Ubuntucat

I grew up going to a Christian church, and for the past 3+ years I have been a Linux user, so you can bet I have heard and participated in a lot of debates about whether it is right and/or effective to evangelize to gain more “converts” or not.

The evangelism (for religion, operating system, or anything else) usually comes from good intentions. Although sometimes it can feel to the person being evangelized to that the intention is more “I’m right, and you’re wrong, and you’d better see things my way”; the intention is usually more, “I didn’t realize what I was missing until I saw this, so I want you to see it too.”

I was an extremely argumentative child and adolescent, and even though I thought I had some pretty good arguments, logic, and examples, there were few arguments I ever won or lost. Pretty soon I realized that arguments for the purposes of convincing someone to adopt a new outlook or change her mind are a waste of time. Arguments as intellectual exercises or fun pastimes are fine. And you can sometimes bully someone into giving up fighting you, but you haven’t really changed her mind. You’ve just intimidated her. To see how this is done, watch Bill O’Reilly on Fox News. It basically consists of a lot of interrupting and yelling.

So if you’re someone who truly thinks “I didn’t realize what I was missing until I had this” instead of “Ha ha! I’m right and you’re wrong”; think about the last time you changed your mind on an issue or decided to try something new. What was the impetus for that change? Was it someone arguing with you? How did you start seeing things in a different way or open yourself up to trying a new product or lifestyle?

For me (I won’t even try to speak for anyone else)—whether it was my outlooks on race and gender, my choice of operating system, or my mode of transportation—any time I opened myself up to something new or changed my mind, it had nothing to do with getting into arguments with people. In fact, when folks argued with me, I tended to cling more strongly to the familiar than to open myself up to something new.

I change my mind or embrace something new when I come to it instead of it coming to me. I need the resources to come to, of course, but I need to come to those resources. I don’t want someone knocking on my door trying to sell me something. I don’t want a friend pestering me to switch to something or to change my mind about something. I do want, however, many books and websites available on the topic. I want the pros and cons clearly laid out in as unbiased a fashion as is humanly possible.

Thus, in the spirit of the golden rule, I’m going to do unto others as I would have them do unto me. I will write my opinions and leave them here as a resource. If you disagree with me, I don’t want to get into a futile argument with you. You can lay out your own opinions, and I will read them when I am ready to read them. You can also read my opinions when you’re ready to read them.

I have to say that Disneyland and California Adventure have a pretty smooth operation. Yes, they charge you an arm and a leg and a kidney for the two theme parks (especially if you want to go to both and not just one), but they know how to manage large crowds of people.

The people leaving rides exit one direction. The people getting on the rides enter from the other side, and only after the people leaving have left. The staff rope off sidewalks for parades so that there’s a clear division between those who want to sit and watch the parade and those who want to pass through the area. The “fast pass” system makes it easy to get into semi-popular (not the absolute newest, though) rides without waiting in line for hours.

But what is up with the “security” check when you first arrive at the park? It’s not like airport security (which has its own problems and holes)… it doesn’t even resemble security. If you have a bag, they have you open the bag, and they take a cursory glance inside the bag. I had a backpack and unzipped the large pocket and that’s all they saw. I don’t know if they were checking for guns, drugs, or bombs, but I could have had any or all of the above in the small pocket of my backpack, the large pocket (but buried underneath the top layer of stuff), or my jacket pockets.

The second time I went through the check, they picked up my little insulated lunch bag and asked “What’s in this?” I said it was some snacks. They believed me and put it down. How is that security? I can say it’s full of snacks. Of course I can say that. It could really be full of fireworks or spray paint or box cutters. They’re going to take my word for it?

Generally Disney has a smooth operation going in its theme parks. If they could just get the “security” check out of there—or actually checking people’s bags thoroughly—it’d be even smoother.

As a follow-up to Macs are just computers, not magic and Macs are computers, not magic (part 2), I have to say based on recent events that people who say “There’s a reason 90% of home users use Windows” (and mean to imply it’s the quality of Windows instead of consumer inertia) or “Linux is for people who don’t value time. I’m going to stick with Windows because it works” are delusional.

Recently, at my job, I’ve been lending the occasional hand to the tech support department (even though I work in the Admission Office), and the problems we’ve been encountering have been problems that have challenged even tech support (not just the end users). I installed Adobe CS3 on a co-worker’s computer, and all of a sudden Microsoft Word would keep crashing and would start up in only safe mode. And a whole bunch of computers could not view embedded PDFs in Firefox.

Such incidents are not isolated to this job or any job at all. Throughout the last two decades, I’ve seen amongst family members, co-workers, and friends, too many Windows problems to even count. It could be anything from an “unknown error” when an application tries to start to a print job not going to the printer but being unable to be cancelled.

The next time someone says “There’s a reason 90% of home users use Windows,” I hope someone else replies, “There’s a reason 100% of organizations who use Windows have tech support departments.” As a matter of fact, computer problems existing has little to do with what OS you use. I’ve seen Mac owners complain about various Mac problems and Linux users complain about various Linux problems. There is no such thing as “just works.” Windows does not just work. Mac OS X does not just work. Linux does not just work.

The only way around this I can see is a redefinition of the phrase just works. Here’s my new working definition:

Fill-in-the-blank operating system has caused me personally (and no one else necessarily) fewer problems than other operating systems I have used, and when I do encounter problems, they are ones I can tolerate and not big enough for me to abandon this platform for another one.

Everyone who uses a computer either is a geek, becomes a geek, has a geek friend, or pays someone to be a geek. I know no one who buys a computer and thinks, “I know nothing about how to fix computer problems, I know no one who can fix computer problems, and I don’t ever want to pay money to have someone fix my computer. I don’t have to worry about that, though, since fill-in-the-blank operating system ‘just works.’” Anyone who would think that is in for a big surprise.

Further Reading
Windows Setup… or Why I hate Windows
Frustration
What could it be?

Quite a large handful of Ubuntu Forums members ordered Dell Inspiron Mini 9 computers with Ubuntu preinstalled. Kudos to Dell for offering (and actually advertising) Ubuntu preinstalled, and good on those who bought Ubuntu preinstalled (not an XP preinstalled they installed Ubuntu in place of themselves) and sent a real message to a major OEM that there is a demand for Linux preinstalled.

Still, there was a major problem. If you ordered a Dell Mini with an 8 GB or 16 GB hard drive, only 4 GB of it appeared to be usable. Dell has admitted to the problem and has said it’s fixed the problem for future-shipping units.

There is a problem, though. In its latest blog entry, “Inspiron Mini 9 with Ubuntu Linux – 8GB and 16 GB Hard Drives Not Fully Formatted” (in which they mention my username but misspell it—just an aside, no big deal), they say

For customers wishing to be able to use the extra unformatted disk space immediately, if you purchased a USB DVD drive with your Mini, you may use the system restore DVD included with your system to completely reinstall the operating system. (emphasis added)

I realize they’re working on a simple method for customers to use to format/reclaim the unused hard drive space without reinstalling the OS but this is ridiculous. So customers have to have paid Dell money for an external USB DVD drive in order to fix a mistake that Dell made? Dell should be rewarding, not punishing, its loyal early adopter customers. I realize it’d lose some initial money on doing this, but in the long run it’d earn the respect and future business of its existing customers if it shipped its customers free USB DVD drives to reinstall the OS. If it’s your fault, you pay for the replacement.

My wife has an iPhone power supply part that Apple has recalled. Does Apple want her to pay for the replacement part? No, because the faulty part is Apple’s fault. Any recall, any manufacturing problem is the vendor’s fault and should be fixed at the vendor’s expense, not the customer’s.

Dell, you are not doing right by your Ubuntu customers. So if they happened to have bought a USB DVD drive, they can reinstall the OS. If they haven’t, then what should they do, buy one? And will you reimburse them the cost?

Anyone who has read my threads on the Ubuntu Forums or my posts on this blog knows I think a lack of properly advertised and thoughtfully tested preinstalled Linux solutions from major manufacturers is the main barrier to the bulk of average folks switching from Windows to Linux.

Dell recently releasing and semi-advertising the Ubuntu version of their Mini Inspiron 9 model has been a step in the right direction, but the reviews of it from forum members still make me cringe a little. Apparently it doesn’t recognize more than 800 MB of RAM, despite what you have installed, it complains about the architecture of i386 packages, and it gives you a 4 GB partition by default even if you bought a 16 GB model (so you have to format and/or integrate the remaining 12 GB yourself).

Nevertheless, even though that’s the main barrier, and even though Dell is taking some steps in the right direction, the software side of things in Ubuntu (and, somewhat by extension, other Linux distros, since they tend to share the same upstream changes) still needs to be improved for a better average end-user user experience.

Here are some of my favorite Ubuntu Brainstorm ideas to that effect. Fixing or implementing these will be a major step in the right direction to having Ubuntu and Gnome work for those who don’t enjoy fiddling with their computers or using the terminal instead of pointing and clicking.

Idea #136: Add a tutorial slideshow to the installation process

This is an idea they had marked for a while to be included with Ubuntu 8.10, but they have now deferred it to 9.04. I’m glad it’s on their to-do list, but I do think a guide to basic functions like installing programs through Add/Remove (instead of searching the web for downloads) or activating hardware drivers is necessary for new users to an unfamiliar operating system.

Idea #141: Include a graphical frontend to edit /boot/grub/menu.lst installed by default

This shouldn’t be too difficult to implement. The graphical boot menu editor already exists and just needs to be included by default. Linux still has a reputation for being too reliant on the terminal and manual editing of configuration text files. Why does Ubuntu need to reinforce that stereotype? If people want to edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst file manually, let them. But if they don’t want to, give them the option to avoid it.

Idea #142: Optional add-on CDs (not advertised heavily, but still available)

I understand why Ubuntu uses only one CD. It’s all about simplicity. One CD. Few choices. Sensible defaults. Less confusion. That makes sense to me.

But if you have add-on CDs, they don’t have to be heavily advertised or on the same download page as the regular installer CD. A Linux distro that advertises itself as “Linux for Human Beings” should recognize that a lot of people worldwide do not have broadband internet access (either no access at all or dial-up access) and would greatly benefit from add-on CDs they could buy to have extra software repositories available.

Idea #2298: Automatic reparation of interrupted dpkg
Idea #11690: Include proper instructions if dpkg is interrupted

The first idea is obviously the ideal, but it’d take longer to implement. Right now if you’re in the middle of installing software or updates and you kill the program installing those packages, you’ll get a message next time you try to install packages that the package manager was interrupted and you need to run the command

dpkg –configure -a

to repair the package manager.

So, yes, first of all, if that command works 90% of the time to fix the problem (which it does), why can’t the package manager just run it automatically and repair itself? And, if not, a simpler fix is to have the instructions at least be the proper ones. If you try to run

dpkg –configure -a

in Ubuntu, you’ll be told you’re not root. Great. How about telling people to run

sudo dpkg –configure -a

instead—the command that actually works in Ubuntu?

Idea #2560: Option to Propagate permissions of parent directory to new files

Many times people like to have shared directories. I have my personal files. You have your personal files. But maybe we want to have a folder where we put our shared photos together. Right now if you change the permissions on that folder, the permission change will affect only the existing files. New files put into that folder will have read-only permission for the non-owner of the files. This is a must for usability, and it should be a simple point-and-click solution.

Idea #4755: Firefox/Mozilla: Synchronize “Open With” with Menu

I see a lot of stupid ideas on Brainstorm about changing the filesystem hierarchy. Why do those stupid ideas appear? Because there are still instances in which the filesystem hierarchy is not properly hidden from the end user.

If you want to change the default program that opens downloads in Firefox, instead of a list of available programs, you get the file manager listing your home directory. You have to know to go to /usr/bin to find the application launcher you’re looking for. The only people who should know about /usr/bin are the ones who want to know about /usr/bin.

Idea #11107: Users and Groups should always make sure at least one user is in the admin group

A lot of Ubuntu users are the only users on their computers. There’s a great graphical tool for managing users and groups, but it allows you to uncheck the box allowing the user to administer the system even if there’s only one user who currently has that capability.

In other words, it’s too easy to make it so that no user can administer the system. There’s no way an average user would know to boot into recovery mode, drop to a root prompt, and type

adduser username admin

Don’t make it easy. There should be some kind of validation happening on the back end.

Idea #12027: RENAME DISK MORE EASILY

One of the things my wife loves to do on her Macbook Pro is rename new devices (iPod, digital camera, USB stick, external hard drive). The drive appears on her desktop. She clicks to rename it and renames it, just as if it were any other folder on her computer.

How do you do it in Ubuntu? You use a command-line program called mlabel. Should those who prefer a command-line tool still be able to use it? Definitely. Should those who would prefer a point-and-click alternative have it readily available? Also definitely. But right now they don’t.

Idea #13024: Stop programs grabbing keyboard focus while typing

I believe this is a Gnome problem. I think (but am not sure) that in certain window managers you can change this setting. It should be fairly obvious why this should be a setting you can change and why the default should be for applications not to steal focus while you’re typing.

No one while typing intends to have the first half of what she’s typing appear in one application and the second half appear in another.

Idea #13965: offer to format unformatted drives
Idea #14319: Automatic addtion of new hard drives

Ubuntu handles external media pretty well if it’s formatted. But if you have new internal drives or an unformatted external drive, you’d better read up on your /etc/fstab manual. I don’t think further explanation is necessary. A simple graphical prompt is needed: “You have a new drive. What would you like to do with it?”

As I said before, fixing the usability issues here won’t magically bring masses of Windows users over to Ubuntu or other Gnome-using Linux distros. It will, however, make their stay, once they have migrated, more pleasant. And, of course, it can’t hurt to have properly advertised and well-tested preinstalled solutions either…

Idea #3575: Online Ubuntu compatible – PC Hardware Store
Idea #6847: Physical Ubuntu Hardware Store

Mark Shuttleworth’s admiration for some of Apple’s approaches to computers is no secret. I wish he would recognize publicly that Apple’s success is not just due to Mac OS X’s aesthetics. The Apple store is a great place for curious Windows users to try out and be amazed by Apple computers and find a host of peripherals that are guaranteed to work with Macs.

Unfortunately, Apple supports proprietary software. What would be great would be a Canonical store that allows curious Windows users to try out and be amazed by Ubuntu-preinstalled computers and find a host or peripherals guaranteed to work with Linux. Right now a lot of Linux-preinstalled solutions Linux users have to buy on faith or on video and text reviews online. I live in a major metropolitan area and have no store I can go to to try out the Dell Mini Inspiron 9 or the Asus Eee PC or Acer Aspire One with Linux.

I realize it’d be a huge commercial venture that could have initially lackluster sales and profit losses, but in the long run it could work, and I know Mark Shuttleworth has enough money to see it to the long run.