From: "Rich Gauszka" 

Ouch!    ->"Feisty Fawn" indeed. I think "Crappy
Cow" is more like it.<-

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2124099,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000
532

It's a tough thing when you're doing a review of a distribution that you
want to like but end up having to pan it. The latest version of Ubuntu
Linux is called Feisty Fawn, and about all I can see it being good for is
venison. We found it to be a real stinker in some ways, despite past
versions of Ubuntu having been fairly good.
This version of Ubuntu has a number of new features, including

  a.. Windows Migration tool
  b.. Easier Multimedia
  c.. Plug and Play Network Sharing
  d.. The Linux 2.6.2.0 kernel and Gnome 2.18
....

Problems with Ubuntu Fiesty Fawn
The good stuff aside, I had a number of problems with this release. Fiesty
Fawn was supposed to make multimedia easier. Strangely enough I ran into
some difficulties with multimedia, as well as with some of the other new
features. Here's a list in no particular order:

  1.. Firefox does not have Flash installed by default. This strikes me as
odd since so much multimedia content uses Flash. Shouldn't it be installed
by default? Why should the users have to install it themselves?
  2.. My Nvidia drivers were not installed by default. Initially my desktop
resolution was only 1024 x 768. I was able to download the drivers easy
from the Add/Remove tool but, given that my video card has been around for
ages, Ubuntu should be able to install the drivers automatically for me.
  After installation and a reboot, the Nvidia drivers still weren't working:
I could not change the screen resolution to anything higher than 1024 x
768. At that point, I gave up. Yes, I know that you can edit config files,
etc. to get them working, but frankly I don't care. I have no desire to
spend my time trying to fix something that should simply work.

  Remember that this version of Ubuntu is supposed to be a desktop version.
Who wants to fart around with video drivers in this day and age? I know
some people will not like hearing this, but this problem turned me off to
this release of Ubuntu.


  Compare this problem with Ubuntu with Windows Vista which easily detected
my video card and installed the Nvidia drivers so I was able to access a
higher resolution right away (though I did have to change the resolution
myself). I loathe Vista on a number of levels, but in this situation, it
beat Ubuntu by a mile.

  3.. When I popped a DVD into my computer, Ubuntu did try to search for the
appropriate codec. However, I was not able to get the DVD to play.
  4.. The Windows Migration Tool did not detect my Windows Vista
installation and account settings. So no import was done for that
information into Ubuntu Linux. I shed no tears about this as I rarely use
Windows these days anyway but it would have been nice if it worked. The
Verdict on Ubuntu Linux 7.04, Feisty Fawn

I wish I could say that I still like Ubuntu, but I really don't at this
point. I'd recommend Xandros over this release of Ubuntu in a heartbeat.
Xandros is more polished and seems to have much less in the way of
configuration headaches. About all Ubuntu has going for it this time around
is its good installation. After that, it just didn't measure up in the way
I'd come to expect of it.

Bear in mind that the problems I experienced might or might not be faced by
you if you try Ubuntu. Since it's a free distribution, it's probably worth
checking out and giving it a try. If you don't run into the problems I did,
then great. You're all set. But if you do, don't say I didn't warn you.
Here's to hoping that the next release of Ubuntu is more polished.

At this point though, I'm getting somewhat skeptical about Linux on the
desktop anyway (with the exception of Xandros and a couple of other
distros). If you really want a simple and easy alternative to Windows that
just works right out of the box, buy yourself a Mac.

You'll be able to run Mac OS X (as well as Windows) and you won't have to
spend time configuring video drivers and otherwise spending your time
futzing around. Yes, I know that suggesting a Mac goes against the grain of
the open source spirit but not everybody is a tinkerer and some folks
simply need an OS that works reliably and without any kind of
installation/configuration headaches. And if you're that kind of person
then OS X fits the bill nicely.

"Feisty Fawn" indeed. I think "Crappy Cow" is more like it.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5