Kontemplating Karmic

[slowfox]

On the day of release, I've downloaded Karmic Koala, Ubuntu 9.10 (the numbering system in Ubuntu has the year (9 from 2009) followed by the month (10 for October). There are normally two releases per year, and they tend to be six months apart, hence the slightly weird progression: 8.04 -> 8.10 -> 9.04 -> 9.10.

As a Windows alternative, Windows 7 notwithstanding, Ubuntu 9.04 has been pretty good, I think, and I actually prefer the interface to the work's machine's XP install. Since I don't have a valid Windows licence for either machine at Castle Fox, I haven't had the option of the cheap upgrade to 7, and since Ubuntu seems to do most of what I need, for the time being, I haven't yet felt compelled to fork out the required monies for a full licence proper.

I've been dabbling with Linux since '96 - back in the days when you hand-compiled the kernel and had to manually set up X windows - I started off with Slackware, moved on to Debian and then RedHat, Mandrake (before it got rebadged as Mandriva) and SUSE before settling with Fedora for a while. Of them all, Ubuntu is the one I would probably feel the least concerned about handing to my parents to use...

...but there are still issues - if only the restricted format codecs were installed by default, if only NVidia would allow simpler installation of the video drivers, and if only, instead of having seven squillion media players to cover all the different bases, there was just a single media player with a Gnome interface that did the lot, and did it well.

Desktop-wise, I'm a Gnome fan, obviously with Compiz Fusion enabled (wobbly windows FTW).

Comments

[ex_simon644]

I have a Karmic Koala Kubuntu here - I upgraded a few days ago to the release candidate. It does look rather good and seems to be working well.

[slowfox]

I've been impressed with Jaunty - really impressed to the extent that I don't think you have to be a geek to use it, it's a genuine alternative to Windows XP (I can't speak for Vista or 7).

Looking forward to playing with Karmic :-)

[uninvitedcat]

Hmm - I may need to talk to you about good teach-yourself resources regarding SUSE. That's the version on my netbook, and so far I'm not getting on with it too well...

[slowfox]

That's a shame - if it's not too bamboozling a question, which desktop are you using? Gnome or KDE (Gnome looks sort-of-Mac-ish, KDE looks sort of Windowsish).

And what kind of things are you having trouble with?

[carolanne5]

You know the only words I recognise in that are the ones I've seen in xkcd, but congratulations on your karmic kola, it's a great name for a piece of software.

[slowfox]

Mark Shuttleworth, the plutocrat mover/shaker behind Ubuntu, is keen on his alliteration. My favourite named version is still Intrepid Ibex, although I'm typing this on Jaunty Jackanope.