Contributor johan.louwers

You make the graphics and the theme designer tool would
do all the un-fun stuff with config files and the like.

Cups frontends all ask for a password for saving the printer setup. To make this work with your default user account, you'll have to add the shadow user group and add cups as user to that group.

Sudoers should be able to change printer settings using their login and a cups frontend without further steps.

...and other WM behaviour must be improved:

Some fullscreen apps grab most of keyboard shortcuts under their control. Especially 3D games, Sauerbraten for example. So it is impossible to use Alt+Tab with them.
It is also not good if app uses alt+tab in own purposes, but WM overrides it. Or there is high probability of accidental key press.
There should be some way to minimize such apps. Override control over alt+tab, or/and make another shortcut, that would be accessible from anywhere.

There are also situations when popups brake normal work of fullscreen app. Especially when using compiz.

So summing all:
- WM must have *switchable* ability to override alt+tab so it will work everywhere.
- it must have *customizable* alternative hotkeys that would work like alt+tab everywhere.
- it must have ability to turn off/on (and may be override too) other desktop hotkeys in fullscreen (may be customized for different hotkeys)
- it must not interfere in work of fullscreen app if user does not want it. When in fullscreen, new windows must be created minimized, and notify bubbles must be just drawn over fullscreen. No forced minimization because of popups!
- minimization, or popups must not break the app.
- if fullscreen app's resolution is similar or greater than desktop's, it must be minimized when pressing alt+tab (or custom replacement). If resolution is smaller, it *can* be shown in own window (switchable).
- it must have ability to lock/unlock mouse focus when in some windowed app that needs to grab mouse. Do it by some hotkey, like ctrl+F10 in Dosbox. (this addition based on idea #4642)

A feature to save a list of all the installed packages would be nice. So if you reinstall the system, or upgrade or whatever you could just load that file and Synaptic or Adept install all the packages listed.
I think it's quite a pain to have to search for all the packages everytime I install Ubuntu. A copy of sources.list into that file would also be nice.

It would be great if
#1 there were a tool on my Ubuntu desktop that enable me to collect all hardware information from my machine at once and then submit it to launchpad.
#2 there was a way to reference this hardware profile when reporting bugs.

It would make the lives of bug reporters easier as:
#1 Even unskilled people could collect the info.
#2 The info would only need to be collected once. So bug reporters would not have to repeat the same steps over and over again for each HW bug they report.

It would also make the lives of bug fixers easier as:
#1 Launchpad could enable them to query each bug report for affected hardware.
#2 There would be more such information available because it is not such a pain in the ass of the bug reporters anymore.

The Process in more detail:
-----------------------------------
Step #1: Add a GUI driven software to the Ubuntu distro which enables
users to submit their hardware information to a central database.

Step #2: Allow the users to attach the DB IDs to their launchpad
profile (multiple if needed).

Step #3: Allow the user to select which of his machines are affected.

Step #4: Allow the bug fixers to retrieve a list of affected hardware
for a bug from launchpad. Like: give me all USB chipsets of machine IDs
attached to this bug.

How the feature could be used:
----------------------------------------

[....]

Users should be able to seletively upgrade individual packages to unstable (backports, Ubuntu n+1) versions.

I want the reliability that comes from running packages from the regular repositories, but every once in a while, there's a particular app that I want to upgrade to the latest version (Firefox, Compiz, etc.) I should be able to upgrade that app to the latest backports version without doing a global enable of backports and having all my packages try to upgrade.

Make it able to use smart card for security.

So you can login to Ubuntu using smart card, and decrypt files, use it for cryptographic keys, etc.

To authenticate, etc.

Government and companies where security is important often use smart cards.

"The only other major gaps in Ubuntu's functionality are the result of weaknesses in the GNOME desktop environment. As I mentioned in my recent GNOME 2.20 review, GNOME's file dialogs are still woefully inadequate, lacking support for multiple image thumbnail display and basic file operations like delete and rename. GNOME's feature-anemic file manager also lacks many of the more powerful user interface features found in KDE alternatives like Dolphin.

Although Ubuntu isn't directly responsible for these problems, the distribution still suffers from the defects. The Ubuntu developers could help to address these issues by encouraging upstream developers to revisit some of their design decisions. Canonical could also potentially invest some resources to resolve these problems upstream by contributing the necessary fixes. At this time, Canonical still isn't nearly as involved as Red Hat or Novell in upstream GNOME development. Usability improvements are an area where the Ubuntu development community would really be able to bring something useful back upstream."

From: We're only Human after all: a review of Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/ubuntu-gutsy-gibbon-review.ars/5

It is complicated to manage and update the hardware if no experience

how many are windows'users who are afraid to lose there windows partition when they install ubuntu ? many !

I propose to reassure them with a graphical view of all partitions (like gparted/qtparted, but with a better eyecandy), and an automatic - and graphical - proposition of the 'best' partition set which keep Windows and install Ubuntu.

Many, many organizations use Novell for at least a portion of their network backend. Several of these organizations, especially public schools, use Novell eDirectory for authentication, both to the servers and to the local host. Support for a Novell Client is the one, and likely only, thing keeping my organization from switching to Ubuntu.

Preferably make all the binaries in the system be digitally signed.

Or at least digitally sign some of the most important system binaries.

Canonical Ltd. can sign the Ubuntu system binaries.

This gives enhanced security because it verifies the application identity and ensures its integrity.

Microsoft and Apple digitally sign their binaries.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/300.html#security

Would be great if we can unmount usb devices using a icon from gnome notification area.

Most business laptops and some of the end user ones too now include a fingerprint reader.
Those are perfectly possible to use on Linux either by using thinkfinger (IBM/Lenovo) or fprint (HP).

The various PAM modules for those should be installed by default or at least be easily installable and integrate correctly in the default desktop.
GDM, gksudo and the gnome screensaver would have to be modified in order to correctly support fingerprint readers.

That way the user would be able to login either by entering is password as usual or using his fingerprint.

Better and easier support/installation of touchscreen drivers for Table PCs.

Code could possibly be shared/taken from other projects such as moblin, Ubuntu Mobile etc

In six months there are a lot of stable kernel upgrades from www.kernel.org. I'd like to have some more kernel upgrades - and restricted drivers with it - without waiting a new version of Ubuntu, at least in backports repository. Thanks!

I just want to type my passwort to log in, not my user name. There is only one User. At "Human List" the only user should be selected by default. If I want to login as root I press Esc.

It will be nice to see S-video configure right at the installation for PC's equip with one. In general, it will be great to be able to have a GUI that enables one to switch to dual monitors, S-video, VGA.

I would like to switch my Monitor from Landscape mode to Portrait mode on the fly. Say by right clicking on the desktop like I do in MS Windows at this time.

In any of the Linux's, I have to edit the xorg.conf file to make this change and it's not on the fly.

Thanks

After updating Ubuntu, the Update Manager stays open to let me know that all the updates have completed successfully. This is not necessary. If the updates are successful, the Update Manager should simply close.

Also, the dialog that tells you that all updates were successful looks the same as it does when it's performing the updates. Quickly glancing at the dialog I usually think that it's still working and leave it open. I should not have to read the text to know that it's finished. If the dialog *must* remain open for some reason, at least provide a large, obvious icon that conveys whether the update succeeded or failed.