New Stuff I Love About Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex
Written by mike from http://beginlinux.com on October 31st, 2008 | 7 CommentsFirst off let me say how much I appreciate the Ubuntu community. Whenever you have an operating system, especially a free one, it is a great option to have a living community that is interested in supporting you in the growth process. The community is great in that there are forums, web sites, training cds, etc. all created for learning the Ubuntu system. This is important as users need support when they are moving away from other operating systems….thanks.
The Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex is a full featured mature desktop. Now I am saying this having run a number of Linux distros for years and having used Ubuntu Desktop and server versions extensively for the last 3 years. The Desktop is mature. What I mean is the applications like OpenOffice, Gimp, Firefox, Movie Player…all this stuff is very usable, it has come a long way. Maturity is also a reference to the advancement of the wireless options with the Desktop including now the Network Connections window when also allows me to user Mobile Broadband and create an easier VPN connection or use my DSL.
But no doubt about it getting wireless up and running quickly is what I most wanted and one of the main reasons I stuck with Ubuntu is that the wireless was easy to set up. In fact, it was automatic with my install … all ready to go…fabulous.
One of the things I really love about Ubuntu 8.10 and Canonical in general is they seem to care about people…yep those types still exist. You can see this in stronger emphasis on Accessibility options. The Login Preferences allows you to create all types of options for those who need them…thanks we appreciate the effort.
Another thing I really like is the new encrypted folder option. Yea…I don’t have anything or really anything important, but I like the option to be able to encrypt my data … who knows maybe Big Brother is watching? Pretty easy to set up.
sudo apt-get install ecryptfs-utils
ecryptfs-setup-private
One thing you just gotta love…in Gnome 2.24 is the tabbed browser for the file browser. This is one of the greatest features of all times.
Another feature I love is the new theme. Hey it’s different and I like different. Fun to have options.
You now have an option to login as a guest user on Ubuntu without the ability to do damage to the system…yeah! This feature allows you to share your computer with someone without have to worry about them reading or deleting any of your files. Here you can see that they can select Guest and be able to login to your computer.
They will not have access to your stuff and they will have a directory created in /tmp so that it will go away after they are done testing or whatever they are doing.
You now have a utility to remove files, data, etc, that are no longer needed. Just go to System/Administration and Cruft Remover and you have an application that will list stuff you can get rid of.
All in all Ubuntu seems to be moving in the right direction and I was pleased with the install and the process of using ubunt 8.10 Intrepid Ibex. Oh …did I tell you that it seems to run faster……
Tags: ubuntu 8.1 new features, ubuntu 8.10, ubuntu 8.10 intrepid ibex
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November 1st, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Interesting post. Fun to read and hear others opinions in such a well expressed way. =)
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 am
Very interesting, useful post. Kind thanks for taking the time and including the screenshots. Makes it that much more worthwhile.
I tried Kubuntu this year and I’m enjoying it but there are aspects of gnome that I miss. I’m looking forward to updating later, most - or all - of these features will be or are already included in kubuntu.
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:49 am
Unfortunately, I had to switch back to Xubuntu 8.04. My Xubuntu 8.10 Live CD does not detect the partitions on my principal hard disk. My root is mounted on sda3 (5 GB), my /home is mounted on sda1 (about 25 GB), but de Live CD partitioner only showed my second hard disk, sdb. So, after deleting sda3, I had to install from the Hardy Live CD again and upgrade fromp there, which took a lot more time. - Browsing in Intrepid is a LOT slower than in Hardy; my video codecs are not correctly loaded and there is no sound (neither music or video). One disappointed Xubuntero, here!
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:53 am
Just an fyi, but iirc the cruft remover is “out” again. That application is dangerous and in its current form a new user may accidentally delete stuff that shouldn’t be deleted.
On my own intrepid upgrade (a few days before release when this was still in by default), it indicated about 15 applications and packages that were installed from ppa repositories…VALID apps that weren’t in the main repos that cruft thought oughta be deleted.
From the launchpad comments I checked, this app is “out” until it can be cleaned up some.
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:34 am
Your post highlights the usual lack of *own features* in Ubuntu.
Everything you mention can be found in any other distro running Gnome 2.24
Unlike Mandriva, openSUSE or even nearly unknown distros such as Pardus or DreamLinux, there’s nothing Ubuntu-specific about Ubuntu.
“One thing you just gotta love…in Gnome 2.24 is the tabbed browser for the file browser.”
I use this on KDE / Konqueror since ever (in my case, since December 2002).
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Thanks for the post Mike.
I’ve been planning to move to Ubuntu for a long time but never seem to get around to it. I’ve been using the Dark Force OS for a long time and, like alcohol and drugs, it’s hard to kick.
Keep on contributing great articles like this and Ubuntu/Linux will conquer.
Jim
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:29 am
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