Ubuntu 11.04 review.
Slartibartfast
Global Moderator-__-
Ubuntu 11.04 review.
Well Ubuntu 11.04 was released a couple of days ago. Like it or not, no one can doubt that it's the flagship "Linux Desktop" and will likely remain top dog for the foreseeable future. This release continues with Ubuntu's tradition of incremental updates and the biggest noticeable change is the Unity desktop. The Ubuntu One interface (a cloud syncing service similar to dropbox) has been revamped and the Ubuntu software centre now includes a user review module.
The way applications work with the desktop has also been changed.
The Installation
There's nothing to talk about here. Ubuntu has always been simple to install and it still is. Ubuntu 11.04's installer is more or less identical to 10.10's installer albeit with slightly reworded dialogues and a new colour map for partitions.
Logging in.
This is the virginal desktop:
If you have hardware that works better with restricted drivers an app will pop up after a few minutes offering to install everything required. If your hardware/drivers doesn't support 3D acceleration Ubuntu should fall-back to Unity 2D (I still haven't figured out how to launch it) or it will default to the last pre-GNOME3 release. This is what occurred in my case until I installed the closed NVIDIA drivers.
Unity.
This is obviously going to alienate some people. Unity is better than GNOME 3 hands down but I have doubt's over an interface that needs 3D anything. There's a launcher at the top left of the screen, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a menu launcher, however it would be more accurate to regard it as a search launcher.
This is the weakest point in the unity interface, a user can no longer see what apps he has installed, he now has to search for it. The user can now search for files through main "menu". Having tried prior versions of Unity and GNOME-shell, I was surprised by how fast the search results appeared.
The Unity Devs seem aware that apps are annoyingly hidden and have introduced a compromise:
This launches the unity menu with only the applications category shown. It feels like a hack and that's because it is:
There is no longer a minimise tray at the bottom of the screen. I think most users will get used to this after a few minutes as the vertical dock bar is a better approach. An App that is launched appears on the side-bar with a little trianage to indicate that it is launched and not only docked.
Some apps have already utilised Ubuntu's dock feature with context menu functions. There are not many of these yet.
Ubuntu now includes a new type of scroll bar. It's works fine and saves space. This is not enabled on all applications.
There is now a global menu bar. All I can say is: about time. It works a little differently to Apple's menu bar.
The menu items are not shown until the mouse is hovered over the bar
The window buttons (close, Max and Min) are now integrated into the menu bar making maximised apps look like this:
I think this works great.
This is how workspaces are handled:
I care little for workspaces but this introduces an extra click that is only useless eye-candy.
Final Thoughts.
Up until this release, I could say that Ubuntu was a server OS tweaked for Desktops. With 11.04 this is untrue. Unity has firmly cemented Ubuntu in the desktop OS category, power users will likely be disgruntled by Unity's interface redundancy. I have not tested unity under anything more than light loads (firefox and a few small apps). I question how it would respond under heavier loads, I doubt it would fare well. The best thing conacial can do is stop adding features for the next release and just tweak unity, squash bugs and put a higher emphasis on resource management.
I would have recommended Ubuntu 10.10 to my grandmother if she had asked, but with Ubuntu 11.04 there are too many unknowns and the interface is not exactly as crisp and simple as the typical WIMP layouts.
EDIT: turns out unity-2D is in the repos.
Well Ubuntu 11.04 was released a couple of days ago. Like it or not, no one can doubt that it's the flagship "Linux Desktop" and will likely remain top dog for the foreseeable future. This release continues with Ubuntu's tradition of incremental updates and the biggest noticeable change is the Unity desktop. The Ubuntu One interface (a cloud syncing service similar to dropbox) has been revamped and the Ubuntu software centre now includes a user review module.
The way applications work with the desktop has also been changed.
The Installation
There's nothing to talk about here. Ubuntu has always been simple to install and it still is. Ubuntu 11.04's installer is more or less identical to 10.10's installer albeit with slightly reworded dialogues and a new colour map for partitions.
Logging in.
This is the virginal desktop:
If you have hardware that works better with restricted drivers an app will pop up after a few minutes offering to install everything required. If your hardware/drivers doesn't support 3D acceleration Ubuntu should fall-back to Unity 2D (I still haven't figured out how to launch it) or it will default to the last pre-GNOME3 release. This is what occurred in my case until I installed the closed NVIDIA drivers.
Unity.
This is obviously going to alienate some people. Unity is better than GNOME 3 hands down but I have doubt's over an interface that needs 3D anything. There's a launcher at the top left of the screen, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a menu launcher, however it would be more accurate to regard it as a search launcher.
This is the weakest point in the unity interface, a user can no longer see what apps he has installed, he now has to search for it. The user can now search for files through main "menu". Having tried prior versions of Unity and GNOME-shell, I was surprised by how fast the search results appeared.
The Unity Devs seem aware that apps are annoyingly hidden and have introduced a compromise:
This launches the unity menu with only the applications category shown. It feels like a hack and that's because it is:
There is no longer a minimise tray at the bottom of the screen. I think most users will get used to this after a few minutes as the vertical dock bar is a better approach. An App that is launched appears on the side-bar with a little trianage to indicate that it is launched and not only docked.
Some apps have already utilised Ubuntu's dock feature with context menu functions. There are not many of these yet.
Ubuntu now includes a new type of scroll bar. It's works fine and saves space. This is not enabled on all applications.
There is now a global menu bar. All I can say is: about time. It works a little differently to Apple's menu bar.
The menu items are not shown until the mouse is hovered over the bar
The window buttons (close, Max and Min) are now integrated into the menu bar making maximised apps look like this:
I think this works great.
This is how workspaces are handled:
I care little for workspaces but this introduces an extra click that is only useless eye-candy.
Final Thoughts.
Up until this release, I could say that Ubuntu was a server OS tweaked for Desktops. With 11.04 this is untrue. Unity has firmly cemented Ubuntu in the desktop OS category, power users will likely be disgruntled by Unity's interface redundancy. I have not tested unity under anything more than light loads (firefox and a few small apps). I question how it would respond under heavier loads, I doubt it would fare well. The best thing conacial can do is stop adding features for the next release and just tweak unity, squash bugs and put a higher emphasis on resource management.
I would have recommended Ubuntu 10.10 to my grandmother if she had asked, but with Ubuntu 11.04 there are too many unknowns and the interface is not exactly as crisp and simple as the typical WIMP layouts.
EDIT: turns out unity-2D is in the repos.
Comments
I love the OSX style bar at the top too. Copying OSX is a good move, it has a great UI design. The task bar I like a little less because it's not implemented as well as Windows 7's but it's a good amalgamation of the two. Unity = OSX + Windows 7.
The one thing that really drags it down however is that search bar. It's hideous, too big and doesn't work as well as, say, spotlight search. In OSX you start typing and this comes up:
Instantly. The speed + size is so useful it's unreal. Unity's monster is bad, bad, bad. Luckily you don't have to use it!
Also, I liked how if you hold the super key and press numbers you run taskbar programs like in Windows 7. Super+s brings up an expose-esque workspace switcher. Good stuff.
Also, I plugged in my iPhone and not only did it recognise it, but I could start playing music there and then. For desktop Linux this is a big step.
Having said all this, I won't be using it as my main desktop OS, I love the simplicity of my current set up.
Really looks sexy. Does the third button [maximize] work the same as on OS X or Windows?
-Downloading. I'm so excited!!! xD
I must say, Ubuntu is FUCKING SEXY. Thanks OP.
I'd rather use a light OS & work it up. So it's definitely not for me.
Thanks for the review 'Slartibartfast'
Sometimes the forum software hangs, he must have pressed "submit" twice.
no biggie.
Anyway, I managed to find a great guide in the end which walked me through removing some shitty stock drivers and eventually reinstalling Xserver, which I then configured and managed to get everything working again.
My verdict - Ubuntu 11.04 is awesome! Taking a while to get used to the menu system though.
11.04 gives you the option of what you want, a music studio or graphic version. Instead of giving you a bloated slug. You can also pick the tools you require.
Me personally, I think the linux in ubuntu died after 9.04, You know? before MS styling started rubbing it's penis all over ubuntus deb packages.
Nice review, Slartibartfast
You might as well upgrade and play with it! Besides, you can choose to use the classic menus and whatnot before you log in, so you don't NEED to use Unity
This site helped me a ton: http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/things-to-tweak-fix-after-installing.html