Bring Me Back To Freedom
Google Chrome arrived and I had to log on MS Windows to see how it works. I am so impressed that I don’t really feel like going back to Ubuntu and use Firefox. I have installed Windows Vista, which has Aero theme. I use Chrome and the world is beautiful again.
Honestly, I don’t like Microsoft Windows much. Previously I had trouble getting it configured for my internet, graphics and audio settings. It is just too much work with windows, I thought. But may be I was a little bit too biased towards freedom. I had this feeling that I am a software freedom fighter, I can not use Windows. But I am starting to think differently now.
If I use Windows I have Aero which looks 10 times better than Gnome with compiz and it has Google Chrome which is faster than Firefox and works like a charm.
These new things make me feel good. The graphics aren’t ugly, I have the same visual effects on Ubuntu too but they don’t look that good. Gnome’s interface that I have loved so much, now looks childish and boring. The simplicity has gone to a point where it feels like an insult to the human intelligence.
The windows are too big they take a lot of screen space. The fonts are ugly. Definitely Ubuntu has better support for Urdu Language but Vista is not that bad either. Using Vista I can use the new VLC media player that uses QT and has good looking interface.
I tried searching the Gnome website to see if they have any plans to give me something thats more beautiful than Mac OS X, Vista and KDE4. But I don’t think they have any plans to bring something modern and new for at least a few more decades. I can go for KDE4, and I did. I tried it with opensuse. But it crashed so often and after a week of trial I gave up. I tried KDE4 on ubuntu and the result was the same.
Developers at Gnome should think about improving their simplicity. Give me an intelligent user interface that is smarter than me. Give me better fonts. Don’t fill my screen with thick windows, fat buttons, and king size Icons. The KDE folks if they read it, please make it available for Ubuntu and make rock solid. Every body hates to see the crash handler poping up now and then. and I want VLC with QT ASAP.
Please bring me back to the free world. Please bring something exciting and modern.
BTW, after finishing this post I am going to try KDE for windows and see how it works. It might be unstable like hell but I want to do try it anyways.
Note: I haven’t completely switched to Windows yet. I am just jealous.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Did you say “please make KDE available for Ubuntu” in there?
sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop-kde4
you will then have KDE4. Being super pretty and awesome. And VLC-QT will fit in even nicer with KDE than anything else.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Dave actually I did install it and it didn’t work. I was unable to set my screen resolution, and a crash handler popup kept coming now and then to surprise me. I loved KDE4 and I think that plasma rocks but its not working the way my gnome desktop works i.e. crash free and rock solid stability.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:34 am
If you feel the default Ubuntu has nothing to offer you, you should try other things… like AWN (https://launchpad.net/awn), Gnome-Do (http://do.davebsd.com/), Enlightenment (http://www.enlightenment.org/)... or search for any other other cool things the Linux desktop has to offer
About Chrome, I guess it will be released for Linux within weeks. You can use it via wine though.
Anyway, there is a discussion about how GNOME 3.0 will be, there might be a big change (or not), if you have ideas to improve it, you can share them with the community and maybe (or maybe not) some of them will be used.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:50 am
You can try Kubuntu, plain install. I do not understand the appeal of KDE, never mind Vista, or even OSX. I think a tweaked Compiz desktop is far superior to them all.
If Chrome is that important, you can get it working quite easily via WINE. However I do not think a Linux port is that far off… since Chrome is OpenSource I am willing to wager that a team should port it fairly quickly.
That being said I dont think Chrome is a reason to abandon Linux, you can always use Chrome in VirtualBox as a last resort. I like having Windows XP as one of my workspaces. I’d shudder to think of using pure Windows… ewww.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:04 am
Well good luck with Windows then. The things that matter to you are available there, so why should someone try to hold you back?
September 18th, 2008 at 5:35 am
It’s a good thing this blog says it is tips from a non-expert. At least do a little research before gushing like a school-girl.
Now to be fair, before I start tearing down your shrine, at first glance Vista/Chrome can be sexy. But just like looking at Lindsey Lohan, you quickly learn that there is a ton of not-so-pleasant baggage that goes with it.
Let me address Google first since I am actually a fan of Google. Chrome is nice. It is fast and sporty. So let me batch image download…oh, that is right…no add-ons. How about blocking malicious scripts or ad blocking? Nope, those add-ons are gone too. Yes, the segmented tabs that prevent one bad apple from over-turning the cart is nice (and hopefully Mozilla gets a clue) but I am just not ready to be boxed into what Google tells me I should like. That is why I prefer the skins and add-ons with Firefox. As for speed, the next Firefox currently in alpha is reportedly beating Chrome on speed.
Vista. Hmmm. Not much to be said that has not been said. If you are using the default Gnome appearance and not really leveraging the power of Compiz then yes, Vista looks great. With minimal effort you can make your desktop so much more than Vista. Now I will grant you that Linux (the collective – I’m aware of the multiple desktop managers) needs a little improvement here and Mark Shuttleworth of Ubuntu fame agrees. That is why he is investing his resources into several of the Linux sub-projects, including Xorg, so that a desktop “better than Mac OS X” can be created. If this goes like most FOSS projects then it should be game-on by this time next year. I won’t bore you with all the technical aspects of why Vista is inferior to Linux. That can be easily researched.
If you REALLY like Vista/Chrome, then by all means go with it. If you said you had an old TI-99/4A and it was the bomb, then that is great for you. To each their own. IMHO it is like comparing an over-priced, Ferrari look-alike kit-car to a home-built, battle-tested, performance race-car that has a few nicks and dings on its exterior.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Dave K: plain Kubuntu install is next on my list but I will wait till 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex). I have read that the Kubuntu team is working hard to make it rock solid. I just don’t want to see things broken.
I don’t like using windows applications inside my linux OS. They don’t fit in right and I don’t think it is a good approach.
Paradigm Shift: So you agree with me that desktop managers need improvement? I already know and tell every one that Linux is superior in terms of flexibility, stability and security. But by each day I am moving my work to web so I spend most of my time working with a browser. Thats why I am jealous that Chrome is not yet available for linux. As for looks of my Gnome desktop, I tried different color combinations, effects, fonts, may be I just don’t have the aesthetic sense to customize my desktop beautifully.
This post is an attempt so that you the fellow community members can assure me that better days are coming. I haven’t switched to windows yet. Vista looks good but I have used linux for 3 years now so you guys can understand how difficult it would be for me to use vista now. I didn’t even know how to display hidden folders in windows and had to search for it on google.
September 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Gosh, you know, I like how my linux feels. I like how linux doesn’t cost me anything.
How it works with all my hardware. And how I get free hardware, scanners and wireless cards in particular, because they don’t work in vista.
I like how I don’t ever get pestered about making sure I have a legal copy.
I like kino, my video editor that I use for video editing. (The same product supports fewer formats, is slower, and costs 100USD)
I like how I can get thousands of songs, unrestricted and free to my computer through rhythmbox.
I like how my hardware has the same interface even if I change the hardware. My mouse settings and configuration dialogs are the same among all mice. I have the same dvd playing software, totem, between hardware changes.
I like how I can burn an ISO right from the desktop instead of using a fancy software.
I like how I can install ALL my software from one location and it works. I don’t use KDE but all my software works. Gnome, compiz, the works.
I like how I can setup, install ubuntu and games on 25 computers in 1 hour and have an lan party for the evening. And better, how I use a live dvd and play all the games and simply kill the power and every computer is back to the way it was before I started. (Lan parties at schools)
I like how my computer has 1gb ram celeron 1.8ghz and it runs like the wind, so fast that while others are throwing their computer away, I pick them up, run linux on them and make robust servers.
I like how my laptop that someone was throwing away sits under my couch closed and runs my website, chat, server, and file sharing tool, for 2 years straight without a reboot. Don’t tell me windows is better, you have lost your freedom.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Based on my own bad expirience I wouldn’t recommend Kubuntu. But there are a lot of Distros arround that work perfectly with kde. Pardus, PCLinuxOS and of course the major ones like Suse, Mandrake, Debian, and and and…
September 24th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
“Bring Me Back To Freedom”! i read it as an open invitation to remind you the reasons that make gnu/linux is better for you, or may be to remind you why you switched to it from windows previously
so that’s why i have to repeat Pavel’s advise, if you find windows the only os that fits your needs, go with it, you loose your freedom if you lost the oportunity to choose.
ok, i don’t think with your head, i found you have listed some thing like this before (http://ubuntu.sabza.org/2007/05/10/five-reasons-to-love-ubuntu/) but not including the reason that attracted you from ubuntu to vista again, its look
actually we are not all the same, that’s related to your artistic taste, i just want to tell you that most of my relatives and friend that have (or had vista) find it not usable, some of them hate it, and others find it eye candy but a memory hog, they keep it just because they got it preinstalled on their laptops! for me i really find it nice, but i will never sacrifice many things to have it (the material ones are mainly memory and ..uh money, but even if i have 2GB of ram and vista is offered gratis i cant switch for the other reasons you know about, though i may think of have dual boot).
for the look, kde4 is in my view way better than gnome2.x/xfce4.x/vista/xp/macosx but as you realized, it is not mature enough, may be you should wait more, but someone like me would prefer the simple gnome2.x than the shiny kde4.x, i just feel comfortable with gnome, that’s where i feel at home, i don’t like to live in a 7 stars hotel but be able to visit it from time to time
i am surprized that you will return to vista after trying chrome, if it is a matter of look, i find chrome looks more like gnome than vista aero, may be after few tweaks in its color theme.
unfortunately, chrome is not few days away, not even few weeks, you have to wait may be few monthes untill it is ported completely to linux (http://dev.chromium.org/developers/how-tos/build-instructions-linux)
if you like chrome for its speed, try those lightweight web browsers for the moment kazehakase, midori, foxkit, all the three can use webkit (that chrome, safari use) as their rendering engine, thanks for kde/konqueror team for their promising khtml.
if that’s chrome’s features that you liked over firefox, let’s say you can try opera, the only genuine feature i know chrome innovated is its multiprocessing paradigm (which is really great, if you have lot of memory), almost every thing else you could find in other browsers, mostly opera.
this bring me to discuss the same point of my own, i wanted to only use free softwares (open source) if possible, though opera is proprietary, closed source software, and is probably the most piece of software i can’t live without, for my [special-]needs it has no alternatives
but before you take a final decision, take a look at enlightenment, it could be really beautiful
http://exchange.enlightenment.org/files/module/4/screenshot.png
http://exchange.enlightenment.org/files/theme/304/screenshot.png
http://exchange.enlightenment.org/files/theme/154/screenshot.png
http://exchange.enlightenment.org/files/theme/274/screenshot.png
good luck with your choice whatever it is
September 26th, 2008 at 9:58 am
I wouldn’t bother, dude. Linux is a pile of crap. Nice as an entertaining toy, useless when you want to get things done. After all, Linux is only free because no one can charge for it.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Ditch that Linux yoke.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I went through a similar experience. Freedom is great, but it still can’t beat usability, compatibility, and polish. I gave up on Ubuntu and GNOME. As far as I’m concerned, GNOME is a relic, and Linux is a waste of my time. I’ve moved to Mac, where I can get a UNIX-based implementation that actually works.
September 26th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Windows can give a much better experience on the desktop. Linux is only pretty and useful if you are using command line apps and then something like FreeBSD is even better and more stable. Unix on server and Windows on desktop. You can try Mac also – nice interface and many useful apps but it will probably cost you more than Windows computer.
Use what is best for you, works and makes you feel good about using your computer.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
stick to windows just don’t erase other partitions
i’m not running a web server under my sofa and my xp keep reacting to every end user hardware i plug in (rest asure jason i plug in more than mice) IMHO linux “vendors”/vendors suffer from too much assumed knowledge/time from their users/customers, we are way too biased towards freedom and choice, we forgot about usability
linux cuts it pretty well when i want to perform a specific task (exotic or not) ut when it comes to generic desktop it fails(for me)
have i lost my freedom? no. i just try to find usability
lt
September 27th, 2008 at 1:56 am
@Jason Brower: which distro do you use for your old laptop?
September 27th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Just keep using Windows, it’s good for your sanity. Id you don’t like it, buy a Mac. Anything but Linux madness.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
KDE4 is simply not ready for end user yet. It is still in beta (while 4.x series was actually alpha) so there is no blame to it. Gnome is lacking some serious features. Like.. a default clipboard manager and one of the tiny thing which annoy me is the over-simplification of notification area (system tray) which has not even a little function to hide inactive icon.
But I use linux frequently and it just work. :/
September 27th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Operating system is a tool – you shouldn’t choose you operating system based on license. If you want to play with source then Linux is good choice – but it’s legacy code.
My biggest problem with Linux is the thing people very often expose as a feature of it – package managers. Yes, firefox and openoffice get updated automatically – but some packages aren’t updated in years – you become dependent on some fat ass that is supposed to update distro repository, but who actually doesn’t do his job. So you are back to ‘make install’ which actually sucks more than windows way. I also know for a privilege escalation flaw (you can jump from user to root) that was in Ubuntu and other major distros for more than a year, was reported and NOBODY F***ING CARED. It’s clearly a hype. Created by few very smart people that know how to spin minds of masses just to make lunch with it – and tens of thousands of tinfoil-hat users that believe this hype.
Next – x86 processor architecture isn’t free so why bother running free software on it if proprietary runs better. It’s all free or don’t bother with it. Do you walk because car makers don’t give you instructions on how to build and assemble their cars?
September 28th, 2008 at 1:52 am
@dave
//you will then have KDE4. Being super pretty and awesome//
Funny, i tried that on my dell laptop … and KDE 4’s toolbar is royally fubar’d. The “explosion” effect takes forever (one-year-old laptop). Mozilla 3 in KDE 4 looks like Netscape 4 in Windows 95. CPU and RAM usage are through the roof compared to GNOME.
KDE 4 blows ass. Which simple reaffirms the obvious.
Linux on the server. Windows on the desktop. Done.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Like you, I was a luser and anti-MS evangelist for almost a decade (albeit mostly *BSD later on, as I felt GNU/Linux wasn’t free enough), but I, too, eventually found my way back to Windows — now everything just works.
I used to be one of those console junkies; I’d code in [n]vi and write my own makefiles, as I scoffed at even Vim and the sucktastic Linux IDEs. Now on Windows, I spend less time to accomplish much more.
I’d file bug reports and test alpha-level software, only to have the bugs confirmed but persist for years and years (e.g., some of the Gnome bugs I filed in the late 1990s are still open today). Now I don’t need to bother.
I’d write even the simplest notes in LaTeX and send others converted PDFs. Now I use Microsoft Word and give others something they can work with (although I do still use LaTeX at times).
I valued the number of customization and configuration features over productivity. I’d ignore those “proprietary” Windows/Mac-only programs and stick with the inferior *nix “alternatives”, even when they took more effort and were less useful.
Now I’m much happier. I have a life outside of *nix. My computer has returned to being a tool, not a political statement. The hassle of “open source” isn’t worth it.
September 30th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Yeah, vista rocks, if you like to wait 5 minutes to delete a folder. And Aero looks like shit. and has crappy sucky few effects that any other OS can use. (btw, I’m not defending any specific OS here, but Vista sucks BAD)
September 30th, 2008 at 10:32 am
You’ll probably be better off using Vista. I returned to the world of Windows recently after a 4 year journey into Linux Land and I’m much happier with how my computer operates now. Sure, Linux has some advantages over Windows, but they are minor compared to the advantages Windows has over Linux.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:17 am
The best thing about ditching Linux is not having to deal with idiots like Jayson Brower, who write a cutesy poem filled with lies, half truths, and biased fallacies.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:46 am
Yonah: Who is Jayson Brower?
So I guess there is a whole lot of people who have embraced Windows after trying linux for sometime, just like there a lots of people who has adapted linux after using windows for several years.
In the end, every one goes for whatever they think works best for them. But seriously the purpose of this post was not to compare linux and windows but to share my feeling of disappointment. It is my personal opinion that Desktop linux is lacking a lot more than linuxlovers think. They are blind by the love of freedom. But it would be best if we realize the shortcomings and work to improve on them.
October 26th, 2008 at 3:37 am
I will sent u back to freedom because of one simply sentence:
“Microsoft do not drive Windows X/Vista at all! Only application”
“Linux kernel drive the application”
You are a moron and Troll ! You say stupid things and definitely u are paid!
October 26th, 2008 at 3:44 am
Did anyone even mention that Chrome sell ur information!
How google make money ?
How firefox and Chrome make money?
You are definitely a stupid guy !
November 1st, 2008 at 4:55 am
If all you do is watch videos and surf the web, then then what you use as an OS is highly irrelevant.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I think there are many Linux users that just can keep up without using all the stuff that doesn’t work for them. I’ve tried to install a Brother MFC-215 Printer/scanner and I couldn’t. I know there are drivers at brother’s page… that you install and do nothing. The X system went crazy after installing VirtualBox, and I’ve realized that I just spent more time tuning (and struggling with) my linux system than actually enjoying it.
Call me a whiner, but I wonder what would Linux fanboys would tell about Vista if he had half of the trouble I described.
Btw, I’m using Vista now. Works flawlessly, no struggling, no excuses, just works.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’d like to enjoy linux. Not suffer it. So maybe later… who knows when, since it seems the never ending story.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
And again – Vista gains another user who was too stupid to use Linux. Cheers!
February 28th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Nice, Illumination.
I’m rapidly coming to the end of my Linux years, I think. Kubuntu 8.10 is just broken in a dozen little ways. Meanwhile, my wife is tippy typing away on her new Vista machine while I’m fighting to get modules loaded and DVDs playing.
The thing I’ll miss least about Linux is trying to get help from angry linux zealots with no social skills.
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Use the OS which suits you, not anyone else.
I use both XP and Linux at home. XP is my gaming box. Linux is for my productivity work. (I don’t dual boot, I have several machines.) I’ll be honest in that if I wasn’t running 3D games, I wouldn’t need the Windows box at all.
This combination works for me. It won’t work for everyone. To push this solution onto someone else as the only answer, would be rather petty – and in reality is saying, “I know what’s better for you than you do.”
That’s the primary reason I don’t understand the venomous versions of OS evangelism. True freedom is letting people find their own solution, not to push an OS down their throat.