Let’s chat about Unity

11 Responses to Let’s chat about Unity

1. Alan Berends says:

   January 19, 2012 at 6:32 pm

   I have been experimenting with Ubuntu and I started out excited but that has since turned to disappointment after disappointment. When I upgrade, it’s always a guess if you’ll improve or retrograde. Example, 11.04 lost all wireless communications. I had to upgrade to the 11.1o to get it back. But I had to re-install version 10 to do that upgrade.

   There are way to many help discussions out there. When I was trying to get my wireless working in 11.04, there were 10 different ways to do it and none would work. Install XXX or the next person would say that wasn’t needed but you should do YYYY. Your system is broken to the point where some of these end up as bitch fests.

   Now I have connection to both my computers (out of a total of 5) that I have on Ubuntu 11.10. And they work to a point. I tried to follow instructions on how to network these computers to no avail. Again, a plethora of advice with none of it working. Is there a simple program that will just do it without going
   sudo get apt install or whatever? I installed Samba and cannot find it for the life of me. Somebody says it runs in the background and you have to do all that sudo crap. Yes, I am just plain sick of an antiquated terminal system that doesn’t seem to have a list of commands to truly inform a beginner what to do. Oh, and another instruction says to load it into the launcher, which I did, but once launched nothing happens.

   Installed hardware and running software, is there a simple program that will tell you what Ubuntu recognizes? I followed some sudo commands and got a listing of some hardware but others were missing. I don’t think Ubuntu recognizes anything that is plugged into the USB. I am not to the point of uninstalling this but I have heard good things about Mint. And I am tempted to see if they have something running that will tell what they recognize.

   My suggestion is to have a website that only approved people can post responses to or have someone cut out the bad ones. My basic thinking is that when two people post with opposing procedures that at least one and probably both are wrong. And just pretend that beginners don’t have a clue how the sudo get apt install is completely foreign and that it needs to be explained. REALLY.

   I am a senior citizen and have been running computers since the 8088′s. I have tried more alternative operating systems than I care to list. I think you have a good think here but you MUST be a little more friendly to the beginners. I was an electronics technician (actually worked with machine code and hexadecimal), programmed computers and consider myself to be an advanced user. Well, that was before Ubuntu, now I dropped myself back just slightly. LOL

   I also installed a couple of apps that I never could find again. But I think you have a good operating system if you could just let the newbies in on your secrets. I have stopped recommending that people try it, if I can’t get it I know they won’t be able to do it at all. Even my nephew quit trying and he writes programs for analyzing stocks and bonds. He says when I get, I can try explaining it to him. I long for Windows key -Break to check my hardware. Is that possible? CTRL-ALT-DELETE???

   Reply
   • Rigved Rakshit says:

     January 26, 2012 at 7:05 am

     Please do not follow advice from any where on the Internet and then blame Ubuntu for the fault.

     There are set support channels available for all kinds of users.

     Stack Exchange: askubuntu.com
     Forums: www.ubuntuforums.org
     General Mailing List: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
     (Note that there are mailing lists available per country, for example the Indian mailing list: ubuntu-in).
     Paid support is available via Canonical (the company which supports Ubuntu): www.canonical.com/consumer-services/support

     Hope this helps!

     Reply
2. Vadim P. says:

   January 19, 2012 at 8:20 pm

   Unity has nothing to do with hardware drivers unfortunately, and dodgy hardware components that are tailored for Windows only.

   Reply
   • Pete B says:

     January 20, 2012 at 3:43 am

     Sigh…. it’s some else’s fault e.g. the dodgy windows components, this does not win market share or endear you to the great uneducated potential user base out there, Linux must find a way through the gui to say something is wrong, this hardware is not supported, an operating system must not expect joe public to remember command line stuff which they will never use again for years, Linux is the way forward but it must loose the geek factor.

     Reply
     • Alan Berends says:

       January 20, 2012 at 5:01 pm

       I don’t mind command line stuff, I just wish Samba would work to network. I have it installed and can run it from the launcher but then it just disappears. I have one desktop in the basement running on 11.10 but cannot print to my network printer. Can anyone give me a clue how to network this computer. I connect up to the wireless router but cannot set up the computer to be recognized on the network.

       Thanks for the response, you are right on the money with what I have been struggling with. Oh so close, just a few utilities to network, maybe hardware locater/installer, and maybe a page of commands for the terminal for any program that is initiated through it.

       Back in Dos, we used to be able to write batch commands that would combine some of the operations. Autoexec.bat was so common it was well understood and anyone could figure it out. It sounds like there are a bunch of talented programmers working on this Operating system, it doesn’t seem like it would take that much more to help the newbies out.

       Reply
3. Able Eldhose says:

   January 20, 2012 at 1:10 am

   I think the terminal in ubuntu has to be hidden just like command prompt in windows
   Also instead of the sudo apt-get install command why cant ubuntu launch a website like mozilla addon site where everyone can search for softwares and just click install and then the corresponding ppa will be automatically added and the software be installed.
   In that way even newbies can easily handle ubuntu.
   I know there is Ubuntu Software Centre but it only shows the softwares in the added ppa’s
   To install one outside that ppa’s then again commands in terminal.
   All should be done automatically in background.
   There should be two sections in the website
   1. Official uploaded and
   2. User uploaded
   I think ubuntu and the whole linux has to be made USER-friendly not a GEEK-friendly.

   Reply
   • Jeremy Bicha says:

     January 20, 2012 at 10:24 am

     The command prompt isn’t hidden in Windows, unless you’re referring to the Start menu being confusing.

     Making PPAs too easy to add is bad because there is virtually no security vetting for software distributed in PPAs.

     Reply
4. candtalan says:

   January 20, 2012 at 3:01 am

   Ubuntu 12.04 alpha is looking really good. I notice particularly how much faster it is now, in a marginal slowish PC. Speed of response to – whatever – including mouse actions – is important, and every response is an affirmation to the user that the machine is in ‘obey’ mode.
   I am looking forward to rolling out unity as 12.04 to my bunch of novice friends who use Ubuntu – currently 10.04 LTS

   Reply
5. Jeremy Bicha says:

   January 20, 2012 at 10:22 am

   So I guess the former #ayatana has now been split into #ubuntu-design and #ubuntu-unity ?

   Reply
   • Michael Hall says:

     January 20, 2012 at 11:02 am

     #ubuntu-design was created to give the Canonical design team and the Community designers a place to work together, it’s not specific to Unity. Any discussion about the design of Unity should probably go to #ubuntu-unity

     Reply
6. Alan Berends says:

   January 20, 2012 at 9:21 pm

   I just read up on some desktop alternatives like KDE and a few others. They sound a little more user friendly than unity. Does anyone have experience with these? What are the downsides of installing these? Upside?

   Really considering installing KDE Plasma desktop on Ubuntu 11.10. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

   Alan

   Reply