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Alan Connor

Pic Of The Day: Ubuntu Installfest


Today's Pic is of our director, Ashley Highfield, starting the week with an Ubuntu installfest.

ashley_highfield_ubuntu.png

Ubuntu is an open-source operating system which aims for ease of use. The BBC's George Wright [right] and Ubuntu Community Manager Jono Bacon [left] offered to install the OS on a laptop for Ashley to take home and experiment with. We're hoping that both George and Ashley will be posting about the experience.

080218ubuntu07.png

There are more pictures here and here.

Comments  Post your comment

I'd like to know what he made of the Ubuntu colour scheme!

The Ubuntu colour sheme is hideous. Some sort of dirty 70s orange .. eurgh.

Dont waste your time playing with Linux/Ubuntu, get a Mac, its a PROPER Unix machine ;-P

  • 3.
  • At 4:26 PM on 18 Feb 2008,
  • Andrew J Carr wrote:

I just installed ubuntu last night; couldn't quite get past the thought of ditching Vista so I ran it on a Microsoft Virtual PC. There's some great instructions on https://arcanecode.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/installing-ubuntu-710-under-virtual-pc-2007/ - in which the problem with mice is also fixed!

... oh and I have a mac, so I still have "proper" Unix ;)

  • 4.
  • At 4:43 PM on 18 Feb 2008,
  • Duarte Molha wrote:

So Matthew... let me see if I get this right... The theme of Ubuntu is hideous so we should just disregard completely the most advanced and secure OS in the world and give away our freedom (and cash I might add) for a prettier background)

If there is one thing ubuntu is amazingly robust is in personalization (customization)... you can make it look exactly as you want it to... try that on windows or mac

As to bling factor just take a look at the latest versions of compiz fusion...
I have been playing with, what apple likes to call their new features, for more than 18 months before leopard or vista came out.

One thing you are right ... Apple hardware is very sexy... If I had the money I would gladly purchase an apple laptop... But the fact that for half the price of an apple laptop I was able to purchase an HP laptop with much better specs. This completely obliterated the reason to think mac...

My laptop would be even cheaper if I had the chance of choosing the OS that comes preinstalled... but because of windows monopolization tactics I had to pay a premium of windows vista... an OS that i do not use, and further more I had to spend a lot of time getting all the hardware to comply with linux... a problem that would not exist if companies did not ignored all linux users when they create their hardware drivers.

Congratulations.

Duarte Molha - it might seem an invalid criticism, but appearance really does matter (much of the economy is really based on appearance after all). You'll find Mark Shuttleworth also agrees: https://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/63

I don't personally feel that they've achieved that goal yet, but then you probably wouldn't share my subjective opinion of pretty :-) (so I use a different distribution & look/feel)

(Whizzy is not the same as pretty IMO)

Shame you can't use that ubuntu laptop to download iplayer stuff and won't for the forceable future so far... maybe this will get mr Highfield's gears in motion, non-microsoft users are not second class citizens

The Ubuntu colour scheme is not without it's charm. Little charm even so.

So Matthew... let me see if I get this right... The theme of Ubuntu is hideous so we should just disregard completely the most advanced and secure OS in the world and give away our freedom (and cash I might add) for a prettier background)
First impressions are VERY important and well, Ubuntu's puke orange/brown really is not a good first impression.

Kubuntu looks a lot nicer, but really, Linux? Its not for the mainstream user is it? Far too finickity and techy still.

  • 10.
  • At 8:11 PM on 18 Feb 2008,
  • Tom wrote:

It's got to be said, like it or loathe it, Ubuntu's colours are unique. That said loathe it and you're three clicks (maybe four) away from a different colour scheme or entirely different theme.

  • 11.
  • At 10:56 PM on 18 Feb 2008,
  • David Holden wrote:

I criticised his comments regarding Linux at the time so refreshing to see he has demonstrated an open mind on the issue.

  • 12.
  • At 1:06 AM on 19 Feb 2008,
  • Ray B wrote:

Andrew ( # 3 )
I'm running Ubuntu Live CD right now, the only thing it does to your hard drive is read it .
Try before you install, No danger of damage .
I'm currently waiting for random data to be written to a empty partition (getting ready to test out encrypted LVM) so while its running in the background, I figured I would "surf the net" and stumbled here from Groklaw.net.
I don't know how well it runs in a vista VM, but it runs very well from CD.
Full Hardware detection hotdock,sound,video,net,wifi,MICE, and in my case thinkpad sound/function keys ( complete with on screen display) :-)

  • 13.
  • At 1:38 AM on 19 Feb 2008,
  • Liam wrote:

Ubuntu's colour scheme is like Marmite: you either love it or hate it.

I am secretly hoping Ubuntu will defect to KDE. KDE4 is rather sexy. Good luck to Ashley with Ubuntu, hope he likes it! :)

www.gnome-look.org and get another theme or try kubuntu, it's blue. problem solved.

Get a mac - unix like? Ok I guess it's unix like but its very very much less usable unless you install Fink and add tons of packages. Buy an overpriced computer with less functionality and the worst security of any computer out there (yes, thats what I said).

  • 16.
  • At 5:50 AM on 19 Feb 2008,
  • Martin Owens wrote:

I like the elephant skin background myself and if all goes to plan with gnome-look.org theme and background chooser you won't have to go chasing around a nice look either.

but why Ubuntu, just because it's the most well known, does not make it the best, look at Windows and you realise that.

Get a mac - unix like? Ok I guess it's unix like but its very very much less usable unless you install Fink and add tons of packages.
Dirk Gently? Dirk Gently?! Dirk Gently'd NEVER say anything bad about Macs!

Anyway, you're REALLY, HONESTLY suggesting that using Ubuntu and installing packages is EASIER than doing the very same on OS X or even installing *nixy bits on OS X?

You're crazy for sure.

Buy an overpriced computer with less functionality and the worst security of any computer out there (yes, thats what I said).
Confirmed, you're one of the crazy ones. I salute you Mr Dirk Gently imposter.

@gord Shame you can't use that ubuntu laptop to download iplayer stuff and won't for the forceable future so far.

Getting there... you can stream and the Mac version is on the way (https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7233252.stm) - one thing at a time....

m

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