Soliciting Input For a Linux Review
by Ryan Smith on February 6, 2008 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Ryan's Ramblings
One of the things we have been wanting to do for some time now is to do a proper review of Linux as an end-user operating system. We have done articles on Linux in the past relating to performance, but never a complete OS review.
A Month With a Mac, our article on the Mac experience was very well received and we would like to do this again for a Linux review. I, a Linux novice, will use Ubuntu Linux for a month as my primary OS in order to capture an idea of how the Linux experience stacks up, and how it compares to the Mac and Windows platforms.
Now the reason that we're soliciting advice first is due to a matter of timing. Ubuntu is on a six-month release schedule with the next version due in April. If we were to start our month-long experiment next week, our review would not be ready until the middle of March, only a month or so before the next Ubuntu release. On the other hand if we wait for the next version of Ubuntu, a review would not be done until at least the late-May/early-June time frame.
So we would like to hear back from our readers and Linux users. Would you rather see this kind of a review done sooner, or wait another 2-3 months for a review done with a newer version of Ubuntu? This isn't a straight-up vote, but we'd like to take your opinions under serious consideration, especially since we aren't intimately familiar with Ubuntu and what the next version may bring.
Please add your comments to this blog post, we'll get back to you next week to let you guys know if we're going ahead with our experiment or not.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
139 Comments
View All Comments
murphyslabrat - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
I endorse the previous statement, and think that it is an excellent idea.No, seriously, I feel that the selective but easy upgrade process is a strong point in Linux. The biggest downside is the lack of support from commercial software, something that might change as WINE-doors progresses.
My plug for coverage: user transition to linux, including ease of use/effictiveness of WINE/WINE-doors; driver support for ethernet, sound, and video acceleration, with focus on Intel, Broadcom, and Creative (as these make the mass majority of said devices out there); and the feel of the interface for typical usage and upgrades.
Vanden - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
I agree, the upgrade process should be part of the review.Nehemoth - Thursday, February 7, 2008 - link
i support the abovexeutonmojukai - Thursday, February 7, 2008 - link
As a new user of Gutsy on my MacBook, I would actually find this idea particularly good, especially if the following could be tried:- Looking into the end-user experience with Gutsy, of course
- ...As well as the upgrade path to their next release, if possible.
- Also, the ease of installing and using something like Cedega and also Wine (the latter is free) to play games like Oblivion (possibly even using this new rig for benchmarks with new games)
- You could check out the driver situations between AMD video cards and NVIDIA ones.
- You could look into the installation and optimization processes for various Windows-exclusive peripherals.
- Covering security issues (or the lack thereof) using Firefox on Ubuntu.
- Trying this OS on a PC platform, as well as a Mac platform (hopefully one that has a chance to use both wireless and wired internet connection, as the former often gets tricky early on).
~ XM
mofo3k - Thursday, February 7, 2008 - link
I also thing that you should include a comparison of KDE and Gnome. The good reason to do one now and one later is that KDE 4 has recently been released and the new version of Kubuntu will likely use that as it's desktop environment.As an avid Linux user, I would like to see more Linux news/coverage. Especially since this is a technology site with a focus on computers.
As another suggestion, please include my favorite distro, Slackware.
leexgx - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
gusty (7.10?)is the worst ubuntu thay have made use 7.04 or wait for 8.04 as that one is an LTS one so thay Have to make it stable as its supported for 3 yearsMooseMuffin - Saturday, February 9, 2008 - link
Worst based on what? I'm posting this from gutsy right now and I have no complaints.mofo3k - Monday, February 11, 2008 - link
While I didn't think that Gutsy was the most stable release they've had, I'd hardly call it bad. But then again, I'm using KDE and not Gnome. It is my default OS at home, now if I could only convince my boss to let us use it at work.MooseMuffin - Thursday, February 7, 2008 - link
I think this is the best idea. If you're going to do it for a month, start 2 weeks before the 8.04 update and then describe the upgrade procedure and new features.