Ubuntu Linux

Overheard: Hardy Heron flunks the girlfriend test

Linux won’t truly be ready for the desktop until someone computer illiterate can sit down at a the computer and with little effort do what they want to do. Content Consumer, The Great Ubuntu-Girlfriend Experiment

The Linux on the Desktop debate continues. Lots of buzz this week about this guy who had his girlfriend try out Ubuntu’s latest release, Hardy Heron. (Love the codenames!)

It seems the guy (Content Consumer) had his girlfriend perform 12 tasks — ordinary things like watching a video on YouTube or changing the mouse speed. Nothing fancy.

And guess what? She had trouble. His conclusion?

Conclusion
The main issue with the desktop experience is that the geeky programmers and designers assume too much from the average user. They assume the user knows about the way in which programs are installed, or how the file system is set out. The average user will not go out of their way to google for help or even read the associated documentation that comes with Ubuntu and its default software. The little information pop-ups and guided wizards are critical to explaining how the user can accomplish the basic tasks they most probably are trying to do.

For those of you who’ve never even seen Linux on a desktop, Shawn Powers from Linux Journal gives you a high-level look-see. And here are the release notes from Wayne Richardson in plain English.

Overheard: The jungle drums are beating “Ubuntu, Ubuntu, Ubuntu”

IBM believes Linux on the enterprise desktop finally ready for widespread adoption. To meet future demand it is preparing to deliver its next versions of Lotus Notes enterprise collaboration software and Lotus Symphony office productivity applications for the first time with full support for Ubuntu Linux 7.0. Todd Weiss, IBM says end users with 100,000 desktops looking at Ubuntu Linux

It seems like everywhere I go, I’m hearing somebody talk about Ubuntu.

Overheard: gPC is a gMOOT (get me one of those)

I mean, really…did you ever think you’d see the day when you could go into Wal-Mart and buy a Linux machine for your teen-age daughter? Key Features: 1.5 GHz processor 80 GB hard disk drive DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive gOS operating system OpenOffice.org 2.2 software suite

There’s been a lot of press about the One Laptop Per Child initiative — formerly called the $100 laptop initiative till the price doubled and it became a $200 laptop — but here’s something just as worthy of attention that kind of snuck through the back door.

It’s a $198 computer called gPC and it’s being sold by Wal-Mart.

Everex built the gPC to consume less power (hence the name — the “g” stands for green). But the real reason the gPC is so interesting is that the operating system is Linux. It’s an Ubuntu-inspired variety the manufacturer calls gOS. The GUI is big-button user-friendly. Windows and Mac users will feel right at home.

This is huge. A new generation of kids is going to be introduced to an open-source computing environment where some of the apps are local, some of the apps are web-based and the kids won’t know or care which is which. These are the same kids growing up broadband, without a clue about what the “modem dance” is. Bong Bong.

The desktop comes with icons for Google’s suite of applications: Gmail, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, Google Product Search, Google Blogger, YouTube, Google Maps, and Google News. It also provides easy access to Meebo for instant messaging, GIMP for image editing, the Firefox browser, Xing Movie Player, RhythmBox (an iTunes substitute) Facebook, Skype and the computer’s OpenOffice Suite.

Schools are going to love these puppies. So will small biz.

On the back end, the Windows vs. Mac debate will finally be moot. And help desks will have something new to drive them crazy.

I can just hear it now: “We are a Windows shop. It was bad enough that we have to deal with those Mac fanatics who insisted on polluting the environment with Jaguars, and Panthers and Leopards. Now we have to deal with Penguins too?”

The times, they are a’changing…