Common problems with Ubuntu

[Udi Oron]

   Hi Elazar!

On 05/10/2010 05:05 PM, Elazar Leibovich wrote:
> I'm evaluating a distribution for developer desktop.
I am using Ubuntu since 7.04.

As a starter I tried to stick only to the official distro packages, 
which caused me to use older versions of the development tools.

Later I have realized the main tools are distributed in a very easy to 
install packaged - The latest versions of Eclipse, Aptana, Netbeans, 
VirtualBox and more tools can be download from the vendor and installed 
in one click, system wide or per user.  (You do have to choose to use 
Sun's Java but this is really trivial using update-alternatives.).  Most 
of them even auto update with their own mechanism.  Although this might 
sounds strange, it works just as good as using authentic packages, and 
this is the important part for me.
Same for stuff needed to be installed from public source control.  
Checkout, build, install - just works.

In the last two years people tend to use Ubuntu's PPAs ( 
https://help.launchpad.net/Packaging/PPA ) more and more.  Developers 
choose to use this as their main distribution mechanism, and users love 
it.  For example,  I use the daily chromium-browser and mercurial ppas.

In the short term future I think you should still expect problems with 
the Linux desktop - especially when it comes to stuff like Adobe Flash 
and still sometimes some sound issues ( 
http://linmagazine.co.il/hacking/2010/04/27/why-linux-on-the-desktop-sucks 
).
I personally had problems with the mic and nvidia in 7.04 and 7.10 but 
now it works OK.  I have an ancient very non standard Webcam which also 
caused trouble (but it should have reached the trash can long time ago 
anyway).
I am not very familiar with other distros - but I don't think Ubuntu 
should be about the same as any other main distro.

Good luck,

Udi



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