How about a quick Google search for “Ubuntu Themes” ? First up is gnome-look.org
Filled with themes, icons, login managers and wallpaper!

Next up is the screensavers. Not something I use but those installed by default put any of the default Windows screensavers to shame. Or maybe you are one of those users that like grabbing Windows spyware infected screensavers from a certain Screensaver site?

I believe that experienced users should steer new users away from Synaptic and instead, show them the Add/Remove button in the menu that will allow users to install plenty of software that is officially supported software.

Many new users see something in Synaptic, install it then complain it’s no where to be found. That is probably due to the strong possibility that the software they installed doesn’t have a GUI, won’t show up in the menu and is meant to be run from a CLI.

And since we are on the subject of the CLI.
Microsoft did away with the dos command window because it allowed the user too much power. And that is why Linux is powerful and customizable. The user has access to the CLI and can use it to do whatever they need to do.

And there are many times I use the CLI and never type a word. I read something on a web page that has the CLI commands so I use copy and paste. That helps preventing typos and allows a newer user to easily perform an advanced function.

Finally I want to comment on your ‘Overview’ of Linux and how to obtain it.

The official release of Ubuntu is a Cd sized image file and not a DVD. There are provisions for a DVD release which includes additional software that can easily be installed from the internet after Ubuntu is up and running on your computer. So the DVD is not necessary.

You also mention and I quote;
“Free and OpenSource (meaning it’s free and built and maintained by volunteers, not a big company)”

As if this is a bad thing?
You forgot to mention that some of these ‘volunteers’ are employees of large companies like IBM, HP, Sun, Cisco and many more.
The corporations ‘lend’ them out to the Linux community because they know they will benefit in the end by having better and more secure servers, routers, infrastructures, etc.

And bring Open Source means that if a bug or security flaw is found by the millions of people studying the code, it will probably be patched the following morning.
Sure better then a large corporation deciding how many people they can spare and how many patches they can make by next month’s patch ‘em up day!

Give Linux a chance. How long did it take you to learn Windows? Did you write a review about Win95 pre OSR2 when it kept crashing?
Or how about that review on Vista and it’s lack of backward compatibility of certain software and lack of 64 bit drivers.

Every O.S. has it’s faults but before you pass judgement you need to give it a real chance.

TaZMAn

http://tazbuntu.blogspot.com/

My reason for mentioning the “Main Folder” was due to several programs not appearing in the Applications menu (Songbird and Opera to name just a couple), and tracking them down was near impossible.

Regarding themes, the default theme with Ubuntu is pretty atrocious, and by default there are not additional themes listed in the themes windows. I was able to find the appearance window to change themes, backgrounds, etc… very easily, but there was nothing else there. I did a Google search for themes expecting to find some great pre-packaged theme packages and came up empty – possibly due to not taking enough time as you mentioned.

I knew terminal would be a touchy thing since it’s much used part of Linux, and a favorite for some of the more “hard-core” user – if I may use that term. While Windows may need to use a command prompt occasionally, there’s more than likely a GUI app to handle it. My experience with terminal was trying to install Compiz (I think that’s the name – visual effects), and virtualization software.

And the experience of your co-worker may in fact prove me wrong – which would be great! I think there are some flaws that don’t make it ready, but I would like nothing better than to see it take off and provide great performance and reliability on lower cost systems for free!

I agree with some of what you say but try finding that needed application for Windows at 23:00 in a small city. What, no store open? Tough luck.

I don’t care where the applications are installed. If I am using the GUI, I just want to click on the icon in the menu.

As for customization, how do I set up multiple desktops in Windows? How do I get the fancy 3D cubes and multiple views in Windows? Oh don’t tell me that Aero is really great 3D graphics. Compared to Compiz from last year, it is so passe.

I have been using Linux at work for over 5 years and we are a Microsoft oriented environment. The only issue I have is Exchange server and that is Microsoft’s design issues.

Hum, changing the desktop background is so easy that my daughter changed hers at 7. Now she does it without even thinking. Changing themes is just as easy, if you installed them.

Screensaver? I prefer simple. I use BSOD which displays various Blue Screen’s of Death. Just like the one from Windows XP during the Olympic opening ceremonies.

Remember, with Linux you install what you need, not everything, unless you want to. This is why you can install a full GUI, including applications on a computer like the OLPC and still have half the 4gig of your storage free. Has someone mentioned the ASUS EEE with Linux?

As I said, I don’t use Ubuntu but in KDE on Fedora, I don’t need to use the CLI unless I want to. I use the CLI because it makes me productive but that is my procedure. GUI is just so slow, move mouse, type in something. Move the mouse, type in something.

To each their own. My family is Linux only and loving it. At least we have never been hit with a virus or a $200 software upgrade or purchase. At work I have not had to order any software because I can download 95% of the programs I need.

Oh did I mention that if I need to use a Windows program, just in case? I can run it in Wine. If I really need Windows, I can run it in a Virtual Machine and have access to the Windows OS within the Linux Desktop. But after having a dual boot XP Pro and Linux at work, I never booted into Windows so I never put Windows on my new computer.

A lot of new users complain about this “no main folder” thing, but I still have no idea why anybody on Linux needs to know where each part of the program is installed. Seriously, why do you need to know? The program will install an item into the Applications menu so you can launch it with a mouse-click.

If you can’t figure out how to change a theme, you seriously need another two minutes with Ubuntu. System > Preferences > Appearance. Click a different theme. If you want to install a new theme, download it to your desktop and then drag it onto the Appearance window (or click “Install…” and choose it in the file selector).

Go to the Backgrounds tab and drag your new wallpaper on there. I can’t believe you had trouble with this – it’s the most intuitive, common-sense way of doing it! Screensavers are hardly a reason why “Ubuntu isn’t ready for primetime” now, are they? Screensavers haven’t been necessary now for, what, ten years? I’d rather just turn my screen off, which is especially what people are doing these days to be environmentally friendly.

You can get really slick screensavers. Do a search in Synaptic for “screensavers” (Description). Then you’ll find “rss-glx” which provides some nice ones. Or turn the Compiz “Flying Windows” screensaver on, which I personally love when I’m in the energy-wasting mood

I’ll remind you that Windows 3.1, 95 and 98 required use of its own terminal, even when the Macintosh didn’t require any command-line usage. Why then was Windows more popular? I also recall having to use the MS-DOS prompt on Windows XP in order to transcode my MP3s to WMAs – the gui only allowed one-at-a-time operation, which would have taken a while for even my modestly-small MP3 library.

Which more complex chore that requires terminal use are you talking about, anyway? My workmate uses Ubuntu because it came preinstalled on her computer; I went over there recently and while I was there I “SSH”‘ed into my own computer to grab some information. At that point I discovered that she’d never used the terminal before.

I think too that the fact she’s never had any trouble with her Ubuntu computer, even though she doesn’t know anything about computers, is testiment to the incorrectness of your article.