Contributor Yunfeng

One of the serious problems in Ubuntu is that Gnome is a bit sluggish when it comes down to the graphics. Try to install AWN and you know that the icons literally look like shit (compared to OSX).
But the problem does not end there, the whole system should be vector graphics by now when it comes to rendering the windows, menus, icons and so on.

I know this is not a Ubuntu feature, but it should be pressed HARD upon so we also get the great crisp sharp user-interface OSX has. It does not make the system slower, just better. With vector graphics, CompizFusion could take a new leap forward since it is then not hold back by the limitations of bitmap images. Also new graphical applications would be easier to develop, see on the mac side where Quartz engine has helped make a sea out of new graphical applications. We need a Quarz engine for Gnome now!

I think more Windows users would try out Ubuntu if they could just double click an .exe file instead of going into a command prompt, browsing to the folder and then typing "wine *.exe" to install the program.

I like how Ubuntu adds shortcuts on the desktop and the "start menu" after you install the program making it easy to run but installing Windows software needs to be easier.

I've tested several time to plug my laptop to a video projector, and it's so annoying that it has never work properly. It is so annoying ! This must work easily and quickly, in order not to look like a clown.

Improve video projector support has to be a priority because it makes a bad publicity for Ubuntu, Linux and GNU software in general. In the contrary, if it works good we could contribute to spread Ubuntu !

I have a laptop that I have Kubuntu installed on. It works great when I'm using it as a laptop. But at the office, I have a docking station that hooks my laptop up to an external keyboard, monitor, power supply, network, speakers, and basically turns my laptop into a desktop computer. However, my external monitor is 4:3, while my laptop monitor is widescreen, so every time I plug in, I have to change my monitor settings (resolution and screen size), and then change them back when I switch back to laptop mode. It would be really nice if it could do this detection automatically, or be able to set up settings for a second monitor that I could switch back and forth.

I'm sure a similar problem occurs with projectors, but I haven't had a chance to confirm that.

There is a wide community of online artists capable of creating brilliant, unique artwork.

heading: Get your artwork on 10 million desktops

Ubuntu, the world's most popular Linux distribution, needs a new theme. The winner will appear in the default desktop of Ubuntu 8.10.

We're looking for original wallpapers, that match Ubuntu's color palette. You entry should also include a suggested combination of application, icon, and window themes. These can be existing themes, or your own original works - you only need to submit a wallpaper to win.

Work must be CC licensed, and be openable in either Inkscape or Gimp (rest of criteria continues)

Submit your works to DeviantArt and include the words [Ubuntu810].


Good luck!

It seems baffling to me that with the explosion of cheap sub-US$400 Linux machines from the likes of Everex, WalMart, Asus Eee, Shuttle, etc, that none of these ship with Ubuntu installed, but rather go with sad alternatives like gOS or Mandriva or something. Despite the fact that Ubuntu is the most popular Linux OS and far more capable. Many millions of these cheap machines are going to ship this year and would be a huge opportunity to get Ubuntu into the hands of the masses. Plus I think it would be a big selling point for the marketers to be able to slap an Ubuntu sticker on these machines.

It is often lamented that Ubuntu is not pre-installed on more machines, that the hassles of installation and configuration are principle blockers to mass adoption. And yet here are a bunch of opportunities lost to marginal or no-name distros.

I think Canonical needs to make more of an effort to reach out to these companies as it did with Dell and partner with them to make Ubuntu the free OS of choice on budget PCs.

In the meantime, at the very least, Ubuntu needs to supply super-easy (as in one-click) customized installs that can go onto specific machines like the Eee PC and configure all of the hardware at least as well as the stock setup.

Many projects related to Ubuntu are using the Tango icon guidelines: GNOME, Gimp, F-spot, OpenOffice, Firefox 3... just to name a few.

Currently Ubuntu's default icon theme is Human, which in turn is not based on the Tango Guidelines. This means that applications are not integrated into the lock and feel of the whole system as well as they could. Also, Human is not 100% complete, so it still uses some Tangoish icons from GNOME. This leads to a mix of Human, Tango and Old-GNOME look.

Ubuntu should provide a minimal Tango-based theme which just replaces some of the very visible icons, like folders for example. For the rest, either the GNOME or Tango icon theme can be used as a fallback. This way, Ubuntu would keep a special branding but very much improve the overall visual consistency of the OS.

NO voting for DONE ideas

gtk applications especially openoffice, mozilla firefox, mozilla thunderbird, ...

need an advanced & unified printing dialog which is comparable to the ones offered by microsoft's windows' printing drivers

they at least should include support for several pages per sheet (4 pages on 1 paper; 2 pages on 1 paper, duplex, etc etc)

apps like evince already support it but it's definitely missing on openoffice & firefox (where it obviously is needed the most)

a good example for offered printing options is kpdf

sorry if that functionality is already planned for the next upcoming versions of the mentioned apps

thanks ! =)

This is what I want:

I want to be able to mark applications "Not Compiz compatible" so that Compiz shuts down when I launch a game or some other 3D-heavy application. This is something I want to improve stability and performance for such applications.

E.g. synaptic could provide a history of what has been installed when along with the possiblity to remove it again.
Fore the people who sometimes evaluate software and afterwards want to remove it again (alon with all installed dependencies)

e.g.

Installed yesterday:
at 5:21pm (_remove_)
Selected
OpenOffice.org
Selected dependencies
Java (1 package depends on Java, _see list_)

Installed two days ago:
at 12:12pm (_remove_)
Selected
GIMP

at 2:59pm (_remove_)
Selected
Gnucash
Selected dependencies
AQbanking (2 packages depends on AQbanking, _see list_)
libchipcard (1 package depends on libchipcard, _see list_)

Whenever users plan to buy new hardware for their ubuntu machines, they first have to search the web to find informations about kernel/driver support or incompatibility issues.

It would be really helpful if a sticker on the outside of the box of a scanner/printer/usb-dvb-tuner/mp3(ogg)-player/digicam/... simply said "works with ubuntu" or "designed for GNU/Linux" to guarantee that the product runs "out of the box" with Ubuntu or other Linux distributions.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkomen/155060941/
http://forum.ubuntuusers.de/topic/88743/next/

Edit (2008-03-04): This project seems to be on the road already: http://www.ubuntu.com/partners/hardwareprogramme

It would be great if users could attach money to Brainstorm ideas. Its all good and well to post hundreds of ideas, but as things go, ideas which are posted first may not be the best ideas, but will climb to the top fastest (and will stay there, because people will vote for them on most popular).

Lets make it possible for people to donate $5 or so to their own ideas. Sure nobody may implement it, or the patch may not be accepted but it opens things up a lot more. Nobody loses either.

For those who think that this will turn linux coders into people who only code for money are wrong. There have been many bounties in the past, and they have not wiped out the many developers (me inclusive) who code as a hobby. Even with the gnome bounties in place, I still continued coding my application at the time for instance.


Anyway, at the end of the day, its not hard to implement, and it will do nothing but speed up development for highly wanted features (and maybe even organisations like gnome could use the money on spreading word about linux, or improving their hardware support).

I wanted to start using Compiz for a while, but when I finally got a supported video card I was mostly disappointed. Nearly all effects are just an eye candy, they DO NOT increase my productivity.

Wobbly windows make no sense. Shadows under tooltips make no sense, Expose-clone is slow and not polished (need to double click), window resizing is WORSE than on a default non-accelerated desktop - it's not instant, you get this "blue rectangle" than you work on to discover later how the *actual* window will repaint itself. The list goes on and on. In the end the entire thing does not really do anything useful: after initial excitement wears out, you're left with a sluggish desktop (the speed is not caused by video card, most of the effects are intrusive).

I beliveve that the PURPOSE of Copmiz needs to be re-discovered. The following question needs to be asked: WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE?

It needs to be a real user's problem, the kind we face every day. Non-wobbling windows is NOT a problem.

I'm not a fan of having my Evolution hook into my Date/Time applet. I prefer no mail client integrated with it.

I want to be able to attach a Blackberry USB cable to my Ubuntu PC and not only have it charge it, but make an icon on my desktop and permit me to exchange calendar info with Mozilla Thunderbird Lightning (calendar plug-in), as well as permit me to upload and download notes and photos. And I want to be able to do this even if I don't have an extra memory chip in the device.

(Note -- the extra memory chip in the device allows one to turn their Bberry into a hard drive, which mounts easy, but that costs extra money. Better to have Ubuntu connect to the existing file space in the Bberry OS.)

[No description]

Every Ubuntu release is exciting. This new brainstorm website would be extremely if it definitely was going to be used.

How about if the top 1-3 (depending on complexity) of these ideas goes in each new version of Ubuntu. That would surely improve things.

It would be great to have Ubuntu working out of the box on Apple's current line of laptops and desktops (MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro). Currently, installing Ubuntu on a Mac is an involved process and things like the wireless networking, touchpad, cpu fans, etc. never seem to work quite right.

I doubt every submitter here reads through 50 pages of ideas to make sure their idea isn't already posted. As this site gets larger, more duplicates and similar ideas will be posted and voted on. There should be some way to at least notify users of duplicate ideas.

For example, what if there was a button to "link" two ideas? Here's the scenario for how such an interface would work:
1. A user is browsing through Brainstorm, and finds an idea (FOO) that is similar to another idea (BAR).
2. In idea FOO, the user clicks a button called "Link to another idea..."
3. The user now selects idea BAR, completing the link between FOO and BAR.
4. Other users see this new link, and might choose to take a look at FOO and BAR.
5. Those who agree with the link vote it up, otherwise vote it down.
6. Somewhere in the idea for FOO, there might be a notice in red or blue font that says, for example, "23 users think that this idea is similar to [link=BAR]", and vice versa on the idea for BAR.

Pros: Less duplicate ideas. Maybe even the merging of two ideas that are not exactly the same, but similar, for a new and improved idea.

Cons: The site will look more messy/complicated if this UI isn't designed with proper thought.