Count Ubuntu's "Four sins"

Ubuntu is currently the most popular Linux Desktop release. According to Canonical estimates, UbuntuLinux has 12 million users worldwide. Ubuntu is free and can run more than 10 thousand applications. It has an active community where the website provides everything you want to know, including beautifully crafted tutorials, payment options. However, I often hear complaints from my friends and colleagues about Ubuntu. This article will list some of them. First, I want to declare that I am a loyal Ubuntu fan and I have been using it for five years,

Ubuntu is currently the most popular Linux Desktop release. According to Canonical estimates, Ubuntu Linux has 12 million users worldwide. Ubuntu is free and can run more than 10 thousand applications. It has an active community where the website provides everything you want to know, including beautifully crafted tutorials, payment options. However, I often hear complaints from my friends and colleagues about Ubuntu. This article will list some of them.

First, I want to declare that I am a loyal Ubuntu fan and I have been using it for five years. Even so, it makes me feel painful, in some cases, it should be improved.

Why is it important?

When you talk to people who criticize Ubuntu, they often suggest you change the OS. After all, there are many other Linux and BSD releases.

The popularity of Ubuntu means that many vendors preinstalled it on their own machines, and mainstream media also like to evaluate it. Everyone may try it, it has won the first place in the DistroWatch website for six consecutive years.

Ubuntu plays an important role in the entire Linux community. Its Criticism and complaints will not only affect users who are using it, but also those who are not using it. So what are common criticisms of Ubuntu? Which of the following is what I often hear ....

I. It is very bloated

Check whether it is bloated or compare it with some objects.

Is Ubuntu bloated than Windows?

The following table compares the requirements of Ubuntu and the latest three Windows Versions:

Note: The information comes from the Microsoft and Ubuntu websites, and some web articles and personal experience are added. The above table shows the concentrated content. Microsoft has released multiple Windows versions. This table only lists the most common versions. The Windows price refers to the full-featured version price. In the internal storage column, the first number indicates the Minimum Memory requirement, the second number indicates the recommended memory size for optimal performance.

Regardless of the measurement, Ubuntu and Windows are not bloated. I wrote this article on a Pentium IV Computer 7 years ago. It has only one single-core processor, clock speed 2.4 Ghz, 768 MB DDR-1 memory, Ubuntu 10.10, this computer cannot even start Vista or Windows 7. It can run Windows XP well, but XP is already a version more than a decade ago.

Is Ubuntu bloated than its previous version?

Ubuntu system requirements refer to product resource requirements. This demand has been increasing over the years. The following table only lists memory requirements:

Note: This is an official Ubuntu system requirement. The memory requirements provided by some websites are somewhat different. For versions 10.04 and later, the recommended memory size is 1 GB.

These memory requirements and the recommended minimum 1 GHz processor mean that any computer purchased in the past 7-10 years can run Ubuntu, And I have successfully run 10.xon four or even three computers. Through this test, people may not post a "bloated" label to Ubuntu.

Is Ubuntu bloated than other Linux releases?

Linux releases are generally divided into three types: full size, medium size, and lightweight. Ubuntu is full-size.

Most full-size releases include multiple versions. Their standard products usually require four or better processors with 512 MB-1 GB memory. Of course, even if your hardware configuration is lower than these requirements, you can barely run it, but it is not recommended to do so.

Medium Release versions, such as Zenwalk and Vector Linux Standard Edition, have lower requirements than full-size releases. They can run smoothly on Ben San and MB machines.

Lightweight release, such as Puppy or Vector Linux, can run on a machine with a configuration of MB or lower.

To enhance competitiveness, a full-size release usually provides a version reduction with lower hardware requirements. For example, Ubuntu provides Lubuntu, and PCLinux OS has PCLinux OS LXDE and other variants. Mint can run lightweight guis, such as LXDE, XFCE, and Fluxbox.

Compared with other full-size Linux distributions, Ubuntu is not bloated. If you like lightweight products, try Lubuntu. Lubuntu only requires half of the full-size Ubuntu memory, 1/3 to 1/2 disk space, and the requirements for processors are also very low.

2. Lack of Enterprise Integration

This is primarily because of complaints from large organizations. The system administrator needs a single control point to automatically manage and monitor remote Ubuntu desktops. The Landscape provided by Canonical can meet this requirement, but it has limited ability to solve major integration problems. System Administrators of many large enterprises may ask, How about single-point logon for logon, email, and network access? What about the directory server? What about Kerberos Network Authentication and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) support? How does one coordinate information management across clients and Server products?

Microsoft is a competitor in this field. Its full range of clients and Server products can be seamlessly integrated. Server products include activity directories, Exchange servers, and SharePoint servers, client products, such as Windows desktop, Outlook mail client, and Office suite, can be seamlessly integrated with server software.

Canonical has two methods to challenge Microsoft's client-server seamless integration advantages, which can:

1. directly compete with Microsoft's directory, email, and information management services.

Or

2. Integrate Ubuntu Desktop into the Microsoft ecosystem ready for most enterprises.

For the second option, Edubuntu is in progress, but it is not completed yet. It uses Kerberos, LDAP, and other standards to help complete integration.

A System Administrator summarized the situation:

"Microsoft is still the winner in the desktop market. Not because it is easier for most people to run Windows on an independent PC, but because it is easier to create an Active Directory to work with Outlook and Exchange. Although Ubuntu also provides directory service tools, the usability needs to be improved ."

The following is a summary by a management consultant. Its customers need to manage 50-desktops:

"Ubuntu won't succeed in the Enterprise until there are active directories, Exchange and Outlook competitors ."

In the battle against Attachmate for Novell, Canonical eventually broke down. Novell has many excellent products, such as eDirectory and GroupWise, that can work with Ubuntu. The Linux advantage of Canonical, coupled with the Directory Service of Novell, can be deeply integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem, so that the competitiveness will be great.

Cloud computing may improve integration. Enterprises may shift their attention from internal server integration to cloud services, which is also the basic premise for Google Chromebook.

In any case, Canonical needs to recognize the key cause of Enterprise resistance to Ubuntu and propose a clear solution to overcome it, which needs to be promoted throughout the IT community. But so far, no action has been taken.