UBUNTU --- a few naive questions ---

[AnonymousFC4]

Hello:
I am a Linux user, Fedora (FC5) and these days mostly SUSE, both excellent
distros. I have used other Linuxes too.
I use KDE (great GUI) and like XFCE, and XFS for the file system, including
with encryption.

I have never used UBUNTU Linux, but read all these excellent reviews about
it so sooner or later I will. (May wait for a good KUBUNTU: suggestions?)

--- A few naive questions ---

1) Why is Ubuntu so successfull?

2) Is it tru that UBUNTU can install from both Debian and RPM packages?

3) How good/limited is UBUNTU on hardware support (USB, Wireless, ethernet,
printers etc...)?

4) Please comment on the UBUNTU installer/updater software. (A place whre
SUSE in my view shines).

5)How is UBUNTU with respect to the X server setup (3D drivers, etc..)?

6) I often read about bugs affecting UBUNTU, after applications work well on
other distros: assuming there is some truth there, why is that?
(Clue: I suspect compiler/libraries to not be "as compatible").

All for now, and thank you for posting and being as specific as possible.

AFC5

[Eric Meyers]

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Hash: SHA1

On 2006-04-10, AnonymousFC4 <afc4@noemail.net> wrote:

> Hello:
> I am a Linux user, Fedora (FC5) and these days mostly SUSE, both excellent
> distros. I have used other Linuxes too.
> I use KDE (great GUI) and like XFCE, and XFS for the file system, including
> with encryption.
>
> I have never used UBUNTU Linux, but read all these excellent reviews about
> it so sooner or later I will. (May wait for a good KUBUNTU: suggestions?)
>
> --- A few naive questions ---
>
> 1) Why is Ubuntu so successfull?
>

Polished Debian based distro.

> 2) Is it tru that UBUNTU can install from both Debian and RPM packages?
>

Yes. Stick with Debian packages though. Much better than RPM IMHO.

> 3) How good/limited is UBUNTU on hardware support (USB, Wireless, ethernet,
> printers etc...)?
>

Good.

> 4) Please comment on the UBUNTU installer/updater software. (A place whre
> SUSE in my view shines).
>

apt-get, Adept, and Synaptic all rock.

> 5)How is UBUNTU with respect to the X server setup (3D drivers, etc..)?
>

No problem if you're Nvidia based.

> 6) I often read about bugs affecting UBUNTU, after applications work well on
> other distros: assuming there is some truth there, why is that?
> (Clue: I suspect compiler/libraries to not be "as compatible").
>

No different than any other distro.

> All for now, and thank you for posting and being as specific as possible.
>
> AFC5
>
>

Eric

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[Whirled Peas]

On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:50:19 -0700, AnonymousFC4 wrote:

> --- A few naive questions ---
>
> 1) Why is Ubuntu so successfull?

"It just works." I think a big part of Ubuntu's success is the extremely
active community and the very user-oriented web forum where both new users
and very experienced users can get quick answers to their questions.

> 2) Is it tru that UBUNTU can install from both Debian and RPM packages?

Yes, but you need to alien the RPMs.

> 3) How good/limited is UBUNTU on hardware support (USB, Wireless, ethernet,
> printers etc...)?

I can only tell you what I've experienced. Ubuntu recognized all the
devices on my PC (Asus on-board sound & nic; Nvidia 6800gt; Creative Audigy
2zs). It recognized the HP deskjet printer and set up the driver fine and
shares the printer with the other two computers on my home network that are
running XP. It recognized and automatically mounts my 1 gig USB thumb
drive)

> 4) Please comment on the UBUNTU installer/updater software. (A place whre
> SUSE in my view shines).

Apt-get and Synaptic are very good, IMO. The updater works very well. It
will message you right after an install and update the system with the
latest versions of the packages included with the default install.

> 5)How is UBUNTU with respect to the X server setup (3D drivers, etc..)?

Breezy (5.10) does not install the most recent Nvidia drivers by default. I
downloaded the drivers from Nvidia, set them up and have had no problems.

> 6) I often read about bugs affecting UBUNTU, after applications work well on
> other distros: assuming there is some truth there, why is that?
> (Clue: I suspect compiler/libraries to not be "as compatible").

*I* have not experienced any problems, but I am just one user.

[noshellswill]

On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:50:19 -0700, AnonymousFC4 wrote:

> Hello:
> I am a Linux user, Fedora (FC5) and these days mostly SUSE, both excellent
> distros. I have used other Linuxes too.
> I use KDE (great GUI) and like XFCE, and XFS for the file system, including
> with encryption.
>
> I have never used UBUNTU Linux, but read all these excellent reviews about
> it so sooner or later I will. (May wait for a good KUBUNTU: suggestions?)
>
> --- A few naive questions ---
>
> 1) Why is Ubuntu so successfull?
>
> 2) Is it tru that UBUNTU can install from both Debian and RPM packages?
>
> 3) How good/limited is UBUNTU on hardware support (USB, Wireless, ethernet,
> printers etc...)?
>
> 4) Please comment on the UBUNTU installer/updater software. (A place whre
> SUSE in my view shines).
>
> 5)How is UBUNTU with respect to the X server setup (3D drivers, etc..)?
>
> 6) I often read about bugs affecting UBUNTU, after applications work well on
> other distros: assuming there is some truth there, why is that?
> (Clue: I suspect compiler/libraries to not be "as compatible").
>
> All for now, and thank you for posting and being as specific as possible.
>
> AFC5

Big-Anon:

IMHO you will find Ubuntu WILDLY uneven in performance. Examples from my
own experience:

1) Ubuntu transparently installed my HP laser-jet printer, and
negotated a braindead multi-computer SBG-Global/Linksys router
connection, while OTOH hopelessly "foozling" my attempted access to an
Iomega-250 Zipdrive.

2) Ubuntu automagically installed and enabled both MATHEMATICA and
TIMIDITY, while poxing-up both MYSQL and TOPSPICE-under-WINE.

Considering my zero admin talent, and balancing good-to-bad ... I see
the balance tipping way-over in Ubuntus favor.

nss
***********

[AnonymousFC4]

noshellswil:
I appreciate the posting, but later distros (at the possible exception of
Fedora) tend to be quite polished too...

SUSE and Mandrake/Mandriva tend to do things quite easy for the "Joe-six
pack" (non-expert type) user, too.

To me the most important part (so far) remains new hardware discovery and
install, and also fairly simple software install, ideally from a
pre-compiled package.

Being able to run Windows software (using Wine, CrossOver, Win4LIn, VmWare
etc...) is a all different area!
I have to admit there some ambivalence: I have some Windows software that I
am running on Linux, using WINE. At the same time, I see Windows based
software running on Linux as a dead end.

For now Linux has gathered enough momentum for the best commercial
applications to be ported on Linux, and it is only a beginning.
So I will not select a distro based on this, and so far, prefer to use a
dual boot system, and run Windows applications... on Windows!

On the other side of he spectrum, I love applications which can be installed
as a multi-distro package, like Acrobat Reader, etc...
The LSB (Linux Standard base) is getting there.

If we want more commercial software to be ported to Linux, it should be made
more simple: in short a single package should be easily instalable on most
distros... and support should be easy on most distros, esle software
companies will stay away from the Linux market!

I hope UBUNTU will "converge" with "SUSE", "FEdora" "DEbian" to make this
goal "Mission possible".

AFC4


noshellswill wrote:

> Big-Anon:
>
> IMHO you will find Ubuntu WILDLY uneven in performance. Examples from my
> own experience:
>
> 1) Ubuntu transparently installed my HP laser-jet printer, and
> negotated a braindead multi-computer SBG-Global/Linksys router
> connection, while OTOH hopelessly "foozling" my attempted access to an
> Iomega-250 Zipdrive.
>
> 2) Ubuntu automagically installed and enabled both MATHEMATICA and
> TIMIDITY, while poxing-up both MYSQL and TOPSPICE-under-WINE.
>
> Considering my zero admin talent, and balancing good-to-bad ... I see
> the balance tipping way-over in Ubuntus favor.
>
> nss
> ***********

[Thomas Bartkus]

"AnonymousFC4" <afc4@noemail.net> wrote in message
news:QMCdnXHs4bzNVN_ZnZ2dnUVZ_tSdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..

> noshellswil:
> I appreciate the posting, but later distros (at the possible exception

of

> Fedora) tend to be quite polished too...
>
> SUSE and Mandrake/Mandriva tend to do things quite easy for the "Joe-six
> pack" (non-expert type) user, too.
>
> To me the most important part (so far) remains new hardware discovery and
> install, and also fairly simple software install, ideally from a
> pre-compiled package.

It's the old story. Even from an expert type's point of view - Who's going
to write good software for Linux if one must waste time and effort battling
video drivers just to get X windows to work properly?
The software won't come without rock solid hardware support. SUSE,
Mandriva, and Ubuntu are finally getting us there.

> Being able to run Windows software (using Wine, CrossOver, Win4LIn, VmWare
> etc...) is a all different area!
> I have to admit there some ambivalence: I have some Windows software that

I

> am running on Linux, using WINE. At the same time, I see Windows based
> software running on Linux as a dead end.
>
> For now Linux has gathered enough momentum for the best commercial
> applications to be ported on Linux, and it is only a beginning.
> So I will not select a distro based on this, and so far, prefer to use a
> dual boot system, and run Windows applications... on Windows!
>
> On the other side of he spectrum, I love applications which can be

installed

> as a multi-distro package, like Acrobat Reader, etc...
> The LSB (Linux Standard base) is getting there.
>
> If we want more commercial software to be ported to Linux, it should be

made

> more simple: in short a single package should be easily instalable on most
> distros... and support should be easy on most distros, esle software
> companies will stay away from the Linux market!
>

Yes!
The *only* advantage Windows now has is a single Windows manager and single
widget set/Single GUI API to address. How does one target Linux? One can't
handle Mandriva, Ubuntu, SUSE, Mandriva, GNome, KDE, wxWidgets, QT, GTK -
ministrone soup and get the job done.

The tools are there and are, in fact *much* better. But how do you address
(with GUI software!) the Unix/Linux world without fragmenting your efforts
to an intolerable degree?

I'm not just griping. I'm looking for some practical suggestions!

> If we want more commercial software to be ported to Linux, it should be

made

> more simple: in short a single package should be easily instalable on most
> distros... and support should be easy on most distros, esle software
> companies will stay away from the Linux market!
>
> I hope UBUNTU will "converge" with "SUSE", "FEdora" "DEbian" to make this
> goal "Mission possible".

Indeed!

Thomas Bartkus