There have been a couple of interesting Diggs this morning about features “Ubuntu really needs”. The first post seemed a bit ditzy and the second for the most part was on the money – Ubuntu already has a truckload of features and most things it doesn’t have by default can be installed from the Ubuntu repositories via Synaptic or (my personal favourite) via Terminal and apt-get.

I’ve been using Linux for about two years and I’ve tried out various shades available on the web. I’ve even built a number of distros for Australian PC User magazine under the “UserOS” banner, the most recent being UserOS Netbook 8.10 Beta, an operating system designed for netbook computers.

We can spend out time arguing about whether Ubuntu really needs a weather control on the desktop, but that’s like arguing over whether Windows really needs User Account Control (UAC). I figure there are still some “bigger-picture” things Ubuntu (and more probably Linux) could use help from all of us on.

1) More encouragement for beginners

Linux is a great operating system. It’s organised, it’s quick and it has a growing list of applications longer than my… arm. Okay, longer than your arm. But I’ve seen too many stories and comments hitting the web of “know-it-alls” attacking newbies for not knowing everything there is to know about Linux. I’ve read comments from Linux hardheads giving grief to users looking for neat graphical user interface (GUI) to achieve some task.

To some, it’s a case if you don’t use Terminal, then you almost have no right to use Linux. And that’s completely bloody stupid because a) everyone starts out knowing nothing about Linux and 2) if Terminal was the answer to everything, we’d never have got stuck with Windows!

Too many experienced Linux users come across as grumpy old men who seem to dismiss anyone who’s learned and blogged something they’ve known since Noah was in short pants. Sure, if it’s wrong say so but it’s just as important we encourage new Linux users. If they find out we’re all a bunch of narky prats full of their own source code, why would they bother continuing? It’s just as easy to try Mac OS X as it is Linux…

Rather than grumbling about it, experienced Linux users should be helping to feed their vast knowledge back into the community and helping those who’ve just begun their journey into Linux.

2) Better support from big name brands

Okay for those of you living in the US, this is less of an issue but in Australia, finding brand-name systems with any version of Linux preinstalled isn’t easy. Dell has one or two but you can’t even buy an Inspiron Mini 9 here with Ubuntu installed. The same goes for Toshiba’s NB100. Both have special LPIA versions of Ubuntu for their US and UK models – but not in Australia.

The big-name brands need to be lobbied to provide equal services to other parts of the world – there’s no reason for Dell not to offer its Ubuntu versions of the Mini 9 in Australia. We can read you know…

3) Improved hardware driver support

Driver software is always an issue for Linux. Thankfully, this is improving but again, it’s still an ugly issue in Australia, particularly when it comes to modems. Local telco Optus has 3G modems available as part of a wireless plan – the modem comes with driver software for Windows and Mac OS X. Does it come with drivers for Linux? Nope.

Graphics cards are another issue but thankfully, this one has improved markedly in recent times.

Ubuntu’s lead times mean that it can be a while before hardware device drivers are updated so it’s not always the best option, particularly if you’re trying to run the latest notebook or 3G hardware.

4) Better netbook/notebook support

Yep, this is coming in 9.04 and there’s already Ubuntu Netbook Remix but it’s not exactly a simple job for newbies to install and setup. Having developed UserOS Netbook 8.10 Beta for the March 2009 issue of Australian PC User, getting WiFi and webcam drivers built and installed into the OS certainly wasn’t a job I could recommend a Linux newbie have a go at.

In the end, I spent several hours just getting these features working for the MSI Wind U100 and the Asus Eee PC 901/1000 range. It required source-code capture, compiling and installation. Yes, there are various spin-off operating systems built on Ubuntu that now offer built-in driver support but that’s more a case of third-party developers doing the job after Canonical release a particular version, which means an even longer wait. Netbooks have already been around for near-on 18 months and Ubuntu will only just get serious about them in 9.04 come April 30.

5) More supporters introducing it to their friends

There have been few things to advance the cause of Linux more than the release of Windows Vista. For better or worse, many users saw Vista as a right-royal-stuff-up from the start. In practice, I haven’t found it that bad but the majority of the blogosphere and media world has panned it mercilessly. For sure, User Account Control deserved to be mocked by Apple in its ads but the very fact Apple featured it and other Windows “features” in its ads showed that even Apple thought Windows had now become almost a parody of itself.

With the economy tanking, jobs becoming scarce, the time is right for Linux to become the low-cost way for everyone to keep up with what’s happening in technology, particularly the internet. The internet no longer relies on a computer with a specific operating system. So instead of hanging around with Windows XP alone, users could be introduced to a 2009 operating system in Ubuntu without having to cough up the price of another Microsoft operating system. Or PC.

Ubuntu doesn’t really need more tricks like weather on the desktop. It’s been done. It doesn’t need Mac OS X-like docks. It doesn’t need a whole bunch of things.

What it does need is people like you and me showing it to our friends, helping those new Linux users find their feet and providing a constructive community that shares its knowledge to make Linux (and Ubuntu in particular) easier to use for everyone.

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