Contributor shovelhead

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

[....]

There is a wide community of online artists capable of creating brilliant, unique artwork.

heading: Get your artwork on 10 million desktops

Ubuntu, the world's most popular Linux distribution, needs a new theme. The winner will appear in the default desktop of Ubuntu 8.10.

We're looking for original wallpapers, that match Ubuntu's color palette. You entry should also include a suggested combination of application, icon, and window themes. These can be existing themes, or your own original works - you only need to submit a wallpaper to win.

Work must be CC licensed, and be openable in either Inkscape or Gimp (rest of criteria continues)

Submit your works to DeviantArt and include the words [Ubuntu810].


Good luck!

Make a new application or improve Beagle, Tracker or Deskbar.

It do acronym lookups, math calculation, fact lookup, data generation, unit conversion, etc.

So that when I ask it something, it answers me.
RAM? = Random access memory
91*74-26 = 6708
Capital of Sweden? = Stockholm
22 inch in centimeter = 55.88 centimeter
chemical formula for water? = H2O
#0000ff = shows the color blue
01101000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 = hello
68 65 6C 6C 6F = hello
Hello in Italian? = ciao
Time in Tokyo? = 19:46
Weather in Paris? = 7°C, sunny.
rot13 hello = uryyb

So right from the Deskbar (or something) on the desktop, I can ask something, and it will answer me.

A server / client edition which allows network administrators who are used to Windows networking to easily migrate to an Ubuntu based system.

Features would include:
>LDAP authenticated logons/fileshares
>The user on the client machine has their home directory assigned to a location specified on the server so that regardless of which machine they log on to they get the same settings etc.
>machine accounts in the directory for easy configuration of remote client workstations. (setting startup/shutdown scripts, assigning printers/ip adresses/proxy settings etc. similar to user accounts/group policy on windows networks)
>local network apt repo for deployment of patches/new software. The client machines ask the server where the repo is hosted and downloads all approved updates in that repo (for example).
>server system with optional GUI - when not in use you can turn the GUI off to improve performance but turn it on to go through initial setup.
>Security ensured by only allowing certain users and computers to administer the servers so that only admins on admin machines can change

All of this could be set up using wizards and nice, easy to use GUIs. Something like this would be key in allowing schools/government institutions to adopt linux due to it being easy to install and configure a networking environment "out of the box".

As i've heard about ubuntu is that is the ugliest ditro, and y think it's because of the colours.. They're so not easy to the eye, its too dark, I tried Hardy Beta and its awesome artwork there, but.... the colours.. so, Why not us, the Ubuntu community change them?

Actually, for beginners, it can be a little confusing to navigate through filesystem (/var, /bin, ...)
Also, when clicking on a labelled partition, he could not clearly understand to get an url from root (/media/sba1 as an example)

I suggest to add a "beginner" mode by default (the current mode sould be easily avalaible) that "hide" the filesystem from / and that only shows mounted partitions and connected devices. Partitions in this mode should keep their label in the url (and so avoid /media/hda as an example)

I've installed Ubuntu for a number of friends and family. Whenever I go back to check on things a few months later, the desktop is littered with 'setup.exe' files, and I hear complaints that they "can't seem to install any programs!"

Of course, when I show them the "Add/Remove Programs" system, they happily download a zillion games and challenge me to Tux Racer contests.

When WINE is not installed, Ubuntu should have a default handler for Windows .exe files explaining that Windows software does not run on Ubuntu, and pointing them to Add/Remove Programs.

Perhaps something like "You have attempted to run PHOTOSHOP-SETUP.EXE, which is a Windows application. Ubuntu applications are available for installation from the Add/Remove Programs option in your Applications menu."

In addition, this feature could extract information about the EXE file and suggest equivalent Ubuntu applications. Most EXE files contain resources which indicate what they contain, as do most Installshield installers.

It would be pretty simple to have this system report names and md5sums of exe files being run to a web server, allowing Canonical to build a list of suggested alternatives for specific Windows applications.

This suggestion would certainly help eliminate confusion among new adopters, and would drive awareness of open source equivalents for Windows applications.

Stop naming it "erase" in one half of the programms and "send to trash*" in the other half.

I use two foreign-language versions of ubuntu (German and French). To get rid of a file, I generally right-click and chose "erase" from the menu. This doesn't work half of the time, because the function is inexistant; they now call it "send to trash*".

The actual names in german and french are

- löschen // in den Müll verschieben

- effacer // envoyer à la poubelle

It makes life a lot more difficult and I stumble over that error every time, when I just want to erase a file and I just cant't find the erase function. I want to get rid of something; I don't want to move the trash around - I want it to dissappear - and I want a word for it - ONE WORD! - in the right-click menues.

please name that function "erase // löschen // efacer // ..." in every language and in every program - make it even a criteria for packages to make it into the repos. I am shure we all know, that there is a trash/dustbin and how it works.

* I do NOT know, how these two versions are called in english as I do NOT hava an english system at hand. You may call it "send to trash" or "move to dustbin" or "dump it in the symbol at the lowest, rightmost corner" or .... you got it!

It would make ubuntu much less intimidating for windows server admins if there was a gui which allowed configuation of common network services such as:

web
ssh
mail
database
vpn
dhcp
ldap
dns

Some of these are easier than others but I have seen very little work on this front and I think it will help win over windows admins.

Most of the planet uses the Metric System. So why does the system default to imperial units? Make A4 the default paper size for printing, only two countries don't use it. Most people don't know what inches are so cm or mm should be the default.

I would like to suggest that we should try to make contributions made to the linux development program to make them eligible for deduction under income tax payment.
I think this would encourage others to contribute for linux.

Hi All,

My suggestion is that we develop a simple version of ubuntu for easy use by Kids. Nothing complicated just easy graphics and cool and simple applications. Something a 5year old would use.

Many Thanks

By integrating ndiswrapper + an ndigwrapper gui into the network manager, setting up wifi drivers will be a whole lot easier. The user would not need to know what ndiswrapper is or where to find it or how to install it -- all they'd need is their wifi card .inf file.

There is a need for a dead easy website creation program.


Nowadays everyone has to have his or her own website, but only few people are willing to learn to code to get one. On the forums, people ask for a program to build websites without the need for a brain.

There should be a template driven website builder with the possibility to easily add a blog page, photo gallery, downloads page, contact forms, automatically build menu.... without having to know a single line of html, css, JavaScript or php.

It should have the basic features to build a website and only these basic features. There are other (great) alternatives for more advanced web designers, but this could be useful for them too 'cause it's so easy and fast to add stuff to the website.

The way I see it, people would be able to make templates and upload them to the project's site. There could be competitions for the templates included in the program itself,... but I'm thinking to far now.

As far as I know, Windows doesn't have this either. So this could be a huge advantage for Ubuntu and Linux in general.
I don't like comparing, but for OSX there's the popular Rapidweaver ( http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/ ) that does want I just described.

For the record, I do know that this isn't really an Ubuntu issue. But still... it's an idea, right?

Thanks for reading!

The title isn't the exact idea, but it's the basis of the idea.

The most annoying thing when browsing through artists and albums when using ANY music player is that the list is polluted with artists and albums from which one has very few tracks. It makes browsing for an artist or album increasingly pointless as one's music collection grows, and so people just end up using the search function exclusively. I believe that there is still hope for browsing however.


This is what the beginning of my Artist list looks like in Rhythmbox:

All 280 Artists (1884)
Artist 1 (11)
Artist 2 (1)
Artist 3 (1)
Artist 4 (1)
Artist 5 (23)
Artist 6 (1)
Artist 7 (1)
Artist 8 (1)
Artist 9 (3)
(...)

Up to G in my list of Artists, I can count over 50 artists from which I only have one track. Most of these are from compilation discs, online music stores, or are free promotional singles. It makes browsing by artist a nightmare.

The same is true for albums, though not quite as horrible.

I feel it would make sense to group artists 2-4 and 6-8 in "Other" artists at the very end of the list of artists in Rhythmbox.

[....]

What I would like to see from Canonical is an Ubuntu Home Server similar to that of Microsoft's Home Server solution with ease of setup and use as well as the ability to back up workstations on a small network like WHS (Windows Home Server) does. But without the 10 client limitation that WHS server currently has, as well as the ability to easily securely and remotely connect for multimedia content use while working from a remote location. It should be streamlined and easy to setup, maintain and implement both on the server and client(s) side of Ubuntu.
Thank you.

when new users view the contents stored on the whole of the hard drive they get confused seeing folders with names like
Var, Srv etc. instead why not contain folders for each items
e.g folder saying system files for non removeable files which are part of the system and software files for all the software installed on the system finally user files for listings of user places like Pictures, Music etc and put into their own username for the system.

The project isn't focused enough on making people "add their little brick to the project".
We have to make it more easy, more visible, more accessible to get involved.
To the programmer and "non-programmer" (there is a lot to do that is not about programming, and there is certainly a loooot of people in that situation).


I'm sure there are so many people willing to contribute, but they don't know how to (true for almost all non-programmers), or they are afraid of getting involved in a 1000-hours project. Consequently, they don't contribute. Let's use this goodwill and energy more efficietly !


Linux/Ubuntu is really great at promoting its "products" , in a very competitive environment.
But the success of Linux/Ubuntu relies on two main points:
_ 1: having a high adoption rate
_ 2: having a vast community of people contributing


1: it's how we are going to make hardware vendors/software developpers make their product compatible with the OS we like :). It's also a way of sharing something we like. All this make this first point good and usefull (for Ubuntu / Linux / the Open Source world in general)

But Usually the focus is not enough on the 2nd point. But that 2nd point is what makes the project evolve, get better ... everything !


=> Ideas I have (I just want to give ideas, but I don't pretend they are 100% good, nor that these are the only ideas !) :

_ create a dedicated section in Ubuntu Brainstorm (that could be called "people involvment")

_ create a VISIBLE "to do list" of little tasks, that anybody could do (with a mentor attached), just to get them involved, and see how to contribute the project (like Wikipedia is really good at: any new comer can add a little "brick" to the project in 5 minutes)

[....]

It would be nice if Ubuntu will have a alternative for Aperture by default.
Many people have a digital camera and like to do things with their photos and Gimp is not easy for every one.

But also more photographers will use Ubuntu when there is a alternative for Aperture (http://www.apple.com/aperture/).

The only way to rename a file in Nautilus is to right click a file and then choose "Rename...". It will be much much more convenient if we have the ability to rename a file when clicked upon its name.