Ubuntu 11.04 review

Here's yet another review of Linux's most popular distribution,Ubuntu's latest release, Natty Narwhal or 11.04 in numbers.

Since its release in 2004, Ubuntu is designed to make Windows-Linux transition much easier. With GUI in almost all(if not all) part of the installation process, the installation is made much more easier. One may be tempted to say that installing Ubuntu is easier than installing MS Windows(I mean the current Windows 7).

The live-cd/live USB enables one to test-use the distro to know if this distro is suitable to use or it's a hateful,scary experience of Linux to most Win users. I would find the enviroment very pleasant. My wireless works out of the box,and that means my internet is ready before I found it. The desktop effect works without any tinkering and I can go straight to double-click my HD movies and play them without any lag or high CPU usage.

Anyway,I installed it and the installation was done in less than 20 minutes.Downloading the updates and the restricted drivers took more time though, no thanks to my slow internet.

Actually I can give my reviews straight away because USB stick (I booted from an USB stick) does give a performance close to my internal hard disk.But to give a fair review,I proceed with the installation.

I would say that it's very easy to use and to get used with,especially if you have a fairly decent hardware.Anyway if you don't, there are tons of Ubuntu derivatives out there such as Lubuntu and Xubuntu,just to list a few. I would definitely recommend this distro to any Windows user looking forward to try Linux.

But if you're looking to learn linux in detail, then Ubuntu may not that suitable for you. I'm not sure if it's my "Slackware user syndrome" illness popping up, but in Ubuntu environment , I dont feel like doing what most linux users do, which are editing config files, typing commands in console,compiling software from source (But I don't like compiling everything from source) . It feels restrictive, too modern, too Mac-like with it's Unity menu and launcher.

I have heard about Ubuntu breaking down after updates, but I can't verify this because I have just used it for a day,and I don't have the feel to use it anymore.

In a nutshell:

Hardware Detection : 57/60 (Bluetooth does not work)
Correctness of distro according to it's philosophy : 9/10
Responsiveness of distro : 18/20
My personal rating : 4/10

Total Rating : 88/100

So that means in overall rating, I do look highly on this distro, despite that I don't like this distro personally.

Hardwares specifications

My hardwares are as follows:
1.CPU - Core2Duo T6500
2.Chipset and Graphics - GM45 chipset.
3. Memory (RAM) - 3GB
4. Networking hardwares : Built-in Realtek rtl8167 ethernet card,Dell Wireless 1397(Broadcom 4312) , Bluetooth card ( bcm 2046b1).External tools include a Ralink wireless card (rt2500) and a TP-Link tl-422g wireless card(Atheros ar9271).
5.A webcam.(I don't really use that webcam now so it's ok if that does not work.)
6.Alps Touchpad (Usually synaptic will take care of the touchpad)
7. HD Display(resolution of 1366 x768)
8. An USB mouse.
9.Laptop keyboard.
That's about it.I can go on to include millions of transistors and capacitors but it's not they are important in my reviews.
The hardwares are not impressive to show, but these hardwares serve me well for 2 years and counting.

Reviews guidelines

This is how I review most(if not all) of the Linux distros here in this website. I will give a rating from between 0% to %100 (0% being the worst,and 100% being the best). The weightage is given as follow.

1. Do my hardwares work OOTB(out of the box) ----> 60%
(This part will test how many hardwares is working without any major compilation such as kernel recompilation etc. And since I do watch a lot of HD movies, and my hardwares happen to be working as a notebook,I will test HD playback quality and the function of sleep/hibernate as well.)
2. Does the distro work well according to the philosophy the creator states ---> 10 %
(If the creator wants the distro to be fast,I will test if it's fast or not. So if the creator wants it to be like......"simple",I will test if it's really "simple")
3. Is it fast IN DEFAULT SETTINGS ------------------------------------------------------->20 %
(A lot of distro fanboy here say that their distro can be very fast or a graphic thrower. But throwing such a statement is like saying my Toyota can be faster than a Ferrari;it's pointless. Therefore, I will not tweak the major parts such as the kernel,the startup script or/and the booting process.)
4. My feel about the distro --->10%
(Please note this is purely subjective to my feel towards a distro. You may ignore this part if you feel that my view is different from your view.)