Common problems with Ubuntu

[Dotan Cohen]

On 11 May 2010 13:46, Oleg Goldshmidt <pub at goldshmidt.org> wrote:
> I am not an Ubuntu user, but this thread seems to me a good
> opportunity to find out on the cheap whether certain preconceptions
> have a reason.
>
> Somehow I got an idea in my head (marketing must work, probably in
> mysterious ways) that Ubuntu is a distro explicitly designed for every
> non-techie Tom, Dick, and Harry and their respective housewives, and
> the point is to dispel the impression that "Linux is for geeks". This
> may be correct or not.
>

This in fact the case. Grandma loves Ubuntu, finally she has a
computer that she can use (Windows was way too complicated).


> If this is the case, and given that the OP is trying to choose a
> platform for developers, can anyone say anything regarding Ubuntu's
> quality as a *development* platform? Is it just the same as any other
> distro? Is its choice and/or support for development tools
> better/worse? Is there any advantage or disadvantage to Ubuntu
> compared to XYZ distro specifically for developers?
>
> I can imagine a mindset including "99% of our target market don't care
> about compilers or linkers, so let's shove development tools somewhere
> into 'extras' and not even offer to install them out of the box, let's
> not update them as often as, say, browsers or email apps or multitouch
> drivers, etc.". I am not saying this is Ubuntu's mindset. I don't
> know, and I'll be happy to hear opinions.
>

That _is_ exactly the mindset. You will need to install some things
before you can even compile software, this page will illustrate that:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CompilingEasyHowTo

-- 
Dotan Cohen

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