Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Announcements Software Linux

Ubuntu Hardy Heron Announced 511

Jono Bacon, Community Manager for Ubuntu, has announced development on the next version of the popular Linux distribution name "Hardy Heron". "Not only will the Ubuntu community continue to do what it does best, produce an easy-to-use, reliable, free software platform, but this release will proudly wear the badge of Long Term Support (LTS) and be supported with security updates for five years on the server and three years on the desktop. We look forward to releasing the Hardy Heron in April 2008."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Ubuntu Hardy Heron Announced

Comments Filter:
  • by The Orange Mage ( 1057436 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:00PM (#20401481) Homepage
    ...because I would have loved to see a Hungry Hippo release.
  • I've got a dirty mind, but this name conjures up images of a sex-crazed bird terrorizing his native wetlands.
  • Silly (Score:4, Insightful)

    by hhlost ( 757118 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:03PM (#20401533)
    Apart from being silly, the code names add confusion to Ubuntu's already-confusing version numbering system.
    • And hurts Ubuntu (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ACS Solver ( 1068112 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:07PM (#20401591)
      I've said it before and say it again... these silly names are hurting Ubuntu. When you need to convince a boss that installing Ubuntu on office computers is the way to go, you'd need a more professional sounding name. "Windows XP" or "BeOS 5" sounds fine. But "Ubuntu Hardy Heron" does not. Sure you can use the 7.10 number, but it seems that the Ubuntu community prefers not to use the numbers, and these silly names actually crop up within the OS more.
      • Re:And hurts Ubuntu (Score:5, Interesting)

        by nuzak ( 959558 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:18PM (#20401789) Journal
        > Sure you can use the 7.10 number

        They do. On the front page of ubuntu.com. The only place I know of where they show up programmatically is in sources.list.

        Anyway, corporate only cares when they're reselling. You saying it's hurting Ubuntu doesn't present any actual evidence that it is, and the bald assertion is hardly new or insightful.

        • Re:And hurts Ubuntu (Score:5, Informative)

          by hhlost ( 757118 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:27PM (#20401951)
          I develop a medical database that requires a server to be installed locally, for security reasons. I try to convince the hospitals to let me use Ubuntu instead of MS Windows for obvious reasons, but so far have been unsuccessful. My latest attempt was thwarted, at least in part, when the IT staff had a good laugh at the "Feisty Fawn" name.
          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by nuzak ( 959558 )
            I'm inclined to agree with the other respondent: the problem was not the name.

            Why Ubuntu on the server anyway? For support? Vanilla debian would do just as well otherwise.

          • If you neeed a server and want something really secure you should be pushing Redhat, CentOS(free version of Redhat), or Fedora. All very secure with SELinux enabled by default, and very mature. I'm currently doing medical research and its all on Fedora.
            • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

              by LingNoi ( 1066278 )
              Redhat, co are Grandpa's old distros. We use Ubuntu at work and it is much easier to manage because I already run it on the desktop.
          • by popejeremy ( 878903 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:50PM (#20402347) Homepage
            If a "professional" IT department is going to choose software based on who has the best name, they're already fucked.
            • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

              by toleraen ( 831634 )
              I dunno, FreeBSD is pretty decent from what I hear.
            • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

              >If a "professional" IT department is going to choose software based on who has the best name, they're already fucked.

              People vote for the guy with more hair. Taller men are paid more. People vote against stem cell research funding if their voting place is in a church, and vote for school funding taxes if their polling place is in a school.

              Here are precisely all of your options: expect other people to be 100% rational and spend your life disappointed, or realize that people are primarily emotional and c
            • by StikyPad ( 445176 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @06:43PM (#20405427) Homepage
              Yeah, I'm sure Symantec wouldn't have any problems if they renamed their product to CockBlocker Deluxe.

              A good name won't necessarily win, but a bad name will always lose.
          • by kebes ( 861706 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @03:05PM (#20402543) Journal
            That's really too bad, because obviously important tech decisions should not be made based on the product name. If the product does the job, then that's what should matters. Besides, many software names sound goofy until you get used to them--I'm sure some people thought "Dreamweaver" was a rather ambiguous and strange-sounding name, but once it attains mindshare, the name gains the appropriate recognition. Same goes for "Powerpoint," "Photoshop," "Apache," and so on.

            Besides, as others have pointed out, the discussion should not have gotten to "Feisty Fawn" in any case. That would be like discounting Windows Vista because "Longhorn" sounds silly. "Longhorn" was a pre-release code-name, with the final release called "Windows Vista." Similarly, "Feisty Fawn" is a pre-release code-name, with the final release called "Ubuntu 7.04."

            I don't want to insult your coworkers, but as far as I'm concerned, allowing jokes about a product name to cloud one's technical judgment is not at all professional. And I really don't think the solution is to refrain from using pre-release code-names (which are helpful to the programmers)... because people making unprofessional judgments will just focus their baseless ridicule on something else (icons, artwork, color scheme, website, forums, personalities of people involved, etc.).
          • by Chuck Chunder ( 21021 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @04:46PM (#20404035) Journal
            For that sort of installation it sounds like the LTS edition would be much more preferable. Ie it is supported for longer (much longer if you only need the server installation) and will have a one hop upgrade to the next LTS (rather than a two stop upgrade from Feisty).

            If you aren't telling them you want to install "Ubuntu 6.06 Long Term Support" then frankly you are shooting yourself in the foot.
      • here's a list:

        code name --- release name
        • warty warthog --- 4.10
        • hoary hedgehog --- 5.04
        • breezy badger --- 5.10
        • dapper drake --- 6.06
        • edgy eft --- 6.10
        • feisty fawn --- 7.04
        let me guess, at the moment you're using a springboard-whidbey combo?
      • by SanityInAnarchy ( 655584 ) <ninja@slaphack.com> on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @03:00PM (#20402491) Journal
        When I say we're installing "Ubuntu Feisty", sure, it sounds... different. But it doesn't actually sound stupid, like it would if I said "Feisty Fawn".

        Same with Gusty. In fact, Hardy works even better.

        I also tend to like names that don't actually offend programmers. Windows XP seems to me a deliberate attempt to steal the XP acronym -- and they have. XP used to stand for "Xtreme Programming", which is actually a very useful concept, and one which might have avoided some of the dumber problems Windows has had.

        And they do this all the time. .NET, Word, Office, Internet Explorer, etc. They choose names that are so generic that you get most people confusing them with something else almost instantly. It's difficult to talk about a "Word processor", because most people hear that and think MS Word. It took Firefox long enough, and we still have to deal with people who think the Internet is Internet Explorer.

        So now we have names like "Ubuntu" and "Hardy", and I think they work well -- they're distinctive, and they don't actually sound like anything else in the same field.
      • Re:And hurts Ubuntu (Score:5, Interesting)

        by owlstead ( 636356 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @03:47PM (#20403183)
        They've got their uses. If I look for a problem specific to a version of Ubuntu, the Google searches are much more precise than when I just use the version number.
    • Re:Silly (Score:5, Informative)

      by HomerJ ( 11142 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:11PM (#20401651)
      There's an argument to be made for the goofy "code names". However, they are just that, code names. As far as version numbers, they make about as much sense as any. Higher versions get bigger numbers. 8.04 is a later version than 7.04. 7.10 is going to be a later version than 7.04, but behind 8.04.

      What exactly is so confusing about it?
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        Because the usage is inconstant. One person may say "I'm using Feisty". Someone else may say, "I'm using 7.10". To the casual user, there is no obvious relationship or distinction between the two names.

        And really, some people talk about 7.04 and 7.10 as if they are different major releases. But the numbering scheme suggests that 7.10 is only a minor release. And the two releases have different 'Code names', which makes it seem like there is a major difference between the two. That's confusing.
      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by hhlost ( 757118 )
        Ok, perhaps "non-standard" would have been a better term. And I really should have left the already-confusing part out, because my real concern is that, as someone posted above, convincing someone that the best platform for their needs is "Hardy Heron" in a professional environment is difficult, and embarrassing. Linux has the reputation of being usable only by teenage computer geeks and this does not help. Yes it's a code name, but it's used in public much more than most code names, and regardless, there's
        • by Khaed ( 544779 )
          So use a different distribution. I know that's sort of the flaming typical reply, but really, there are a lot of options out there. It'd be much easier to pick a different distro than change Ubuntu and the entire community (which seem to overwhelmingly prefer the nicknames).

          While we're talking about names: Hardy Heron is still a much better name than "The Gimp." That's the number one bit of software I'd like to see get a name change in the OS world.
    • Re:Silly (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ianare ( 1132971 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:24PM (#20401875)
      The version numbers are actually quite logical - first number = year, second number = month. So 7.10 means october 2007, 8.04 means april 2008. It actually makes more sense than a lot of other software release numbers.
      As far as the code names, well they are silly, but silly can be good. All too often we take ourselves a little too seriously. If you're pitching it to the boss (who is very much against silliness - the stupid bastard), then go by: Linux Operating System Long Term Support edition v 8.04 or something like that ...
      • Re:Silly (Score:5, Insightful)

        by thegnu ( 557446 ) <thegnu@noSpam.gmail.com> on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @03:39PM (#20403031) Journal
        It's the most logical versioning system I've ever seen, because you know how old the release is. And you can't get confused by anything, at all. Higher number? Newer OS. Lower number? Older OS. As a practice, try arranging the following versions in the right order:

        6.06
        5.11
        7.04
        8.04
        7.10
        20.01

        I bet you can do it. Plus, tell me when they were released. Now rearrange the following and tell me what date they were released (month/year):

        Windows Vista
        Windows 3.11
        Windows XP
        Windows Millenium
        Windows NT 4
        DOS 6
        Windows 2000
        Windows 2000 SP1
        Windows 2000 SP2
        Windows 2000 SP3
        Windows 2000 SP4
        Windows XP SP2
        Windows XP SP1
        Windows NT 4 SP1, etc

        As far as silly codenames go, someone might want to know how Feisty Fawn compares to Longhorn, or Dolly, or some crap:
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_codenames [wikipedia.org]

        So people wouldn't build a business on Zamboni, would they? How about Fidalgo? Would you manage your mail with Touchdown? How about let your kids run Whistler? I mean, really. You should berate people for being morons if they can't read a code name without letting it alter their opinion of the viability of the product in their IT infrastructure.

        If people don't like things made by people with a sense of humor, maybe they should get the fuck out the tubes and stop blocking my passage.
    • Re:Silly (Score:5, Insightful)

      by wile_e_wonka ( 934864 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:29PM (#20401979)
      I think the code names are intended to be pre-release--once released the code name is officially dropped for a version number (though the code name is unofficially retained by most users including myself). "Silly" or otherwise unusual code names are common in the technology world--My personal favorite is Apple's internal names for the Power Mac 7100 [wikipedia.org].

      Ubuntu's version number system is very simple, straightforward, and understandable--it consists of two numbers taken from the date of the release it is applied to: [year].[month]. Very simple, huh?

      In Ubuntu's case, it is wise for them to use a code name prior to release, given their version number system, because a any delays could render the version number less meaningful (the author notes that Ubuntu uses a predictable release pattern with new releases every 6 months, but I think the makers of Ubuntu are being cautious because everyone knows delays can occur).
  • Runner Up (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:03PM (#20401535)
    So much for Ubuntu "Horny Homo". Just kidding, I'll still call it that.
  • Yeah, I already know this is going to -1 hell. I don't care. I'll keep it short at least.

    I tried to install the AMD 64-bit version of Feisty, and the CD wouldn't even boot. None of my hardware is exotic by any stretch of the imagination, yet the GUI installer wouldn't even load. A few inquiries on the Ubuntu forums got a few suggestions to try the non-GUI install. I don't feel I should have to slog through a text install in the year 2007, so I didn't give Feisty a second thought.

    I'll try Hardy, but it
    • by desenz ( 687520 )
      I had the same problem. I had to go to the text mode installer, or I got strange colored lines. Maybe like a refresh rate was way out there or something.
    • by ericrost ( 1049312 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:12PM (#20401673) Homepage Journal
      What were you trying to install on? There are several problems on laptops that can be solved with a bootline option or two (I had to do this on an amd64 HP lappy).

      When you say AMD64 and not exotic in the same sentence, you're kidding yourself btw. Nothing has shaken out as standard in the chipsets or BIOS's yet. That's why you have a little tweaky tweaky (esp since there are some MANY damned broken BIOS's out there).
      • I've had a 64 bit AMD processor for almost 2 years now. Cheap-ass no-name motherboard. And I've had Fedora Core running on it for damn near that long, no tweaking.
        • And I've got Ubuntu running on mine with a bootline tweak, but Fedora 7 wouldn't boot. Go figure, just like I was saying, things aren't standard on 64 bit platforms, broken apic's is the biggest problem I've come across.
      • by MobyDisk ( 75490 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:37PM (#20402145) Homepage
        Your information is out-of-date. AMD64 has been around since April 2003, and Windows/Linux has been working on since before it left the factory. Actually, all AMD motherboards since that time are 64-bit, even if nobody runs the 64-bit OS's.
    • Why don't you try Gutsy Gibbon (available now but only as Alpha - Tribe 5, released in October) before waiting almost 7 months or more for Hardy Heron.
    • by Lumpy ( 12016 )
      don't matter, I haven't tried the GUI install on several PC's since 6.xx it has been broken on the 64 bit AND 32 bit side for a while for some hardware combinations. Specifically with older Nvidia cards for some reason. But I have seen the problem on a machine without nvidia and still require CLI install.
    • I'm not saying it's your fault, or you must be wrong, or anything like that, but I installed Feisty on my AMD x64 machine, and it worked just fine. The graphical installer worked fine. Firefox and flash worked fine. So although you've clearly experienced a problem, it's not a problem with all x64 systems, and it may not even be an x64-related issue at all. BTW, if the CD wouldn't boot, one thing to check would be the checksum on the ISO file, if you downloaded it.
    • yeah I have had very mixed results with Linux. Depending on my system, some work, some don't, and some work sort of. My old school Dell 4200 (P3800, etc...) could not run any Ubuntu. It could run Xandros, Mepis (forget spelling), and a few others. My new system (C2D 4200, ok that is a bit weird.. anyway..) could run the LIVE version of Fawn, however when I would try and actually install it, it would not boot (ok it would boot, the OS just wouldn't load). However I had a hard drive failure and for like 2 wee
      • I think I read a post about Linux Mint as well, I might have to try that out as well. Hopefully they will follow the the new Ubuntu version or it will install properly using the Fawn version.... Sound like what I am looking for... Though I know I will probably still have to go through a litany of installs for Windows codecs, and all the other stuff that is missing etc... Though it sounds like I would have to do less to make it usable.
    • by cerelib ( 903469 )
      I'm curious. Did you check the integrity of the download with the SHA/MD5 checksums provided for the download before burning it to media? Also, did you happen to try the "Alternate Install" CD as well?
  • by nweaver ( 113078 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:04PM (#20401549) Homepage
    I always knew the FSF crowd were on some good drugs...
  • by Nimey ( 114278 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:04PM (#20401551) Homepage Journal
    Introducing the Hardy Heron
    August 29th, 2007

    I am delighted to have the pleasure of announcing the Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04), the next version of Ubuntu that will succeed Gutsy Gibbon (Ubuntu 7.10, due for release in October 2007). Not only will the Ubuntu community continue to do what it does best, produce an easy-to-use, reliable, free software platform, but this release will proudly wear the badge of Long Term Support (LTS) and be supported with security updates for five years on the server and three years on the desktop. We look forward to releasing the Hardy Heron in April 2008.

    With the opening of each new release cycle of Ubuntu, we have more and more opportunity at our fingertips. Not only are our friends in the upstream world constantly innovating and extending their applications and software, but the Ubuntu community continues to see incredible growth in its diverse range of areas such as packaging, development, documentation, quality assurance, translations, LoCo teams and more. Each new release gives us all an opportunity to shine, irrespective of which bricks in the project we are laying, and this is at the heart of our belief - working together to produce an Operating System that will empower its users and shape the IT industry, putting free software at the corner-stone of our direction.

    Most people only ever see the end-user view of Ubuntu, running it on their desktops, servers and mobile devices around the world. For these users, Ubuntu provides a simple, convenient means to do what they want to do easily, effectively and without unnecessary complexity. For many of us though, we want to open up the hood and understand how the system works and how to extend and grow it. Thousands of us get out of bed every day, united behind Ubuntu, ready to make a difference, working together to make our vision happen.

    Importantly, our ethos of collaboration and freedom extends to the development process as well as the end product. As such, the Ubuntu development process is a very open, transparent one, and anyone is welcome to get involved. It works like this:

            * Everyone is welcome to think of and develop ideas for features that could be present in the Hardy Heron release. These ideas are written as specifications (detailed documents outlining how the idea would work and be implemented). You are welcome to add your specifications to https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu [launchpad.net].
            * In October 2007, we will hold the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and generate a schedule of sessions to discuss these specifications. The sessions provide a means for interested parties to help scope out the proposed feature and determine methods and plans to implement it. The Ubuntu Developer Summit is a semi-virtual event in which those who cannot attend can dial in with VoIP and use IRC and collaborative editing with Gobby to take part in the summit.

    Everyone is welcome to participate, everyone is welcome to get involved, and everyone is welcome to help shape the form of the Hardy Heron. Let's work together to shake things up, make things happen and make the most compelling Ubuntu release yet. Start your engines...
  • Spoonerish (Score:5, Funny)

    by minginqunt ( 225413 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:11PM (#20401649) Homepage Journal
    Ubuntu Hairy Hardo... I mean, er, Hardy Heron, was announced today to much polite coughing.
  • by Anonymous Coward
    No sooner does Yahoo report that worldwide illegal drug use isn't growing for the first time since drug prohibition started producing illegal drug use in the mid 19th century [yahoo.com], then slashdot reports that Ubuntu Hardy Heroin is Announced!

    Damned drug smuggling penguins...
  • Hey, Ubuntu developers. I'd like to suggest the name for your next release.. "Killer Green Bud"
    • Ubuntu Geico Gecko!

      Think of the profitable commercial tie-ins!
    • Great Ganja
      Green Ganja
      ...
      Golden Ganja

      You ever install Ubuntu... on weed? Oh, there's some crazy shit, man. There's a penguin in the distro box. Has he got a gun? I dunno! RED TEAM GO, RED TEAM GO.
  • Irritable Ibex?
    Interminable Impala?
    Ingrate Ibis?
  • by bcrowell ( 177657 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @02:55PM (#20402427) Homepage

    It would be interesting to know more about what's planned for Gibbon and Hippo. I'm currently running Feisty on all my home and work machines, and in general it works great. TFA does have a link to a wikified wishlist for Hippo, but that's not the same as knowing what the focus of the release is really going to be: usability, innovation, stability? I'd guess the focus won't be innovation, since they're going to make it a long-term support release.

    Here's my person impression of what's already okay in Feisty, and what needs to be improved.

    Already okay in Feisty:

    1. 64-bit support is perfect, as far as I can tell. I hear a lot of people complaining about it, but all I can say is that I'm running the default packages for firefox, flash, and java, and everything Just Works. The flash and java applet plugins work fine for me. AFAICT, some 64-bit enthusiasts are upset that they can't run these plugins as native 64-bit apps in a 64-bit native browser. What I can't figure out is why that matters...? If it works, it works.
    2. Wifi just worked for me, and is now sufficiently integrated with the Gnome gui to make it easy for my 11-year-old daughter to deal with it on her machine.
    3. The kernel has built-in support for AMD's Cool'n'Quiet energy-saving technology.

    Problems with Feisty:

    1. ACPI power management doesn't work. This is a particularly bad problem for laptops. My laptop would shut down as soon as Gnome started, because it believed the battery was dead, when it really wasn't. Hibernation has never worked on any machine I've tried it on. Sleep typically doesn't work. To be fair, this may not be the fault of the linux/ubuntu developers; apparently a lot of hardware manufacturers refuse to supply enough information to allow kernel developers to know what hardware registers need to be restored when waking from sleep or hibernation.
    2. Getting a working java runtime is still more work than it needs to be. At the very least, you have to enable a non-free repository, and then add an obscurely named package. I assume this is basically a licensing issue, and will go away as the open-source runtime matures and has the rest of its proprietary components replaced with free ones.
    3. CUPS and printing suck to high heaven. This is the single biggest problem I'm facing now. It's not as much of a disaster as it was in earlier versions like Breezy, but it's still a disaster. I have pages and pages of notes on how to get my printer working with Feisty, and it still doesn't work very well -- the printer freezes unpredictably and needs to be power cycled. No, this is not a case where the problem is just that the manufacturer won't release specs; it's a Brother laser printer, and Brother actually hired the CUPS developers to write GPL'd drivers.
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by jimicus ( 737525 )
      CUPS and printing suck to high heaven. This is the single biggest problem I'm facing now. It's not as much of a disaster as it was in earlier versions like Breezy, but it's still a disaster. I have pages and pages of notes on how to get my printer working with Feisty, and it still doesn't work very well -- the printer freezes unpredictably and needs to be power cycled. No, this is not a case where the problem is just that the manufacturer won't release specs; it's a Brother laser printer, and Brother actual
  • by Pecisk ( 688001 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @03:20PM (#20402781)
    Article is about that finally another Ubuntu LTS is comming and everyone and his/her dog bitching how silly Ubuntu code names are. Not about bugs, not about how to help to solve them, but about FUCKIN FREAKIN code names!

    If you choose software just by code names, you are completely lost. And if you thinking that word "Hard" is embarrassing, you definitely have too less sex, and never have thought what "Longhorn" actually can mean.

    (ooh, there goes my karma)

    In a mean time, click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heron [wikipedia.org] to see man with...ohhh, it is just bird. Nevermind.

  • LTS (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tribbin ( 565963 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @03:26PM (#20402859) Homepage
    Hardy Heron: Me support you long time.
  • by jollyreaper ( 513215 ) on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @04:20PM (#20403675)
    Allow me to submit a few they could choose from in the future.

    Irritable Iguana
    Jocular Jellyfish
    Konstipated Kangaroo
    Llustful Llama
    Moody Moonbat
    Naughty Nautilus
    Onomatopoeic Ocelot
    Pervy Penguin
    Quizzical Quetzalcoatl (we can use mythological beasties if BSD can use daemons)
    Randy Rhino
    Secret Squirrel
    Truculent Tapir
    Unctuous Ungulate
    Vituperative Vole
    Woeful Walrus
    Xenophobic Xenu (posted here previously, I like)
    Yearnful Yak
    Zoophilic Zebra
  • by AbRASiON ( 589899 ) * on Wednesday August 29, 2007 @08:46PM (#20406443) Journal
    I've been experimenting with Ubuntu for about 2 years now on and off, I try it each new release.

    I've tried every release from 5.04 onwards, each time I've had difficulty getting things working.
    Initially intel 2200 wireless cards, then after purchasing a new card, getting WPA to work.
    Now, finally WPA is out of the box on atheros cards however my rt2500, not so much.

    Sure in Windows sometimes stuff doesn't work too but in order to get things like this fixed under linux is very very difficult.
    (I've been using PC's for 16 years this year mind you)
    I read forums I post on forums, I try my best to figure it out but it just doesn't seem that simple at ALL.

    Sure it's free and yes the guys over at the ubuntuforums certainly defy the stereotypical 'rtfm noob!' responses of yesteryear in # ultimately though it's still just crazy hard and I really don't want much (promise)

    The latest edition of Ubuntu (7.04 iirc) doesn't work properly on Dell 8600 displays, the driver is dead and glitchy weird scanlines appear on the display (mind you this has never been a problem before)
    Sure you'll tell me it's a proprietary driver issue or ATI's fault and you'd be right but I'm typing this post from the perspective of a Windows user, I don't care, sorry but I don't - I just want it to work, I'd love to replace Windows.

    I want to emphasize I'd be happy to persevere if say my graphics, sound and networking were fine, as long as I can sit on the couch and browse that's a great start, further issues like downloading things, burning dvd's, re-encoding media, manipulating images that is less important than the core functionality (although damned important too)

    I do not want to use Windows Vista (don't get me started, terrible stuff)
    I'm an end user and I'm a gamer but I'm happy to dual boot XP and Ubuntu or if I get sick of my Desktop PC and PC gaming, go entirely 360 / PS3 and Ubuntu on the laptop but... at this rate Ubuntu isn't happening for me, been trying so long with so little luck :/

    I've no doubt some will mod this overrated others troll but this is how it is from 'our' perspective over in the Windows / end user camp, we just need it to work, I'll keep on trying eventually it will work, I hope.
    (note: I am not saying it's all bad, synaptic is a fantastic concept, works well, free is awesome, overall UI doesn't seem too bad either)

He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion

Working...