The Linux Art Geek

As April 28th approaches we find ourselves closer and closer to the next official release of Ubuntu. Along with the familiar package swapping and some under the hood changes, we’re receiving one of the largest updates I’ve seen in quite some time to Ubuntu: A new graphical user interface (GUI).

In an attempt to freshen up the old Gnome 2 GUI, Ubuntu has been introduced their own home brewed GUI known as Unity. Just so it is clear, Ubuntu is not completely casting of from Gnome. In fact, all of your old gnome tools are still there. However, Ubuntu was not interested in pursuing Gnome Shell as the new GUI. This controversial move sent some ripples into the community and was further propelled by the fact that they did most of their development of the GUI in secret.

So, onto the real question: How will Unity affect you and your workflow?

Visual Appeal
At first glance, I would describe unity as beautiful. The updated icons, the transparent menu bar, the dark and bold color choices are all very visually appealing. As a fresh install, Ubuntu looks extremely sleek and professional. But, there is also still plenty of room for customization. Ubuntu is further developing and using Compiz Fusion to allow users to customize their work environment and all of your familiar customization options are still in place to help you add your own personal flair.

Speed
When I talk about Unity in terms of speed, I’m referring to how easily and quickly can a user navigate the menu system. How long does it take them to load their favorite programs. In a sense, I’m referring to usability. However, I’m also splitting some of this issue off into practicality.

In terms of how long does it take to load a program or find a menu item, users take a hit. Instead of organized menus, users now only have a graphical icon bar. You have to scroll over the icons for names and you have to search through. If you are looking for an installed application, you have to select the applications icon (left to open & right for categories) or press the windows key. If you know the name of your application you can type it in. But, lets say (worst case) you don’t know the name or category. You now have to scroll through a list of all installed applications. which easily total 70+ before you begin installing your favorite programs. In my opinion, it is much less user friendly than gnome 2.

But, I do have to give Unity this fact: Users willing to take the time to customize their menu bars and learn the shortcut keys will find the navigation much faster than Windows and on par with gnome 2. The new layout makes it faster to complete common tasks.

Practicality
Unfortunately, this is the area in which I feel Unity needs some major improvements. The auto-hiding left menu bar gets in the way. Sound contradictory? Try opening a program at full screen that takes advantage of the left side of your desktop. Or, just organize menus on your screen so that they have to share space with the menu bar when multi-tasking. It becomes a partial war with the menu bar that I’m not overly fond of.

I also feel like the new layout will turn off new users. Yes, it’s more sleek and stylish, but it takes longer to get accustomed with your computer. Instead of reading through a menu, I have to scroll over icons and hunt for my programs and files.

There is one last note I have in general terms. The new layout makes my entire computer feel more like a mobile device. This may be a bonus to some people, but for me my Android phone is for a quick task on the go. My computer is where I get the real work done.

Overall Rating
I would give Unity a 6/10. As a comparison, I would give Windows 7 a 5/10 and Ubuntu 10.10 using Gnome 2 an 8/10. Unity has some potential, but it needs to allow users room to adjust their desktop layout. And maybe, with enough gripes, it will eventually get there.

As a side note for Ubuntu Studio users, Ubuntu Studio will not be making the immediate switch to unity. They will continue to use Gnome2, but warn users to expect problems with the anticipated updates to both Ubuntu and Compiz. For users not ready to make the jump, this may very well be your port in the storm.

Also, in my research, I ran across a good general reference page for what’s going to be happening to the workflow in Ubuntu Studio for 11.04. Check it out and maybe even get involved in voicing what you believe should be included.

Ubuntu Studio Workflows
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuStudio/Workflows
I’m honestly a bit surprised to see a list like this, but I’m glad it exists. The purpose of the Ubuntu Studio Workflows is identify commonly performed tasks and address the tools and steps needed to complete them. Please note, this is not an in depth guide, but rather an overly simplistic start. If you want to get started on a project and don’t know which tools to use, this may be a great starting page. You might also want to check out my recommended software page.

Admittedly, I’m a partial skeptic when it comes to working from a cloud. It’s not that I don’t believe that we can’t or that it won’t be practical in the future. It has more to do with the present limitations in space, bandwidth, and cost. It seems impractical for a majority of users to migrate all of their work from their local computer to an online system. And despite my skepticism, cloud computing is already here and quickly growing.

We are already seeing the benefits of migrating smaller bits of data that are easily stored such as our contact lists, bookmarks, and documents. Even larger collections of data are beginning to be stored online such as games. We also have media in mass through sites like netflix. Google has an entire operating system known as Chromium, that is dedicated to cloud computing. As time marches on, we will continue to see more of our data centralized and available to us from anywhere.

And since cloud editing already has its foot in the door, let me introduce you to a suite of editing applications.

Aviary
http://www.aviary.com/
Aviary is a collection of tools that allow you to edit photographs, vector images, and even music. Despite being able to run completely within a browser, you have some very advanced editing capabilities. The tools themselves are very simple to use and very streamlined. I would describe them as a refreshing take on many of their professional counterparts because how streamlined these tools are. What’s even better is how well these tools can interact together to create a full scale multi-media project.

Although Avaiary tools can be run from their website, if you use Google’s Chrome browser, you can install the Aviary tools as applications. However, take the time to see just how powerful these tools really are by watching a few of the videos. As an example, here is one of their videos using the vector image editor, Raven:

Aviary Vector Editing Demonstration.

This past semester, I’ve learned one very important lesson: Semicolons can make a grown man cry. It’s not the sight of one, but forgetting to put one into your code/script/etc. It’s amazing how much your code can be FUBAR if you forget to include one at the end of a statement. So, don’t forget to validate your code.

And this semester, I’ve learned about the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It’s a great site about web standards that includes a validation service.
To view the general site: http://www.w3.org/
To use the validation service: http://validator.w3.org/

For anyone interested in learning more about web languages, I suggest you check out w3schools. I found myself using this site almost daily this past semester. It’s a great supplemental knowledge source. You will find very practical demonstrations of tags, great snippets of information, and even certification programs.
http://www.w3schools.com/

Unfortunately, the past few months have been rather chaotic for me. On top of the full course load I had last semester, I found myself very tied up and with little free time. When this happens, my side projects such as LAG and Love & Warfare take a back seat. I don’t enjoy doing this, but I have a very strict set of priorities. So, once again, my apologies, but you can expect to see new articles in the very near future!

So, for anyone that’s curious as to what’s happened these past few months, I’ve endured some additional Army training and activities. The kick off to all of this was my Riso training. My laptop has had about half of it’s internal parts replaced, I’m still in the midst of a very bad sinus infection, Trickster Studios has received a complete graphics overhaul as part of class, and I’ve seen both ends of the country. I’ll have Trickster Studios up as soon as I fix one or two issues the site has when being loaded with Internet Explorer.