Suggestions for Ubuntu Article

Chanchao custom at freenet.de
Fri Jun 10 10:19:17 UTC 2005


Hello Erik,

Friday, June 10, 2005, 4:46:36 PM, you wrote:

>> Same for this whole universe/multiverse thing.. Users really don't
>> care: things are 'free' when stuff doesn't pop up a page to enter
>> credit card details. That's plenty free enough for most of us, and
>> these things just shouldn't be hidden like this.

EB> What's hidden? What do you mean? Do you want both universe and
EB> multiverse to be included in main? Do you want them to be on by
EB> default? Do you want multiverse to be in universe?

I guess, yes. I don't think users even want know about multiverse or
somethingelse-verse.. I think they just want to run Synaptic, search
for the app, check the box and click 'apply'.

If there is a good reason (i.e. a reason that the USER would need to
know about(!) to keep these separate then a notifiction/warning on
Synaptec (or another apt-get) tool would be fine. Or by default all
*-verses could be switched on. As I see it, there is the little Ubunto
logo anyway on apps that are in main? That does indeed give that extra
bit of confidence. Actually that's all the notification I need so I
can see if something is in main (is supported) or not. Turn on all the
*verses by default I say. Less headache for new users.

As for being able to support it... We're not paying anyone for
support, so they don't have to feel obliged to support some kind of
artificial sub-set of software.. Users will want to load everything
and-the-kitchen-sink anyway, then come to the forums and this list for
questions on how to make it work.  That is the way of things! (On
any non commerical Linux anyways)

EB> In my mind it's so clear

EB> Main is a subset of application that canonical feels that they can support.
EB> Universe is the rest of free linux applications. Support is on a comunity basic
EB> Multiverse is simply things that you CANNOT distribute however you want.

Oh.. Didn't know that yet. To me it was just a matter of "Argh..! Why
can't I find app xyz!", dig in Google, dig in How-to's, wiki's... Find
the how-to on enabling "YES-I-WANT-IT-ALL-verse"... Phew! That worked.

It doesn't have to be that hard unless someone wants it to be.

>> sucks lugging around two laptops just to use Ubuntu! :) (Ok I could
>> just go buy the driver, but the driver is MORE expensive than a
>> typical Winmodem costs. "That just ain't right!") Nobody ever ripped
>> that driver from Linuxant & Co?

EB> Ehh.. ever checked out linmodem.org?
EB> http://linmodems.org/

Yes. Mine happens to be Conexant HSF I think.. For that there's
Linuxant.com, but not free. (As in beer, not sex, though will settle
for either. :)

EB> I don't know how stable it is, since I haven't used a modem in many years.

It's okay.. It affects every single Linux-flavour just the same
anyway.. Though some commercial distributions seem to include it.
(Once bought a HP laptop that hat Mandrake installed, and on that the
modem actually worked.)

Cheers,
Chanchao





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