Ubuntu Linux 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx)
Sound and Multimedia
When I first booted into my Ubuntu desktop, the sound worked perfectly. I didn’t need to configure anything. It’s always nice to hear the Ubuntu theme when my desktop loads.
YouTube & Flash
Flash wasn’t installed by default, unfortunately. I installed it by going into the Software Center and clicking the Install button. It took just a few seconds and I was good to go with YouTube videos.
I’m somewhat surprised that I had to install flash on Ubuntu Linux 10.04. It seems like something that should be bundled into Firefox by default. Perhaps I’m just too used to Linux Mint and it has spoiled me? Maybe Canonical could cut some kind of deal with Adobe (assuming that’s necessary) and start integrating flash into Firefox by default.
Anyway, remember that flash is available to you in the Software Center if you find that you need it while browsing the web.
After installing flash, YouTube videos will play in Firefox.
Problems & Headaches
I didn’t come across any real show stoppers while using Ubuntu Linux 10.04. However, I do a have a few, mostly minor things to nitpick about it.
I found it strange that the word Departments is used in the Software Center as a label for application categories. Departments? As in department store? Accounting department? I don’t know, the word “department” just strikes me as odd. Labeling it Application Categories makes a lot more sense to me.
One thing I missed from Mac OS X was the ability to have my desktop wallpaper background automatically cycle through a folder of wallpaper. In Mac OS X, for example, I use the screenshots folder in my World of Warcraft folder. I have my wallpaper set to cycle to the next wallpaper every five minutes. So I get to see my adventures in WOW as my desktop background and I never get bored because my desktop always cycles to a new WOW screenshot every so often.
I was also unhappy to note that the Screensaver menu is separate from the Appearances menu where you change your desktop background. These two things are combined in Mac OS X on one menu (you choose one or the other from the same menu) so it’s easy to make changes. Canonical might want to give some thought to combining these two menus, it just makes a lot of sense to have them both in one place.
As I noted earlier, the GIMP has been removed in this release. Yes, you can easily install it from the Software Center, but I still miss it as part of the default install. GIMP, we hardly knew ye…
One prominent social networking service that was missing in action in Gwibber was LinkedIn. This definitely needs to be fixed in a future patch. Facebook, etc. are all fine but LinkedIn actually has real business value and should most certainly be available in the list of services available via Gwibber.
(31 votes, average: 3.45 out of 5)
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Hi,
Good review. But you mention that is is not possible to cycle through desktop wallpaper. Is that really true? Cause I am now using Ubuntu 9.10 and there it is possible. In the background menu there is one directory (cosmos) already included and optionally, you can add new ones to /usr/share/backgrounds. You can even add a xml file containing the durations that a certain file should stay on the background. It would surprise me if that option is not there anymore??
Regards, Joost
Another nail in Windows Coffin. I normally hate Ubuntu but this is gooood!!! Now have it on my EeePC suffer Microsoft. Steve and Bill you’d better start crying your days are numbered!
What is Steam? I gonna have to Google it.
I think Ubuntu 10.04 has shaped up nicely. I am on currently Ubuntu 8.04 and this is the first release where I might upgrade before the end-of-life of my current version.
Morning guys,
Glad you enjoyed the review.
Joost, I checked the controls on the Appearance Preferences menu (where you change your background) and there seemed to be no way to automatically cycle through wallpaper.
Perhaps there’s another way to do it though, I’m not sure. It seems like that’s the obvious place to put controls that are similar to the ones in Mac OS X.
Zac, Steam is Valve’s gaming service. It’s not out for Linux yet but rumors are flying that it may be coming soon. It’s scheduled to arrive for Mac OS X very soon. But a Linux version might also be in the works.
I have my fingers crossed!
Mozilla is said to be already working with Google in an open video codec. Flash (and its closed source model) is past now.
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2010/04/google-planning-to-open-the-vp8-video-codec.ars
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/13/reports_says_google_will_open_source_on2_codec_in_may/
“Maybe Canonical could cut some kind of deal with Adobe”
Have you not been paying attention to the idiotic decisions Canonical has been making in the past 2 years? They are completely destroying Ubuntu. At the rate they are going they wont even be ON Distrowatch’s Top 100 list, let alone #1 in the next year.
“I was also unhappy to note that the Screensaver menu is separate from the Appearances menu where you change your desktop background. These two things are combined in Mac OS X on one menu (you choose one or the other from the same menu) so it’s easy to make changes. Canonical might want to give some thought to combining these two menus, it just makes a lot of sense to have them both in one place.”
That is a Linux/Gnome thing, and has NOTHING to do with Canonical. Canonical develops Ubuntu, Canonical does not develop Gnome. I would suggest you actually study up on Linux for a bit before you write reviews about it.
I have installed a program called “Desktop Drapes” which will automatically change the wallpaper at times you define, as well as the location of the folder that holds your pics. It’s an okay program, does what it supposed to. My only fault with it, it crashed a couple of times and once didn’t start on reboot. Other than that, it worked okay. It’s in the Software Center!
Actually, it doesn’t have “the latest version of gnome.”
10.04 comes with gnome 2 for stability. Gnome 3 has been released, install gnome-shell to get it.