Contributor peterjs

Ubuntu should deliver more wallpapers (and maybe also themes and icon sets). This doesn't mean to provide 50 wallpapers but more than one or two would be nice to give the users the chance to customize the desktop a bit more without searching wallpapers.

Not every users knows where to find wallpapers.

Double clicking should only run applications that are already installed (most likely through apt). Executables should not be executed when double-clicked. This idea does not affect data files (such as pdf, png, svg, odf, mp3, ogm, mkv, avi, xyz, etc.) -- only executables, files with the +x permission set.

Clicking and double-clicking on icons is too easy. What if a user accidentally double clicks a script "wipe-out-home-directory.sh" when intending only to select for deletion? ... Good bye data. ... This might happen while tapping on a touchpad to drag to the trash. Two-taps = execute. Two-taps+slide = drag. This distinction would be difficult for people with a tremor or people in a situation that mimics a tremor, like a moving vehicle.

Executables and scripts should require a right click, possibly with additional confirmation, to decrease the chance of executing a file unintentionally. This would be equivalent to typing the path to an executable at a terminal to prevent users from running files they do not intend to run.

Abandonware is a good idea, but number one way to get gamers is DirectX support. Games is the number one reason why I don't switch over to Linux. I have 5 computers in the house and I dabble with Linux on one of them. I have a game library going back over 15 years, and if I want to dust one off and play it, I can with my windows machine, luv DOSBOX, but don't get me wrong, I hate Microsoft. I would dump Microsoft in a second.
The problem is DirectX games. If I go to Walmart and pick up the latest 5 star game, I don't have to ask myself will it run (except Vista only games) on my XP box. I've spent more time trying to get a game run on Linux then it takes to beat the game :(
I have no problem with proprietary code in Linux, I just want it to work, "Git R Done"

What does this mean practically?
It means that if you connect two Ubuntu (other OSes may work too) computers they can e.g. share files via resources->network using sftp, ftp, samba... All with no configuration, just by plugging the cable.

How is it done?
When a new service is installed, also add the relative service file to avahi, so that it will appear on locally connected machines. Or alternatively have the service contact avahi via dbus when it starts.

Secondly add support in nautilus for _smb._tcp service type.

Avahi is already installed in Ubuntu.

It's coming and will be on web sites in the future.

Goal: De-geek compiling source-code.

Some users are savvy enough to navigate to a 'Download' section of a website for software XYZ but are unsure of what to do next after downloading source-code.

Manually compiling source-code should be a choice, not a requirement. :)

Scenario:
I choose "Open" versus "Save" to Download source-code from a website and Ubuntu automatically compiles and executes the source-code. ("it just works")

* Perhaps some sort of "Install and Run" option via Right-Click Menu for previously downloaded source-code.

That would rock, basically.

I'd like to see a way for non-admin users to install programs via apt, into their home directory , so they don't need root access every time they even want tiny, succinct apps (like a fortune cookie program), and still have the convenience of a package manager

There would be no security risk or overall risk to system stability as apt would run with user privileges, so they would still not be able to do any worse then they normally could do.

Dangerous programs like VMware would still not be able to be fully installed (because kernel module installation requires root). And they would not be able to erase Xorg because they don't have write access to the Xorg directories.

But they could eliminate their reliance on tar.gz's from websites, and install programs such as vdrift or open office, using the standard package managers, without requiring root intervention.

A policy could be set in a config files to determine if local users should be able to use apt with local user permissions. The code for this is easy! That way you can still stop them using apt if you wish :D

PROS
1) Untrusted noobies can install or mess around in the full APT repo without ANY risk of system damage.
2) I can hand grandma a ubuntu laptop, without sudo/root access, allow her to install programs, without risk or giving her root.
3) This could technically be implemented now, with only a few changes to synaptic or adept. Apt is already ready
4) This is a way for users to step up to more advanced package managers, without screwing up the system.

CONS
1.1) A bit more hdd space usage. But people should be using quota's anyway to protect against this in most environments.

[....]

i have opened an .mp3 files than it offer to download some files, but i have search for them in synaptic and have not found. there were some files with little similar names but not exactly same. (i had turned on all repositaries (like "universe", "multiverse").)
codecs are simply libraries so they should be in one packages list with other packages.

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/316/
"Lee wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 20:07
I think there should NOT be a codec manager. Codecs are software. Software is distributed in packages. Packages have a package manager. Problem solved.
..."

Priority: Low
Realisation: hard
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I was reading the openBSD site and what surprised me is that they accuse Linux developers of non-cooperation.
So Ubuntu should be the firs to "lend an helping hand".
If Ubuntu made debian user friendly it can make BSD also.
This could get the exchanging of ideas between this two on higher level and could lead to better not only BSD but also Linux. I mean they are both Unix based OS, how hard could it be??

(even I think this idea is a bit weird but it could get the proverbial ball rolling)

We could ask another users about some problem and other users respond us.

May be like a forum but directly accesible from the system, without go trhought the navigator

Sub-title #1: Leave default browser and apps as they are...

This is my first post on brainstorm, inspired by my attempt to comment on whether Firefox should be replaced by Epiphany (idea #229), which strangely enough mutated into this post.

I really don't understand why everybody flamed idea #229. Every OS has a browser default. In the case of Linux, it is not glued to the OS, so one can safely uninstall it (or just don't use it) in case he/she doesn't like it. I don't really care what _any_ default application any OS offers in its standard distribution, I will still find out and use the best there is, according to _my_ criteria and needs.

Things I consider:

1. Which browser (or application) has the largest developer base who fixes all the security, rendering and performance issues?
2. Which browser (or application) has the largest user base who identify bugs and inform the developers to remove them?

Regarding 1 & 2 the answers are obvious.

3. Do I want a fast browser (or application) or a secure one?
4. Do I want a fast inaccurate (in rendering) browser (or application) or a slow and accurate one?
5. Do I want a minimal feature fast browser (or application) or a full-featured slow one?

Regarding 3 to 5, the answers are NOT obvious to me. It's a matter of compromises that I have to make depending on my needs at the moment. That's why on Windows I find myself using 3 browsers: Firefox when I'm on unknown territory, Kmeleon when I want speed and Safari when I want colour corrected browsing (it's the only one supporting ICC profiles - thank god Firefox 3 will implement it).

To sum up: I refuse voting either for or against ideas proposing "the best" default application. However the defaults are making this world come round and much thinking should be attributed when deciding what to package in a distro.

[....]

One of Ubuntu's best features is the Update Manager. It updates essential software automatically, greatly alleviating a common user frustration. Just imagine how great it would be if the Updagte Manager also updated programs like Thunderbird, the GIMP, and OpenOffice. Windows and Mac would simply not be able to compete with such a feature due to their software restrictions ($$$).

In order for this to happen, Canonical's software repositories must be updated more often.

Outdated repositories also make it extremely difficult for users to upgrade their software manually. The creators of programs like Firefox and Songbird usually do not provide .deb files for new versions of their software. Thus, users must wait for major repository updates (once every 6 months) before they can upgrade their software.

Please update major software (Firefox, Thunderbird, Songbird, OpenOffice, the GIMP, etc) in the repositories more often. As I said, it would give Ubuntu a huge edge over Windows and Mac and greatly improve the usability of the Operating System overall.

Would it be possible for Ubuntu to run games with DirectX 10, something that Windows XP does NOT allow?

Would it be possible that games run on Ubuntu would run faster and smoother than in Windows XP? I am quite sure that half the users of Windows would migrate to Ubuntu.

Commercial games now require a great amount of people working together for years, I don't think that the variety of games available for other platforms would be possible for Ubuntu starting from scratch, it would be better to profit from all the existing games for Windows.

I don't how you can name this, but now Enlightenment E17 is very stable and with a lot of traductions, and is faster than XFCE, so i think that is a good idea.

Totem is a good player, but vlc is much better. Please put the best software as default in ubuntu, because the problems of new users , coming from windows, will decrease a lot with vlc, that recognise more codecs than totem.

The good news is that Ubuntu has apparently become hugely popular. The bad news is that I have been downloading packages for the past 6 hours and the upgrade manager reports I have another 20 hours to go.

I have a very fast internet connection -- I was able to download the Hardy Alternate CD via bittorrent in a little under 45 minutes while I have been waiting. Unfortunately for me, the CD comes with only 250 of the 1400 packages I need upgraded. So here I wait.

I know its the big release day for Hardy, I know there are millions of people downloading it right now, I know we should feel lucky their servers aren't crashing.

Sorry, but I don't care about these excuses. I wanted to spend the day working on Hardy, not waiting for an upgrade to take place. As a consumer, I don't not accept excuses for this from eBay, Google, Bank of America, MSN, Amazon, NewEgg, etc.

Wake up Ubuntu! You're getting to be mainstream...time to invest in a world-class infrastructure.

Ubuntu uses a known bad NTFS-3g driver in it's repositories.
Please keep Ubuntu up to date, since this might (and does) cause data loss, especially on mobile, NTFS formatted hard drives.

Here's a link to ntfs-3g forum thread that verifies this
http://forum.ntfs-3g.org/viewtopic.php?t=797

Screenshot program that can:

1) Draw Rectangular box
2) Screen shot of an individual window (or content in window)
3) Draw Custom shapes
4) Capture full motion (screencap)
etc...

Merge with a multi-image clipboard, ability to upload directly to web or transfer to other program.

Additional file formats .bmp, .jpg, .gif, (.flv, .mpg for screencap) etc...

Program should be native, not part of Compiz.

Hi.

I am new in the world of Ubuntu(still in the dual boot phase), and i wonder why there areat least 2 repositories add/remove and synaptic...and others...???

My suggestion is either to make an one GUI to manage them, or simply just to consolidate all programs in one single repo!

(their might be a reason for having more repos, but it does not make sence to me... ;-) )

The rescue mode pose a great problem because if you boot into this mode you get a full acces (root@computer:) without typing any password or something. Quite dangerous!