Contributor cardinals_fan

A tool for migrating to another version or a reinstallation of Ubuntu by collecting information from the user and copying information into a .deb, preferably a meta-package.

First the tool would ask what information the user wants to store into the .deb, desktop files, settings in /etc, list of installed programs (which would serve as a meta-package), Gnome panel/nautilus/whatever settings.

The application would then copy the relevant data and build a .deb

The user could later use this deb and execute it normally to quickly restore users and groups, network settings, desktop files, drivers, package selection, and anything else the application could collect for them.

Of course, without a separate application on the target computer, this method couldn't be practically used to remove unwanted packages.

The usefulness of this is limited, but when it can be useful it can be an incredible convenience.

The information can be collected through a drop list, the user checks what preset information they want to save. One list can be populated by the list of installed packages, one list can be populated by the contents of their /etc, some lists can be custom built to pull gconf settings and populate the list of which ones to be saved.

I think there need something that records the date and time when you install/update a program.

When I place icons where I want them, particularly mounted drives, it gets a little annoying for them to get messed up when I arrange everything else, or when I try to double click the icon and it gets moved from my jumpy hands.

So I can lock the files that I have created when being logged in with my own user account. So if I have created an open/office document, for instance, I could right click it and select "lock access". Should some other user then try to open it, they could be prompted for a password in order to get access to my file.

This way, one could easily open files from some other user account if one wants to, but in the same time easily look access for files that are private.

Is Ubuntu easy to use for beginners ?
That's the question. Unless you suppose that only computer fans spend lots of time chatting on the forums (with the mythic Ubuntu community) and look at the (brilliant) Ubuntu documentation, it is in our interest to make everything about Ubuntu easier.

Indeed, an average computer user won't look into the documentation.

It would be better if as soon as the CD live begins a guided video tour would appear to introduce the user to the main elements and the setting up of Ubuntu.

But even more important, once Ubuntu is installed, there should be a possibility for the user to initiate a video that will guide him on:
- how to install a program
- how to modify the internet settings (important).
- the location of the important files
- Which are the most important programmes, how do they work, where are they located (open office, amarok, emesene/amsn, evolution, firefox, gimp, rythmbox, ...)?
- how to modify the desktop (3d effects, change the wallpaper, change the theme of icons and skin ..)

There should be at the first Ubuntu boot a little pop-up box that indicates that there is an explanatory video available.
A user could choose either « I already know everything about Ubuntu » and skip the video, or, if he's new to ubuntu, he should have the possibility to watch any video as many times as he wants.

These videos have to be the most accessible items at first (why not give the user the possibility to put them directly on the desktop?).

Moreover, those videos could be available on the ubuntu site. So that beginners could watch them before downloading and testing ubuntu. Indeed, it is better to see a short video before downloading than having to download the live cd and try it.

[....]

What is the most multi platform and most important thing today to desktop customization and how people make an impression of us?...

Wallpapers!

There is many resolutions out there! But the best wallpapers are made for our desktop resolution. When scaled they look horrible sometimes tiled works but the most successful one is zoom. But the problem with zoom is that it cut's off the most important parts of the image. Operating systems for desktops have ignored this factor but some mobile devises like the Apple iPhone and iPod touch can use the pan and zoom and then set that as the background but why not desktops? You see not everyone is good at the GIMP and new Linux users may have used other things to cut the image to the size they want. But putting these things into Ubuntu will give it the edge it needs over the classical desktop OS. I want all OS's to have this technology sooner or later but Ubuntu could start it off!

The fact of Interpid Beta having so awful system sounds and a weak wallpaper made me having an idea:

What about having a sponsored competition for each Ubuntu version artwork, like wallpapers, system sounds, gnomecc/kcsrc colour schemes, themes, etc.?

The prizes would be sponsored, symbolically (like Ubuntu merchandise, more shipit install CDs, etc.) or not (like computers with Ubuntu OEM), and i think this not only will not hurt artwork licences like cc-nc-sa or gpl, as well this can provide Ubuntu plenty of much better artwork (specially from the artwork .deb packages each version, having hundreds of excellent artwork instead of some few mediocre (poor) ones), and help increasing the Ubuntu popularity.

Ubuntu already excells with the 'on top' and 'on active workspace' options for windows.

A good way to take this productivity a step further would be to give the option to 'link' windows together, such that when one window is selected, or brought to the top, another comes as well- when one window is moved to a different workspace, the linked ones follow suit. This would be extremely useful for programs such as Gimp, or if one is debugging a program with the terminal, wants the 'downloads' window to pop up every time Firefox is selected, etc.

This might be a relatively easy fix to do, maybe achievable with some sort of patch, and has the option of making Ubuntu even easier to use, more productive, and more efficient at GUI multitasking.

One of the most things I never liked in Gnome is that you can not configure the UI and other settings as you can in KDE. I have been using Gnome and KDE the last couple of years, most of the time parallel. KDE used to be too buggy, slow(er) compaired to Gnome, but it allways had many many good features and you could configure it more advanced than Gnome.

Now my idea is, to have the ability to press an "Advanced User" button in several applications. This would prevent novice users from distroying their computer and would help advanced users to tweak whatever the application is. I know this feature would not make sense in every application, but the ones you can only use in "advanced mode" by punching in the applets name plus some options, parameters etc. would make it less complicated.
This "Advanced User" button would be simular to the "Unlock" button some applications have.
I doubt that most of you will understand what I am on about, but try to consider it. How many times have you had an application wich you had to launch manually with several parameters and other options. Gnome is too "easy" for advanced users in my opinion.
I do not have an installed Ubuntu System on any of my computers right now, but I will set up a machine over the weekend and I will try to find some good examples and post them.

The idea here is that Ubuntu should gather statistics about what software does the user run and recommend him new apps, based on the recommendations of the other users. Just like Last.FM, but for apps. Just like Wakoopa.
http://wakoopa.com

I think Synaptic should use aptitude instead of apt-get by default because of its better dependency-resolving mechanism.

It would be great if the GNOME Games set is split into separate packages, as out of the 10 or so games I only actually want 2 or 3 which means I have to hide the rest with the menu editor.

Keeping wallpapers of past releases in actual release to make a gallery of what ubuntu was !
Plus if one prefer the old wallpaper, he could put it again

Firefox has spell-checking. Word processors have spell-checking and auto-correct. Pidgin has spell-checking and an auto-correct plugin. Thunderbird has spell-checking but no auto-correct. Some text editors have spell-checking, others don't.

But each of these programs uses its own engine and its own dictionary, duplicating the same overlapping functionality in many different programs, wasting developer effort, and resulting in incomplete dictionaries/functionalities. Why?? The Linux/Unix philosophy is supposed to have a bunch of small, well-written components that do one thing and do it well, which are then used as components inside other apps.

We should have a single spell-checking and auto-correct (and grammar check/autocorrect?) engine, and it should be available for ANY text input field in ANY program (including single-line forms, search bars, quick find, etc.), with a single centralized dictionary that gets updated on a regular basis, and a single centralized user dictionary for each user. Then I can define new spellings or corrections (or remove ones I don't like) and have that change automatically be used for all apps.

Also, it would be best if users had a trivial way to optionally upload their custom-defined words back to the central servers, so that they can be added to the next release and benefit everyone.

The point here is that Drivers manager should not only download restricted drivers, but it should solve all hardware-related issues where possible. I mean, it should recognize your hardware and download all the drivers available in the repos for you - when the drivers needed aren't on the install CD.

People tried to install or update to Interpid Ibex may felt surprised suddenly how painful is running Gnome on a machine with 512mb or ram or less. (i'm now using LXDE by default)

Since no much significant features were implemented, it seems to be still dirty code on Gnome should be cleaned to optimize it for computers not so plenty of gigabytes of RAM.

Interesting to see how we can save more than 100mb of ram using LXDE instead of Gnome, even running all Gnome applications, like nautilus, gnome-terminal, gedit, etc.

There was recently an article that return rate of linux netbooks was higher

http://blog.laptopmag.com/ubuntu-confirms-linux-netbook-returns-higher-than-ant icpated

“Unclear selling is happening, typically online. The customer will get their netbook sent to their home and they imagine to find something like a Microsoft desktop, but they see a brown Ubuntu version. They are unwilling to learn it and they were expecting to have Windows.”

therefore i purpose a interactive app which tells different settings and features in ubuntu like getting started in xp

-it should be the first app to start
-there should be option to disable it
-there should be the option to remove it from desktop useful for netbooks were space is less
-it should link to online or should have installed updating database of hardware that is compatiable
webcams
printer
tv tuner
scanner
bluetooth
usb devices
database should be user update able but should be maintained by canonical in professional manner

OS X has this nifty feature that automatically detects text fragments like appointments and addresses, and lets you choose smart actions with a click: create a new contact, map an address, or create an iCal event.
http://images.apple.com/macosx/features/images/300_mail_auto_address_20071016.p ng

GNOME should offer this functionality for all text fields, so that developers can enable this in Evolution, Pidgin, Firefox, etc.

This way every time I get an email with details of an event, I just hover over or select the text containing location and date information and choose "Add Appointment" from a drop down. This action would bring up the calendar with the information parsed from the text filled in. Similarly when my Pidgin buddy sends me his address info, I just right click it and select map location (this would pull up google maps for example) etc.

This is the kind of integration, ease of use and attention to detail that is direly needed in Ubuntu (and GNOME in particular).

Edit: See comments for more brainstorming :)

I would like to be able to open files that are in the trash.

Sometimes I want to save something from the trash but the name is not sufficient information, I often need to see what is in the file.

Sun's Nimbus desktop theme Nimbus is IMHO by far the most advanced, most professional and best looking Gnome desktop theme available under a open source licence.

It is designed by professionals, with usability and the "first impression" in mind. It is unique in its appearance but also familiar to Windows and Mac users.

It is beautiful, productive and and can be used even in a brownish / orange desktop environment.

Please vote for Nimbus as a theme that at least can be selected from the "Appearance" menu and comes with the next Ubuntu.

Thread:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=900225

Screenshot:
http://vale.homelinux.net/wordpress/2007/09/29/nimbus-beauty-for-your-ubuntu-de sktop/

Packages on Launchpad:
https://launchpad.net/~pcastellazzi/+archive