4 ms·

Tell me, how more exciting will the new version of Ubuntu be compared to the next version of OS X? Mature products are just that—mature products.

ekianjo 14y ago
I cannot really speak for OSX because I do not use it, but Ubuntu just keeps getting better and better on the SAME hardware. On every update it seems to be getting more optimized, less buggy, and introduces new features (sometimes interesting) that make you want to give it a go. The only time when I felt that Ubuntu was going backward is when they introduced Unity for the first time (it was slow as hell) but after that step they just kept getting better in every iteration. That's exciting.
- nitrogen 14y ago
  It really depends on the hardware, I guess. For me, Ubuntu peaked around 8.10 or 9.04. It ran great on my tablet (yeah, those existed before the iPad, though it was a lot heaver, and that was perfectly fine), sound worked, etc. Every version since then has broken something, and according to benchmarks, Unity is the slowest desktop environment available for Linux. But, if Ubuntu works for you, don't let the opinion of one random guy on HN change your mind. Just consider yourself fortunate to find something you like and can use.
  - ekianjo 14y ago
    Well, I have different distros on my home computers, and I switch between Mint, OpenSuse and Ubuntu on a daily basis. But Ubuntu is really nicely put together, and while I realize Unity is definitely slower than the rest, on the hardware I run it it is still fast enough for most of what I do, so I do not mind it so much. Sorry to hear you have a hard time to get Ubuntu working well...
- Tomek_ 14y ago
  > On every update it seems to be getting more optimized, less buggy, and introduces new features (sometimes interesting) that make you want to give it a go. Well, that doesn't counter rimantas' argument, it's just that Ubuntu still has some distance to pass before it will reach maturity.
- agumonkey 14y ago
  OSX used to be that too. I was amazed that 10.4(IIRC) could run on first gen imac with only a ram upgrade.
nitrogen 14y ago
Mature products are just that—mature products. This is a problem for a company that, like Apple, has used its own marketing to predicate its worth on being hip, new, exciting, and "innovative."
- batista 14y ago
  Yes, the only jump-started or taken from zero to hero SIX markets in the last 10 years, with the last one 3 years ago (desktop OS, portable mp3 players, online music distribution, touch smartphones, online app distribution, tablets). I don't mean they "invented" those (there were tablets / mp3 players / app stores, etc before). I mean they made them _matter_ (as in, going from nearly bankrupt to largest company on earth matter). Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat. At best, they introduced me-too products in the same space (myriads of iPod "killers", iPad like tablets, app stores, etc). Maybe Amazon is an exception, they did introduce the Kindle, which is a category of its own, and it got its own copycats (Barnes and Noble, etc). Still, rather small compared.
  - nitrogen 14y ago
    There's no doubt Apple changed a lot of markets and made a killing in the process. It greatly disappoints me that being the biggest public company on the planet isn't enough for them, and they have to start suing everyone. Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat. It's not that their rivals weren't trying (Maemo and Openmoko were definitely interesting), Apple just beat them at what they did best -- making it all fit together, and convincing people they needed it.
    - batista 14y ago
      >It greatly disappoints me that being the biggest public company on the planet isn't enough for them, and they have to start suing everyone. True, they could have played the "we're getting copied verbatim" card better, and only sue for relevant very technical patents. I also had a hope that some policies will change for the better under Cook, but I'm not so sure.
redthrowaway 14y ago
Many people thought Ubuntu was a mature product until Unity came along. The blowback from that also explains why Apple seeks to refine, rather than reinvent. OSX has looked pretty much the same for 10 years, compared to MS' constant reinvention of Windows. The MacBook Pro hasn't really changed since the unibody update, although the Retina might be a sign of things to come. Hell, the Mac Pro hasn't changed its appearance in forever. Apple's MO seems to be to iterate over prototypes until they get something they're happy with, then release it and give it minor updates as it matures. The only two products I can think of that buck this trend are the iPod and iPhone, and the rapid changes in the former were simply the result of massive miniaturization of the requisite technologies, and the emergence of capacitive touch screens.

ekianjo 14y ago

I cannot really speak for OSX because I do not use it, but Ubuntu just keeps getting better and better on the SAME hardware. On every update it seems to be getting more optimized, less buggy, and introduces new features (sometimes interesting) that make you want to give it a go. The only time when I felt that Ubuntu was going backward is when they introduced Unity for the first time (it was slow as hell) but after that step they just kept getting better in every iteration. That's exciting.

nitrogen 14y ago
It really depends on the hardware, I guess. For me, Ubuntu peaked around 8.10 or 9.04. It ran great on my tablet (yeah, those existed before the iPad, though it was a lot heaver, and that was perfectly fine), sound worked, etc. Every version since then has broken something, and according to benchmarks, Unity is the slowest desktop environment available for Linux. But, if Ubuntu works for you, don't let the opinion of one random guy on HN change your mind. Just consider yourself fortunate to find something you like and can use.
- ekianjo 14y ago
  Well, I have different distros on my home computers, and I switch between Mint, OpenSuse and Ubuntu on a daily basis. But Ubuntu is really nicely put together, and while I realize Unity is definitely slower than the rest, on the hardware I run it it is still fast enough for most of what I do, so I do not mind it so much. Sorry to hear you have a hard time to get Ubuntu working well...
Tomek_ 14y ago
> On every update it seems to be getting more optimized, less buggy, and introduces new features (sometimes interesting) that make you want to give it a go. Well, that doesn't counter rimantas' argument, it's just that Ubuntu still has some distance to pass before it will reach maturity.
agumonkey 14y ago
OSX used to be that too. I was amazed that 10.4(IIRC) could run on first gen imac with only a ram upgrade.

nitrogen 14y ago

Mature products are just that—mature products. This is a problem for a company that, like Apple, has used its own marketing to predicate its worth on being hip, new, exciting, and "innovative."

batista 14y ago
Yes, the only jump-started or taken from zero to hero SIX markets in the last 10 years, with the last one 3 years ago (desktop OS, portable mp3 players, online music distribution, touch smartphones, online app distribution, tablets). I don't mean they "invented" those (there were tablets / mp3 players / app stores, etc before). I mean they made them _matter_ (as in, going from nearly bankrupt to largest company on earth matter). Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat. At best, they introduced me-too products in the same space (myriads of iPod "killers", iPad like tablets, app stores, etc). Maybe Amazon is an exception, they did introduce the Kindle, which is a category of its own, and it got its own copycats (Barnes and Noble, etc). Still, rather small compared.
- nitrogen 14y ago
  There's no doubt Apple changed a lot of markets and made a killing in the process. It greatly disappoints me that being the biggest public company on the planet isn't enough for them, and they have to start suing everyone. Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat. It's not that their rivals weren't trying (Maemo and Openmoko were definitely interesting), Apple just beat them at what they did best -- making it all fit together, and convincing people they needed it.
  - batista 14y ago
    >It greatly disappoints me that being the biggest public company on the planet isn't enough for them, and they have to start suing everyone. True, they could have played the "we're getting copied verbatim" card better, and only sue for relevant very technical patents. I also had a hope that some policies will change for the better under Cook, but I'm not so sure.

redthrowaway 14y ago

Many people thought Ubuntu was a mature product until Unity came along. The blowback from that also explains why Apple seeks to refine, rather than reinvent. OSX has looked pretty much the same for 10 years, compared to MS' constant reinvention of Windows. The MacBook Pro hasn't really changed since the unibody update, although the Retina might be a sign of things to come. Hell, the Mac Pro hasn't changed its appearance in forever. Apple's MO seems to be to iterate over prototypes until they get something they're happy with, then release it and give it minor updates as it matures. The only two products I can think of that buck this trend are the iPod and iPhone, and the rapid changes in the former were simply the result of massive miniaturization of the requisite technologies, and the emergence of capacitive touch screens.