So Whatever Happened To That Ubuntu Article?
by Ryan Smith on October 28, 2008 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Ryan's Ramblings
At some point I made the mistake of trying to set a hard date on our Month With Ubuntu article; Mr. Murphy wasted no time in using that as proof of his infamous law.
You guys have (rightfully) been asking over the last few months where the article has been, and the answer to that has kept slipping. Just about everything that could go wrong in the 6 month span did go wrong, most of them unrelated to Ubuntu itself. For what I'll leave as simply "external" reasons, Mr. Murphy has continually thwarted my attempts to write a comprehensive Ubuntu article, until now.
The article is just about finished, and the goal right now (however unlikely it may be) is to get it out no later than the 30th, the release date for the next version of Ubuntu, 8.10. This creates a clear problem with timing, so allow me to explain the hows and whys.
The decision has been made to finish the 8.04 article, as that's what I have been using for nearly the last 6 months. Switching to 8.10 would effectively invalidate much of the experiment, and push it back once more. As 8.04 is a long term support release, we feel that it's best to start there, even if the article ends up outdated by the release of Ubuntu 8.10. The short life cycle (and short support cycle) of non-LTS releases means that we're uncomfortable basing too much on a revision of Ubuntu that was never meant to last.
You guys have (rightfully) been asking over the last few months where the article has been, and the answer to that has kept slipping. Just about everything that could go wrong in the 6 month span did go wrong, most of them unrelated to Ubuntu itself. For what I'll leave as simply "external" reasons, Mr. Murphy has continually thwarted my attempts to write a comprehensive Ubuntu article, until now.
The article is just about finished, and the goal right now (however unlikely it may be) is to get it out no later than the 30th, the release date for the next version of Ubuntu, 8.10. This creates a clear problem with timing, so allow me to explain the hows and whys.
The decision has been made to finish the 8.04 article, as that's what I have been using for nearly the last 6 months. Switching to 8.10 would effectively invalidate much of the experiment, and push it back once more. As 8.04 is a long term support release, we feel that it's best to start there, even if the article ends up outdated by the release of Ubuntu 8.10. The short life cycle (and short support cycle) of non-LTS releases means that we're uncomfortable basing too much on a revision of Ubuntu that was never meant to last.
What you'll be getting is a comprehensive review of 8.04, looking at both the structure of the Ubuntu project (support, release schedule, the bundling of software, etc) and the applications and experience of using the OS. If there is a positive side to the delay, it's that the article that we'll be publishing now is different than what we would have published on our initial schedule. 6 months has changed some things; some for the better, others for worse. In retrospect the article we would have given you would not be as refined as it should be, there are some things about Ubuntu that simply don't become evident inside of a single month. So look forward to a long-term review of a long-term release.
In turn this will set the stage for 8.10. Whether we will review every Ubuntu release from here-on out is in the air, but it is unfair to look at only 8.04 when it is no longer the newest version. We will be publishing an addendum dealing with 8.10 some time in November, after we've had a chance to sit down with it and get a good feel for it. And that will allow us to offer a comprehensive look at Ubuntu, both from a long term perspective and a bleeding edge perspective.
Beyond that, this will mark a return to some kind of regular Linux coverage here on AnandTech, so stay tuned to see what else we have cooking.
Oh, and one last thing. While we're on the subject of Linux, today only Codeweavers is giving away free copies of Crossover, their commercial version of WINE. Their servers are already gutted, so this is probably a mean thing to do, but if you're a Linux user (or a Mac user) wanting to check out a well-built WINE distribution, head to their site and grab a free copy of Crossover and/or Crossover Games while you can. We'll be touching on WINE and Crossover in our Ubuntu 8.04 article, as a way to cope with the loss of certain Windows programs.
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quidpro - Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - link
Whatever happened to LOTS of things at Anandtech? Guides? Reviews? Where'd it all go?marsbound2024 - Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - link
Excellent question. I think the answer is "apparently" in the article though... Murphy's Law you know. Heck whenever anything happens why not just say that? You overslept... Murphy's Law... You forgot to write your research paper... Murphy's Law. But hey, with computers it always seems to be Murphy's Law with me.ioannis - Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - link
Thanks for the update. Your decision to stick with 8.04 makes sense. I'm glad to hear that there will be an update on 8.10 as well and that you are planing for more frequent Linux related articles/reviews.cheers
n0nsense - Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - link
Nice to see you coming back to Linux world (or bringin Linux world to others)As for the 8.10 and 8.04 ... I (lets say long term Linux user that hates Ubuntu when it come to customizations) felt lost in the 8.10 since there are few quite big changes (like moving X configuration of VGA Card and input devices from xorg.conf to X itself ) So it can be very interesting comparison.
Pottervilla - Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - link
Thank you for your decision to continue using 8.04. I added a copy to my dual boot for the purpose of following along with your review--all independent attempts by this windows locked user to get along with Linux have so far failed--and it is a hassle to mess with.Also, thanks for the crossover links--it makes up for the lateness of the review. :)