The Linux community and Linux users are at odds over the transition from GNOME 2 to GNOME 3 as the backbone desktop environment for the OS. Ubuntu’s developers muddied the situation with its newcomer Unity desktop alternative. Given the situation, Linux Mint may offer the best solution if you need time to adjust to the radical changes in the GNOME 3 desktop.

I was an avowed Ubuntu user until its developers created and pushed the Unity desktop shell as the default approach that avoided GNOME 3. I really tried to use Unity, even though I did not like it. I eventually side-stepped it and used the GNOME shell. That, too, was a frustrating endeavor.

I gradually moved each of my desktops and laptops to Linux Mint 11, which is based on Ubuntu but has its own distinguishing characteristics. For one, it retains the GNOME 2 desktop environment. Last week Linux Mint 12 RC was released. Mint 12, while still a derivative of Ubuntu, offers a more satisfying transition to GNOME 3.

Linux Mint 12 eases you into GNOME 3 as the desktop but retains an alternative desktop called “MATE.” In addition, Linux Mint 12 developers built in a few extensions that mimic the things users were complaining about in losing from GNOME 2.

For instance, Mint 12 developers designed a functioning panel that resembles the GNOME 2 panel. It works, unlike what the raw GNOME 3 gives you and what Ubuntu’s Unity does not. You also get more functional access to virtual desktops.

The release candidate version of Linux Mint 12 is continuously updated through the Software Update feature. Each revision adds more refinements. I get the impression that the last installment of Mint 12RC will roll into the official Mint 12 version when it is time for the upgrade. Mint 11 will be supported for an extended time. Thus, users of either version will have ample time to maintain their computing comfort zone.

But like it or not, GNOME 3 is the new direction for the Linux OS. So this week we take a close look at both Mint versions. Newcomers to the Linux OS will find Mint 11 a handy starting point. More savvy Linux users will appreciate the tweaking in Mint 12 that makes GNOME 3 more usable and palatable.

Getting There

I was pleasantly pleased with the installation process for both Linux Mint 11 (dubbed “Katya”) and 12 RC (code-named “Lisa”). Both involved downloading an ISO file and then burning a bootable CD or DVD from it. I was also surprised to discover that the Linux Mint 12 RC was a live version. That let me decide if I liked the GNOME 3 implementation without having to fully install it to the hard drive.

Depending on your existing computer configuration, the installation process gives you up to four options for both versions. My own gear has a variety of OS combinations and hardware. That led to different results. But more often than not, a straight installation worked more reliably. Data was left untouched, though apps were left on the drive that did not work until reinstalled.

For example, the installer detects what is present and offers several options. Install to the full hard drive is the surest option. But it wipes the hard drive and destroys all existing data. If you have Ubuntu installed, the Mint installer offers to replace it while saving your installed applications and data. A third option creates a partition to install Mint next to an existing OS and set up a dual boot menu. The fourth option lets you manually configure the partitioning process.

Downsize or Not

Another very useful option with both Mint 11 and Mint 12 RC versions is the choice of form factor. Linux Mint offers a full installation version that includes a complete set of codecs in the ISO file. This download only fits on a DVD.

A no-codecs version lets you comfortably squeeze the installation files onto a CD. Other than shortening both the download and install times, you do not miss a thing with the no-codecs version.

A window appears when you run Linux Mint giving you quick access to user documentation and other useful information. Here you also get the option to download and install the full set of codecs that were not present in the CD version.

Saving the Status Quo

Linux Mint 11 works extremely well as a replacement for the way Ubuntu USED to work for me. Not counting the look and feel design of the Mint desktop themes, I was instantly up to speed with using virtual workspaces, using the GNOME 2 panels as docks, and resizing application windows my way.

Alt/Tab switching worked as I wanted it to function. My Compiz graphic settings stayed in place and continued to let me enjoy the pyramid and other graphic effects that I have grown to love in GNOME 2.

The most noticeable reminder that I was using Mint 11 rather than a pre-Ubuntu 11.10 version is the Menu display. The menu closely resembles the classic Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows box and column design. But being a derivative of Ubuntu, the Linux Mint 11 application base was very satisfying to see.

One of my favorite applications is the now discontinued Notecase Notes Manager. That still is available in Mint 11. Ubuntu’s commercial developer, Canonical, removed that package from its version 11.10 upgrade. Canonical also removed enough of the dependency libraries that manually installing it from other repositories failed to let Notecase Notes Manager run under GNOME 3.

Goin’ GNOME 3

After my unpleasant experience with GNOME 3 in Ubuntu, I quickly adjusted to the new GNOME in Linux Mint 12. Much of the credit for this newfound acceptance of GNOME 3 comes from the extensions the Linux Mint development team designed into the GUI (graphical user interface). This makes you wonder why the GNOME 3 developers did not offer a similar approach themselves. I find it much more workable than the Ubunu Unity shell replacement.

Mint 12

(click image to enlarge)

The MGSE or Mint GNOME Shell Extensions is a desktop layer on top of GNOME 3 that finesses GNOME 3 so you can use it in a traditional way. You can also disable some or all of its components to get a pure GNOME 3 experience. But why would you want to?

Its main features include the bottom panel, the application menu, the window list and visible system tray icons. Also, a task-centric desktop lets you switch between windows, not applications. MGSE also includes additional extensions such as a media player indicator and multiple enhancements to GNOME 3.

Slick Menu Too

Both versions of Linux Mint have unusual and different menus. The menu in Linux Mint 11 seems to be based on the Slab menu that Suse developed. But the Mint team added many new features. You can switch to the default GNOME menu instead.

To open the menu in Mint 11, click on the “Menu” button in the left corner of the panel or press CTRL+SUPER_key near the left corner of the keyboard. On the top left corner of the menu is a section called “Places” containing five buttons. These buttons give you quick access to the most important places within your GNOME desktop. Two labels at the top of the menu box let you see all applications or those assigned to Favorites.

Linux Mint 12 comes with a redesigned menu. The left column of the menu display shows the same Favorites bar that displays in the left edge of the GNOME 3 screen. All other applications are listed in two columns in the menu box.

More GNOME 3

The goal this week is to highlight the latest two versions of Linux Mint as a more complete alternative to the pure GNOME 3 desktop environment and the Ubuntu 11.10 upgrade and the Unity desktop. That leaves little space to actually discuss the ongoing dismay with GNOME 3 itself.

Still, there are some similarities with GNOME 3 in Linux Mint 12 and the GNOME desktop option in Ubuntu. The common ground rests with how GNOME 3 works. The beauty of Linux Mint 12 is the use of extensions to give you traditional window switching and virtual workspace access.

For example, in both Linux Mint 12 and Ubuntu 11.10 you move the mouse pointer to the upper left corner of the screen to switch to the desktop view and access to the Windows and Applications buttons. In Linux Mint 12 you can also get there by pressing the Control + Super key. You move the mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen to expose the virtual workspaces thumbnail.

Click on the thumbnail window to move to applications docked there. Or drag applications from one thumbnail window to another. The applications tray in both distros are anchored on the left edge of the screen. Alas, Compiz no longer works in GNOME 3.

Bottom Line

The GNOME community forced the new design standards. Most major Linux distributions are now upgrading to GNOME 3. Most distro developers are implementing GNOME 3 as-is. Linux Mint offers two alternatives to how or when you make the switch.

Linux Mint 11 lets you maintain your current computing habits without learning new GNOME tricks for now. Linux Mint 12 gives you a transitional path into GNOME 3 without giving up the familiar usability of GNOME 2.

source from: technewsworld

So said Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth Monday morning at the start of the Ubuntu Developer Summit taking place this week in Florida.

Calling the move “probably the most significant broadening of scope in Ubuntu’s history,” Shuttleworth told reporters that the project plans to capitalize on the touch framework and Unity interface it’s created over the past few years and begin moving Ubuntu to platforms beyond the desktop it originated on.

‘We Think the Time Is Right’

“A key in the design of Unity was that we wanted to expand the scope of Ubuntu to a much broader range of form factors and categories of computing,” Shuttleworth explained. “Today it can stretch to a full range including tablets, TVs and all sorts of smart screens.

“We think the time is right for a free software alternative to emerge as a partner for industry,” he added. “We think Ubuntu can be a de facto standard starting point for those building the next generation of devices around Linux.”

Shuttleworth doesn’t expect to see the shipment of any such products in the near term, but said “we will see prototypes and demos available to the developer audience in a relatively short timeframe.”

Canonical anticipates that 2014 will be the year Ubuntu-powered devices begin to arrive, starting with the software’s 14.04 LTS release.

The primary focus at this week’s Ubuntu Developer Summit, however, is Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, or “Precise Pangolin,” which is due in April and will offer support for five years.

Intel, ARM and AMD

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), ARM (Nasdaq: ARMHY) and AMD (NYSE: AMD) will make the chips that will power the diverse new generation of Ubuntu devices, Shuttleworth added in a blog post Monday afternoon.

“We are determined to bring more free software to more people around the world, and building that future hand in hand with device manufacturers is the best way to do it,” he wrote. “There is no winner in place yet. This opportunity remains wide open, but only to products that deliver excellent experiences for users, across a full range of device categories.”

The Ubuntu One personal cloud service and the Ubuntu Software Center, meanwhile, will “deliver the required storage, syncing and sharing capabilities that are not just a convenience but a requirement as we move to a universe where content is increasingly shared but the devices that access them become more diverse,” he added.

‘We Will Have Some Advantages’

Of course, Canonical will not be alone in the markets it’s targeting. Rather, it faces stiff competition from Linux-based Android and Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iOS, in particular.

“This is a tightly contested market,” Shuttleworth admitted. “However, it’s also highly dynamic. We will be very late to market, but we will have some advantages and will play those cards to the best of our ability.”

Consortium efforts such as the Linux Foundation’s Tizen are unlikely to be able to “change this game,” he added, noting a fundamental “inability to deliver a focused, concrete result.”

‘A Point of Differentiation’

Canonical’s move makes a great deal of sense, RedMonk analyst Stephen O’Grady told LinuxInsider.

Indeed, “as traditional PC workloads shift at least in part to mobile and other form factors, it’s only logical that Ubuntu contemplates moving along with them,” O’Grady explained. “The alternative is reconciling itself to a platform with less upside than some of the emerging computing categories such as tablets.”

Ubuntu will be a late entrant in the mobile space, “but it certainly isn’t lacking for available applications, and its independence from core identity services may prove to be a point of differentiation,” O’Grady agreed.

‘We May See Some Real Traction’

While it faces large, entrenched competitors in Apple, Android and Windows, Ubuntu “does benefit from popularity among developers and in cloud computing,” Jay Lyman, a senior analyst with the 451 Group, told LinuxInsider.

“Ubuntu may benefit in these new areas based on connections to its server OS and cloud computing, where Ubuntu has been a leader among Linux distributions,” Lyman explained.

Ubuntu was first, for example, to bundle Eucalyptus — now OpenStack — and also integrated support for VMware (NYSE: VMW) CloudFoundry in version 11.10, he added.

“We may see some real traction for Ubuntu on the back end,” Lyman concluded, “and if this can be linked to integrated technology on mobile phones, tablets and other converged devices, it could be meaningful in the market.”

source from: technewsworld

Shuttleworth opened by saying that the main point of Ubuntu 11.04 with Unity was “to bring the joys and freedoms and innovation and performance and security that have always been part of the Linux platform, to a consumer audience.”

How did Canonical do it? Shuttleworth explained that it was a combination of user design testing with professional design work. “We committed to test and iterate Unity’s design with real users, and evolve it based on those findings. We’ve documented the process we’re following in that regard, so that other free software projects can decide for themselves if they also want to bring professional design into their process. I very much hope that this will become standard practice across all of free software, because in my view the future of free software is no longer just about inner beauty (architecture, performance, efficiency) it’s also about usability and style.”

That design decision really annoys some hardcore Linux users. On the other hand, I can’t argue with it. Just look, for example, at GNOME 3.0. I haven’t written about it yet, but I find it hard to disagree with a blogger named Juan Rodriguez who wrote, “Gnome Shell is Defective By Design.” GNOME 3.0, like too many Linux/Unix interfaces, was designed by software developers for software developers.

Is Unity too simple for power users? Yes, it is. But, as Shuttleworth tells us that’s by design. If you don’t like simple, consumer-oriented desktops, you’ll want to look at another Linux distribution because that’s exactly where Ubuntu is now and will continue to go.

So where did Shuttleworth and company get their ideas? Shuttleworth explained, “In the design of Unity we chose to be both humble and bold. Humble, because we have borrowed consciously from the work of other successful platforms, like Windows and Mac OS. We borrowed what worked best, but then we took advantage of the fact that we are unconstrained by legacy and can innovate faster than they can, and took some bold leaps forward. In category indicators, the dash, overlay scrollbars and other innovations we are pioneering desktop experiences that I am sure will be emulated elsewhere, in both the free and proprietary platforms.”

Of course, he continued, “This is the public ‘1.0,’ there are rough points which will affect some users more than others, but we will iterate and polish them up one by one. Our goal should be to continue to set the pace and push free software to the forefront of usability and experience, growing the awesome Ubuntu and Unity community that shares those values and is excited by those ideas.”

I’ve found some of those “rough points.” For example, the global menu bar has trouble fitting on some of my displays from time to time. Curiously enough it does best on my smallest screen—my Dell Mini 9 netbook with its 8.9” display. I also found that in the Ubuntu Software Center I can’t seem to click up the recommended to install program list.

At the same time, Shuttleworth recognizes it’s not all about Unity. Shuttleworth wrote, “Of course, Ubuntu is far bigger than Unity. And the needs of the Ubuntu community, and users of Ubuntu, are far more diverse than simply Unity could address. So I’m proud of the fact that the Ubuntu community publishes the whole expression of software freedom across its archives. Kubuntu continues to improve and set a very high standard for the KDE experience. Lubuntu, the LXDE based expression of Ubuntu, is moving towards being 100% integrated. There is unique work being done in Ubuntu for users of the cloud and other server-oriented configurations. While we can be proud of what’s been achieved in Unity, we are equally proud of the efforts that go into ensuring that the full range of experiences is accommodated, to the extent possible with the effort put in by our huge community, under the Ubuntu umbrella.”

And, I would guess that, if there’s demand for it, there will continue be an old-style GNOME 2.x Ubuntu or even a GNOME 3.0 Ubuntu. Even if Canonical won’t sponsor them, someone else can always create them. This is Linux after all. If you really want a Linux that looks like Windows XP, you can have it.

So, while Canonical will stay focused on Unity, Ubuntu’s door remains open to other desktop paths. That said, for the time being, Unity is its number one desktop.

source from: zdnet

Just days after the news that a teenager stabbed his little brother to death, police have revealed why.

The boys were fighting over the sound of the speakers connected to the computer, WSVN 7 is reporting. William Gorzynski, 15, eventually stabbed his little brother, 14-year-old Matthew, in the chest, killing him in the family’s Coral Springs home on Monday.

“The two brothers were having a dispute over the sound of the speakers that were hooked up to the computer. The dispute actually escalated to where it became physical. William armed himself with a kitchen knife from the kitchen and actually stabbed Matthew one time in the chest,” an officer told WSVN.

How an argument over volume escalated to such a tragedy still has investigators and the family puzzled. Gorzynski faces second-degree murder charges and is currently being held in the Broward juvenile detention center.

Gorzynski Sybling Rivalry

WATCH

Gorzynski Sybling Rivalry

Autopsy reports Wednesday confirmed it was a single stab wound that took Matthew’s life.

A memorial of cards, notes and flowers litter the sidewalk near the Gorzynski house and many neighbors described the boys as loving and nice kids. William Gorzynski wanted to be a culinary chef, his attorney told a judge Tuesday.

But those plans will likely be on hold while investigators sort out this sad situation.

source: http://www.nbcmiami.com