Contributor rs3york

Offer dvd's as default. Offer cd images with the minimum of necessary programs for experienced users, who know what they need to install over the internet.

I found it very frustrating when I first got into Ubuntu, and was looking around at the Packages to install, that I had to have the installation CD in my computer. Especially since it was a laptop and I didn't have my CD Drive in.

I eventually found out how to remove it as a repository source.

It should not be set as default, or perhaps, if it isn't there, Synaptic should go and look on the internet. Which it doesn't.

Hello,
UBUNTU has been superlative in putting LINUX into a average user's desktop.
But when it comes to installing applications, it is confusing to a great extent. It is definitely great to have open source applications, but it leaves a user totally confused as to which application to use. For example, for a simple audio player there are about 10-12 applications each having a specialty feature missing in the rest.
That leaves a user ...
I believe UBUNTU should set up a platform of preferred applications for each category with a default blessed application and:
1. Either urging the open-source developers to offer their application as a plugin to this blessed application.
2. Or offering a mechanism to use it as a plugin to their blessed application.
This has been a successful approach adopted by Mozilla Firefox and Eclipse.
That way a user will at least be assured that a blessed application meets the UBUNTU standards. The extensions/plugins can be at his discretion.
That will instill confidence in an UBUNTU user.
Thanks

Every time I install and reinstall Ubuntu on a system (which is somewhat frequently), the first thing I always do when booting up is change the panels. Basically I make it a bit more like Windows (my personal preference). I know, I know, groan all you want. But here's what I do, and here's what I suspect many others do:

* Delete the entire top panel.

* Delete the Applications/Places/System widget and put in the simple Ubuntu "start" widget (saves a TON of screen real estate)

* Put the clock in the lower right of the screen (showing time with AM/PM only, no date)

* Put the volume control slider to the left of the clock

* Move the 'active windows' applet to the bottom as well.

* Move some of the other applets (system tray, etc) to the bottom.

Basically I just want to end up with one panel on the bottom, with my "start" menu, my window list, then my tray icons/volume/clock. Tada!

I know it's kind of a "one-off" and not terribly hard to do after installing, but I think it'd be pretty sweet to just have an option, or an advanced option, on installation, that would basically be like a radio button or something and would say

"Choose your desktop style:"

( ) Gnome classic
This style will have two panels, a gigantic start menu, with places, and a system menu, plus it will show the date on your clock. Also, when you run programs and maximize them, now you have a panel at the top, a menu on your windows, and another panel at the bottom.

[....]

At work, I was not allowed to install ubuntu server. The reason? If something went wrong, it would be too hard for them to reinstall, reconfigure, or change things (its basically no X11 at all).

The current ubuntu server is like a cut down distro (no X11 as such). Its great for webserving, and for more secure servers. And, its easy to screw up a config file accidentally. GUI's constrain you.


Because it isn't graphical, it means Canonical has no real product to compete with Windows 2003, which is all gui based, and needs no console knowledge. So we need a second server distro (or 2 variations of the server installs on the same CD), that is X11 by default, has many X11 server admin tools, easily accessible via VNC type protocols, and can be installed with X11 like tools, and your current bash oriented one.

If Ubuntu had a server product which was more graphical oriented, I probably would have gotten away installing it at work.


PROS:
- You win over windows 2003 server users, which we currently dont have a competitive product for (remember, windows 2003 is totally gui based)
- Easier to administer server
- Many admins hate requiring to mess around on a console to get the server going. If terminal knowledge is heavily required, many users wont touch it. Terminal knowledge often requires more training.
- GUI's constrain the users better, so they don't make mistakes! Editing text files, is easy to trash a daemon's setup.
- I know from experience, this would have made a difference in 1 case at least.
- Users shouldn't need to be linux pro's to set up a server!

CONS:

[....]

Medibuntu is now available for all Ubuntu 'family' except "Hardy Heron". Should be also available there.

Gimp is a great graphics editor we all know. Congratulations to all developpers!

My Idea:
- Adding a Selection for "Using Gimp in one Window"

IMPORTANT
- That should NOT be default, but an option, which doesn't go in trouble for users liking this multi window management with its advantages!

I guess that more than 20% of the gimp users where really happy for this important feature. I know that Gimpshop and other Plugins are available, but this couldn't be the end solution. Gimp should bring this "little" feature with it in future! Thanks!