntu is so great anyway, I try to convince myself that less customization means less wasted time.
- CalRobert 8y ago
  I owe my career in part to the fact that I just bit the bullet, dumped windows, and switched to Ubuntu as my main OS about 7 years ago. In the war on general purpose computing they're still fighting the good fight.
  - wilsonnb 8y ago
    I, for one, am happy that a war is being fought on general purpose computing because it seems to be the only way to make everything "just work" to an acceptable degree. The iPad is the least general and most locked down computer I've ever used but I love it because it just works. I've never had a problem with it. I was a diehard Linux guy for five or six years but now I run Windows 10 on all my computers and spend most of my time in the iPad anyways.
themtutty 8y ago
Most of the reviewer's comments aren't about anything new in 18.04. It's like he didn't see any of the 17.* releases?
- gregknicholson 8y ago
  The reviewer does indeed say that they haven't used Gnome before, and didn't use Unity.
- severine 8y ago
  A lot of people are on previous LTS versions. Both 14.04 and 16.04 still have support: https://www.ubuntu.com/info/release-end-of-life https://www.ubuntu.com/info/release-end-of-life edit: grammar
tjpnz 8y ago
Ubuntu lost me years back when they introduced Unity. The single biggest issue I had with it was the positioning of the dock and how there was no officially supported means of changing it. I didn't like it from a design perspective but far worse was my RSI which was particularly bad at the time, even subtle things like button placement would just set everything right off. I wasn't the only one who wanted the option to customize this but such requests fell on deaf ears, I was told by one of the Unity devs that the dock placement was a "design decision" and that they had no intention of changing it. Until they did but that was many years later and long after I had moved on to Linux Mint and Cinnamon. I think adopting Gnome is a positive step in the right direction for Ubuntu, it sounds like they may actually be listening to their users now.
- nobleach 8y ago
  Unity was a terrible pock-mark on the face of desktop interfaces. I was excited to see Gnome 3 supplant it (I've held the unpopular opinion that Gnome 3 isn't all that bad, and I've used it off and on since 10.10). After a couple of hours use, I've seen it crash just like Unity. It's almost as if they took the crashy bits and put them into Gnome. I'm also dismayed at how hard it is to enable theming. Gnome Tweak Tool comes with that option locked out by default. Themes in general have been a pain for many years.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- nightcracker 8y ago
  I've been using Xubuntu for years now, and am very satisfied. The comfort of Ubuntu packages/support with the same good 'ol XFCE UI that doesn't shove the latest flashy mobile touch interface in my face.
- dingo_bat 8y ago
  The linked article mentions that there are zero UI customization options. You can't even change the font or colors. They are certainly not listening to their users.
crypt1d 8y ago
I appreciate his no-bs approach to the review - he sticks to what matters to him, not all the new shiny bells and whistles. That said, I would have loved some more input on audio management in the new Ubuntu. pulseaudio is giving me such a headache in 17.10 - random static noise, not remembering the right output or the volume, etc etc..
sfifs 8y ago
One thing I discovered about the lock screen that's mentioned as a problem here is that you can just type your password and enter to login after a suspend and it will work.... No need to swipe or whatever.
philliphaydon 8y ago
What is preventing linux from having the visual polish that windows and OS X has???
- pzone 8y ago
  1. X11/X.Org make precision monitor support (especially DPI) a royal PITA 2. Perpetually broken video card drivers mean basic acceleration can't be relied on. 3. GTK and Qt just don't have the polish of Metro or Cocoa. I think both are prettier than Win32. 4. The comparison isn't all one-sided: Windows definitely has its rough patches too. It's making improvements however so Linux has no room to be complacent.
- s73v3r_ 8y ago
  Willingness of people who can do that kind of work to do it for Linux.
- quantum_magpie 8y ago
  As someone who uses LXDE daily for the past 9 years, and who has a gaming Windows setup, I can tell wholeheartedly that the only thing worse than visual polish of Windows is the GNOME3 and Unity DE's. I also had on couple occasions the misfortune of using OSX, and god it was absolutely horrid. As in, Windows level of bad.
severine 8y ago
Known issues (from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BionicBeaver/ReleaseNotes https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BionicBeaver/ReleaseNotes) As is to be expected, with any release, there are some significant known bugs that users may run into with this release of Ubuntu 18.04. The ones we know about at this point (and some of the workarounds), are documented here so you don't need to spend time reporting these bugs again: Desktop - The computer suspends after 20 minutes of inactivity on battery power even if a user is logged in remotely. (GNOME:gnome-control-center#22) - Bluetooth audio devices cannot be used in the Greeter. This will cause issues for people using the accessibility features such as screenreaders at the login screen. Once logged in everything should work as expected. - Some admin utilities will not work with GNOME on Wayland since the apps have not been adapted to use PolicyKit to only use admin privileges for the specific functions needed. Also, some screenshot and screencast apps and all remote desktop server apps do not currently work on GNOME on Wayland. As a workaround, you can use the default Ubuntu session. - Exiting the live session may get stuck with a "A start job is running for " error. You may need to forcefully power off the computer if you see this. (1706939) - The Dock and Appindicator system extensions appear to be Off in tools like GNOME Tweaks. (They are on but cannot be disabled because they are system extensions for the Ubuntu session.) (1718850) - Tracker is not installed by default. When installed, you must log out and log back in for the tracker service to start (1697769) - Systems may fail to boot when connected over DisplayPort to an external screen, on NVidia graphics hardware such as the GTX970 chipset. (1723619) - When an external monitor is connected to a laptop, the login screen is only displayed on the internal one and in some case is not visible (1723025) - The warning dialog when a user force a UEFI installation does not respond to input event and the installation is then blocked at this stage (1724482) Avoid yourself some troubles and do not force a UEFI installation without a UEFI partition, grub-installer will fail anyway. - Doing an "Entire disk" installation over an existing LVM installation will fail because the installer selects the wrong boot device (1724417) Use custom partitioning instead and manually select the right boot device in the combo box. - The Files app remains at 3.26. - Upgrading via the installer (Ubiquity) is deemed not safe due to bugs in apt-clone and so is no longer supported. (1756862) UIFE - remove ubiquity upgrade option. - Setting a ulimit may cause segfaults in certain applications, especially those using webkit2gtk. Disabling the ulimit should restore normal functionality. More information in this Debian news entry: https://salsa.debian.org/webkit-team/webkit/blob/wk2/unstable/debian/NEWS https://salsa.debian.org/webkit-team/webkit/blob/wk2/unstabl... - Occasionally login may hang after an incorrect password (1766137). A workaround is to click cancel, click on your user and try again. Server - Partitioning step allows to configure LVM across multiple devices without requiring to setup a separate /boot partition. This may lead to failure to install the bootloader at the end of the installation, and failures to boot the resultant installations. (1680101) - LVM configuration cannot be removed when volume groups with the same name are found during installation. Partitioner does not support installation when multiple conflicting/identical volume groups have been detected. For example reinstalling Ubuntu with LVM across multiple disk drives that had individual LVM installations of Ubuntu. As a workaround, please format disk drives prior to installation, or from the built in shell provided in the installer. (1679184) - cio_ignore blacklist is no longer active after installation, because not all install-time parameters, like cio_ignore (s390x), are propagated to the installed system. Workaround is to edit /etc/zipl.conf to apply these and re-run sudo zipl to update the IPL. (1571561)
RRRA 8y ago
Upgrading from 16.04, the experience is quite awkward. CLI wise, I love Ubuntu and 18.04 is just a refined version of a very functional desktop/server distribution. GUI wise though, it seems to have changed many defaults, a lot of which will require extensions or obscure gsettings/dconf commands. But mulitple monitor really felt like a mess compared to unity. Workspace switches only the laptop screen, no grid layout, etc. And though I got used to putting a window on a side for it to maximise or take half the screen, with Gnome3 it takes the other window into account, so good luck trying to overlap use a side to see a chat with moving that window by hand. I kinda feel cinnamon gets a lot of thing more right, but Mint is a bit of a mess to maintain and trust...
- dhd415 8y ago
  For those reasons, I like Xfce and LXDE on Xubuntu and Lubuntu, respectively. I use those for workstations, they've got the same CLI features as Ubuntu, and I don't need or want a bunch of GUI chrome in my dev environments.
- cossatot 8y ago
  I set up a Fedora/Cinnamon desktop at my last job and loved it.
tedge 8y ago
Ubuntu 18.04 is the first release to include my app, PikoPixel (pixel-art editor), in its repository (universe): https://packages.ubuntu.com/bionic/gnustep/pikopixel.app https://packages.ubuntu.com/bionic/gnustep/pikopixel.app I had to tweak PP's packaging to get it to appear in the Ubuntu Software app, so I can provide a bit of info about this part of the article: My assumption for now is that the Ubuntu Software application only shows updates for packages that were installed through it. Further, the list of installed applications that it shows is very clearly a subset of those that are actually installed on the system. Color me befuddled. The Ubuntu Software app (& similar software-center apps, such as GNOME Software, KDE Discover, etc.) only shows distro packages which have valid AppStream metadata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppStream https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppStream The AppStream metadata is generated automatically by running appstream-generator (https://github.com/ximion/appstream-generator https://github.com/ximion/appstream-generator ) on Ubuntu's repositories. However, on some packages the metadata can't be generated, due to an error - either the package has missing info, incorrect formatting, or possibly it's an issue with appstream-generator. Here's a list of packages in the Ubuntu Bionic universe repo that have issues (packages with errors are unlikely to appear in Ubuntu Software): http://appstream.ubuntu.com/bionic/universe/issues/index.html http://appstream.ubuntu.com/bionic/universe/issues/index.htm... List of packages with successfully generated metadata in Ubuntu Bionic universe (should appear in Ubuntu Software): http://appstream.ubuntu.com/bionic/universe/metainfo/index.html http://appstream.ubuntu.com/bionic/universe/metainfo/index.h... (Package names link to the generated metadata xml file).
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
  If only we lived in a world where developers could just distribute their application binaries to the end user without having to rely on a storefront.
  - lobo_tuerto 8y ago
    SourceForge?
    - majewsky 8y ago
kpcyrd 8y ago
It mentions the keyring is able to handle ed25519. Was this fixed in gnome-keyring recently? Do they use something different? Edit: it seems fixed: https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=723274 https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=723274
mankash666 8y ago
" I'm an open source advocate who is incredibly set in my ways and I want the tools that I use to just work. I detest paying for software except when it occupies certain specialized cases or represents something more akin to work of art, such as the video game Portal. But only when it's on sale" So he's someone who doesn't believe or support the traditional software industry (everyone from Apple to MSFT makes money off the traditional model of paying for value ). Stopped reading the review there.
jacknews 8y ago
What a good review, focusing on all the so-called little things, that are actually the big things, ie does it actually work smoothly. The same with laptop reviews which quite often just compare features and speeds, but not the feel, keyboard, trackpad, weight, noise and heat, port placement, carry-ability, one-hand-holdability, etc, etc.
- wowtip 8y ago
  Yes, one of the best Linux distro reviews I have read! Actually gives a feel for how it would be using it rather than descriptions of cosmetics. Also it gives constructive and relevant criticism which can be of help for future development. This is a common problem with reviews, rushed out to be first, but not sure what is the optimal time spent for reviewing the product. Also, many times I get a feeling people reviewing distros are not really qualified, as in contrast to this guy who seems to know both what is important and also have technical knowledge, when needed.
sandGorgon 8y ago
Hmm..A lot of this review is about Gnome. Which is new and shiny for Ubuntu users, but has been around forever in Fedora. Fedora 27 is a beautiful, integrated OS that is probably better designed, pays more core Linux devs and has fewer existential crises than Ubuntu.
desk_rabbit 8y ago
> I am going to be judging Ubuntu 18.04 like an elderly lady judges canteloupe at the produce market. I was convinced when he said he chose xfce4/xubuntu, but now I'm sure.
dingo_bat 8y ago
Has Ubuntu fixed Alt+Tab yet? It drive me mad the last time I tried to use it. Why can't it just cycle through windows like a normal window manager?
- kumaranvpl 8y ago
  It is not fixed yet. That is the intended behaviour I guess. Anyway I am using https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/15/alternatetab/ https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/15/alternatetab/ this extension to cycle through all the open windows.
  - theyinwhy 8y ago
    That's a gnome option you can change by e.g. using the dconf editor. See https://askubuntu.com/questions/464946/ubuntu-gnome-force-alt-tab-to-switch-only-on-current-workspace https://askubuntu.com/questions/464946/ubuntu-gnome-force-al...
Animats 8y ago
This was a useful review. He installed it into a virtual machine, though, so he didn't have to struggle with Linux driver issues. That's usually the biggest headache with a Linux install. He's right to view this from a naive user standpoint. Ubuntu put an ad on the desktop? What do they think they're doing? Push back hard against that. Windows 10's ads have produced much hatred, and soon you won't be able to turn them off unless you buy the Enterprise version.
- adrianratnapala 8y ago
  No he first tried it out on a VM, but then seems to have put it on a laptop. There is quite a lot of discussion about what happens when you close the lid, plug and unplug monitors etc.
jk2323 8y ago
Never liked GNome, unity, settled for Kubuntu. After KDE started annoying me, I use Bodhi Linux https://www.bodhilinux.com https://www.bodhilinux.com
adrianratnapala 8y ago
> The bar on the left is obviously a vertical imitation of the Mac OS X dock. Which is a horizontal "imitation" of the NeXTStep doc, which I learned about from WindowMaker. And which is the obvious extension of a plain-old button-bar for the use case of a Window manager. So Kudos to old Stevie J, but still ...
enzolovesbacon 8y ago
This is how a review is done. Thorough and covers the details that matters for a distro review. Although I could experience the advantages it's offering over 16.04, I tried it yesterday and it's incredibly slow. Like 5-seconds-to-activate-focus-on-any-window slow. Has anyone had similar issue? The last time I experienced something laggy like this was with crappy hardware. It doesn't happen on RHEL 7.5 (with GNOME Classic), Fedora (with GNOME), Ubuntu 16.04 (with Unity). I have a beefy computer (HP Z600, 2x Xeon, 48GB RAM ECC), so I'm pretty sure it's not a hardware issue. Windows 10 also runs fine.
5580 8y ago
No mention of Ubuntu Budgie? I have found that it behaves perfectly and just "gets out of the way." I have never liked the Unity interface and having plank integrated is fantastic. I also like the menu (w/ search) vs. use search for everything UX of GNOME vanilla.
- crtasm 8y ago
  I tried out gnome/mate/x/kubuntu recently to see how they compared to my daily driver lubuntu. Budgie is new to me, thanks for mentioning it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Budgie https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Budgie
dekhn 8y ago
For those complaining about the unlock screen: Not sure if I'm missing something fundamental, but you can just type your password and hit enter.
FrozenVoid 8y ago
What i find annoying is that no Linux distro comes with sane settings by default, you always have to tweak it until it works properly. It took me a few months to get Xubuntu figured out(and few years to properly customize): it involved lots of google searching and that is most pleasant expirience of them all(other distros can't hold a candle to Ubuntu quality). Its as if distro developers never used their own product(i suspect they run it through some VM on a Mac). Here are major things I had to do: 1.Make /tmp load in ram via tmpfs (much faster) 2.Disable swap entirely, convert it to a file partition.(swap is slow ugly cludge that is useless with 8GB ram). 3.Disable hibernate and suspend. (i don't want it to write to SSD). 4.Remove several CPU hungry services that serve zero purpose such as tumbler, whoopsie,browsed,update-notifier. 5.Fix the window manager to disable several annoying quirks: such as entering zoom mode ocassionally. The overall feeling is that Linux distros are packed with rarely used features turned on, and needed things requiring installing (like e.g. paprefs(pulseaudio)). The difference between what i have now and default setup is growing more distant every day as i fix and customize more stuff. This also ensures I will stay on Ubuntu 16.04 for the foreseeable future as i don't want to repeat similar "customization/usability" work i've done on one machine again.

294 points by dEnigma 8y ago

You didn't mind the app launcher being full screen on all monitors? I run 3 monitors and its a jarring experience to open the gnome launcher. The deal killer for me though was the lack of a shortcut to maximize window top/bottom half of the display. I've been test driving KDE Neon and am pretty happy with it so far.

tambre 8y ago

Still no option to disable mouse acceleration? Come on! Default Gnome has had an option for it for multiple years already.

gregknicholson 8y ago
Ubuntu uses Gnome now. This option exists in the Tweaks app.
- tambre 8y ago
  I'm aware that Ubuntu uses Gnome now. But it's especially annoying now, that I know Gnome has got functionality for it, but they didn't bother to add an option for it in the settings for normal users.
  - gregknicholson 8y ago
    That's Gnome's design decision. I don't understand the comparison between Ubuntu and Gnome when Ubuntu is simply inheriting Gnome's design decision.

willvarfar 8y ago

The technical audience who actually use Linux desktops want more customization not less, and the crowd that Ubuntu seems to be chasing doesn't seem to actually exist? Hmm this doesn't make me want to leave xubuntu any time soon, although I too have noticed the recent xfce issues mentioned in the article.

blfr 8y ago
As a member of the technical audience who actually uses Linux (Ubuntu), I want almost no customization. I want sane and tested defaults, not a bunch of knobs to adjust things. I mourn the loss of the Unity Desktop which was virtually perfect OOTB. It had a great management of the screen space, especially on laptops, it was pretty, and it worked. I wouldn't even change the desktop background.
- DataWorker 8y ago
  And the integration with Amazon was underrated. It’s nice to search your files and always see some great product promotions without having to adjust knobs as you aptly put it.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - _jal 8y ago
    I guess that's nice if you like it. I find that appalling, stupid and distracting ("Why, I was just searching my notes for details of a meeting from last year because the details suddenly became really important, but now that you mention it, now is the right time to consider dress shoes!"). Ads in the OS are awful. If this has to exist, it needs to be off by default with clear, easy-to-find knobs for removing the spyware. Of course, like everything advertising-related, the incentives are to do the opposite. In this case I personally find it in consequential for myself; I know what I'm doing and can easily remove Ubuntu's garbage. But it is an ugly trend and reduces my trust in their judgement.
    - bfa 8y ago
      I doubt the parent was being serious.
- b3orn 8y ago
  The problem with sane defaults is that everyone seems to have their own idea what the default should be.

severine 8y ago

Any Xubuntu review out there? Fingers crossed...

rhinoceraptor 8y ago

There's a setting in gnome tweak tool to have workspaces affect both monitors instead of the default, which is just the primary monitor.

gregknicholson 8y ago
I think this setting should be flipped by default, so that workspaces affect all monitors, at least in the mode where the 2nd (3rd, etc.) monitor extends your main desktop. In 2-screen presentation mode, it makes sense that the 2nd screen doesn't change when you change workspace, because you're presenting something there.

TekMol 8y ago

Ubuntu is dead for me since the release where they were sending the data you typed in the internal search across the internet. And Shuttleworth claimed it's not a big deal. Since then, I'm a happy Linux Mint user. And since we are talking about Linux distros: I tried a bunch of times to live with a distro that has no start bar at the bottom. Even after a few weeks my productivity does not recover. It's a mistery to me how you can live without it. I happily stick with the Mate desktop which has it.

Thaxll 8y ago
Mint the distro with shity security model right? You better stay with Ubuntu / Debian they know what they're doing on that side.
- DataWorker 8y ago
  What was wrong with mint exactly?
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - nmbr213 8y ago
    This, I guess https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/02/linux-mint-hit-by-malware-infection-on-its-website-and-forum-after-hack-attack/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/02/linux...
  - facorreia 8y ago
    Their website was hacked once... I'm a happy Linux Mint user. I've used every major OS in the last 30 years, and that's the one I like the most. There will be a new release soon based on Ubuntu 18.04.
  - Thaxll 8y ago
    See this: https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/60ddd4/comments_on_linux_mints_security_record/df5mwbb/ https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/60ddd4/comments_on_l...

madeel 8y ago

A review of common sense. Stop using things built on top of junk. 30 years and still working on building an OS, great we'll be doing this for the next 100 years as well.

taeric 8y ago
What? Doesn't that condemn all OS offerings? And progress?
simion314 8y ago
What OS are you using and what projects are you working on?
- madeel 8y ago
  FreeBSD
  - simion314 8y ago
    So I assume then that FreeBSD has the perfect architecture, uses the perfect language and it's bug tracker is still empty waiting for the first bug to be opened?
    - madeel 8y ago
      More importantly the assumptions can be made about the tech. design and implementation and it's stability/availability across x. amount of time. On the perfect part, I am not intellectually competent to answer that ...
bovermyer 8y ago
If I understand correctly, you just said that any operating system that's still under development thirty years after its inception is garbage. Please clarify, because I can't believe that that's what you actually mean.
- 8y ago

billfruit 8y ago

Why doesn't Ubuntu (and many other distributions) change to a rolling release model. Having switched to Arch, though admittedly the installation process is much more elaborate than of Ubuntu, once you customise it to one's preference, it is much more convenient to keep upgrading individual packages as they are evolving.

Karunamon 8y ago
Because rolling releases give you a terrible choice between constant upgrades all the time (read: resource and network usage and reboots), and if you don't, a high likelihood of something breaking when you finally do that pacman -Syu. There's nothing wrong with snapshot releases in a distro focused on usability and stability.
- the_duke 8y ago
  pacman -Syu was always a dangerous ride in the past, but the last two years it hasn't broken anything for me, ever. I upgrade all packages about once a week.
  - sametmax 8y ago
    Once a week is insane. I have 4 computers and 2 phones. No time for that. My mother update her distro twice a year, when I come over and think about it.
    - copperx 8y ago
      Isn't your number of computers insane? The right number of computers for most people is exactly one.
      - majewsky 8y ago
        A notebook is not a gaming desktop is not a server.
      - 8y ago

petecooper 8y ago

Two pages to monitor if you want to jump on 18.04 as soon as possible: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2018-April/date.html https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2018-April... http://torrent.ubuntu.com:6969 http://torrent.ubuntu.com:6969 (No affiliation beyond being a user for about 4 years.)

pas 8y ago
If you want to jump/upgrade, simply add deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic main restricted universe multiverse deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse to /etc/apt/sources.list hit apt update && apt full-upgrade If things look okay (it should upgrade a bunch of packages, add quite a lot new, and remove only a handful), hit enter.

Karunamon 8y ago

It seems like none of the dumb GNOME warts were plastered over. There's still the idiotic, screen-taking-over activities menu (because, yknow, it should take 3840x2160 pixels to show a fucking app launcher. Did nobody learn from Windows 8? The GNOME devs are officially more hard-headed than Microsoft - an achievement of some note) There's still the swipe-to-unlock desktop There's the default Apple scrolling behavior The author said it best: I spend every day in a state of permanent quixotic hope that eventually humanity will comes to its senses and realize that computers and mobile devices are different kinds of technology with different purposes and different usage patterns. Seriously, GNOME is a touch UI. The large buttons, the swipe mechanics, everything. Except nobody uses GNOME on the mobile devices it appears to be made for!

yAnonymous 8y ago
GNOME is what you get when you build a team for political reasons instead of hiring good developers and designers. To make it good you'd have to exchange the whole team first. It's LXDE for me from here on out.
- my123 8y ago
  KDE is sane these days, and separates mobile and desktop UIs too!
  - Karunamon 8y ago
    They took a few too many gulps of the flat design kool-aid for my taste, but at least KDE hasn't forgotten who its users are or what kind of devices those users are installing it on.
- syndev 8y ago
  I'm very unfamiliar with gnome as an organization. What are the political reasons you're referencing?
  - yAnonymous 8y ago

panarky 8y ago

When the display goes to sleep due to lack of input or whatever, you have to drag upwards with your mouse to unlock the screen. Like some common dirty frickin' smart phone. Yes! Dragging a window to the top of the screen maximizes the window. FOR GODS SAKE WHY. Double yes!

megaman22 8y ago
I will never understand why Ubuntu took a very nice desktop Linux distribution, and fucked it up with all these mobile and tablet centric UI absurdities.
- hiccuphippo 8y ago
  Isn't it Gnome or the *dm? I use Arch with vanilla Gnome3 and it has the same drag up thing. I just press enter.
- rwmj 8y ago
  Mostly GNOME is to blame for this.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- Yetanfou 8y ago
  They did that because they'd caught the one-size-fits-all virus which made them yearn for Ubuntu phones and Ubuntu tablets. Those ventures did not really come to fruition but the side effects still show. Given the prevalence of touch-screen laptops it wouldn't surprise me if part of this idea actually does find a niche to settle in on convertible devices.
- jackhack 8y ago
  It's the way of the world. Apple and Microsoft seem hell-bent on introducing "phone/tablet" type gestures into their desktop UIs also. It seems only natural that linux distros would follow. Lesson for the kids making these decisions: "new and/or different" != better

reacweb 8y ago

I have a desktop. The first thing I test after installation of Ubuntu is the remote access using ssh, then the wakeonlan, then the remote access using vnc (already painful with 16.04), then the sharing of hard disk directories. Finally, I test the playback of BD and CD. I do not need much customization: ensure that the alt key is not blocked and works fine with photoshop. On the desktop, I will probably only remove the dock on the left.

pnutjam 8y ago
Switch your remote access to x2go, you'll thank me.
- kingosticks 8y ago
  What's the benefit? The best I previously found was nomachine since it has clients for everything. But it's still so laggy over a remote connection, maybe I'm doing something wrong.
  - pnutjam 8y ago
    I was using freeNX, x2go is better. Nomachine is a paid product, it's head and shoulders better then VNC. You didn't experience that? The newer (non OSS) version supports UDP streams for media. It's free to use, but I've not tested it since it limits the number of users and I can stream ok with X2go.
    - kingosticks 8y ago
      I use the single-user free version of NoMachine (which I thought was also closed source). I agree it's better than VNC but that's not hard. I'm not trying to play media, just type etc. What I want is something as good as Windows Remote Desktop where you almost can't tell you are remote - I would happily pay for that.

unixhero 8y ago

Any news on Powermac build?

yellowapple 8y ago
I thought Ubuntu dropped support for PowerPC Macs quite awhile back? I know last time I ended up running Linux on one (my eMac) it was with Debian. I've since found that OpenBSD runs a lot better on PowerPC Macs anyway.
- unixhero 8y ago
  I cannot fathom why they would drop support for the widely used powermac platform. Ubuntu mate 1604 has a fully working powermac big median ppc build. I am using it now and it really rocks my g5 machines. Will install openbsd next!

tinus_hn 8y ago

That was a reasonable review until it devolved into the typical Apple whinery of self-professed UI ‘experts’.

yAnonymous 8y ago
From a usability standpoint, Apple's UX is genuinely bad.
- Rjevski 8y ago
  Disagreed. There are quirks, but it’s otherwise good and light years ahead from Linux or even Windows 8+.

setquk 8y ago

I'm not mincing my words here but Gnome 3 is just an unpolishable turd and needs to go away. It's just trying to be original and clever but has missed the mark so incredibly far that makes it the most frustrating thing possible to use on a daily basis. I have tried on and off for 2 years and it is just eye gouging pain to use. I crawl back to xubuntu and XFCE in the end every time as it does the service of getting out of my way. Honestly they need to actually provide a desktop that isn't a piece of crap, isn't some new paradigm and one where every UI element isn't an inch across (munged up shitty titlebar/toolbar hybrid) or virtually invisible (scrollbars) or has pointless transparency somewhere, isn't built on a stack of processes and packages deeper than a Java enterprise stack trace and actually has some quality control. What we have at the moment, including the terrible QC of systemd, is a travesty which simply discredits the excellent kernel and userland underneath.

IAmEveryone 8y ago
UI is simply terribly hard. And the open source “bazaar” model also happens to be at its worst in UI work. You kinda need a dictator with taste to get UIs right, and the Linux community has neither dictators nor taste.
- andrepd 8y ago
  A counterexample to that is the many other DEs done right: Xfce, Cinnamon, etc.
  - VMG 8y ago
    Why do you think they are less popular? Maybe it's a matter of taste?
  - megaman22 8y ago
    It's not like there isn't decades of prior art out there on what works well... A decade ago I was quite happy with the Gnome2 desktop. Since then, I either go with Xubuntu and XFCE or Mint, which was Cinnamon last time I checked.
  - 8y ago

xur17 8y ago

Has anyone found a good solution for non-integer screen scaling? I use Ubuntu on all of my computers, but they have modern, hi-res screens, and the default scaling is too small. The only options are integer multiples (which is too big), or scaling the font size (which leaves window navigation, icons, etc too small).

om42 8y ago
I had switched to Wayland and it (sort of) supports fractional scaling system wide. It did work, its just some things end up being blurry (fonts are blurry) and that was too much for me. My temp workaround is using font scale at 1.4. Its good enough but I miss not having to worry about it with Wayland, especially with multiple monitors that have different resolutions. Some day Wayland support will be better, but I don't see it anytime soon.
- vetinari 8y ago
  The blurriness seems to be a bug with Xwayland: it runs the apps at @1 scale and scales them UP to the required fractional size. It should run them at the @2 scale and scale them DOWN, to preserve the sharpness. Meanwhile, the best way to achieve fractional scale is to run X11, use the nearest highest integer scale and scale it down using "xrandr --scale 1.somethingx1.something". Not very user friendly, though.
  - pritambaral 8y ago
    > Meanwhile, the best way to achieve fractional scale is to run X11, use the nearest highest integer scale and scale it down using "xrandr --scale 1.somethingx1.something". Not very user friendly, though. KDE's Kwin on X11 supports fractionally scaling displays, and is user friendly. Go to Displays -> Scale Display
    - vetinari 8y ago
      Not correctly, though. When talking about fractional scaling in Gnome, it is meant for all apps, not just GTK apps. Most apps do respect Xft.dpi, so they will scale their fonts, as the desktop environment sets it up, but not the other assets. Scaling all the other assets is the issue, not just the font rendering. So yes, Qt apps in KDE do work correctly, (KDE is seting their QT_*_SCALE env variables). It does not work with GTK apps. Similarly, GTK apps do work correctly with fractional scaling in Gnome, but Qt apps do not, because Gnome doesn't set QT_AUTO_SCREEN_SCALE=0 and QT_SCREEN_SCALE_FACTORS like KDE does. Qt apps in Gnome look broken exactly like GTK apps look broken in KDE. Proper fractional scaling means scaling all apps, not just apps made using single framework.

zby 8y ago

What I really want in Linux is some way to kill apps when it gets low on memory and everything gets stuck. I know there is Magic SysRq Key - but I always forget about the keys and also it requires recompiling the kernel.

pritambaral 8y ago
Using Magic SysRq keys shouldn't require recompiling the kernel. Magic SysRq is toggle-able and configurable via sysctl. If you're on Ubuntu, see /etc/sysctl.d/10-magic-sysrq.conf
pas 8y ago
Disable swap (or reduce it to <100MB), it'll never get slow, the kernel will kill things for you.

kyledrake 8y ago

I find XFCE/Xubuntu to be better too. Unfortunately, that project does not release often and is having trouble keeping up with the new world. In particular, it's not very good at high dpi monitors, and getting it configured for that was such a problem that I ended up abandoning it.

youseecomrade 8y ago
And it has to keep up with Gnome/GTK too. I heard it's not easy.
- kyledrake 8y ago
  There's apparently been some improvements to HiDPI in this release for Xubuntu, which is giving me hope it works better now. https://xubuntu.org/release/18-04/ https://xubuntu.org/release/18-04/
  - kyledrake 8y ago
    For future travelers, this is how you fix Xubuntu for HiDPI: https://askubuntu.com/questions/652021/adapt-font-and-icon-sizes-to-high-definition-screen-resolutions-in-ubuntu-studio/690420 https://askubuntu.com/questions/652021/adapt-font-and-icon-s...

sz4kerto 8y ago

LTS. Meanwhile Gnome Shell is leaking memory like hell and it has bugs that've been open for 5 years and are marked as 'critical'. (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-shell/+bug/1181666 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-shell/+bug/1... and the rest)

tutuca 8y ago
This is fixed in the release version.
gnufied 8y ago
I am running gnome-shell on 3 desktops and my current session is running for days and memory usage is stable around 230MB. The leak as discussed in the bug comes from certain extensions. I do not think it qualifies as leaks as "hell".
- k_bx 8y ago
  If you just press "Super" multiple times does RAM usage go up? Was quite reproducible for me last time I've checked.
  - vetinari 8y ago
    And later goes down, as it gets GC-ed.
    - cweagans 8y ago
      Did you read the bug report? The entire problem is that GC isn't working right. See https://feaneron.com/2018/04/20/the-infamous-gnome-shell-memory-leak/ https://feaneron.com/2018/04/20/the-infamous-gnome-shell-mem... for more info.
  - tomtheelder 8y ago
    Just tried this on my machine and it caused no increase in RAM usage. Hit it ~100 times. Edit: Actually it is increasing memory usage, but on the order of like 1MB per 5 key presses. That would probably become an issue on a long enough timescale.

trisimix 8y ago

For a limix admin your review was suprising. If you hadnt prefaced Id had guessed this to be your first review outside of windows no offense. You didn't mention anything non user-interface, or the files that run it.

singhrac 8y ago

Is there a blog post detailing the state of Ubuntu desktop apps (i.e. a list of apps that don't have a port)? And does hi-resolution display support work properly? I'm thinking about switching but there are certain nice things about OSX that I can't live without.

mixmastamyk 8y ago
Try a live CD/image?

gpdpocketer 8y ago

I've been a Linux user since the very beginning, and have settled on Ubuntu as my daily driver for .. now .. decades (or is it, I dunno, feels like it..) .. anyway, I am a systems-level developer, lots of experience, and I enjoy myself a well-put together system. So, since I tend towards the multimedia experiences, I use the -Studio variant of Ubuntu, which is preconfigured and biased, default installations-wise, towards the cool music and video and creative tools, and so on. Its really a treat. Anyway, I have a few systems. A DAW, Digital Audio Workstation, my studio, which handles multiple channels of audio on a regular basis, often 32 independent streaming inputs per REC session .. and a fair swath of plugins nobody has ever heard of before, which is often a positive... On my personal laptop, I run the same thing. A GPD Pocket, with a small satchel of cables, and I can pretty much set up anywhere and review sessions. Through all of this, I have updated my Ubuntu systems - but the only way I've been able to survive, personally, is to avoid Gnome Shell, and select FVWM or LWM at login. That said, the only place Gnome Shell really feels nice .. is on the GPD Pocket. Does this say something about where things are at? I tell you one thing: the GPD Pocket has replaced a Macbook Air ...

buildbuildbuild 8y ago
A bit off topic but curious: which pro audio interfaces have you had the best success with on Linux? Especially at 32 channels. I doubt I can ever break my Logic+Waves addiction but your report has me intrigued, might give Ubuntu Studio a shot for some experimental tracks. A GPD could be handy for live tracking MADI at shows if the CPU can handle it.

SubiculumCode 8y ago

As long as I have the old-school styled MATE Desktop I'll be fine (XFCE is ok too once configured, just not my preferred enviro). Honestly, the UI should be err on keeping it simple and fast, animate IFF it is minimal and gives user useful feedback, always include 'open terminal here' contextmenu (be proud Linux), file browser should have up, back, forward buttons and a way to copy the path, and a bar to place oft use applications, and multiple desktops. That is all I want. Simple,no?

NedIsakoff 8y ago

Any idea when it is released? I know its today, but when today?

DCKing 8y ago

Man, the Linux crowd really sucks. Why am I even reading these comments? I'm of the opinion that the Linux desktop has never been better, and I really enjoy using modern Linux desktops a lot more than I used to. To all those developers that made it possible for us to use this stuff on our computers with no strings attached: thank you. Ubuntu 18.04 is a great collection of these achievements (like many other current Linux distros). Reading these comments you'd miss that this review has a (mostly) positive conclusion and a recommendation for people to use it.

lessclue 8y ago
I’m of the same opinion. I thought Unity was alright and this new desktop is a great improvement.
ASalazarMX 8y ago
I've been using Ubuntu almost since it started, because it works and I sure as hell don't miss fiddling with X modelines or compiling my own kernel. I've stuck with the standard Ubuntu, but have tried all the flavors because I wish some degree of customization, and Gnome wishes less every time. Unfortunately they are not as polished. Since Ubuntu is so great anyway, I try to convince myself that less customization means less wasted time.
CalRobert 8y ago
I owe my career in part to the fact that I just bit the bullet, dumped windows, and switched to Ubuntu as my main OS about 7 years ago. In the war on general purpose computing they're still fighting the good fight.
- wilsonnb 8y ago
  I, for one, am happy that a war is being fought on general purpose computing because it seems to be the only way to make everything "just work" to an acceptable degree. The iPad is the least general and most locked down computer I've ever used but I love it because it just works. I've never had a problem with it. I was a diehard Linux guy for five or six years but now I run Windows 10 on all my computers and spend most of my time in the iPad anyways.

themtutty 8y ago

Most of the reviewer's comments aren't about anything new in 18.04. It's like he didn't see any of the 17.* releases?

gregknicholson 8y ago
The reviewer does indeed say that they haven't used Gnome before, and didn't use Unity.
severine 8y ago
A lot of people are on previous LTS versions. Both 14.04 and 16.04 still have support: https://www.ubuntu.com/info/release-end-of-life https://www.ubuntu.com/info/release-end-of-life edit: grammar

tjpnz 8y ago

Ubuntu lost me years back when they introduced Unity. The single biggest issue I had with it was the positioning of the dock and how there was no officially supported means of changing it. I didn't like it from a design perspective but far worse was my RSI which was particularly bad at the time, even subtle things like button placement would just set everything right off. I wasn't the only one who wanted the option to customize this but such requests fell on deaf ears, I was told by one of the Unity devs that the dock placement was a "design decision" and that they had no intention of changing it. Until they did but that was many years later and long after I had moved on to Linux Mint and Cinnamon. I think adopting Gnome is a positive step in the right direction for Ubuntu, it sounds like they may actually be listening to their users now.

nobleach 8y ago
Unity was a terrible pock-mark on the face of desktop interfaces. I was excited to see Gnome 3 supplant it (I've held the unpopular opinion that Gnome 3 isn't all that bad, and I've used it off and on since 10.10). After a couple of hours use, I've seen it crash just like Unity. It's almost as if they took the crashy bits and put them into Gnome. I'm also dismayed at how hard it is to enable theming. Gnome Tweak Tool comes with that option locked out by default. Themes in general have been a pain for many years.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
nightcracker 8y ago
I've been using Xubuntu for years now, and am very satisfied. The comfort of Ubuntu packages/support with the same good 'ol XFCE UI that doesn't shove the latest flashy mobile touch interface in my face.
dingo_bat 8y ago
The linked article mentions that there are zero UI customization options. You can't even change the font or colors. They are certainly not listening to their users.

crypt1d 8y ago

I appreciate his no-bs approach to the review - he sticks to what matters to him, not all the new shiny bells and whistles. That said, I would have loved some more input on audio management in the new Ubuntu. pulseaudio is giving me such a headache in 17.10 - random static noise, not remembering the right output or the volume, etc etc..

sfifs 8y ago

One thing I discovered about the lock screen that's mentioned as a problem here is that you can just type your password and enter to login after a suspend and it will work.... No need to swipe or whatever.

philliphaydon 8y ago

What is preventing linux from having the visual polish that windows and OS X has???

pzone 8y ago
1. X11/X.Org make precision monitor support (especially DPI) a royal PITA 2. Perpetually broken video card drivers mean basic acceleration can't be relied on. 3. GTK and Qt just don't have the polish of Metro or Cocoa. I think both are prettier than Win32. 4. The comparison isn't all one-sided: Windows definitely has its rough patches too. It's making improvements however so Linux has no room to be complacent.
s73v3r_ 8y ago
Willingness of people who can do that kind of work to do it for Linux.
quantum_magpie 8y ago
As someone who uses LXDE daily for the past 9 years, and who has a gaming Windows setup, I can tell wholeheartedly that the only thing worse than visual polish of Windows is the GNOME3 and Unity DE's. I also had on couple occasions the misfortune of using OSX, and god it was absolutely horrid. As in, Windows level of bad.

severine 8y ago

Known issues (from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BionicBeaver/ReleaseNotes https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BionicBeaver/ReleaseNotes) As is to be expected, with any release, there are some significant known bugs that users may run into with this release of Ubuntu 18.04. The ones we know about at this point (and some of the workarounds), are documented here so you don't need to spend time reporting these bugs again: Desktop - The computer suspends after 20 minutes of inactivity on battery power even if a user is logged in remotely. (GNOME:gnome-control-center#22) - Bluetooth audio devices cannot be used in the Greeter. This will cause issues for people using the accessibility features such as screenreaders at the login screen. Once logged in everything should work as expected. - Some admin utilities will not work with GNOME on Wayland since the apps have not been adapted to use PolicyKit to only use admin privileges for the specific functions needed. Also, some screenshot and screencast apps and all remote desktop server apps do not currently work on GNOME on Wayland. As a workaround, you can use the default Ubuntu session. - Exiting the live session may get stuck with a "A start job is running for " error. You may need to forcefully power off the computer if you see this. (1706939) - The Dock and Appindicator system extensions appear to be Off in tools like GNOME Tweaks. (They are on but cannot be disabled because they are system extensions for the Ubuntu session.) (1718850) - Tracker is not installed by default. When installed, you must log out and log back in for the tracker service to start (1697769) - Systems may fail to boot when connected over DisplayPort to an external screen, on NVidia graphics hardware such as the GTX970 chipset. (1723619) - When an external monitor is connected to a laptop, the login screen is only displayed on the internal one and in some case is not visible (1723025) - The warning dialog when a user force a UEFI installation does not respond to input event and the installation is then blocked at this stage (1724482) Avoid yourself some troubles and do not force a UEFI installation without a UEFI partition, grub-installer will fail anyway. - Doing an "Entire disk" installation over an existing LVM installation will fail because the installer selects the wrong boot device (1724417) Use custom partitioning instead and manually select the right boot device in the combo box. - The Files app remains at 3.26. - Upgrading via the installer (Ubiquity) is deemed not safe due to bugs in apt-clone and so is no longer supported. (1756862) UIFE - remove ubiquity upgrade option. - Setting a ulimit may cause segfaults in certain applications, especially those using webkit2gtk. Disabling the ulimit should restore normal functionality. More information in this Debian news entry: https://salsa.debian.org/webkit-team/webkit/blob/wk2/unstable/debian/NEWS https://salsa.debian.org/webkit-team/webkit/blob/wk2/unstabl... - Occasionally login may hang after an incorrect password (1766137). A workaround is to click cancel, click on your user and try again. Server - Partitioning step allows to configure LVM across multiple devices without requiring to setup a separate /boot partition. This may lead to failure to install the bootloader at the end of the installation, and failures to boot the resultant installations. (1680101) - LVM configuration cannot be removed when volume groups with the same name are found during installation. Partitioner does not support installation when multiple conflicting/identical volume groups have been detected. For example reinstalling Ubuntu with LVM across multiple disk drives that had individual LVM installations of Ubuntu. As a workaround, please format disk drives prior to installation, or from the built in shell provided in the installer. (1679184) - cio_ignore blacklist is no longer active after installation, because not all install-time parameters, like cio_ignore (s390x), are propagated to the installed system. Workaround is to edit /etc/zipl.conf to apply these and re-run sudo zipl to update the IPL. (1571561)

RRRA 8y ago

Upgrading from 16.04, the experience is quite awkward. CLI wise, I love Ubuntu and 18.04 is just a refined version of a very functional desktop/server distribution. GUI wise though, it seems to have changed many defaults, a lot of which will require extensions or obscure gsettings/dconf commands. But mulitple monitor really felt like a mess compared to unity. Workspace switches only the laptop screen, no grid layout, etc. And though I got used to putting a window on a side for it to maximise or take half the screen, with Gnome3 it takes the other window into account, so good luck trying to overlap use a side to see a chat with moving that window by hand. I kinda feel cinnamon gets a lot of thing more right, but Mint is a bit of a mess to maintain and trust...

dhd415 8y ago
For those reasons, I like Xfce and LXDE on Xubuntu and Lubuntu, respectively. I use those for workstations, they've got the same CLI features as Ubuntu, and I don't need or want a bunch of GUI chrome in my dev environments.
cossatot 8y ago
I set up a Fedora/Cinnamon desktop at my last job and loved it.

tedge 8y ago

Ubuntu 18.04 is the first release to include my app, PikoPixel (pixel-art editor), in its repository (universe): https://packages.ubuntu.com/bionic/gnustep/pikopixel.app https://packages.ubuntu.com/bionic/gnustep/pikopixel.app I had to tweak PP's packaging to get it to appear in the Ubuntu Software app, so I can provide a bit of info about this part of the article: My assumption for now is that the Ubuntu Software application only shows updates for packages that were installed through it. Further, the list of installed applications that it shows is very clearly a subset of those that are actually installed on the system. Color me befuddled. The Ubuntu Software app (& similar software-center apps, such as GNOME Software, KDE Discover, etc.) only shows distro packages which have valid AppStream metadata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppStream https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppStream The AppStream metadata is generated automatically by running appstream-generator (https://github.com/ximion/appstream-generator https://github.com/ximion/appstream-generator ) on Ubuntu's repositories. However, on some packages the metadata can't be generated, due to an error - either the package has missing info, incorrect formatting, or possibly it's an issue with appstream-generator. Here's a list of packages in the Ubuntu Bionic universe repo that have issues (packages with errors are unlikely to appear in Ubuntu Software): http://appstream.ubuntu.com/bionic/universe/issues/index.html http://appstream.ubuntu.com/bionic/universe/issues/index.htm... List of packages with successfully generated metadata in Ubuntu Bionic universe (should appear in Ubuntu Software): http://appstream.ubuntu.com/bionic/universe/metainfo/index.html http://appstream.ubuntu.com/bionic/universe/metainfo/index.h... (Package names link to the generated metadata xml file).

AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
If only we lived in a world where developers could just distribute their application binaries to the end user without having to rely on a storefront.
- lobo_tuerto 8y ago
  SourceForge?
  - majewsky 8y ago

kpcyrd 8y ago

It mentions the keyring is able to handle ed25519. Was this fixed in gnome-keyring recently? Do they use something different? Edit: it seems fixed: https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=723274 https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=723274

mankash666 8y ago

" I'm an open source advocate who is incredibly set in my ways and I want the tools that I use to just work. I detest paying for software except when it occupies certain specialized cases or represents something more akin to work of art, such as the video game Portal. But only when it's on sale" So he's someone who doesn't believe or support the traditional software industry (everyone from Apple to MSFT makes money off the traditional model of paying for value ). Stopped reading the review there.

jacknews 8y ago

What a good review, focusing on all the so-called little things, that are actually the big things, ie does it actually work smoothly. The same with laptop reviews which quite often just compare features and speeds, but not the feel, keyboard, trackpad, weight, noise and heat, port placement, carry-ability, one-hand-holdability, etc, etc.

wowtip 8y ago
Yes, one of the best Linux distro reviews I have read! Actually gives a feel for how it would be using it rather than descriptions of cosmetics. Also it gives constructive and relevant criticism which can be of help for future development. This is a common problem with reviews, rushed out to be first, but not sure what is the optimal time spent for reviewing the product. Also, many times I get a feeling people reviewing distros are not really qualified, as in contrast to this guy who seems to know both what is important and also have technical knowledge, when needed.

sandGorgon 8y ago

Hmm..A lot of this review is about Gnome. Which is new and shiny for Ubuntu users, but has been around forever in Fedora. Fedora 27 is a beautiful, integrated OS that is probably better designed, pays more core Linux devs and has fewer existential crises than Ubuntu.

desk_rabbit 8y ago

> I am going to be judging Ubuntu 18.04 like an elderly lady judges canteloupe at the produce market. I was convinced when he said he chose xfce4/xubuntu, but now I'm sure.

dingo_bat 8y ago

Has Ubuntu fixed Alt+Tab yet? It drive me mad the last time I tried to use it. Why can't it just cycle through windows like a normal window manager?

kumaranvpl 8y ago
It is not fixed yet. That is the intended behaviour I guess. Anyway I am using https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/15/alternatetab/ https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/15/alternatetab/ this extension to cycle through all the open windows.
- theyinwhy 8y ago
  That's a gnome option you can change by e.g. using the dconf editor. See https://askubuntu.com/questions/464946/ubuntu-gnome-force-alt-tab-to-switch-only-on-current-workspace https://askubuntu.com/questions/464946/ubuntu-gnome-force-al...

Animats 8y ago

This was a useful review. He installed it into a virtual machine, though, so he didn't have to struggle with Linux driver issues. That's usually the biggest headache with a Linux install. He's right to view this from a naive user standpoint. Ubuntu put an ad on the desktop? What do they think they're doing? Push back hard against that. Windows 10's ads have produced much hatred, and soon you won't be able to turn them off unless you buy the Enterprise version.

adrianratnapala 8y ago
No he first tried it out on a VM, but then seems to have put it on a laptop. There is quite a lot of discussion about what happens when you close the lid, plug and unplug monitors etc.

jk2323 8y ago

Never liked GNome, unity, settled for Kubuntu. After KDE started annoying me, I use Bodhi Linux https://www.bodhilinux.com https://www.bodhilinux.com

adrianratnapala 8y ago

> The bar on the left is obviously a vertical imitation of the Mac OS X dock. Which is a horizontal "imitation" of the NeXTStep doc, which I learned about from WindowMaker. And which is the obvious extension of a plain-old button-bar for the use case of a Window manager. So Kudos to old Stevie J, but still ...

enzolovesbacon 8y ago

This is how a review is done. Thorough and covers the details that matters for a distro review. Although I could experience the advantages it's offering over 16.04, I tried it yesterday and it's incredibly slow. Like 5-seconds-to-activate-focus-on-any-window slow. Has anyone had similar issue? The last time I experienced something laggy like this was with crappy hardware. It doesn't happen on RHEL 7.5 (with GNOME Classic), Fedora (with GNOME), Ubuntu 16.04 (with Unity). I have a beefy computer (HP Z600, 2x Xeon, 48GB RAM ECC), so I'm pretty sure it's not a hardware issue. Windows 10 also runs fine.

5580 8y ago

No mention of Ubuntu Budgie? I have found that it behaves perfectly and just "gets out of the way." I have never liked the Unity interface and having plank integrated is fantastic. I also like the menu (w/ search) vs. use search for everything UX of GNOME vanilla.

crtasm 8y ago
I tried out gnome/mate/x/kubuntu recently to see how they compared to my daily driver lubuntu. Budgie is new to me, thanks for mentioning it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Budgie https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Budgie

dekhn 8y ago

For those complaining about the unlock screen: Not sure if I'm missing something fundamental, but you can just type your password and hit enter.

FrozenVoid 8y ago

What i find annoying is that no Linux distro comes with sane settings by default, you always have to tweak it until it works properly. It took me a few months to get Xubuntu figured out(and few years to properly customize): it involved lots of google searching and that is most pleasant expirience of them all(other distros can't hold a candle to Ubuntu quality). Its as if distro developers never used their own product(i suspect they run it through some VM on a Mac). Here are major things I had to do: 1.Make /tmp load in ram via tmpfs (much faster) 2.Disable swap entirely, convert it to a file partition.(swap is slow ugly cludge that is useless with 8GB ram). 3.Disable hibernate and suspend. (i don't want it to write to SSD). 4.Remove several CPU hungry services that serve zero purpose such as tumbler, whoopsie,browsed,update-notifier. 5.Fix the window manager to disable several annoying quirks: such as entering zoom mode ocassionally. The overall feeling is that Linux distros are packed with rarely used features turned on, and needed things requiring installing (like e.g. paprefs(pulseaudio)). The difference between what i have now and default setup is growing more distant every day as i fix and customize more stuff. This also ensures I will stay on Ubuntu 16.04 for the foreseeable future as i don't want to repeat similar "customization/usability" work i've done on one machine again.