How to Use Templates in Ubuntu 12.04

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I’ve always wondered what the empty Templates folder in Ubuntu was for. It turns out that you can actually quickly create documents, presentations or spreadsheets by right-clicking. Let’s easily add some functionality to our file manager!

Our right-click context menu currently looks like this. “Empty Document” is actually pretty useless.

Menu_004

Populating the Templates folder

On a fresh install of Ubuntu, you will notice that the Templates folder is empty. We will create a blank word document, blank spreadsheet and blank presentation.

  1. Open LibreOffice Writer and save a blank document as “Blank Word Document”.
  2. Open LibreOffice Calc and save a blank spreadsheet as “Blank Spreadsheet”.
  3. Open LibreOffice Impress and save a blank presentation as “Blank Presentation”

Our Templates folder now look like this

Templates_003

Note that you can actually use any extension or file name.

Creating documents by right-clicking in the file manager

Let’s have a look at our right-click context menu now.

Menu_005Notice that the files we added to our Templates folder are now there! What is better is that you can actually create any template you want. It can be a company presentation, home budget spreadsheet template, standard memo, etc. It will all appear in the right-click menu once you add them to the Templates folder.

 

 

 

 

Beginner Friendly Linux Distributions 2012

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If you are interested in getting your feet wet with Linux, there are a few beginner-friendly distributions available. These distros will allow you to easily get started and explore the wonderful world of Linux.

There are plenty of choices out there but here are my personal favorites.

The Ubuntu Family

When looking for a beginner distro, the Ubuntu family is a great place to start. I personally started with an LTS (Long Term Support) version of Ubuntu. I am also currently using Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on my current laptop. It uses the new Unity Shell and has been quite a stable experience for me.  If the Unity Shell isn’t quite for you, you can check out the following community developed alternatives.

PROS

+ Ubuntu is arguably the most popular distribution.
+ Plenty of support and documentation available on the web.
+ Package Management is excellent through the Ubuntu Software Center, APT Package Manager and DEB files.
+ LTS versions are well supported and very stable.

CONS

- PPA management can get pretty hairy.
- Known breakages occur during upgrades to newer versions.
- As new versions come out, LTS versions and software repositories start to get very dated.
- Flash and Multimedia Codecs not installed by default but can be checked as an option in the installer.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-derived distro with it’s own set of tools, pre-installed software packages, and the famous Cinnamon DE. It’s been a while since I have run Linux Mint, but when I did, it was a pretty straight-forward and simple experience. It also has KDE, XFCE and MATE versions available. I do not recommend using the Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). This is aimed at intermediate to advanced users that are more familiar with using Debian Testing.

PROS

+ All the advantages of Ubuntu since it is derived from it.
+ Flash and Multimedia Codecs installed by default.
+ Development pace is similar to Ubuntu. When a new version of Ubuntu is out, you can expect a new version of Linux Mint to follow.
+ Nice polished feel and experience (Ubuntu can still feel quite incomplete and unpolished).

CONS

- Same upstream problems as Ubuntu.
- Increased bloat due to bundled software that the user doesn’t really need or use.
- Installation .iso files are large, requiring a DVD rather than just a DVD.

PCLinuxOS

PCLinuxOS is easily on the top of my list for beginner-friendly distros. I recommend it even over Ubuntu and it’s derivatives. It follows the rolling-release model. This means that upgrades come incrementally. You install it once and keep it going through regular updates. Sometimes in Ubuntu, you need to perform a fresh install after upgrading to a major release in order to avoid errors and breakages. PCLinuxOS then becomes a true set-and-forget type of distribution. This makes it a great recommendation for those that just want a system that just works and for those that don’t like to tinker around. But if you like to tinker, PCLinuxOS is still a great option.

The Synaptic Package Manager is used as a front-end in installing RPM-based packages. Synaptic is a great tool and it does package management efficiently. However it isn’t as slick as the Ubuntu Software Center. Software packages stay relatively up to date but still lag quite a bit compared to other distributions.

It comes in KDE, XFCE and LXDE versions. I personally prefer the KDE edition. I just haven’t found the XFCE and LXDE versions visually appealing. I have also been waiting for the 64-bit version but it hasn’t come out yet, so it is only available in 32-bit form.

PROS

+ Rolling-Release.
+ Flash and Multimedia Codecs pre-installed.
+ One-Click script to install LibreOffice is available.
+ Installation .iso file still fits on a CD while offering a full out-of-the box experience from a fresh install.
+ Synaptic Package Manager.
+ Very stable system.
+ GUI oriented.

CONS

- Lack-luster artwork and design.
- Website needs a makeover.
- 32 bit only.
- Emphasis on quality control and a smaller community means slower development.
- Synaptic works great, but could use a Software Center with a nice UI.

Solus OS

Solus OS is a fairly new distribution but I have been thoroughly impressed by it. It is based on Debian Stable with updated packages of more popular software. This is a great combination if you are looking for an updated and rock-solid system. You can’t go wrong in terms of stability when it comes to Debian Stable packages. Solus OS only comes in a tweaked GNOME 2.3. Windows users will find the interface familiar and easy to learn. Solus 2 is in the works and will sport a tweaked GNOME 3 experience still emphasizing simplicity and useability.

Like any Debian-based distro, package management is super easy using the APT Package Manager. It uses a software center reminiscent of the older Ubuntu Software Center. Not the most shiny, but it is functional and user-friendly. Synaptic package manager is also available to those more adept users. It has Flash and Multimedia Codecs installed. This means that everything is good to go out-of-the-box after a fresh install.

This is a great distro and it has a bright future ahead of it. The development community is very active, vibrant and friendly. I won’t be surprised if Solus OS continues to rise in the ranks of the top distros on Distrowatch.

PROS

+ Based on Debian Stable – very stable packages.
+ Clean and polished look.
+ Simple and effective package management.
+ Plentiful packages available through Debian repositories or through stand-alone .DEB installers.

CONS

- Only offered in GNOME 2.3 flavor.
- Packages from Debian Stable can feel outdated.
- DVD required for .iso installer.

Conclusion

You can never go wrong with Ubuntu or an Ubuntu-based distro to get started on Linux. However if these don’t quite fit the bill for you and you want a rolling release system, definitely try PCLinuxOS and Solus OS.

Interested in other honorable mentions? Check out the list below.

Ubuntu-based – Linux Deepin, Pinguy OS, Pear, Zorin, Bodhi
Debian-based – Dreamlinux, MEPIS, Crunchbang
Gentoo-based (intermediate users) – Sabayon
Arch-based (intermediate users)- Archbang, Manjaro, KahelOS

How to try Linux Distributions using Live Media and Virtualbox

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You’re probably still on the fence about installing a Linux distribution on your computer. I will cover a few ways to try out a Linux distribution before committing to an installation.

1. Old school method: Live CDs and DVDs

Most Linux distros can be downloaded as an .iso file and can be burned into a CD. Ubuntu and PCLinuxOS, for example, fits nicely into a CD. Other distro .iso files might be larger. This is mainly because these distributions might bundle codecs and additional software. In this case, you will need a DVD.

This method is arguably the simplest way to try out Linux. Simply burn the .iso image to a CD or DVD, and have your computer boot up to the live installation. Note that your experience with the live CD/DVD does depend on your hardware. The OS is running from a CD, so if the performance is a bit lack-luster, remember that this isn’t necessarily indicative of the actual Linux experience.

You cannot burn multiple .iso images on a single disc (unless I am wrong). This method is potentially a wasteful method if you like to try several distributions. Also, once you shutdown or logout of the Live CD/DVD, your changes are lost.

2. Live USB

Creating a live USB is easier than you think. You will need a USB drive. A small 1 GB or 2 GB capacity drive will suffice in most cases. In Windows, you can download the LinuxLive USB Creator. This is an excellent tool that will get you up an running Linux in a short amount of time. I found the tool quite intuitive and easy to use. You still need to download the .iso for the distribution you want to try. After you do this, you can use the LinuxLive USB Creator to burn the .iso to the USB pen drive.

I don’t have a Mac so I can’t say with confidence that LinuxLive USB Creator also works for Macs.

Unlike Live CDs and DVDs, you can reuse the same USB to burn another .iso image. Just remember to format the USB drive before burning a new .iso file to avoid any conflicts. Some distributions support persistence, which means you are able to preserve the changes that you make. I haven’t really played around with persistence myself, so I can’t comment on how well it works.

3. VirtualBox

This method probably merits a post of it’s own. But instead of taking the time to do the same post twice, I will simply refer you this tutorial provided by Psychocats. So if you don’t want to deal with having external media, all you need to do is download VirtualBox and follow the tutorial.

Your experience again will depend on your hardware. Sometimes 3D effects do not work in Virtualization and you may not get an experience of a real installation. But this method is great since you will not have to worry about messing up your Virtual Machine. If you completely render it unusable, you can simply delete it and start again without being scared of losing data.

The real advantage of the VirtualBox method is that it is a great tool to learn about how to actually install Linux on a device. We’ve covered how to partition your hard drive for a Linux installation, using Virtualbox will allow you to practice this before doing a real installation. I have also used Virtualbox to learn about and how to use other distributions like Arch Linux and Debian.

Wrap-Up

There you have it. Three simple ways to get you started and get you over the fear of Linux. Once you get the hang of it, I’m sure you will enjoy it. The above methods will help you in your test drives to pick the distribution you like. I typically use VirtualBox to get a feel for a distro that I want to try. Once I have narrowed down my choice, I use the Live USB method. In my experience, the Live USB seems to give the experience and performance closest to a real installation.

 

App Pick of the Week: Shotwell Photo Manager

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Shotwell is a photo organizer for the Gnome desktop. But you can actually install it regardless of what desktop environment you are running (e.g. KDE, XFCE, etc.).

What I like best about Shotwell is that it organizes your photos in chronological order and groups photos taken in the same day as “events”. You have the option of renaming events and even merging events into one. Unless the meta-data on the photos is wrong, the automatic organization works quite well.

You can import from different sources such as an SD card or external hard drive. It also has the ability to publish photos to social sites such as Facebook, Picasa, Flickr and Piwigo.

There are also basic photo enhancement tools available. Although I also like more powerful photo managers such as Digikam, I am a big fan of simplicity. For my own needs, Shotwell fits the bill quite nicely.

So if you’re looking for a straight-forward and simple to use photo manager, I highly recommend giving Shotwell a spin. It should be available in the repositories of your favorite Linux distribution.

Ubuntu 12.04 Survival Kit – Part 2

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A few weeks back we covered how to get a basic Ubuntu 12.04 system up and running. Click here for Part 1 of the Ubuntu 12.04 Survival Kit.

In this post, we will cover basic tweaks to the Ubuntu 12.04 system for more functionality and eye-candy.

1. Install the Synaptic Package Manager

The Synaptic Package Manager is no longer installed by default. However it remains to be an efficient tool in installing/uninstalling and managing software packages and applications. You can install using the Ubuntu Software Center or enter the following command in a terminal.

sudo apt-get install synaptic

2. Adding PPA’s

PPA’s (Personal Package Archives) is Ubuntu’s way of keeping software up to date. It is a repository provided by Canonical that allows developers to offer the latest software versions to Ubuntu users. Ubuntu-based distributions are also able to take advantage of PPA’s. The most notable example being Linux Mint. For more in-depth information about PPA’s, check this post out from www.MakeUseOf.com. I typically add PPA’s using the terminal. I find it to be the easiest method. Let’s do an example.

One of my favorite applications is Handbrake. To my knowledge, it isn’t in the official Ubuntu repositories. Looking at the download page we find that there is a PPA available for Ubuntu. It is important to not just blindly add PPA’s. In this example, we can see that there currently isn’t a build available for Precise Pangolin (Ubuntu 12.04).

This means that we cannot use this particular PPA. This is because Handbrake for Ubuntu 12.04 is still in active development. Luckily for us there is another PPA available that will allow us to install Handbrake for 12.04. By the way, the development versions is actually quite stable. I haven’t had problems using it.

So we see that there is a build available for Precise. Let’s go ahead and add the PPA via the terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stebbins/handbrake-snapshots

We will then need to update the repositories.

sudo apt-get update

Now to install Handbrake

sudo apt-get install handbrake-gtk

Alternatively, you can install via the Ubuntu Software Center or Synaptic. After you add the PPA and update your sources, you should be able to search for and install Handbrake.

Now that you know how to add PPA’s, you’re world just opened up to a wealth of up to date software available for you to install. You can find PPA’s on Launchpad. Remember that not all PPA’s are created equal. You won’t go wrong with official PPA’s for software like Firefox and LibreOffice. But be wary about smaller projects. You do add PPA’s and install software from that PPA at your own risk.

3. Eye Candy Tweaks

When Unity was first introduced, it wasn’t quite customizable. In 12.04, it offers quite a bit of options for customization. I personally don’t like digging in and altering config files just to achieve certain tweaks. It just increases the chances of breaking your system. I definitely recommend using available tools that make customizing easy.

My Unity is a Unity tweak tool available in the Ubuntu repositories. Just search for it in the Software Center or Synaptic.

Gnome Tweak Tool is geared more towards Gnome 3 settings. You can customize the desktop quite a bit with this tool. However it’s usefulness is really geared more towards Gnome-Shell. To install, search for “Advanced Settings” in the Software Center.

Ubuntu Tweak has been one of my favorite tweaking tools for Ubuntu since 10.04. It took a backseat for a while when the developers were reworking it for Unity. It’s now available for Unity and can be installed via .deb file or as a PPA.

4. Keep up to date with Ubuntu blogs

Ubuntu blogs are a good way of keeping up to date with Ubuntu, discovering cool software, and learning more about Linux. There is a wealth of blogs out there, including this one ;)

But I have to say OMG! Ubuntu! and Web Upd8 are excellent and credible sources for anything Ubuntu related.

That’s it for today. I hope you learned something and enjoyed reading today’s post. Feel free to comment or ask me questions.

Ubuntu 12.04 Survival Kit – Part 1

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Ubuntu 12.04 LTS – Precise Pangolin was released about a month ago. I was a little hesitant about hopping over from my rock-solid PCLinuxOS setup. I decided to give it a week’s worth of testing and I’m happy to report that this release is good… very good. Here is a quick video of what’s new in Ubuntu 12.04 courtesy of OMG! Ubuntu!

Ubuntu 12.04 Mini Review

There are plenty of websites that already performed their reviews on Ubuntu 12.04. A simple Google search will yield a wealth of results. So I will only be giving a brief review, mostly focused on my own experiences and needs.

Unity is so much better compared to when it was first introduced in the 11.04 release. It is very responsive and offers a good amount of customization options. Even though I don’t have as much tweaking capability as I did with KDE, I find that the Unity layout fits my 14.1 screen quite nicely. Clickable actions, such as opening, closing or switching applications are mostly on the top-left side of the screen. So mouse travel is cut considerably. Geeky I know, but it makes sense to me now why the window buttons were moved to the left. I don’t use HUD as much and I keep forgetting that it is there.

The system runs smooth and fast, faster than my previous PCLinuxOS setup in fact. 12.04 comes with beautiful wallpapers. I opted for the Radiance theme instead of the darker Ambiance theme, but that’s just my personal preference.

Software is readily available through the Ubuntu Software Center, PPA or through binary .deb files. Being one of the most popular distributions, Ubuntu specific versions of software is abundant. It was easy for me to find the software that I wanted and needed.

Needless to say, Ubuntu 12.04 is back on my machine and here to stay (for the moment or until the next distro-hop).

Ubuntu Survival Kit – Part 1

We’ll cover a lot of beginner basics when it comes to switching to Ubuntu. My goal is to give the beginner a better understanding on how to put together a fully functioning Ubuntu set-up, maintaining/updating, and adding applications and functionality. Part 1 is aimed at getting you up and running with a basic functional system. We’ll cover installation tips and the top things to do after installation.

Installation

1. Internet Connection

Installing Ubuntu is fairly straight-forward. The Ubuntu Website even offers a guide on how to install using a CD or a USB. Click here to see instructions.

The Ubuntu installer can check if your computer meets the basic criteria for installation. If you have internet connection, go ahead and check the options to install updates and install third party software. If you don’t have internet connection, don’t worry about it as I will show you later how to update your system and install the third party software.

2. Partitioning

If you have a Windows 7 machine. You can re-partition your hard drive to allocate space for your Ubuntu installation. Here are a couple of online tutorials on how to do this.

Tech Tips Geek – Partitioning Hard Drive in Windows 7 without Formatting

How-To Geek – Resize a Partition for Free in Windows 7 or Vista

Now that we have the available disk space, we are ready to install Ubuntu. The only other thing worth considering is partitioning for Linux. I remember this is one of the things that confused me as a beginner. Consider reading this post as a guide.

Things to do after Installation

There is an abundance of information of things to do after a fresh Ubuntu install. Simply Google “things to do after Ubuntu install”. But it is important to note that you do not need to follow all those steps. Below I will give you the basics.

1. Update your system

Now that we have Ubuntu running, connect to the internet and run an update using the “Update Manager”.

Alternatively, you can launch a terminal and run the update command. Remember, the terminal is your friend so don’t be scared of it.

sudo apt-get update – this command checks the repositories for updates

sudo apt-get upgrade – this applies the updates/upgrades that are available

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade – for updates such as the Linux kernel or distribution upgrades

2. Install third-party software (Restricted-Extras package)

Open the Ubuntu Software Center. Search for “Restricted Extras”. Click install. In the screenshot below, I already have it installed, so the option displayed is to remove it. Hint hint, you can use the Software Center to uninstall applications.

3. Install Flash

Install the Flash Plugin through the Ubuntu Software Center so you can enjoy your favorite Flash content (e.g. YouTube videos).

4. Enable Playback of Commercial DVDs

If you have problems watching your favorite DVDs, you can solve this by installing the “libdvdread4″ package. We can do this via the terminal or command line. Simply run these two commands.

sudo apt-get install libdvdread4

sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

After this, you should have a basic but fully functional Ubuntu system. In Part 2 of the survival kit, we’ll cover some basic functionality and aesthetic tweaks. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

Creating a separate home partition in Ubuntu 12.04

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In this post, I will walk you through creating a separate home partition in Ubuntu 12.04 during installation. The advantage of doing this is that you can keep personal data separate from system data. This comes in handy with non-rolling release distributions like Ubuntu. You can preserve the home partition while formatting and doing a fresh install on the root partition.

In my Linux experience, I typically have 3 partitions for a distribution.

  • root – location for system files
  • home – location for user files
  • swap – swap space

You will want to use the ext4 journaling system for root and home.

Let’s begin.

During installation, you will come to a point where the installer asks you how you want to partition.

**Important: Note that I am doing this using VirtualBox, so no other operating systems were detected. The Ubuntu installer detects other operating systems if they are present.

We select “Something Else” to manually specify partitions.

Highlight /dev/sda and click “New Partition Table”

Notice that it now shows how much free space is available. Again, this example is on VirtualBox and shows an 8 GB space. Most modern computers will definitely have more than 8 GB of hard drive space. Now, we can add partitions.

Click on “Add” and add the three partitions

root (“/”) – primary, beginning, ext4

home (“/home”) – logical, ext4

swap – the general rule for swap is to set it proportional to your RAM. For example, I have 8 GB of memory so I set 512 MB as swap. There is no hard rule and it is up to you to decide how much.

If you want to install a fresh copy of Ubuntu in the future, you can use the same partitioning scheme and simply format the root partition. DO NOT format the home partition if you want to preserve your personal data.

There you have it, now you are ready to continue installing Ubuntu!

Click here for more information.

 

 

Non Linux Related – I’m in Vancouver!

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I’m in Vancouver! I’ve been busy preparing for this trip that I haven’t had a chance to update this blog with new posts. But do not despair, there will be more content coming up soon.

Here are a few things to look forward to:

  • Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Mini Review and Survival Kit – We’ll cover the basics of Ubuntu, address commonly asked questions, and provide a few tips and tricks.
  • Stitching Photos together and creating Panoramic Views – I will show you how to create your own stunning panoramic views in a few simple steps.
  • Linux Over Coffee – I’ll be reaching out locally (Atlanta) and introducing Linux to beginners over coffee… more details soon!

And so much more… so stay tuned!

For now, I send my greetings from Beautiful British Columbia!

A Couple of Dolphin Tricks

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Dolphin is the default file manager for the KDE desktop. There are a couple of features that are quite nifty and I often find myself using.

1. The Split View – Activate by simply pressing the F3.

The Split View allows you to easily organize files without having to open multiple instances of Dolphin. Split View can also be activated by going to View > Split

2. Show the Terminal Panel – Activate by pressing F4.

This makes quick work of the cd command to get you to the location where you need to go. As you can see in the screenshot above, the cd command is actually typed out for you. If you need to perform tasks using the terminal in a specific location, then the Terminal Panel will prove quite useful. The Terminal Panel can also be activated by going to View > Panels > Terminal.

Do you have any other quick tips to share? Let me know!

Let’s Talk Ubuntu

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With the upcoming release of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin), I thought it would be good to talk about my experience with Ubuntu. There are things that I love(d) about this distribution. And there are things that have led me to “break-up” with this distro. I am eagerly awaiting the 12.04 release, and maybe… just maybe we can get back together again.

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron)

I decided to try Linux not because people were saying it was awesome, but because of the eye candy. When I saw the desktop cube animation and the magic lamp effect, I was compelled to give Linux a try. It was much like being attracted to a Ferrari initially because of the curvaceous lines and the signature red paint rather than the technical merits of the brand. Plus, I was tired of staring at good ‘ol boring Windows XP.

Desktop Cube Animation

I knew of Red Hat Linux and OpenSUSE before. Then I read about Ubuntu – “Linux for Human Beings”. It was founded by Mark Shuttleworth from South Africa and marketed to be beginner-friendly.  I thought this would be a good distribution to get my feet wet in the world of Linux. It all started with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron). It was a bit of a learning curve since I was on my own. So it definitely took a few tries and re-installs to undo my mistakes and get everything right. After getting more comfortable with Ubuntu, I was hooked and was happily upgrading to the new releases. So here are a few things about Ubuntu that are worth pointing out:

Debian Roots

Ubuntu based on Debian. It is compatible with .deb packages and uses the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) to handle packages and system updates/upgrades. Debian was chosen because of the vast amount of packages available for installation. But Ubuntu is not compatible with Debian repositories. It has its own repositories. New Ubuntu releases are basically a snapshot of the Debian Unstable Branch (Sid). The codename Sid comes from the little boy named Sid in Toy Story that broke his toys. The Ubuntu developers then work out the bugs in the Debian Unstable packages and is then released.

Release Cycle

Ubuntu releases follow a six month cycle. Every 4th release is a Long-Term Support (LTS) version. LTS releases are supported for 3 years. Regular releases are supported until the next release comes out. You can upgrade from an existing LTS to the new LTS release. Or you can upgrade to the regular releases but this has to be sequential, you cannot skip versions when upgrading the regular releases. I love the naming of the releases e.g. Hardy Heron, Intrepid Ibex, Jaunty Jackalope, Karmic Koala, Lucid Lynx, Maverick Meerkat, etc.

Launchpad and the Personal Package Archive (PPA)

Because Ubuntu follows a six month release cycle, software packages don’t typically get updated till the next release. Now six months may not sound like a long time but it can be long enough to see a new software release with significant bugs resolved or cool new features. PPAs were introduced to address this problem. For a more extensive overview of a PPA click here. PPAs basically allow users to maintain and keep software up to date. For example, the Mozilla Firefox PPA typically pushes a more updated version of Firefox compared to the version available in the standard Ubuntu repositories.

Unity

Unity is the new desktop interface that Ubuntu rolled out as a default in 11.10. It has now become the default interface for future releases and has received plenty of work to improve on its performance and functionality.

What I love(d) about Ubuntu

It definitely serves itself as a good first-timer distro. Although there is still a learning curve involved, I found it relatively easy to obtain information on how to work out problems. It is widely used so information is readily available on the web with a simple search. Also, there are plenty of websites dedicated to Ubuntu such as OMG-Ubuntu and WebUp8 that give excellent information, news and tips related to Ubuntu. Tombuntu was most helpful to me when I was starting out. Unfortunately, it hasn’t stayed updated.

The Synaptic Package Manager and later the Ubuntu Software Center are excellent for managing software on your computer. It made it very easy to search for software to fulfill a particular need or complete a task. Because Ubuntu uses .deb packages, I could install other software that was available in .deb format. It was as easy as double-clicking to install.

The PPAs are a good way to install more up to date software that aren’t available in the default Ubuntu repositories.

Ubuntu (especially the LTS versions) also receive excellent security updates. The LTS versions also tend to be exceptionally stable releases. I especially loved the 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) release with the refresh in aesthetics. However I did not mind the brown, earthy color scheme of pre-10.04 releases.

The Fallout, Why I don’t use Ubuntu anymore

The six-month release cycle initially kept me excited for the new features made available in new releases. However upgrading is hardly ever smooth. There are always several things that would break. This forced me to do backups and perform fresh installs of Ubuntu every time there was a new release. Staying with the LTS version was definitely a more stable experience, but this led to another problem – outdated versions of software. You are stuck with the versions available in the LTS repositories. Aha! I can use PPAs to keep updated software! But now here’s the rub. PPAs potentially pose a security issue. You have to trust the maintainer of the PPA and hope that he/she doesn’t include any malicious script in the packages they maintain. Also, when a new version of Ubuntu is released, PPAs still aren’t guaranteed to automatically work. It still takes time for the packages to be built for the current version of Ubuntu. As a result, I often found myself stuck with outdated software.

I really started to like KDE 4 especially when it started to improve. Unfortunately, Kubuntu was not a very good implementation of KDE. I got tired of having to fix things myself and find work-arounds. While this helped me become more proficient with Linux, it could also otherwise be considered a waste of time. And when 11.10 (Natty Narwhal) came out with a very buggy version of Unity, I had no choice but to seek solace elsewhere, namely PCLinuxOS. It might look a little rough aesthetically, but trust me, it’s an excellent distro that works incredibly smooth. And a few tweaks here and there plus a nice wallpaper… simply beautiful.

Screenshot of my current KDE 4 desktop

Recently Ubuntu announced that the 12.04 release will be supported for 5 years instead of 3. And that they will make an attempt to keep software reasonably up to date. Now that seems promising but there is no way of knowing until the release comes out in late April. The current iteration of Unity is much better than when it made it’s debut back in the 11.04 release. I understand the vision that Unity as an interface can, in the future, be implemented on mobile phones, tablets and even TVs. Still, I’m not quite sold on it. I’m used to the more traditional desktop interface approach that KDE 4 has. Maybe I am just becoming an old geezer.

So I keep my fingers crossed till the end of April. Hopefully, you’ve learned something in this post.