Ubuntu LTS Support

I'm beginning to get frustrated with certain aspects of the Ubuntu development cycle, and in this post I'm going to try my best to spell out my complaint and what I think should be done about it.

My Complaint

First, let me say that I'm a huge Ubuntu fan. Since Gutsy (when I first started using Ubuntu) each of the iterations of Ubuntu has made large, important strides to becoming a preeminent OS. Many of the things that annoyed me about the desktop experience have been have been fixed or minimized, and with the release of Jaunty I've had very few complaints about things not doing what I want/expect them to, very few crashes, and less annoyances than at any other time using a linux based OS. As I've written before, Jaunty is the first time a Linux vendor has released a distribution that I'd pretty much recommend to anyone. As you can see, I'm a very happy user.

So my complaint then isn't about the great work being done on Ubuntu, its rather an end-user complaint about what the distribution requires me to do to use the latest and greatest releases of software applications. In particular, my complaint is specifically about LTS releases. Take Hardy, for example. Hardy, being an LTS, has three years support, whereas the non-LTS releases (like Intrepid, Jaunty, and Karmic) only have 18 months support. In both cases the support is pretty much limited to security fixes and does not include application version updates except through the Backports repos. Even then, the Backports repos offer a limited number of application updates often not including the application updates that I most desire (like the newest versions of Openoffice), and they are accompanied with the proviso that they are not supported by the Ubuntu team. This the background, now let me get to my complaint.

There are two main types of Ubuntu end-users, which I'll refer to as enthusiasts and lay-users. The enthusiast does not mind reinstalling or upgrading to a new version of Ubuntu each release cycle. In fact, they often start early with one of the alphas to watch the progress of Ubuntu development (this is what I do). They are generally careful about backing up their data and they generally are more familiar with the risks of updating than lay-users. Lay-users, on the other hand, don't want to have to worry about reinstalling or upgrading an OS, they just want what they already have to work, and they want to be able to easily update certain applications when newer versions come out. Not only are less aware that updating can go wrong in any number of ways, and often do not properly back up their data, they don't want to spend hours updating, and they definitely don't want to trouble-shoot anything when things go wrong. But the only way they know how to get new versions of applications is if they upgrade or reinstall.

This is where LTS releases come in, or at least where I think they should come in. Given their extended support they would be perfect for lay-users - except that their support is way too limited. Security patches are needed, but they are not enough. LTS releases also need to be able to allow for the easy installation of new versions of programs. This way lay-users can install an LTS version of Ubuntu, and then not have to concern themselves with the six month release cycle of the Ubuntu developers. They can live content with it until a new LTS version is released.

Solutions?

In my view, LTS releases should work in the following way. As it does now, an LTS release should offer a stabilized API for developers to work with along with a continuous supply of security fixes for the supported software, but it should also widen what it considers supported software for an LTS release to include newer versions of important programs that are released through the LTS lifecycle. I'm thinking of certain programs in particular, ones like OpenOffice, Firefox, and Pidgin. There should be an option to upgrade to the newer version of the programs, but no compulsion to do so. In other words, Ubuntu should offer a way to update to the newest versions of certain programs (which programs can be a mtter determined by demand) without relying on more risky options (one's they don't often even know about) like installing PPA repos, using getdeb, or waiting for backports to offer it (which it may never). Various versions of these programs need to be officially supported in an LTS release so that users can gain the benefits of these updates without having to upgrade their entire OS or rely on less safe deb repos. In this way, lay-users can be happy with an LTS for years without becoming frustrated that they are not getting the latest applications developers have to offer. Let the developers worry about the changes in undelying OS, this is largely invisible to most lay-users anyway. Lay-users care mainly about the applications, and they want an easy way to keep up with new releases of them.

Lakhdar Boumediene

I hope he does sue the US government - and I hope to hell he wins. This is so outrageously unacceptable.

7½ Years For Being Muslim ~ The Story Of Lakhdar Boumediene

Ubuntu 9.04 Review and the Future

Jaunty is very good. Its the first version of a linux distribution that I'd pretty much recommend to anyone to try (with only a few minor caveats about possible hardware issues and the fact that Linux users still can't watch netflix). It has made vast improvements over Hardy from a year ago. Its stable, snappy, and quite a number of annoyances that I onced experienced have been fixed or minimized. Below I go through these in more detail. Now, though I want to focus on what I hope for the next version of Ubuntu (codenamed "Karmic Koala").

Cloud computing is the wave of the future, so I'm very happy this development cycle is making this a focus. But I'm doubtful they will go far enough to really make a lot of difference for most people. What people want now is to be able to sync up there data with various computers they possess and with online services they rely on. To this effect:

1. Evolution needs to sync seamlessly with Google calander, email, and contacts.
   
2. Evolution also needs to sync seamlessly with services like "Remember the Milk". Tasque does this ok presently on Linux, but it has a way to go to be really polished
3. Tomboy needs to be able to sync across multiple computers. Yes, there is the beginning of such functionality already built into it, but its hard to set up, and even when it is, it doesn't sync automatically.
4. Thank god for Dropbox, an excellent program that should be further promoted
   

Certain features need to be implimented consistantly:

1. I really like the new notification system, but programs like Firefox and Amarok have not been made to use this system.
2. Pulseaudio is MUCH better than it was a year ago, but it still causes problems on occasion. Hammer out the rest of the details so we can move on!
3. Wireless connectivity has also improved greatly, but I still sometimes have problems connecting (or dropping) when those people around me on a Mac or Windows have no problem. On occasion I've had to abandon Network Manager altogether for WICD, which sometimes works when the former doesn't
   

Either switch to better programs, or put money towards the impovement of certain obvious deficiencies.

1. Its time to give up on Rhythmbox, Banshee is fast outgrowing the maintainance only iterations of Rhythmbox. That said, if Banshee doesn't include a watch folders option in the next release, I will totally take back this claim.
2. Tracker Search Tool is my least favorite program on Ubuntu. It sucks so bad it hurts. But Beagle is a memory hog, so at present there doesn't seem like a good search tool on linux (esp one with tens of thousands of files like mine).
3. Evolution is not a pleasure to use. I'm waiting for Thunderbird 3 to come out and put real pressure on Evolution developers to make it a better program. It needs to seamlessly integrate with online services. A makeover is really overdue as well.
   
4. Multimedia editing is slowly progressing overall. A year ago I couldn't find a video editor I liked, whereas now I'm quite a fan of Kdenlive. Audacity didn't work at all, but now does. Keep up the good work here!
   

Reviewing Previous Annoyances

In February 2009 I had this to say about my hopes for 9.04 (Jaunty), and in April 2008 I had this to say about my hoped for Intrepid. Its time to reevaluate both of these and see how Ubuntu 9.04 measures up.

• A GUI wrapper for utf: gutf is pretty good except that I still haven't figured out how to set up internet connection sharing with it. But Firestarter works fine, so I'm going to mark this one off the list.
  
• Two-way synchronization between evolution and Google Calander: Calander synchronization is there, but I don't quite trust it until its been tested and advertised by developers.
  
• Advanced Desktop settings already pre-installed (or some simplified version of it). NO. Still an annoyance, but I've gotten bored enough with configuring it that I no longer do
  
• Tracker Search Tool needs to have a phrase search. NO. HAHA, tracker isn't even included in Jaunty. And that is for the better. Tracker Search Tool still sucks ass.

Bug fixes and Feature Requests:

• nautilus 'replace file' dialog box could give more information. No. THIS ONE ANNOYS ME MORE THAN ANYTHING. I want to stop using nautilus because of this. A LONG, LONG standing missing functionality
  
• Tracker doesn't search for phrases in enclosed quotes. Still shit, as I mentioned above
  
• Audacity does not mesh with PulseAudio. YES - it works! Thanks for the good work
  

What I want to see included in the next iteration of Ubuntu:

• OpenOffice 3.1 - This should be there. Every major improvement of OOo is an important step, though I wonder when they will finally get to beautifying the program and optimizing the speed
  
• Firefox 3.1 - This should be ready I believe (though I'm less than certain) - it should be a pretty big improvement.
  
• Hopefully most of the rest of KDE applications will be ported to QT 4. I'm looking at you: Quanta Plus and K3B
  
• Amarok 2.1 - Amarok 2.0 was somewhat of a disappointment, but it did leave lots of room for potential. Version 2.1 is the first major step to actualizing that potential, it looks like a very good improvement
  
• Songbird 1.2 - Until it makes it into the Repos, I'm not holding my breath
• Moonlight 2.0 - I doubt it will be ready in time, but when this comes out it will be huge. There will be no reason we cannot finally get Netflix on Linux.
• Last time I evalutated Ubuntu, I lemented that there wasn't a decent ebook manager out there for linux (eKitaab still doesn't work). But now there is a program that is in heavily development that looks really good called calibre. It looks to become one of the best cross-platform ebook managers around. Kudos to the developers.
  

fstab (for future reference)

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'vol_id --uuid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
#
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
# / was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=7132a62f-0906-4831-bdc3-f8ba0427ca88 / ext3 relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 1
# none was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=c903185e-8b77-49cd-bdcb-f2e8bc4228bd none swap sw 0 0
/dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0
/dev/sda6 /media/storage1 ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 2
/dev/sdb1 /media/storage2 ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 2

Linux/Ubuntu Configuration

Here are the posts where I've provided tutorials on how to get things working on either Linux in general or Ubuntu in particular:

Accessing your Ubuntu Box from Anywhere

My fstab

Here are some quick troubleshooting tips I've encountered when using Ubuntu or the software on it:

Import Openoffice Spreadsheet into a Writer Table

Download Streaming Media on Linux

Useful Intrepid Repos

TOR Configuration in Ubuntu and Firefox

Restore and Backup Virtualbox VDI files

Donnie Davies - Take My Hand

Donnie Davis. Remember him? Well, in 2007 he made quite the splash with his video "The Bible Says" (you can see it here). Well I just noticed that he's out with a new video. And wow!! The innuendo is much stronger than the last one, but I love it!

Donnie Davies - Take My Hand - watch more funny videos

Here are the lyrics (as best as I can make them out):

Homosexuality .
Homosexuality.
Homosexuality is a heartbreaking and crippling disease.
But there is something you can do about it:.
 
Will you come ?
When you feel almighty power
When I reach out to touch you will you come?
Will you come inside the gates of heaven?
Into eternal glory will you come?

Are you bruised and broken
Poisoned with deceit
Do you stand for nothing
Shattered by defeat
Are you barely human
All but dead inside
Just a rotten soul
By your own design
Even though you're lusting for another man
Swallow all your pride
Reach up and take my hand

And in the face of evil
In the face of sin
In the face of Satan
In the face of men

Will you come?
When you feel almighty power
When I'm reaching out to touch you will you come?
Will you come inside the gates of heaven ?
Into eternal glory will you come?

Rising! Rising! Rising  up to heaven. Rising up!
Standing up! Standing up as one
Push it! Push it!  Push it is to righteousness?
When you feel it will you come?
Will you come?
Are you coming?

My Ubuntu has been Breaking Lately

Over the past couple of weeks, I have experience a larger number of stubborn problems on my Ubuntu Intrepid machine. Here are just a couple of the problems I've been experiencing:

• A number of annoying Firefox problems. Two in particular: (1) When I'm downloading files, sometimes firefox will tell me that its got just a few more seconds to download when in fact it has finished downloading. This is annoying because it leaves *.part files all over the place. (2) When I shut down firefox, it has become more frequent that it doesn't fully shut down, and instead I have to go into the system monitor to kill it manually.
• VLC stopped working for me on *.mp4 and *.wmv files. In fact the only sorts of videos it seems to play consistently are *.mpeg files. And yes, I have all the codecs installed (so fuck off). I have to use mplayer instead.
  
• When I insert my flash drive into the USB port, it no longer automatically mounts it. Instead I have to go to Places->Computer and double click on it, at which point it gives the following message: Internal error: No mount object for mounted volume. It nontheless mounts it. This bug has been reported here.

Intrepid, though an improvement over Hardy in terms of stability, still though isn't that stable. I'm really hoping that Jaunty will finally reach a real stable state (it should not be fucking hard to mount a flash drive).

How to import an openoffice spreadsheet into a table

The tip can be found here. Basically, here is what you do:

• Create a new Writer Table with the number of columns and rows you need
• In Calc, select and copy the range of cells you want to import into Writer
• In Writer, use Paste Special below or above the Writer table (not in the table, yet). For 'Selection', choose either "Formatted text [RTF]" or "HTML (HyperText Markup Language)". This creates a temporary table.
• Select and copy the contents of the newly created (but badly formatted) temporary table.
  
• Paste the contents of the temporary table into the original table you created in the first step.
• Delete the temporary table.