I was just curious if any of you had questions for several developers of the Ubuntu Linux OS. I am arranging an interview via e-mail, so feel free to post a question or two for them.
Ubuntu Linux Operating System
- Thread starter mjh
- Start date
How are your relations with Dell and are there any plans to push Ubuntu to the mainstream desktop computer market? Maybe besides Dell?
Is there anything that can be done about kernel updates breaking drivers on things like wireless and video?
Where's the browsable code repository? 
Why isn't Shuttleworth's or Canonical's name on the OpenSSH donations page?
Is Ubuntu doing anything in an attempt to help integrate wireless drivers into the main line kernel?
Why isn't Shuttleworth's or Canonical's name on the OpenSSH donations page?
Is Ubuntu doing anything in an attempt to help integrate wireless drivers into the main line kernel?
postmortemIA
Diamond Member
- Jul 11, 2006
- 7,721
- 40
- 91
Wow, that's pretty slick looking.
As soon as I learned how to do it I changed from the default Ubuntu 2 bar layout to a single 'Windows-esque' bar at the bottom. I'm using gDesklets for the 'Mac-esque' launcher bar as well - just wish there was an 'always on top' option for it!
I like Gnome, but I prefer a KDE-esque bar. I just can't get the taskbar to look right (I want them to stack 2 or 3 high like in KDE instead of getting all fat).
Do they plan on customizing GNOME any more? Ubuntu seems a bit plain compared to other distros. Will Edgy include a graphical installer?
Personally I don't like the bar at the bottom. I like it at the top, with the drop down list of windows.
Then I like to use alt-tab as a window list for the current desktop and use alt-F2 to launch apps. The 'launch application' dialog box is pretty snazzy. It'll try to autocomplete names of programs as you type them out and will display the program icons.
Also for nautilus did you know that when your in a nautilus window and there are lots of files you can just start typing out a file name and it will find and highlight a match automaticly? You just open a nautilus window and start typing. It's pretty slick.
Also Gnome has the drag-n-drop pretty much down. If you open up gimp you can drag-n-drop images into the toolbar window to open them up. Drag-n-drop url bar into Tomboy to make notes on specific web pages. If you want to drag and drop a image from nautilus in one desktop, but the app you want to use it in is in a different one then you can yank the image, drag it over the virtual desktop selector in your toolbar, then gnome will switch to that desktop and you can drop it into that paticular app.
One thing I kinda like is if you have nautilus open to a paticular folder and you want to use a bash shell to interact with files in that folder you can open up gnome-terminal and if you drag and drop a icon of a folder or a file into the terminal then it will print out the path there. So that is pretty handy.
If your using Evolution email client you can use beagle to search through your email via a optional backend. You can set that up so you can access beagle searches through your deskbar applet. In your deskbar applet you can then set it up to integrate email addresses, so if you type out somebody's email address you can do a search on related emails, then at the same time launch evolution and open up a 'new email' window with that person's email address already in there. Works with address books also, I beleive.
The whole deskbar applet thing is actually pretty snazzy.
As far as beagle goes there is also a beaglefs. This is a FUSE file system were you can mount search results as a file system, then you can use regular file system utilities or use nautilus or whatever file manager you prefer to interact with them. Sort of like a virtual search folder. Very neat.
Also deskbar applet and beagle stuff works with Gaim instant messagering stuff also. For like saving conversations and having easy searchs for that sort of thing.
Hopefully pretty soon the whole evolution thing being integrated with beagle, tombody notes, calendering features and such. I realy could use some good calendering stuff.
Very neat stuff. All these little usability things that mostly just work is one of the reasons I like Gnome.
As for the question I would like to ask of Ubuntu is this:
In Windows-land the minimal entry level thing people setup for businesses is small business server edition. This comes with a sort of minimal number of client licenses along with integration of Active Directory.
Active directory is a pretty nice thing and it's nice because of the UI. A fairly unknowledgable person can work with it, add users, setup permissions for shares and that sort of thing without having to have a lot of knowledge about the underlyning structure.
In Linux it is possible to do the same thing with Kerberos, OpenLDAP (or Fedora/Redhat directory services aka netscape directory services), and web-based management stuff like the PHP Ldapadmin and such.
Now the major hurdle people have is in simply setting this stuff up. All of it works. In Debian all the peices or present, they all work, there is no patching required.. however there is no sane defaults for integrating it all together and there are a LOT of variables. So much that a person attempting to learn how to use it has almost no chance of getting it configured properly in the first place. Once it's running ldap and stuff isn't difficult to work with, but it's the initial setup that drives people away and makes it expensive for people to use.
Nowadays something like Active Directory is a hard requirement for modern workgroups of 20 or so desktop computers for businesses. This is one of the major reasons why Linux is more expensive for people to use then Windows.
Something that is possible for Free software right now is to have a server that provides:
Centralized management of users and desktop computers via Kerb/secure-LDAP (tls/ssl encrypted/authentication)(or maybe PKI would be more modern/usable then Kerberos) with SAMBA integration for window clients.
File services for Ubuntu and Windows clients.
Email and Calendering services with ldap integration for Thunderbird or Evolution email/calendering applications.
Centralized Mysql or PostgreSQL database with ODBC integration for O
rg.and some other related stuff, maybe with X terminals or something for dealing with older computers.
Also allow at least mirrored replication of the server for high aviability.
Centralized way to install applications and patches.
Network'd home directories optional for 'roaming profile' type things
Effective backup and restore mechanisms for DVD, tape, and remote harddrive.
(anything else anybody would like to see?)
If Ubuntu can provide a preconfigured package that 'just works'. Something were I can take 1 server with a blank disk and a classroom of 12 desktop computers with a blank disk.. and take 'Ubuntu Directory Server Edition', install it to the server, and 'Ubuntu client edition' and install it to the clients... and have sane defaults for options were I can just hit enter enter enter enter, etc etc.. And have it all work perfectly with all the services I choose to have enabled.
If Ubuntu can get a completely Free software AD-like package that 'Just works' I beleive that it can realy realy drive adoption rates for small businesses and such.
My question is:
Is there any plans for Ubuntu to support a 'Small business edition' of it's own with directory services, file services, email services and such intergrated in a deliverable working package with sane defaults?
(if you realy want I can write up a document or mini-howto on how to get secure LDAP and Kerberos working with Ubuntu)
As usual drag, a really well thought out reply and post. I read your responses and it makes me ashamed of my Elite Member status. You need an 'uber-Elite' status or something.
Yeah drag, though your question is more of a "feature request" it would be an excellent feature, Ubuntu seems very poised to deliver such a product, and I too would be interested in what the developers had to say about it.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 21K
-
-
-
Facebook
Twitter