Bizarre Linux

.....

2008-11-07T07:28:00.001-08:00

Wow I got Dugg. Amazing.

When I went to Digg this morning, I was like "Wow, WTF, is that my article that is on Digg?" And surely enough, it was. I was content, and I actually received a lot of praise from comments on being the first to be in depth and not making a 100-word review just to be the first ones to.

Then I panicked. I thought, thousands of people are going to see my article, did I forget anything? Seems like I did. I have added 17, 18, and 19. They are big things that I have forgotten. Please check my article again. Direct link.

BTW, can anyone tell me who it was that submitted my article onto Digg?

Improvements in GNOME 2.24 and Ubuntu 8.10

2008-11-05T08:10:00.001-08:00

It'll be really hard for me to keep track which feature was done by which, so I'll post GNOME 2.24 and Ubuntu 8.10 as one. How is it hard? Well, I used to think that most of the things in Ubuntu were done by GNOME, but I was proven wrong when I looked deeply into the progress of Ubuntu 8.10 from alpha to final. I learned the new quit menus were taken from OpenSUSE (not to be confused with the quit menu being split up into three parts in System part of the Menu Bar; that was by GNOME), that most of the work on the new FUSA applet was done by Ubuntu, and there's some things that Ubuntu takes out of GNOME that I noticed in Foresight's unedited version of GNOME that I couldn't see in Ubuntu's GNOME.

1. Improved file browsing with Nautilus.

First, tabbed Nautilus, of course. Displayed a thousand times over the Internet, but I thought I'd display my version of it, fresh-install 8.10, with no changes whatsoever:

And of course, the new Compact View option (which isn't new at all; the compact view option was available in the previous GNOME, and the previous, and the previous, etc. The only change-up in this version was that before, to create a compact viewing environment, you had to set 3+ options. Now it can be done with a simple click:

Plus, there are two features unmentioned in the releases notes, (one of which people are already aware of) and they are:

The eject icons for removable media in the Places sidebar:
Restore [to Original Location] right-click option for files in Trash:

And very very little changes too:

Right-click on a file -> Delete in Trash renamed to right-click -> Delete Permanently:
Right-click on CD_DVD Icon in computer:/ -> Eject renamed to right-click -> Eject Volume to match rest of the system wording (Mount Volume, Unmount Volume, Eject Volume):

2. Menu and panel items switch-up.

A lot of menu-moving around this time of Ubuntu in the Menu Bar panel applet.
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The only thing done by GNOME is in the Places section. The CD/DVD drive icon is displayed even there is no CD inserted:

Then on to Ubuntu-made changes.
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First, Network Manager. Network Manager version 0.7 changes network configuring so much that now, network configuring is no longer an administrative tool in System -> Administration -> Network, but in System -> Preferences -> Network Configuration as a preferences application. Nice, except for the fact that the "Network Configuring" item is not translated, and is not available for translation on Launchpad. :(

Clicking the menu item brings up a new control center for all network-related tasks:

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Second, Dictionary got moved to Applications -> Office (it was previously located in Applications -> Accessories):

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And third, Document Viewer (Evince) and Image Viewer (EOG) are hidden by default, because they can be opened anyway by double-clicking a PDF or image file, and simply waste menu space if left visible by default.

OpenOffice.org Formula (OpenOffice.org Math) is installed again (it was left out in Hardy for lack of space on the ISO), although it is hidden by default in Applications -> Office.

Apparently the devs forgot to make an icon for it in the Human theme, (notice that the image for it is round, while other OpenOffice.org application icons are square).
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Another clearly visible change is that Applications -> Accessories -> Bluetooth Analyzer, which was set visible by default in Ubuntu Hardy, has disappeared completely from the Accessories section. Further investigation reveals that it has been moved to Applications -> System Tools, and is hidden by default for complexity and inactivity of use.

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For some reason the devs have chosen to hide System -> Preferences -> File Management (Nautilus file browser preferences) in 8.10. I think they were trying to hide System -> Preferences -> Encryptions and Keyrings, (which is right above) and screwed up. At any rate, it should be set back, because unlike normal applications' preferences, Nautilus is a literal shell for GNOME and makes up all of the Places section in the Menu Bar, therefore making it extremely important and earning a merit to have its preferences dialog displayed by default in Ubuntu.

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Finally! System -> Preferences -> Multimedia Systems Selector, has been hidden! I always believed that it was too complicated and had too little descriptions for the average end-user to understand anything, and finally, the devs removed it from view! Of course, this doesn't prevent advanced users from just enabling it via the menu editor if they feel the need to use it.

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OnBoard has been moved to System -> Preferences and has been removed from view by default.

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And some panel switch-ups too:

The [Fast] User Switcher applet has been moved to the far end of the top right corner, and a Separator has been put between it and the other applets.
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That is all the menu change-ups that I have noticed.

3. New way to quit computing.

Just say no! (Lulz, lame joke reference to smoking: quit smoking, quit computing, just say no.....get it?)

Ubuntu, after seeing how ~~ugly~~ inefficient the new GNOME quit menus were, with no descriptions of what each option does, and no Help button, decided to take refuge in OpenSUSE.

So the devs accepted GNOME's action on splitting the Quit... menu into three pieces, (Lock Screen, Log Out... , and Shut Down...) but as I already said, they couldn't accept the new menus:

(I wasn't there before Ubuntu replaced GNOME's by OpenSUSE's, so I couldn't produce my own screenshot. Thank "Keir" for this.

So they took OpenSUSE's, in fact the best quit menus a set of human eyes can come upon, in my opinion:

Beautiful set of icons, and with descriptions underneath and a Help button, integrating seemlessly with the GNOME desktop (did I mention the beautiful big icons and the Help button that provides seamless integration with the GNOME desktop?).

But according to Mr. Shuttleworth on his post about the FUSA applet in 8.10 Intrepid, he has mentioned a feature he and his ~~slaves~~ employees didn't have enough time to implement: It speaks of the FUSA applet hiding from view System -> Lock Screen, System -> Log Out, and System -> Shut Down... if it is running; then, when the applet is removed, they all return to view. This is to prevent two ways to quit your computer and prevent confusion. (Bad move, in my opinion; the quit menus have Help buttons and descriptions, while the FUSA applet quit options are only one-two lettered words.) This is to arrive in intrepid-updates or if not, definitely by jaunty.

4. More programs to manage.

Sessions Preferences got more complicated! Now you can manager tons of more startup programs that were previously uncontrollable, such as the splash screen, login sounds, the remote desktop server, and the window manager!:

5. Two way to set time and date.

Wow. With GNOME 2.24, there are to ways to set the time and date. First, the classic way: time-admin (System -> Administration -> Time and Date). And second, by use of the Clock panel applet. Huh? What do I mean? Aren't they the same thing? I'll explain.

Open Clock Preferences by Clock panel applet -> right-click -> Preferences:

You see the button Time Settings? Yeah well, in previous GNOME versions, it simply opened up time-admin, you entered your password, and set the date and time, etc. But no longer. The devs thought, "Hey, we're in Clock Preferences, so why are we opening up an administrative tool? Plus, why is setting the date and time for one user administrative?"

So now, clicking Time Settings brings up a whole new redesigned-from-the-ground-up window to set time, just for that user. And if you want, you can click Set System Time... where you will be prompted for your password, and then the time you just set only for your account saves as the system default.

6. Useless GNOME Screenshot improvements.

Here I go again. GNOME's screenshot program (Take Screenshot) "improved" with version 2.24. Now comes the ability to include your cursor in the screenshot or not:

And after taking your screenshot, there comes another "cool" feature, the ability to copy the image to your clipboard:

Amazing. But I'm still waiting for ability to make a selection of my screenshot, which GIMP's screenshot taker, and GScrot can already do.

7. Subtly changed Alacarte.

Same as ever, Alacarte, GNOME's menu editor, still has the bugs that existed since its creation, and none have been fixed. Only visible change is that the Properties and Delete buttons are no longer accessible only through right-click on an item. They have made buttons for it in the right sidebar.

8. Advanced language support.

Once I reported a bug that Language Selector (System -> Administration -> Language Support) didn't show its icon on the top-left of its window titlebar. The developer never got back on the bug report, but he must have seen it, because when I checked Language Selector in Ubuntu 8.10, it was fixed.

But the most amazing change in the version included in Ubuntu Intrepid is that now, you can manage which language files you want to have support for on your system. Just look!:

If you actually cannot see what is different in this version by looking at the above screenshot, please locate the red parentheses that I have conveniently inserted and regard the text in between the symbols.

9. Third-party application updates.

Ubuntu includes many useful applications that are not from GNOME, hence the term "third-party". Some of which are Firefox, GIMP, Transmission, etc. Note that I am not an Ubuntu fanboy who ignorantly thinks that everything in Ubuntu is done by Ubuntu. If you have seen some of my other posts (which I have greyed out) I am not a huge Ubuntu fan.
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Transmission 1.3x line!

The 1.3 line is amazing. One obvious change is the load of options. If anyone has noticed, the 1.2x line in Ubuntu Hardy had one tab for preferences: one tab only! And bizarredly, the 1.3x line has five tabs! That's load of configuring, but I'm glad this happened:

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GIMP 2.6!!!!! :)

Too happy to express it in words. Updated translations, less menubar clutter, and faster and better! (Just read the release notes)A mere screenshot cannot display my happiness on the inclusion of this update despite it being released far after Intrepid's feature freeze, but I'll post it anyway:

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F-Spot 0.5.x.

I don't know what's so amazing and what the change is from the 0.4.x line, mainly because I never used it before. But seeing as how one of my commenters on my blog on new features in Ubuntu 8.10 (which is no longer active) got all hyper about it, I'm assuming a really cool thing is in F-Spot 0.5.
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Pidgin 2.5.2. Woot!

Not really anything special in this version, except for a few icon cleanups, memory leak fixes, and some translation updates. One thing, however, catches the attention of all IMers around the globe. And that is:

Don't understand? Well, by clicking that square next to the "Available - Waiting for..." you can easily set an icon for your IM account, no matter what protocol it is.
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Brasero 0.8.x.

Two really important updates in the 0.8.x string. First, a new project option added to the start window:

And then, a new plugin, Normalize, that will enable you to set a constant volume for your music:

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That's all, folks!

10. CD/DVD/volume insertion prompt.

I am loving this. Not only does GNOME 2.24/Ubuntu 8.10 better recognize when I insert CDs or DVDs, (in GNOME 2.22/Ubuntu 8.10 it took five minutes of taking out the CD/DVD, then reinserting it, and repeating the process just for my system to recognize that I had inserted a disk) but now, a window pops-up when you insert a CD/DVD! It asks what you would like to do, if you want to do this always for these kinds of removable drives, and oh, you can eject the CD/DVD right from there if you want.

And if you insert a volume (Curiously, my USB stick had no specified device name, so GNOME classified it as "No Name":

11. [Fast] User Switcher [Applet] upgrade.

Just take a look at this screenshot of the User Switcher panel applet:

There's a new Guest session entry for lending your laptop so your friend can check their emails quickly, or letting them IM with their buddies, etc. And you can manage your whole system from there! No need to go System -> Shut Down... only to have another dialog pop-up and choosing Shut Down again. Just click on the applet, click Shut down, and you're set!

And look what happens to the applet when Empathy or Pidgin (internet messengers) is run:

You can manage your IM status just from the applet. This feature works with Pidgin, Empathy, and Kopete, Mr. Shuttleworth claims, at least. Pretty neat, if you ask me.

12. Miscelleanous cleanups throughout GNOME.

First up is GNOME Volume Control. Though I cannot produce a screenshot, in Ubuntu Hardy, GNOME Volume Control, despite it being a preferences application, actually had its own menubar (File Edit View etc.). That was the first and last time I have ever seen a preferences application have a menubar and not buttons.

What exactly was it like? It had a File, Edit, and Help (if I remember correctly). Under File, it had Quit and under Edit it had Preferences and under Help it had Contents and About. Now compare that to the re-layouted version in GNOME 2.24:

Help -> Contents converted to a Help button, (like all other preferences applications) File -> Quit removed (you can quit by pressing Close) and Edit -> Preferences replaced by a huge Preferences button. Needless to say, the About dialog is not necessary. Wow, a huge cleanup, looks better in GNOME 2.24, doesn't it?
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Passwords and Encryption Settings, (System -> Preferences -> Encryptions and Keyrings) like Volume Control above, has gotten a re-layout also. Previously, there were approximately six tabs in it. But now, there are only two:

Imagine how confused a newbie would be. That much options? Six tabs? It's a good thing the devs minimized it to two this time around in GNOME.
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File Roller (Applications -> Accessories -> Archive Manager) now supports four new file types: ALZ, CAB, RZIP, and 7ZIP. This was achieved due to resorting to P7Zip for certain tasks. Finally, no more "sudo aptitude install unalz && unalz /home/exsecrabilus/Desktop/archive.alz"!

13. "Create a USB startup disk".

No opinions. If you ask me, it should have been hidden by default, in Applications -> System Tools. So much things wrong with this application that I'm not gonna rant again and attract flames.

14. Mount archives like removable drives.

I'll get on with it: Nautilus (File Browser) has a new part of it that can manage archives by itself. (I don't know why this happened, and the developers of File Roller must be pissed at Nautilus for taking its job and now becoming an ultimate bloated application.)

But basically, this is how it works: You locate to the archive, right click on it, and press "Open with "Archive Mounter"":

A new icon will appear on your desktop, and it will actually act like a removable drive. You can right-click -> Unmount Volume, you can eject it from the Places sidebar in Nautilus, etc.:

From there, you can just copy and paste the contents, like you've extracted it. This is particularly useful when you have a 1000 GB archive and want to extract one image from it.

(The window to the left is what it is when it's first opened; obviously, it only displays one folder, so I opened that one, which displays the contents in the window on the right.)

15. Jockey becomes THE hardware managing tool.

Wow. Tell me if there's a better hardware drivers manager than Jockey (System -> Administration -> Hardware Drivers) in Linux. With version 0.5 (which is still in beta stage, BTW) you get information if it's been tested by the developers, if the driver license is free, and the best of all, you finally get more printer support!: When a printer is inserted and it will not work automatically, Jockey will select the right driver from http://openprinting.org/ and help you make the best of your printer. Though I cannot produce a screenshot due to the fact that I don't own a printer that doesn't automatically work, here is an overview screenshot:

16. GNOME finally submits to Compiz.

To edit the number of workspaces on your desktop, you just right-click on the Workspace Switcher panel applet, press Preferences, then you can add and remove desktops.
But, of course, if you tried changing it while running Compiz, the terror began. No matter what you changed in the workspace preferences, the number of workspaces stayed the same--that is, until you switched back to Metacity. And the only solution was to install CCSM and even from there, it was difficult because of "Horizontal Virtual Size", "Vertical Virtual Size" and "Number of Desktops". Huh?

GNOME has finally done something about it. Starting with version 2.24, the Workspace Switcher detects if you are running Compiz, and if you are, switches its preferences mode so that the number actually changes.

The current 2.24 version Workspace Switcher Preferences, which didn't change at all from version 2.22:

And the new mode of the exact application above, changed to if Compiz is detected as running:

Neat huh? This is a step in the right direction for GNOME, since Compiz is becoming more and more popular. However, there are still unresolved issues, such as the Compiz Wallpaper plugin, that won't work if Nautilus is drawing the desktop icons (see here for more information).

17. Other Ubuntu-related changes.

The Ubuntu website for version 8.10 is surprisingly ugly and bad. Look!:

The one for 8.04 Hardy is hot and has a very nice style with smooth colors, but this is just ugly! They even forgot to capitalize the "s" in "Ubuntu shop". Bad, bad, bad.

Other than that, a new wallpaper:

Oh yeah, and Human-Murrine got renamed to Human, effectively destroying the old. ugly, and slow theme, Human. The newly renamed Human theme:

There is also a dark theme, called DarkRoom--it was previously known as NewHuman. It's a very nice dark theme, but for some reason, it refuses to display itself correctly on my computer, so therefore I cannot take a screenshot of it.

18. Ability to theme sounds just like appearance.

That's right! All you have to do is 1, make a folder, 2, put your sound files with the correct theming name, then 3, somehow (I am not a themer so I don't know how) make an index.theme file, finally, 4, move it to '/usr/share/sounds', and voila, you just set a whole sound theme in seconds without having to go through the pain of setting each one manually! (Of course, actually making a theme file is not easy. See the full specification for more information.)

19. Quick search feature in Synaptic.

*Clap* No words. No words.

There is also a new feature in Synaptic[in the process of getting the screenshots] that displays, if the package is in Ubuntu Main, a message at the end of the package's description that the package will receive security updates until April/May 2009. If the package is in Universe, Multiverse, or some third-party repository, it will say that Canonical cannot do anything about bugs caused by the package.

Overall, GNOME is getting better, with Ubuntu's choice of third-party applications. But, there are still little setbacks. So let's hope we can see more in the next GNOME.

Notes on writing this article.

This review was done after a successful fresh installation with an Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex final release CD--I am not one of those who rush to be the first ones to review a new product~~--those are losers that update from beta and RC and start writing their reviews the day before the final release--or those are losers that start up the Live CD session and take screenshots from there~~. I have taken a careful look at all noticeable changes that happen to be in GNOME 2.24 and Ubuntu 8.10 and have written this complete overview.
Actually, I had finished this article a few days after Intrepid came out. But it was just the time of uploading and adjusting the screenshots that was the problem. I hope I'm not too late and am behind the hype over Intrepid.

Top 10 improvements Ubuntu should work on

2008-11-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

OK, so I got this idea after I read this article: http://www.internetling.com/2008/10/26/features-id-like-to-see-in-ubuntu-904-jaunty-jackalope/

I'm good at making feature lists, so that's what I'll do. Realistic and actually possible features, that is (also incremental).

1. Set better font by default.

So the theme redesign, didn't come. But can we at least have better fonts? Sure, Sans is good for accessibility, and it can be read by people of all ages. But it's too solid and too geometrically equal. There are variations of the Sans font, (in fact, thousands) that offer the same features with better design.

One particular one that was talked about on an Ubuntu wiki page (that I can't find at the moment) on this subject is Droid Sans. (Test by downloading and copying the TTF files to ~/.fonts) It's not the best, but look here:

2. Better translations.

Ubuntu needs more volunteer translators, and I admit, this isn't really a feature request that can be done just because it's requested. And because this isn't really a feature request, I wouldn't have mentioned it if I didn't have more to say. See the next paragraph.

But that's not all! There are a few default applications that Ubuntu even ships with that can't be translated into any other language than English without manually downloading and editing the POT files! Take a look at USB Creator for instance, it cannot be translated, it's not possible; and even when contributors manually edit the POT file and submit it to the developers, they won't accept it. Same with Cruft Remover (previously System Cleaner) and the Hardware Testing application (by Ubuntu). Hopefully, in the future, these issues will be resolved.

3. Theme redesign.

Even though the UI freeze passed in September, I actually thought Mr. Shuttleworth was going to do something with his hired staff and surprise us with an awesome theme on the day of the release of Ubuntu 8.10. We were fools, no such thing came. And even though it's not bad, Human-Murrine got renamed to Human, and stuck.

I actually am very accustomed to the Human theme. It's fast and flexible, and doesn't get in my way. But seriously, we've been with this for 2 years, can't we get a new design for a change? Orange is good; it's just Ubuntu's implementation of it that is not (Human-Murrine is good, but the window titlebar theme color is yucky and depressing.)

4. Rename Tracker Search Tool to Tracker Search.

Umm, it's under Applications -> Accessories, so wouldn't we already be aware that it's a "tool"? (accessory = tool.) This will obviously break some translations, but that can be easily fixed.

5. Move Take Screenshot to Applications -> Graphics.

Of course, this sounds ridiculous at first; I used to think so too. But Ubuntu 8.10 changed by perspective on this.

In Ubuntu Intrepid, Dictionary suddenly got moved from Applications -> Accessories, to Applications -> Office. It obviously belongs in Accessories, but whatever, it deals with words, so the devs must have thought it belongs there in Office.

Following the same principles of the above action, shouldn't Take Screenshot (which should really be named Screenshot Taker) also be moved to Applications -> Graphics, seeing as how it's related to images, therefore graphics? Duh.

6. WTF.

Doesn't that look ugly? My long username is inserted in there, and stretches the whole menu (my name isn't even capitalized so it looks inconsistent). Why did the devs decide to do this? Don't we already know who we are, especially with the FUSA applet being in the top left corner of our panel? Please take it out, even if it was a GNOME contribution, editing out a little % tag isn't hard.

7. Hide System -> Preferences -> Encryptions and Keyrings.

Why? Because Ubuntu already displays Applications -> Accessories -> Passwords and Encryption Keys, and after opening that, all you have to do is go Edit -> Preferences. Besides, it's Hell confusing! I didn't know the difference between the two when I first tried Ubuntu 8.04 and just disabled them from the menu right after installing.

It was only months later when I stumbled upon a post explaining how to use these two applications that I learned that System -> Preferences -> Encryptions and Keyrings was actually the preferences dialog for Applications -> Accessories -> Passwords and Encryption Keys. Dope.

I want to emphasize my point on why this is confusing and should be hidden by default at all costs. One more point to support my argument:

This is the same thing as adding an entry titled "Movie Playing" in System -> Preferences and it leading directly to Totem's preferences, which can be accessed anyway by starting up Totem and clicking Edit -> Preferences. Meaning? It just doesn't belong anywhere else than in its own application. System -> Preferences -> File Management? Sure, it leads to Nautilus's preferences, but this is a different story; Nautilus is a "graphic shell" for GNOME, which is not like one application that can be opened or closed, so that belongs there as a system preference. I don't know why the devs hid System -> Preferences -> File Management in 8.10 when System -> Preferences -> Encryptions and Keyrings should have actually been hidden. Seeing as how they're right on top of each other, maybe they made a mistake and confused the two?)

8. 100% in agreement: install CCSM by default.

After reading this article, (already mentioned above) I got this idea:
http://www.internetling.com/2008/10/26/features-id-like-to-see-in-ubuntu-904-jaunty-jackalope/

At first, I objected. Why? Because new users won't know the difference between Compiz and Metacity (that's why there's the Visual Effects tab in Appearance Preferences, to keep it simple and conceal the fact that two window managers, Metacity and Compiz, run the desktop, and not to confuse newbies). Plus, CCSM is horribly translated, really lacks descriptions, and is super super complicated and gives every single choice of configuration up to the user. It's overwhelming.

Then it made sense to me. Why not? Does Ubuntu remove gconf-editor (Configuration Editor) because it's too complicated? No! It hides it by default, in Applications -> System Tools, which is also hidden by default. Brilliant! Ubuntu can hide CompizConfig Settings Manager there, and when a user feels the need to overcome his fear of being smacked with a Hell load of options for window managing, he can choose to view it and run it!

Only problem? No space on the ISO. The Ubuntu 8.10 ISO is 699 MB, for God's sakes. And a standard CD that it will burn on is 700 MB. That's 1 MB of space left. Wow, Ubuntu is using all it can.

9. System -> Administration -> Create a USB startup disk. No.

First, the name is irregular for a GNOME application. Create a USB startup disk is not a proper label, it should use the format Adjective Noun, not Verb Noun (same issue with Applications -> Accessories -> Take Screenshot, which should be Applications -> Accessories -> Screenshot Taker). Thus, the name should be USB Startup Disk Creator, or something shorter if possible. This issue is being taken care; see this bug report.

Secondly, this program has nothing to do with system administration and cannot see why it is in System -> Administration. Thus, let us apply the same logic used above with CCSM and put it in Applications -> System Tools as a hidden menu item. That way, new users won't get confused, and it'll always be there for users who need it, and mostly, the menus will be less ugly and more organized: win-win-win.

10. Better menu item commands.

What do I mean? For example, the command in the Menu Bar for System -> Administration -> Software Sources is:

gksu --desktop /usr/share/applications/software-properties.desktop /usr/bin/software-properties-gtk

Do you see the extra "--desktop /usr/share/applications/software-properties.desktop" line when all there needs to be is "gksu /usr/bin/software-properties-gtk"? The reason the "--desktop /link/to/application.desktop/file" is added is so when the GKSU dialog pops-up, instead of saying:

The application '/usr/bin/software-properties-gtk' lets you modify essential parts of your system.

It says:

The application 'Software Sources' lets you modify essential parts of your system.

Which looks less technical and more visually pleasing to the eye.

And yet, for some bizarre reason, Login Window and Synaptic Package Manager do not follow this format. Here is what they are now:

gksu /usr/sbin/gdmsetup

gksu /usr/sbin/synaptic

Here is what they should be: ("-D" is the same thing as "--desktop", but it's shorter)

gksu -D /usr/share/applications/gdmsetup.desktop /usr/sbin/gdmsetup

gksu -D /usr/share/applications/synaptic.desktop /usr/sbin/synaptic

Notes on writing this article.

You noticed there were very little screenshots? That's because there was no need. Yes.

Sorry

2008-11-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

I know I've written nothing in a long time.

But trust me, I'll write a few good posts, I'm preparing them.

Good quality takes good time. :)

Lulz

2008-10-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

Everybody was like "oh yeah this blog rocks your post on gnome features is soo good im bookmarking this blog" and then I posted shit about FOSS and everyone's flaming me and sending me love emails.

I'll stop and post real content equal to my first post in quality and rate of interest. (Plus my rep is at stake, and a lot of people like what I write.)

Official 8.10 release news: where they messed up

2008-10-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

The following statements are bullshit. Ubuntu rocks.

I cannot believe this. I thought only the retarded majority were subject to the influential services of the alpha, beta, and RC release notes of 8.10, in which, an idiot named "Kamion" added a whole new section for the *amazing* new Totem BBC plugin, even when Totem is part of GNOME and should have gone under the section GNOME instead of having its own. Take a look at my previous article on this.

What am I talking about? Take a look at this news article, and notice that it is posted on the official Ubuntu site, with markings of the official Ubuntu copyright, displayed for all to see:

http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-8.10-desktop

Well, what's wrong with it? They're introducing 8.10 to the world, so what's the matter? The author(s) of that article were idiots, that's what. And here are the reasons.

It seems as if the people who wrote that did no research on Linux ever in their lives, and only used the TechnicalOverview as their guide.

3G Support

For constant connectivity public WiFi has limitations. Improvements to the network manager in Ubuntu 8.10 makes it simple to detect and connect to 3G networks and manage connectivity. This connectivity is delivered through an inbuilt 3G modem, through 'dongle' support, through a mobile phone or through Bluetooth. It is a complex environment that Ubuntu 8.10 simplifies through a single interface and the auto-detection of many of the most popular devices.

Take a look at that. It gives no credit to Network Manager and its hardworking team that made version 0.7 (which provides all those features which Ubuntu is boasting about) possible, and proudly claims that thanks to the Ubuntu developers, users will get the ultimate networking experience. It does not mention that Ubuntu has done nothing to help upstream development of Network Manager, except maybe a few tweaks to make 3G networking better; which are, of course, only for the use by itself.

Write Ubuntu to and Install from a USB Drive

Ubuntu has been made available to users as an image for CDs and DVDs to date. But CDs and DVDs are slower, less portable and less convenient than USB sticks. Now, a simple application in Ubuntu will allow users to write Ubuntu to a USB drive, even a modified version of Ubuntu with their data on it, so it can be carried everywhere to plug in and use on any machine.

You've got to be kidding me. The application totally blows, it doesn't even have its own icon (it had to "borrow from Ubiquity") and only losers who don't know anything will actually use it: UNetbootin has been around for ages and is far superior. Plus, look at its menu entry; it's labeled as "Create a USB startup disk". Couldn't they have settled for "LiveUSB Creator" or something? Ubuntu was the worst name I have ever heard, but this is the worst name I've ever heard for an application! Congrats to Ubuntu, for always taking other peoples' work and contributing nothing, and even when you do, for creating useless projects that people don't need!

BBC Content

Starting the media players within Ubuntu (Totem Movie Player and Rhythmbox) launches a menu of selected content from the broadcaster that is free to air. This is a mixture of video, radio and podcasts and available in high quality, much of it playable using non-proprietary codecs. Content is constantly updated via the corporation's stream and will vary dependent on location, though some content will be available for every user.

Latest Gnome 2.24 Desktop Environment

The GNOME desktop environment project releases its latest version which is incorporated into Ubuntu 8.10. New features include a new instant messaging client, a built-in time tracker, the latest Ekiga 3.0 video and audio conferencing tool, improved file management and toolbars plus better support for multiple monitor use with the ability to set screen resolution by monitor.

This is what I mentioned in the first sentence. I cannot describe in words, over the Internet, the stupidity and ignorance of the author who actually didn't know that Totem was part of GNOME. Even if he did, WTF? We're talking about Ekiga 3.0, Nautilus tab support, and File Roller supporting four new archive files. Those are less important than another Totem plugin? And while Nautilus tab support and compact view don't even get mentioned, the BBC plugin gets its huge own section for that? Fuck you, Kamion (revision number 123) your idiotic mind and unneatness has converted everybody's mind into retardedness.

Well the author has made one really good move. What?: They didn't mention Cruft Remover, (used to be named System Cleaner, but renamed) by far the worst mixture of GTK+ coding my eyes have ever gazed upon. Its interface is ugly, it has no application icon, (and it has no plans of making an icon) and again, it's ugly. When you first open it up, it doesn't select the first item, so the description part is blank, giving off a weird distortion of colors:

So I manually select the first item, then it starts looking neater, but still ugly:

But after selecting the first item, it's still bad. There is no Select All option, so I had to select and unselect through 50+ items, which was not a pleasant experience. Ironically, shouldn't this automatically detect itself as a cruft and remove, then purge itself? If this cleaner really did as it claimed, it would remove itself.

First post edited.....again

2008-10-26T01:39:00.000-07:00

My first and biggest post, the list of features GNOME should start working on, has been edited.....again. At first, it was 14, then 19, next, 20 and now, 21. Direct link: Top 21 improvements that GNOME should work on.

Sorry for editing it again and again and again, but new ideas keep coming to me. :)

Criticism of other bloggers (part 1)

2008-10-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

The following statements are bullshit. Linux and Ubuntu and all praises regarding the two are awesome.

I don't want to comment directly on their blog posts and have no one listen to me and get nowhere. So I'm going to post it here.

I'm a very hard criticizer. Sometimes I do it for no reason, and sometimes that brings me embarrassment. And sometimes I've got my facts wrong and completely fall flat on my face. But most of the times, I am right.

http://tuxgeek.me/2008/10/what-should-the-next-version-of-ubuntu-bring-us/

That post should be deleted and all traces removed from all of the Internets. It is epic failure on levels so low I can't even describe it without demonstrating a person, shooting, clubbing, stabbing another person repeatedly again and again. (EDIT: I'm joking.)

As it is, Ubuntu is a great operating system, it’s based on the Unix core, it’s stable, lightweight, secure, we all know that list of features, that’s why we love Ubuntu.

Your reference to the "Unix core" etc. is irritating. I don't like how to the public, Ubuntu = Linux, and whatever is in Ubuntu is "simply amazing" and it's all to Ubuntu's credit. No, Ubuntu patches only those that it uses, and only takes the best of open-source and brags that it has compiled the best into one place. Basically, it has done little (of course it has done something, but still, little) for upstream.

And it wouldn’t be a very complicated task, we already have all the basics in place: Compiz for effects, screenlets and a great array of dock applications. There are all these tutorials out there written by Ubuntu users customizing their box – what would it take to integrate that into the default install? Let’s keep it simple and beautiful.

Next, the writer speaks of improving the theme with screenlets or docks. No thanks, let's stay away from imitating OS X and stick to Linux. Copying Unix with "Linux" was enough. Not all computers have graphic cards powerful enough for Compiz. Apple makes the hardware for their operating system, so they have everything they need; we don't.

Searching the forums and scavenging sourceforge for source code is not a great experience when you’re looking for a scanner driver. We need a central repository or a download site that aggregates stuff like custom madwifi releases and kernel patches; stuff like the Atheros E5007EG in the Asus EEE, doesn’t work out of the box and a user should be able to take a trip to a central site that explains what he needs to do and provides the necessary files. Webcams, card readers, USB gizmos – someone probably wrote a driver – the real challenge is finding them.

Then about a unified Hardware Driver Database. OK, so Ubuntu's Jockey (despite the sexy new 0.5 version) can't detect and download all drivers for all hardware. But for some hardware to work, it requires the editing of system files, which are dangerous and cannot be achieved by a simple DEB driver package install through Jockey (and Ubuntu doesn't want to be responsible for hardware failure, damage, or bursting into flames.)

Please, don’t make us sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras . We all want flash, java and mp3 playback, do we really have to ask for it? Pretty please?

Does that writer know nothing? It's illegal in some countries to own codecs pulled in by ubuntu-restricted-extras. We don't want Ubuntu pulled into lawsuits, so let's stay put as we are.

Taking a look at gOS3 the other day, I thought Ubuntu should really consider at integrating useful consumer oriented applications: goodness out of the box. Stuff like Skype, Wine (the windows app emulator), and Picasa (Google’s photo management software) should be preinstalled. Why? Because they’re extremely useful and make a big difference to the end user; it’s just there. While I may get some haters on my back for saying this, Picasa for Linux is a lot better than F-Spot and so is Google Desktop compared to Tracker. I know, it’s a compromise, and I don’t like closed source either, but ultimately it’s about offering the best experience to the user, right? And I don’t mean dropping off the ‘clean’ image – just create a spin-off that includes all this useful stuff.

Skype? Nope, proprietary. Wine? They can't even include Cheese, a default GNOME module for those with webcams (which many people find fun and useful), but Wine? Wine? Sure, it's a powerful program, being able to run various Windows EXE programs, and it's in the repositories for that. But it's not written in GTK+, and its interface does not integrate at all, and it will be pretty confusing for new users. Solution? Let the Internet be their guide and let them learn Wine as they learn Linux. Picasa is not coded in native GTK+, so again, that's out; the new F-Spot 0.5 is nice, though.

6. A sound engine that works

Don’t ask how many hours I spent trying to get 5.1 sound of Ubuntu using the Realtek ALC883. ALSA, PulseAudio, name your sound server here, are all pretty crappy. Not to mention that it’s a royal pain when the whole system locks up with PulseAudio using 99% of the resources playing a MIDI file.

And you're trying to say what? That's like saying "GIMP sucks. We need Photoshop for Linux." or "Why can't we run EXE files?" You can't just demand something you want, especially that broad, if you're not going to do anything about it. Especially as a request for Ubuntu? Are you serious? I'm literally on the verge of laughing at your whole line of family and origin. Ubuntu never does anything for anybody, especially such a big project as creating a whole sound server!

7. Reader’s choice

It’s your turn; what is bugging you in Ubuntu, what would you want to be changed? Tell us in the comments. Who knows, maybe some developers will see this article, your requests, and actually implement them.

Lulz, this is the kinds of posts that pretend the writers care about your thoughts and encourage you to comment, when they actually don't. Know that for a fact.

http://tuxgeek.me/2008/10/newbies-7-useful-ubuntu-tips/

Now that. Same site, same author.

4.Upgrade without burning the Ubuntu CD - why waste that CD and the time it takes to burn it when you can upgrade from the command line? Downloading all the packages and installing them may take a while, a decent broadband connection is recommended.
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Apparently he is not aware that if one upgrades packages, or upgrade a distribution without the use of Update Manager, every, single, cruft, DEB file, cache, log file, will be left over after an upgrade. (Thanks to Update Manager for being so clean and removing 70% of the cruft.) The author did not know this? Hah! He has no right to write about a subject he knows nothing about.

Err, was that an actual blog post about tips for newbies? Forgive me, but I seemed to have read nothing useful, other than the information about telling them to send their error reports through Hardware Testing. All others one can find through searches through Google: there are other more popular articles that roughly cover the same thing.
Hope you like my hard criticism. I expect flames just like I flamed that guy who wrote the above two articles.

Ubuntu release notes not as official as you think

2008-10-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

A lot of people, when talking about Ubuntu 8.10 alpha, or beta, refer to http://ubuntu.com/testing/intrepid/alphaX or http://ubuntu.com/testing/intrepid/beta when they mention a new feature. In fact, even the writer of the Intrepid Ibex [Screenshot] Chronicles is not aware of the thing I am going to reveal now. Look what he has written in his Ubuntu 8.10 Alpha 6 Screenshot Tour:

· The GNOME desktop is at version 2.23.92 (that means 2.24 Beta 2) and NOT 2.23.91 as the Ubuntu developers noted in the release announcement for Alpha 6 (see the first picture in the first row);

He is simply not aware that the release notes is not written ALL by the developers. All you have to do is edit this page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IntrepidIbex/TechnicalOverview , then some developers take a very, very quick look, and just post it on http://ubuntu.com/testing/intrepid/X.

Wow! How easy, huh? Even YOU can just edit it and your changes would be displayed for all to see!

Strangely, everything emphasized in the "official" release notes, the author of the Intrepid Ibex Chronicles emphasize in his screenshot tours. If I edited the TechnicalOverview page and added a huge section titled "NewHuman theme renamed to DarkRoom", or "Firefox 3.0.3 build9042 updated to Firefox 3.0.3 build9043", he would without doubt write a whole paragraph on the subject in his RC screenshot tour, whereat if it weren't added, he wouldn't even think of typing those words.

Maybe the reason the release notes are always so full of grammatical and absurd mistakes is because of the fact that the page is so well hidden. An example of this is the Totem BBC plugin, which is a significantly less important feature than Nautilus tab support. But somehow, it has gotten its own huge section, when Nautilus just has one sentence under the section GNOME 2.24. This is absurdly out of order, as Totem is part of GNOME and therefore should be under the section GNOME 2.24.

Of course, the final release note for the final release of 8.10 is written by the developers. However, it's not a release note in the normal sense. It has no screenshots and describes no features. That's because Ubuntu's sole purpose of having release notes for final releases is to warn users of known bugs and known workarounds.

UPDATE

I forgot to include information regarding screenshots in the 8.10 release notes. Did anyone notice that in the alpha, beta, RC screenshots that there was NO screenshots? Another credit to the TechnicalOverview page being so well hidden.

Top 21 improvements that GNOME should work on

2008-10-19T07:15:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the year again. A new version of a new application released, and it didn't include what you wanted. This time, it's GNOME.

(Note: these are incremental requested improvements. So don't be surprised when such a small topic that can be easily implemented as "Show only hidden files." makes this list.)

1. A better eject and unmount.

I thought of this after I saw a project on GetDeb, namely, Ejecter.

Sure, KDE has a panel applet for this (set next to the menu by default in Kubuntu,) and there's one for GNOME too, called Disk Mounter! But GNOME doesn't have it set by default, neither do any of the distros that run it, so its usefulness dies.

What we need is a panel applet in the Notification Area, (not just a panel applet, an applet in the Notification Area) with only the name, the description, and a simple, easy-to-see-and-click Eject/Unmount button. I am aware that Nautilus recently got eject buttons for removable media in its Places sidebar. But what for those not using the Places sidebar, and those not aware of right-click -> Eject/Unmount Volume? There's got to be something else.

Well, here's a panel applet in the Notification Area, and offering a pop-up (like in the screenshot above) for quick unmounts. What a cool and helpful solution. The only one of the two problems currently with is that Ejecter is an application. This should be a service, that should be editable in System -> Administration -> Services.

The second and bigger problem is that after executed, this application sits in the Notification Area waiting for a device to be plugged in, just taking up panel space. What would be remarkable is if it ran silently in the background, and after detecting a removable media, makes an entry in the Notification Area. Then it disappears from the panel again after the last removable drive is detached and it goes back to running in the background. (This is like how "update-notifier" runs in the background and after finding available updates, appears in the Notification Area informing the user of available updates.)

This would allow removal of right-click -> Eject/Unmount Volume and the eject buttons in the Places sidebar of Nautilus.

2. Show only hidden files.

There are times when you've edited 20 text files and you want to get rid of the ~ backups. Well I had to press Ctrl+H and right-click -> Move to Trash 20 times. You bet I don't want to do that again. This is a service improvement that will not receive much attention but will truly be useful when the time comes.

Perhaps this is too complicated and there is no simple way to display this in Nautilus's Preferences or in Menubar -> View. Fine, then. At least let us set this option using GConf Editor.

* Also, View -> Show Hidden Files should not be the only way to show hidden files. I think there should also be a right-click (on an empty space in Nautilus) -> Show Hidden Files also.

3. Implement changes you can configure with GConf Editor into separate applications' preferences.

I really don't get why some things can only be configured with Configuration Editor. I know new Linux users might be confused at the load of options if every, single, changeable option was in the preferences dialogs, but can't we at least have a tab named Advanced, and everything stashed away there?

For example, advanced permissions. Right now, the only way you can configure to show advanced permissions is through "gconf-editor." But how about just adding an "Advanced" checkbox button at the bottom of the Permissions tab of the property of a file in Nautilus?

And what about the / -> apps -> nautilus -> preferences -> show_desktop? That should be an option labeled as "Show icons on the desktop" in the Preferences.
And better yet, / -> apps -> nautilus -> desktop -> volumes_visible. Why the hell isn't that in Nautilus's preferences as "Show mounted volumes on the desktop"? I have to do this when I want to take screenshots for certain things and need a clean desktop. I say, System -> Preferences -> File Management -> (uncheck) Show mounted volumes on the desktop would be hell lot of faster than Alt+F2 -> gconf-editor (enter) -> / -> apps -> nautilus -> desktop -> volumes_visible.
This one has me baffled: why do I need GConf Editor to let my Computer, Home, and Trash icons on the desktop? Window XP/Vista switchers will be confused as they will have been used to the Trash always on the desktop. (Default GNOME has the Computer and Trash set on the Desktop, but there is no way to reverse the change without the use of gconf-editor, so same problem.)

All the above mentioned (except the advanced permissions one) should be incorporated into Nautilus's Preferences, under a new tab called Desktop.

4. "Take Screenshot" needs improvement.

With GNOME 2.24, came the ability to include your cursor in the screenshot or not:

And of course, the new "Copy to Clipboard" feature, also:

Wow. *Clap* Amazing. GNOME's strict rule on being simple really prevents innovation. Now let's turn to third-party; more precisely, let's take a look at GScrot:

It's the ultimate screenshot taking tool for the GNOME desktop. Of course, the UI was taken from Vista's Snipping Tool, but its usefulness defeats that. With GScrot, you can cut a snip of your desktop, you can configure the default image format that it saves in, and plus it supports plug-ins. And the coolest, it can take a screenshot of a webpage, all you have to do is type in the URL. If this power-house tool got into official GNOME, that would shock the world.

But...GNOME's philosophy of "let's be simple, not innovative" again prevents this, and GScrot does have kind of a complicated UI, plus some of its wordings and menu items go against those of default GNOME applications. But that can easily be fixed. In fact, GNOME doesn't need all of GScrot's functionality. All I would like is the ability to save in JPG format too, and also be able to make a selection of what I would like to take a screenshot of.

P.S. The name is really bad. I give it two thumbs down. "Take Screenshot" is just not a very good name. It's like naming "Movie Player" (Totem) Watch Movie or "Sound Recorder" Record Sound. It could at least follow the basic naming rule and therefore be "Adjective Noun", not "Verb Noun". Screenshot Taker is the least it could be named to improve.

5. Show icon on panel when extracting or compressing file.

With GNOME 2.24 came Nautilus as GVFS back-end, which brought more reliable file transfers. This also brought a new feature, that when you moved or copied a file, an icon appeared in the Notification Area, and a window would pop-up showing the progress of the operation. You could minimize the window to the panel, and the icon would automatically disappear after the file(s) finished copying/moving:

File Roller needs to do the same thing when making an archive, or extracting a file. I don't like how only a window pops up, showing the progress, but not letting me minimize to the panel while I do something else.

The strange thing is that with GNOME 2.24, Nautilus can actually view the contents of archives without direct aid from File Roller (although I think it uses it as back-end when doing this.) Because of this, Nautilus can't do anything File Roller can't do, and can actually do something more: You can view the contents of an archive and copy one file from it; while with File Roller, to copy even one file, you have to extract the whole archive. I wouldn't be surprised if File Roller disappears and its functions merged into Nautilus. That would be bloat, but it would be easier to implement the above-mentioned feature.

6. Merge Keyboard Shortcuts into Keyboard Preferences.

This no-brainer has been requested for months. I'm not sure if merging the two items is difficult or not, but it sure as heck would make the desktop a whole lot neater.

Let's check the differences, shall we? First, note that there are two different applications to manage Keyboard-related things, when the latter could just be a tab in the first. (System -> Preferences -> Keyboard and System -> Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts.)

Here is what it is now:

Here is what it could be (mock-up): (I erased the Mouse Keys tab and put in its place Shortcuts. I know it looks horrible, I'm not a very good GIMP user)

7. Replace EOG with gThumb, or at least provide support for animated GIF images.

Wow. Are we in the 21st century here? The default image viewer in the most popular Linux desktop environment doesn't even support one of the top three most-used image file?

In fact, looking at the version number and the help Contents gThumb has in GNOME's Help Browser, it seems that this was once an official module of GNOME, replaced by EOG afterwards.

8. Even when no CD/DVD is in drive, Eject should eject.

There are times when one is new at GNOME. He opens up Nautilus and goes to computer:/// and right-clicks on the CD/DVD Drive icon and presses Eject...only to get an error message stating that there is no disc in the CD/DVD drive:

This really makes no sense. Even though I cannot find it at the moment, there is a single command that can cause your CD/DVD drive to eject, even when it is empty. This would be really easy to implement: Just program Nautilus that when it senses there is no CD/DVD, make it run that fall-back command, which will cause the empty drive to eject. Done.

9. Accept Beagle or Tracker as default search tool of GNOME.

If you are using a distribution that ships GNOME with Beagle or Tracker, having Applications -> Beagle Search or Applications -> Tracker Search Tool (and System -> Preferences -> Searching and Indexing) and Nautilus's Places -> Search for Files... really makes the computer look messy and its menu items out-of-place. If GNOME accepted either search tool, Nautilus could integrate Beagle/Tracker into Nautilus's Ctrl+F and Places -> Search for Files..., which would end in better search results, as Beagle and Tracker are more advanced in that category.

Look! There are three ways to search for files!: Beagle or Tracker, Nautilus and Nautilus (and Tracker Preferences)

Even already Nautilus is cluttered. It has two ways to search for files even within itself? What is this absurdity?

I have read somewhere that this is already done, and Nautilus uses Beagle or Tracker to search for files if they are installed. But still, this is not complete, as mentioned before, Nautilus has its own Search for Files... dialog, which needs to be completely removed and the command replaced by "beagle-search" or "tracker-search-tool".

10. Show tabbar in Gedit only when necessary.

Like all web browsers' behaviors, the tabbar should only appear when there are two or more active tabs. If a person wants it to appear always, he should be able to change it in Edit -> Preferences. But at other times, for the sake of space, the tabbar should be hidden.

11. Rewrite Gedit's plugin manager.

If you have noticed, Gedit's plug-in manager is rather unique. It is merely a tab in its Preferences dialog:

While its companion GNOME applications, such as Totem, or Rhythmbox, have a whole new dialog just for the management of plugins:

Obviously, this is no serious issue, but creates a giant hole between the consistency of the look and feel between GNOME applications--say, official GNOME modules.

12. Regarding Totem's three Previous, Play/Pause and Next buttons.

I have noticed that these buttons do not have text beneath them even when the Interface mode is changed to Text below items in Appearance Preferences:

Rhythmbox:

Totem:

Even though it is pretty obvious which icons serve which purpose, this is a serious problem and doesn't integrate at all with any other applications.

13. More options regarding quitting.

For GNOME Power Management Preferences, there should be more options.

For instance, for the option When the power button is pressed, all choices: Lock Screen, Suspend, Switch User, etc. should be present in the drop-box, not just Suspend, Hibernate, and Shut down; because you never know what the user wants to do. Same for When the suspend button is pressed.

Same thing for When laptop lid is closed. I would like my screen to lock when I close my lid, and the only easy way I could configure that was through installing a third-party application (Ubuntu Tweak.)

And I also think a whole new program should be built from the ground up just for preferences of Lock Screen, Log Out, Hibernate, etc. Use cases? Well, when I have a password wrong in Lock Screen, I do not want it to waste my computer's precious battery just so that it can shake the dialog box and say the password is wrong. I also want options to disable others from leaving messages and user switching during my screen is locked. Etc.

14. Err, what happened to Rhythmbox?

I have a question for readers: Is Rhythmbox a part of official GNOME? Its project website is hosted by GNOME and it integrates seamlessly with the GNOME desktop, but its numbering system doesn't follow the GNOME format. If so, why hasn't its numbering system changed?

15. Better organization of Places in the Menu Bar.

The default menu (Applications Places System) in default GNOME desktop and many distributions that use it: it needs a cleanup.

First, I am not even sure why the CD/DVD Creator is in the Places section. I know it's part of Nautilus and GNOME's effort to tightly integrate everything, but what does a CD/DVD creator have to do with places and files? Better put that in Applications -> Accessories. It doesn't matter if that it is actually Nautilus and it is a file manager also. If it's an application that's not related to places and files, it should go under Applications, not Places.

And I never fully grasped why the Trash is not displayed there also. In fact, after GNOME developers read this and move CD/DVD Creator to Applications -> Accessories, they should put Trash in its place. I cannot express how important this minor change-up is, because Computer = Trash to many Window XP/Vista converters.

Remove GNOME's Search for Files... and replace with Beagle or Tracker. See number 9 above.

A way to customize the Places bar. See below.

16. A better menu editor.

There used to not be a menu editor for GNOME. But with GNOME 2.16, some kid thought it'd be nice and created Alacarte. It was the answer to thousands of prayers by GNOME fans.

God is good. And so is Alacarte. You can add menus, you can add submenus, and you can add subsubmenus; and you can also add menuitems. But there are still flaws in it. The biggest? Say, when I move items up or down, it takes extraordinarily long and gets unresponsive.

I need a way to edit the Places section of the menu! Perhaps the creator didn't do this on purpose because the Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos part is managed by Nautilus's Bookmarks. OK, so take that out. But I really need a way to hide CD/DVD Creator (wait, why is that there? seriously?), Network, Connect to Server..., Search for Files... and Recent Documents. I don't use them.

Great mock-up, eh? *Grin*

17. Ability to save fonts with theme and wallpaper.

Some themes look only good with certain fonts. GNOME's Accessibility themes do this, (well they forcibly change the fonts instead of asking) but I am not sure how. People who read this will be dumbstruck at how they didn't think of this before, and will marvel at how true this is.

This would be so awesome if it happened.

18. Cut (right-click -> Cut or Ctrl+X) makes the mime image of the file transparent.

This would require some compositing, but seriously, an average Ubuntu install uses up at least 400 MB of memory, and if you've got that much RAM, it's likely you've got a graphics card that can support enough compositing to make about 30 pixels on the desktop a bit transparent.

Windows does this and I like it. Well everyone likes it. Everyone wants it. This is over and over suggested on Brainstorm; (Which I find idiotic and thoughtless. what can Ubuntu do? If Ubuntu implemented it, so be it, Ubuntu benefits and its derivitives benefit, that's it. But if GNOME implements it, everyone benefits from it (because everyone uses GNOME)) and it's so obvious how benefitial this would be that I can't even express it.

19. "Compact" view option.

No, I'm not talking about Nautilus. Sometimes we have small screens, and I am not sure why, but the GNOME interface insists on being big, and making its application menus spatial and wasteful. I had to install GNOME Color Chooser (gnome-color-chooser) to change my whole GNOME desktop into "Compact" mode. Look! The difference!:

Normal:

Compact:

I made a mock-up for this. If this was implemented, GNOME should put it under the Interface tab of Appearance Preferences.:

20. GUI for font adding/removing.

I know, "mkdir .fonts && cp /path/to/fonts/*.ttf ~/.fonts" is easy, but new users will have a difficult time installing fonts. GNOME really really needs to make an "Add..." button in the Fonts tab of Appearance Preferences.

OK, so there are applications that distributions ship for this. But for tight GNOME integration, this needs to exist in gnome-appearance-properties.

21. Quit "60 seconds..." actually count down.

So, the new GNOME 2.24 has redesigned its quit choices, splitting it into three parts: Lock Screen, Log Out, and Shut down. Clicking the latter two will bring up a normal window that offers more choices. And of course, the latter two will display "You are currently logged in as [username]. [You will be automatically logged out/Your system will automatically shut down] in 60 seconds."

Well the problem is, the 60 seconds part, it stays frozen the way it is. Shouldn't it literally count down, 59, 58, 57, etc., letting the user onto the situation instead of making him panick and wonder how many second's passed, and making him quickly close the dialog?

Notes

Sorry for not using the default Clearlooks theme. After I finished writing this I noticed it but I didn't want to make the screenshots from scratch again. I was just so used to always taking screenshots with the default Human theme (for other posts) that I completely forgot that this was GNOME.
Mostly a lot of blogs tell you at the end of their posts "Now we've given you our so-and-so. It's your turn. What do you think about so-and-so? What have we forgotten to include? Share it in the comments!" But you and I know that nobody cares about the comments and nobody reads the comments. They're only there so the public thinks that the author(s) care(s) about the readers and so that they come back to their site. Yes, I have revealed one of the most ultimate secrets of blog commenting. (:D)

Thanks for reading my first post!

UPDATE

Added 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Lots more good stuff!

UPDATE 2

Mock-up for Compact View configuring added to 19. Also, can't believe I forgot GUI font installing, number 20 added.

UPDATE 3

Lulz, I keep adding to this. Number 21 added.