dwc

Ubuntu Linux

I decided to try Ubuntu Linux, a new Debian-based distribution, in VMware.

Ubuntu gets a lot of things right. Its default configuration targets desktop computers, with a full GNOME 2.8 desktop. It comes with Gaim for instant messaging, Evolution for email and calendars, and OpenOffice.org for working with business documents. I like the theme, the TrashApplet, and the way that the GNOME menus are organized (big improvement over GNOME 2.6). Also, it uses udev and HAL to manage hardware. (It's amazing how far Linux has come.)

In the screenshot, I'm updating Ubuntu with Synaptic. To update my entire system, I had to click like three buttons - Refresh, Mark All Upgrades, and Apply. Granted, it's not as easy as Mac OS X's Software Update or even Red Hat's up2date, but it's still pretty nice.

I still prefer Gentoo for my needs, but for people wanting to try Linux, Ubuntu is probably a good choice.

(More screenshots, from LinuxBeta.com.)

Posted by dwc in Screenshots at 11:08 AM