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Power Management  
Ubuntu

In :  
Priority : Low
Definition : Pending Approval (Needs guidance)
Implementation : Slow progress
Assignee : Amit Kucheria
spec
Written by jsmidt the 28 Feb 08 at 16:49. Global category: Others. In development
Ubuntu needs to go green. Powertop, Lesswatts and other tools have finally hit the Linux scene to pave the way for better power management. It needs to be said, "if you want your battery to last longest, or have your energy bill be the lowest, you better use Ubuntu Linux."

Merged from 18976:
Power management still isn't very effective in Linux and it still puts a lot of laptop users off Linux. While Linux has come on a long way thanks to the work of Intel with PowerTOP informing developers when their software breaks the idol state unnecessarily so they are doing their part as well as the kernel developers now we still have a long way to go to compete with Windows and I'm looking at ways for Ubuntu to do this.

One of the benefits of Linux is that is very easy to customise and a lot of its users love to tinker. Ubuntu should therefore use this to its advantage by allowing its power users to easily have access to the latest developments in Linux power efficiency. This would also be useful to Ubuntu as power users could submit results on what settings are most economical for specific hardware. This would give Ubuntu the chance to market itself on its power efficacy over other operating systems by it silently implementing these settings on the detected hardware setup for new users.

To give users these advantages Ubuntu should help more on Intels Lesswatts projects as these are Linux's best bet on beating windows power management. The problem is the solution to effective power management needs to simple enough that it works for a new user that wont even know its active but also very easy for power users to modify and test their own setups from one central tool.

http://www.lesswatts.org/
8015
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#1): Auto-generated solution of idea #81
Written by jsmidt the 28 Feb 08 at 16:49.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #81 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
336
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#2): Include a software like Ekobatt
Written by biniou the 3 Feb 09 at 11:48.
It would be a good solution to include a software like Ekobatt or eee-control which permit to desactivate some features of laptop.
663
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#3): Add more power saving techniques to gnome-power-manager
Written by amrhassan the 4 Feb 09 at 07:20.
Since it's already in control of power consumption. Two power managers running may conflict.
Add options to disable bluetooth and webcam when on battery power to gnome-power-manager.
333
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#5): Analyze which software makes your machine use more power with PowerTOP
Written by torkiano the 9 Feb 09 at 16:15.
PowerTOP is a Linux tool that helps you find those programs that are misbehaving while your computer is idle

More information: http://www.lesswatts.org/projects/powertop/
2
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#6): Develop/Intergrate WattOSPM (GUI laptop-mode/Powersaving) in2 Gnome-power-manger
Written by chappell101 the 1 Apr 09 at 15:16.
This is taking Solution #3 to prevent conflict and expanding to give Gnome-power-manger 2 modes, simple for average user and button to reveal an advance set of options for power users based off the options in WattOSPM and PowerTOP.

To stop average users completely breaking their system with the tool only include safe things to disable in the simple mode in an on/off switch manor such as the optical drives and sound chipsets which aren't necessary to all users on the go but still waste power, Also this is a feature possible in windows for a long time now! The advanced mode could log user results of all their changes and show on a graph similar to Gnomes current power chart and have the option to submit the best back to Ubuntu so they can be set as silent defaults values for specific hardware for less technical users.

WattOSPM is already an effective little python tray-bound GUI to enable fast changing of laptop-mode-tools, X-backlight, and Powersaving settings to optimise many parts of your system for battery consumption and performance. So it would be nice to see it assisted by Ubuntu developers to add more features while it is integrated into Gnome to give back to the whole Linux community. These changes could be those found in Rightmark CPU Clock Utility for Windows Eg.CPU performance states editor, Thermal throttling values, and CPU PLL lock time these could be accessed through the Gnome CPU Frequency Scaling Monitor applet in the tray if cpufreq-selector is installed by default.



Also get Ubuntu to look at some of the power/speed measures used in the Ubuntu derivative distribution WattOS and port them back to the main distribution where possible.

How to Install http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=6362540&postcount=103
Review http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid=539
138
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#7): Write a simple GUI to control laptop-mode-tools.
Written by andrew.p the 19 Mar 09 at 22:03.
Here are some parameters of /etc/laptop-mode/laptop-mode.conf that sometimes should be customized not only by greatly experienced users: readahead size, disk spin down timeout, maximum time to keep data in memory, low battery level to write data to disk, whether to enable all of this on AC power. There IS a reason for it, for example optimal readahead can be very different on machines with different amount of RAM. Also, this is a way of locking some values (for example the tool should not allow to set readahead >RAM/50).
Also there should be a global Enable HDD Powersave Tools checkbox controlling /etc/default/acpi-support ENABLE_LAPTOP_MODE.

And I also think there should be an option (with warning) to set hdparm -B to 254 in all modes (this fixes ustoppable spinning down on battery for some laptops).
18
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#8): Make it a separate package
Written by cheesehead the 12 Mar 09 at 18:12.
g-p-m already handles a lot of critical tasks, and does it pretty well. Since the advanced power tools being discussed are clearly optional, and since they are more user-interactive, they should be in a separate package instead of included in the g-p-m package.
57
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#9): Expand the capabilities of gnome-power-manager
Written by brand0con the 12 Mar 09 at 01:27.
Gnome power manager is a great tool but I think it could use some expansion. Namely, I'd like to see it logging (and eventually graphing) the system's battery history over the long term (not just a session) to give a more accurate picture of how a user typically uses his or her machine battery-wise and to give a sense of the machine's capabilities.

Ideally, the app would mature and after a set interval of recording this data, it would be able to provide a few basic suggestions based on power related events as to how the user can get the most life out of their battery in the long and short term.
5
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#10): "Green Software" Logo
Written by MX the 27 Mar 09 at 12:44.
To increase visibility and to be supported by facts: e.g. increases battery life by x% on average (for notebooks) or reduces average energy consumption by x % (for Pc's).

From my experience proper, non-technical and business oriented communication is key to reach most users and convince them about the usp's of a product.

Thinking of a usp - energy efficiency has a high impact.

Appreciate your thoughts and keep going!
159
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#11): Integrate in other powersaving options.
Written by Biornus the 2 Mar 09 at 18:59.
The options should automatically be available if you install the OS on a laptop.
85
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#12): Automatic charge/discharge
Written by Mondane the 9 Feb 09 at 14:26.
The user shouldn't be bothered checking his battery and/or removing the battery when on AC power. Make the OS drain the battery on intervals so the battery stays intelligent when the laptop is on AC power.

The user should have the option the interrupt and revert the draining if he knows he needs a full battery and is leaving in a short time.
25
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#13): Set the maximum battery charge on AC power
Written by mathieu the 5 Feb 09 at 18:36.
In order to preserve its battery's life, I would like to set the maximum percentage of charge (60% or 80% for example) when I'm not using it outdoor.

But if I have to use it outdoor, I want to release the limitation easily to get the maximum charge.
Finally, when I come back at home, I would like to use the battery power if the charge level is over the limitation setting, even if I have plugged the AC cable.

This trick will increase our Li-ion battery lifetime. Because if it is always completely charged when the laptop is running on AC power, its charging/discharging capacity will decrease quickly than if it is set on a lower value.
0
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#14): Simple GUI or tray icon
Written by TuxHHG the 22 Jun 09 at 22:36.
Today we can suspend many unused devices over the proc filesystem, but this is very annoying for a simple user. I provide a gui tool or trayicon that list devices. It should have simple checkbuttons to activate or suspend it.
Such a tool exist for the asus eee, with improvements it should work on many other computers.

See the 86 comments or propose a solution >>

Offer to create a separate /home partition and use existing ones  
Written by frandavid100 the 22 Mar 08 at 10:55. Global category: Installation. Won't implement
A separate partition for /home has been proposed for a long time in the forums. It implies some risks, though, so based on disk size Ubiquity should estimate the amount of space that should be left for / or whether a separate partition should be made at all. Then...

-The first time an user installs Ubuntu, he is given the option to set a separate /home. This option is selected by default, with a size for each partition based on a sane guess:

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7958/firstinstallaro2.png

-Of course, he can just choose not to set a separate /home. This option will be selected by default if the results of the system test suggest that's the best thing to do.

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6498/firstinstallbfs6.png

-Manual install is also possible. Selecting it greys out everything related to separate /home, since it's implied that the user doesn't want to be guided.

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/7976/firstinstallcvc2.png

-If the user set a separate /home, the next time he installs Ubuntu a new option appears and is selected by default, prompting to use the existing /home partition. All other options are still available, though.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9034/secondinstalliq1.png

[....]

Developer comments
I have always used a separate /home as well. Keeping /home after reinstallations is one major reason which has been mitigated by ubiquity preserving /home now (I didn't test that yet, though).

Either way ubiquity (the Live CD installer) should point this out clearly.

The other reason is that I want to use it from multiple Linux installations, but that's mostly a geek use case.

I have no idea what size / and /home should have by default,
I always use 6 GB for / and the rest for /home, but if someone wants to use huge databases, that'll break.

Thus I think we should stick to our current partitioning and rather improve the UI for keeping /home. There is always manual partitioning for people who actually care.

--

Preserving the contents of /home during installation has been implemented in the desktop CD installer (ubiquity) since Ubuntu 8.04. This is achieved by deleting the system files and directories that are about to be replaced and then continuing with a normal installation, leaving /home, /opt and others untouched. We decided against creating a separate /home partition as there is no correct answer for a /home partition, / partition size split for all users, and we felt the likelihood that whatever guess we came up with would be a major regression for a large subset of our users was quite high.

In addition to this, partitioning is a complex subject, one that is quite difficult for many non-technical users to understand. This difficulty is further complicated by a lack of safe, online partition resizing in Linux.

Please note that the functionality to preserve the contents of /home exists in Ubuntu, just not via the arguably dangerous implementation suggested here.

-- Evan on behalf of the Installer Team
5360
votes
closed
Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #5390
Written by frandavid100 the 22 Mar 08 at 10:55.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #5390 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
66
votes
closed
Solution #2: Suggest sizes for root partition
Written by boscorillium the 17 Jan 09 at 16:35.
Change installer to provide a separate root and home partitions and give the user options of typical root sizes based on profiles created (like minimal, average desktop user, maximum install, etc.). These would be just guidelines and the user could still define a custom size.
183
votes
closed
Solution #3: Allow clean reinstall without deleting /home
Written by andrewpmk the 23 Jan 09 at 08:24.
Make the Ubuntu installer preserve /home by default when installing on top of an existing Linux partition, while replacing the rest of the filesystem. This avoids the need for a separate /home partition altogether.
15
votes
closed
Solution #4: new automatic partition menu on install
Written by mitcoes the 29 Jul 09 at 14:24.
Add this option:
USE a /home partition,
=> select the (old home) partition to use
=> make a new one => choose size
=> all the free space
=> choose other size

And of course after giving -/- a partition with enough space.
about 10 Gb in my opinion in a modern HDD, and other options in small devices.

And 6 Gb - i prefer 10 Gb - for / and the rest for /home MUST BE THE DEFAULT, for KK, and, of course in EXT4.



This partition - /home - would be partitioned as NTFS or FAT32 inoder to share documents with MS WOS. As an option, of course. But better an EXT4 driver for MS WOS.

7
votes
closed
Solution #6: Introduce a separate /home partition as default.
Written by plutocrat the 8 Jun 10 at 04:17.
The installer should suggest a separate /home partition as default: instead of just / and swap, it should also add a /home partition to the structure.

The algorithm for this may be complicated: from my experience its only generally worth it if you can allocate at least 10Gb to the OS. Some suggested schemes:

10 Gb HDD - No separate /home partition
15 Gb HDD - No separate /home partition
20 Gb HDD - 10Gb each to / and /home. Swap depends on memory
30 Gb HDD - 13Gb to OS, 17 to /home
40 Gb HDD - 15Gb to OS, 25 to /home
60 Gb HDD - 20Gb to OS, 40 to /home
... and then no further increase in the size of the OS partition - it caps out at 20Gb.

The installer should try to detect a partition previously used as a /home partition, and should ask the user whether or not to re-use that partition, keeping the data, or whether to erase that partition.

As work on this progressed, the installer might even be able to make modifications to the settings files on the existing /home partition, to ensure that they're compatible with the applications being installed. eg. upgrading OpenOffice 2.x settings files to OpenOffice 3.x settings.
eg. upgrading Thunderbird 2.x settings to 3.x settings.



5
votes
closed
Solution #7: Why not give the user a choice?
Written by atomicblue the 24 Jun 10 at 21:02.
I had a much longer first draft to this message, but found I was saying exactly the same that the original submitter proposed. This should be part of the guided partitioning process. Most users I know only do the manual partitioning because that is the only way to create a separate /home partition.

The installer should try to give the user enough information to make an informed decision for their particular setup instead of hiding behind the digital curtain. They could also chose not to use it, but at least they would have the knowledge to make that decision.

Myself, on all of my computers, I use a 20GB / partition and allocate the rest of the data to /home. Granted, I only use about 1/3 of that but it is enough space to grow that I usually don't miss.
-6
votes
closed
Solution #8: Make a seperate btrfs subvolume
Written by jv13613 the 13 Oct 10 at 01:01.
If btrfs is used in ubuntu by default, then a separate subvolume (from root) could be created and used as /home. This would eliminate the problem of determining how much space to give /home and /.

See the 61 comments or propose a solution >>

Better wi-fi support  
Written by neilneil2000 the 29 Feb 08 at 00:20. Global category: Internet & Networking. In development
More support for more wireless chipsets out of the box and "Windows style" ease of set up.

I have spent may a day trying to configure wireless cards on Ubuntu, often without much luck!

Please also deliver more support for what they are both wireless PCI cards and USB, as it is currently very low base of drivers for such devices
4435
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#1): Auto-generated solution of idea #295
Written by neilneil2000 the 29 Feb 08 at 00:20.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #295 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
13
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#2): never ever download network drivers
Written by snap the 27 Apr 10 at 17:30.
The OS should never need to download network drivers.

Here is what I experienced 2 minutes ago:

1. Disable closed wifi driver (I wanted to try the free one)
2. Enable the free network driver

Result: Ubuntu tries to download the driver but you have no Internet connection ! Why was it removed from disk ?? If I had no other network card, I would be very embarrassed.

In other words, I think network drivers should never be removed from hard disk, or whatever great idea not to self-destruct its network connection.

See the 61 comments or propose a solution >>

Codec Manager  
Written by intarwub the 29 Feb 08 at 00:32. Global category: Multimedia. Already implemented
As a user I want to be able to listen to audio or watch videos with the least amount of setup. I would like to have a single interface (Codec Manager) that lists all of the most common audio and video formats and shows me if I am missing the necessary codec for playback.

Use Case: Enable MP3 playback.
Precondition: MP3s are not currently playable.
1. User logs into the system.
2. User opens the Codec Manager.
3. System displays a list of common audio/video formats.
4. User selects MP3s.
5. System displays some info about MP3s.
6. System displays a list of available codecs.
7. User selects a codec and clicks Apply.
8. System downloads and installs the selected codec.
9. System informs the user when completed.

Other possible features:
- Display a list of audio/video types that are missing codecs.
- An auto-setup function, that grabs the recommended codec for all formats.

Audio and Video formats that should be supported:

Audio:
- MP3
- OGG
- AAC
- FLAC
- Real Audio

Video:
- MP4

[....]

Developer comments
Attacks the problem from the wrong angle. I don't think many users would care about a "codec manager", that sounds very much like a geek tool. Heck, *I* wouldn't care about a codec manager. I care about watching my videos. :-)

To me this already seems solved very elegantly with the existing easy-codec-installation.
3253
votes
closed
Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #316
Written by intarwub the 29 Feb 08 at 00:32.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #316 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

See the 68 comments or propose a solution >>

Create a "works with Ubuntu" logo for hardware   forum
Written by marvo the 3 Mar 08 at 12:39. Global category: Others. Implemented
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

Developer comments
Project on the road already! See http://www.ubuntu.com/partners/hardwareprogramme
2161
votes
implemented
Selected solution (#1): Auto-generated solution of idea #2718
Written by marvo the 3 Mar 08 at 12:39.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #2718 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

See the 31 comments or propose a solution >>

first ask all questions - then install - don`t ask in the middle  
Written by Theodore the 3 Apr 08 at 20:19. Global category: Installation. New
This is concerning the graphical and the text based installer.

It`s a bad habit introduces by microsoft. Do not ask questions in the middle of the installation after you did already started to copy things.

(1) The user starts the installation.
(2) He is asked if he wants to install.
(3) Make as many hardware tests as you need.
(4) Now ask all needed questions.
(5) Install Ubuntu in one run. Tell the user he can no go away for perhaps X minutes.

Otherwise it`s annoying. Input answer, wait a bit, input answer, wait again over and over again. You can improve this!
1707
votes
up equal down
Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #6351
Written by Theodore the 3 Apr 08 at 20:19.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #6351 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
21
votes
up equal down
Solution #3: Add 'Remember my selection for future updates'
Written by lavinog the 1 May 09 at 16:56.
Usually during a kernel update I get the 'what should be done about menu.lst'
I choose the same option every time.
A checkbox could be added to remember the choice for future updates.
8
votes
up equal down
Solution #4: Allow the process to continue uninterrupted, but still show pop-up messages
Written by sventer the 7 Jun 10 at 15:31.
So my suggestions are:
1. Design those messages so that, when they pop up, they (the messages) can continue to wait for the user's acknowledgement before disappearing again, but let the underlying upgrade process continue past that point without waiting for the user acknowledgement.

2. Similarly, to prevent a delay at the end the "calculating the changes" part of the "Setting new software channels" downloading, is it not possible to provide a check-box or other option, which would allow a user to specify that the upgrade should continue without having the user specifically click to "Start Upgrade".. again, the information in the pop-up windows is useful to see, but I would like to have the option to allow my upgrade to continue on and get done.. I can always come back later and review the details etc.

See the 19 comments or propose a solution >>

Provide explanation of "Done" items in Brainstorm  
Written by doughy the 2 Apr 08 at 03:36. Related project: brainstorm.ubuntu.com. Implemented
Many times a brainstorm idea is marked as "Done" but I can't figure out where/how the idea was implemented. It would be extremely helpful if there was an explanation that addressed how the idea was implemented at the top of the page. For example.

"The idea has been implemented in the upcoming release of Ubuntu 8.10 in April. To use the new feature, click on System->Administration->New Feature."

Developer comments
This area, "developer comments", is where the explanations of the implemented ideas goes.

And as promised, we now separate the implemented ideas by release.
1664
votes
implemented
Selected solution (#1): Auto-generated solution of idea #6259
Written by doughy the 2 Apr 08 at 03:36.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #6259 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

See the 3 comments or propose a solution >>

Network Manager must have Wireless Refresh (Or Search button)  
Written by Kosimo the 10 May 08 at 13:16. Related project: Network Manager. Not an idea
When a new wireless network is activated, the only way to see it in network manager is waiting 'till the system find it... Why not adding a simple (refresh) button to make a new search and find all Wireless Networks?

1466
votes
closed
Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #8326
Written by Kosimo the 10 May 08 at 13:16.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #8326 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
823
votes
closed
Solution #2: Right Click->"Scan Wireless Networks"
Written by nick.colgan the 29 Jan 09 at 03:51.
Add a "scan wireless networks" option to right click context menu of nm-applet.
-211
votes
closed
Solution #3: Scan on left-click
Written by anabelle the 29 Jan 09 at 15:01.
Since you click to see if you are connected or to connect to a new network it could work similar to OSX.

Once you click it scans for networks and include new results in the lists... no right clicking or anything.
-189
votes
closed
Solution #4: Use wicd instead of network manager
Written by elbel86 the 1 Feb 09 at 04:19.
wicd is a great alternative to network manager and offers many more options in its gui, including a refresh button. Of course, wicd isn't even in the repos yet, so it could take some time to get it in.
357
votes
closed
Solution #5: Automatically show new wireless networks without any user interaction
Written by Endolith the 2 Feb 09 at 07:47.
If there is a problem with Network Manager not showing new networks when they have changed, then fix that problem.

We should not be adding "Refresh" buttons to things that should always be up-to-date. When would you *not* want the list refreshed? Never. If Network Manager were functioning optimally, the button would serve no purpose, so there is no reason to add it.

Let's make things function correctly instead of adding poor workarounds.
70
votes
closed
Solution #6: Solution in place in 0.7.3 or so: Rescan on startup and if the applet is used.
Written by tchalvakspam the 18 Feb 09 at 20:04.
I'm paraphrasing the solution that one of the developers has implemented (I believe in a version slightly after 0.7) for the purpose of clarifying the brainstorm understanding of what the developers have done to solve the problem.

One of the developers has said that more recent patches to NetworkManager will result in the following behavior:

- When a user interacts with the applet, a rescan will occur immediately if one hasn't within the last 20 seconds. For two minutes thereafter, it will do 20 second interval rescans, then drop to 120 second scans.

- When the applet starts up or the wireless card is re-enabled after being disabled, NetworkManager will do 20 second interval scans for two minutes, and drop back down to 120 second interval scans after that.

So by NetworkManager version 0.7.1 or 0.7.3 or so, any other behavior that doesn't get a rescan as fast as that should be some kind of bug.
15
votes
closed
Solution #7: Integrating WifiRadar into network manager
Written by hemanth.hm the 8 Mar 09 at 18:27.
WiFi Radar is a Python/PyGTK2 utility for managing WiFi profiles.It enables you to scan for available networks and create profiles for your preferred networks. At boot time, running WiFi Radar will automatically scan for an available preferred network and connect to it. You can drag and drop your preferred networks to arrange the profile priority.

17
votes
closed
Solution #8: Make it clear that a scan is in progress
Written by korin43 the 28 Oct 09 at 19:43.
#6 is nice, but it leaves users feeling like NetworkManager isn't rescanning at all. It would be better if it had some sort of feedback like "Scanning for Networks".
8
votes
closed
Solution #9: Configurable Intervals and scan optons
Written by tz the 4 Dec 09 at 17:27.
20 seconds is longer than it takes to load most complex web pages, yet that is what everyone is stuck with, but it might actually be 2 minutes.

I would like the option to scan every X seconds when the applet is active, and Y seconds when it is in background. If you constantly change APs, the current settings are too long, but if you are always using the same one they are too short.

Some hardware does bad things (e.g. can't receive or transmit) when you initiate a scan, so you might not want it more frequently, but if I have a good adapter I should be able to unlimit it.
10
votes
closed
Solution #10: Show received AP Beacons immediately without a scan
Written by tz the 4 Dec 09 at 17:48.
Most wireless cards can receive beacons without a scan and most APs ("visible") send them a few times per second. The list returned by the scan includes these - but I think there is a call which returns the result WITHOUT DOING AN ACTUAL SCAN (sending query packets, etc.).

For wireless cards which support this feature, the display list should be updated every second from the list of visible beacons without doing any explicit scan.
5
votes
closed
Solution #11: wireless network connections "enableness check"
Written by kuluizemp.openconscience the 1 Dec 10 at 13:05.
we should have a simple and easy way of enable just one wireless network to prevent unwanted mistaken wireless connections and also perhabes a cheak list where you check and uncheck on the wireless connections menu what connections a user want to allow

See the 16 comments or propose a solution >>

Avoid Fsck Forced Irritation  
Ubuntu

In :  
Priority : Low
Definition : Approved (Needs guidance)
Implementation : Unknown
Assignee : Dennis Kaarsemaker
spec
Written by amar the 28 Feb 08 at 14:28. Global category: System. Implemented
It is very frustrating when you get caught out after 30 boots and the system does a full check. Especially if you are about to give a presentation or you just need to read one bit of information. The Ubuntu team have done a great job of speeding up the boot time but this irritation undoes all the good work.

Possible solutions and further explanation:
http://micrux.net/?p=52

Developer comments

This is implemented in Hardy Heron.
You can press the escape key to cancel the disk check.



This change was part of a more global set of changes to usplash, you can read more about it here : https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UsplashPolishSpec

1456
votes
implemented
Selected solution (#1): Auto-generated solution of idea #11
Written by amar the 28 Feb 08 at 14:28.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #11 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

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Need a CD/DVD burner that has no bugs and just works   forum
Written by miwaypet the 3 May 09 at 03:22. Related project: K3b. Not an idea
Brasero is too buggy. Has a track record of not working well with different CD/DVD burners. Throws too many errors. Rejects good disks.

K3b is too heavy. Would mean porting all the big KDE libs. Not feasible.

I am submitting my idea as a remedy for the above situation.
-315
votes
closed
Solution #1: Make nautilus burner a stand alone application for Gnome
Written by miwaypet the 3 May 09 at 03:22.
Nautilus burner was the integrated CD/DVD burner for the Gnome desktop. It should be simple to take the code base and recreate it as a fully functional, easily integrated stand alone CD/DVD burner for Gnome. It just works. It has simple interface. Has a proven history of few bugs.
1220
votes
closed
Solution #2: Fix all bugs of Brasero
Written by androdebian the 3 May 09 at 14:52.
I think that Brasero is a good application and have a very good interface. The effort should be to fix all bugs of this program.
-217
votes
closed
Solution #3: k3b in the default
Written by vexorian the 12 May 09 at 16:01.
gtkqt allows correct integration. K3b is a very good burner, and ubuntu users would benefit if we stopped forcing apps to come from gnome.

It is also a more realistic solution for Karmic Koala as I doubt all the Brasero bugs will get fixed in so little time.
-228
votes
closed
Solution #4: Kde base files included in the base Ubuntu system.
Written by cracken226 the 14 May 09 at 16:38.
Kde 4, or later, latest base files should be included in the main system. Many users, using Gnome as default, have problems with burnig, or other default Gnome applications, so trying to install Kde based applications to run. K3b burning programs as default is an great ide ... finally ...
-123
votes
closed
Solution #5: Install CD/DVD Creator by default and fix/add any bugs/features.
Written by anyedge the 15 May 09 at 06:48.
CD/DVD Creator is very direct, easy to use, solid and dependable. Try fixing the few bugs that exist for this program and add any media burn types that are missing from this program.
-101
votes
closed
Solution #6: Let the user choose the application he want to use
Written by razer_raz the 17 May 09 at 08:56.
Improve nautilus-burner, brasero
Create some new alternatives
Add an entry in :
System -> Preferences -> Preferred Applications
Let the user ability to choose what he want to use
-230
votes
closed
Solution #7: K3b and Brasero together as one.
Written by cracken226 the 14 May 09 at 16:40.
Install both versions of these burning programs into main distro for user compatibility with Gnome and Kde base file, while Gnome stays as default environment. So Kde base files would be an advantage, as these files are in advanced repositories, or Kubuntu distro installation media in case you do not have a Ubuntu Gnome based dvd installation media.

Please, vote. Thank You for making Ubuntu better.
118
votes
closed
Solution #8: Perform some competitor analysis
Written by srippon the 18 May 09 at 09:15.
Competitor analysis ( http://deyalexander.com.au/resources/uxd/competitive-analysis.html ) could be performed to help improve the user experience (UX) of Brasero.

Competitor analysis would show what the other popular CD/DVD burning applications available are, what features they offer, how these features are offered, etc.

Another form of competitor analysis is to incorporate usability testing ( http://www.usability.gov/refine/learnusa.html | http://deyalexander.com.au/resources/uxd/usability-testing.html ). In doing this you get real users to perform real CD/DVD burning tasks using competitors software. This shows what works well and what doesn't work so well in their software. These findings can be incorporated into new designs for Brasero.
174
votes
closed
Solution #9: Perform some usability testing on Brasero
Written by srippon the 18 May 09 at 09:22.
Usability testing ( http://www.usability.gov/refine/learnusa.html | http://deyalexander.com.au/resources/uxd/usability-testing.html ) could be performed to help improve the user experience (UX) of Brasero.

Through usability testing you observe real users performing real CD/DVD burning tasks using Brasero. Usability testing helps highlight what users are finding easy and what parts of the design they are struggling with.
5
votes
closed
Solution #10: Use Gnome Baker, not K3B
Written by Clorox the 6 Jun 09 at 04:46.
Gnome Baker is about as advanced as K3B, and, as evident by the title, it integrates with the GNOME desktop.
-13
votes
closed
Solution #11: Write in vala an awesome brasero replacement
Written by francois the 5 Oct 09 at 13:03.
Brasero is a good program only when it does not crash and has indeed a good interface, but there are too many bugs and we're losing hope for those to be fixed one day.
Vala is an awesome language that allows to write programs quickly (such as mono) but without the inconvenients of mono (lack of performance and .NET)
An awesome brasero-killer application could be written in vala, a CD/DVD burner that fits the description of the idea.

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