by Tommy Oliver
As those of you that have watched the Broken Window Winter Keynote are aware, I have moved over to completely free software for the creation of my webcomic on Broken Window Studios, the New Reaper. However, what you may not be aware of, is that in addition to using completely free software, I've also completely moved over from Mac OS X (and Windows from time to time), to Linux.
Now, I've dabbled with Linux on and off for the last, oh, about three years now. The idea has always appealed to me ever since I found out about it in high school when my friend showed me all the eye candy you can have using Compiz and Beryl. He installed Fedora Core 5 on my ancient laptop (there about to release Fedora 15, so yea, it was awhile ago), and I was immediate scared away by the deep learning curve and bizarre user interface.
Fast forward to my first semester in college in 2007, and my far more computer-savvy self decides to give Linux another go when I learn about Ubuntu 7.04, a self titled distro of Linux "for human beings." I figured between my much improved computer skills and a distro designed with the n00b in mind, I may have a shot at finally embracing open source computing. Well, due to driver incompatibilities with my system at the time, my hopes were again dashed, but I've been trying out Ubuntu here and there as new versions come out, always hoping that I could someday make the switch.
Well I sit here typing this post on a laptop fully converted to Ubuntu 10.10, and I love it. I have a tweaked window UI that's fully to my liking, the default user interface powered by Gnome is the best I've ever used, and I even got a sweet dock to manage my open applications, my favorite feature from Mac OS X. I also have the newest Alpha release of Ubuntu on my netbook, 11.04 Alpha 3, and it's here where I have some issues...
See, Canonical, the company responsible for Ubuntu, has decided that their netbook user interface, called Unity, is a better fit for computers as a whole than the current interface. It's not bad, per say, but it kinda feels like Canonical is aiming for the "iPadification" of the desktop computer, or strip out lots of features in order to streamline the experience for the casual user. It's here where I take a lot of issue, because, as mobile experiences like Android and webOS have proven, you can have an easy to use experience without a mass removal of features.
Unity takes away a lot of the flexibility that currently works in Gnome. A bizarrely functioning dock always sits on the left of your screen, that cannot be removed or repositioned. This means that I can't use the dock application that I like, Docky, in it's place. Not only that, but as a designer, I hate having UI elements on either side of the screen because I feel it causes a visual imbalance.
Another annoyance is that Dropbox, in all honesty probably the most essential application in my life, would not install as normal in 11.04, because the Ubuntu Software Center said the package was "of bad quality." Thanks for the warning but I think I'LL decide what determines good quality. But no, it refused to install and told me to contact Dropbox and report the errors I was getting.
I'm sure they'll get right on it -_-...
Needless to say I was ready to ditch 11.04 right there, as all of my work is currently in the cloud, but I was able to get around it and install the package via dpkg, a command line program. It was hardly an intuitive process, and if I didn't have some Terminal experience I probably would have been scared off. I know my freshman self wouldn't have bothered...
Also, the awesome menuing system in Gnome, that allowed for quick access to your automatically categorised applications, locations, and system settings, has been removed, and replaced with simple, dumbed down options in the Unity menu such as "Browse Music" or "Look at Photos." Again, a slap in the face to anyone who actually KNOWS how to use a computer. Even viewing all of your applications requires a few extra clicks than it should, making the new UI feel clunky, even for its target audience.
Now, some caveats. First of all, I'm using an Alpha release. There are a lot of other small complaints I have with Unity that I'm not even mentioning because they're probably bugs that'll be fixed by the time the final release next month. Also, you DO have the option to switch to the Gnome environment, new renamed Ubuntu Classic Desktop, however, there are still some changes to the UI there, such as the removal of desktop effects, which I needed in order to use Docky, and having a Mac OS style Universal Menu in place, which kinda messes up the way the UI is supposed to work. Whether these are also Alpha issues that'll be fixed next month or not remains to be seen, but needless to say I'm a little concerned.
Luckily, the great thing about Linux is that there is no shortage of options. I'm not going to pass judgement on Ubuntu until I spend a few months with Ubuntu 11.04 and Unity starting next month, but if it does fail to impress me, there are tons of other distributions like Linux Mint, Fedora, and even Kubuntu that strike my interest. The problem however, is that none of them are as GOOD as Ubuntu is now in 10.10. Mint's graphic design isn't as well thought out, and I'm not the biggest fan of their adjustments to the Gnome menu, Fedora works a bit differently, and I'll miss the improved Software Center and other user friendly adjustments Ubuntu brings to the table, like having non-free software and drivers in their repositories for easy access. And Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop enviornment instead of Gnome, which means I'll have to learn a new UI, and give up the thing that attracted me to Ubuntu in the first place.
I dunno, I guess its just kind of disheartening to see this. I FINALLY get the motivation to really get down and dirty with Linux, learn all the ins and outs of Terminal commands, different windowing environments, package managers, and the like, and my distro of choice is now turning me off because its trying to make the experience too simple. Who would have thought...
