Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) Predictions

Posted by Jeff Weisbein on April 19th, 2008

Now with the release of the latest version of Ubuntu only 5 days away what better time then now to make predictions about the future of the Ubuntu Operating System. So lets get down to it, shall we?

1. Linux (more specifically, Ubuntu) for the masses - not happening (at least not yet). While I feel the Linux community has come extremely far in development in the past few years, especially Ubuntu it is still not there yet. Issues such as Xorg’s multiple monitor support-or lack there of. If you cannot easily configure multiple monitors on a Linux based system without editing configuration files then you’re not there yet. I know that this feature was supposed to be available in Xorg 7.3 which is what ships with Ubuntu 8.04 however, I could not get it working during my testing. Also, during while I was testing the beta I decided I would try and configure Google Talk with voice chat capabilities so I could talk to my girlfriend while at the computer - good idea right? I mean, I use Google Talk with my girlfriend religiously every day to talk to her. One small problem, I literally had to jump through hoops and dependency hell to even attempt to get the voice capabilities working at all. Considering this is something I rely heavily on for communication it just is not going to fly well with me.

2. Ubuntu will start to appeal to a wider range of people than ever before. Hardy Heron will absolutely bring an influx of new Linux users aboard - even if it is just to try it and get some experience with Linux. Hardy Heron will be pumping a number of new features out that I believe will bring about this wide expansion of users. The one I am referring to specifically is Wubi.

3. Ubuntu will start to emerge as a common platform in the Operating System market. I believe with the release of Hardy Heron you will see more applications and hardware (perhaps) packaged for Ubuntu as with Windows and OSX. The developers that have shied from Linux in the past will start to look at the operating system more seriously in terms of development for applications and software.

Let me know what you think, leave a comment! What predictions do you have (if any)?

Tags: Linux, ubuntu

Vadim P. said,

April 20, 2008 @ 12:49 am

Doesn’t 8.04 sport a utility for handling multiple monitors easier? I thought I read about that somewhere.

As for predictions, it looks like Ubuntu is steaming ahead quite well. I do hope there’ll be less of the “Use a *real* linux distribution” opinions and the “oh, compiling is easy” answers.

hitest said,

April 20, 2008 @ 10:32 am

Good predictions, Jeff:-)
I agree. Linux has come a long way, but, is not completely “there” for the masses. I am very much encouraged that major hardware companies like Dell and Asus are getting behind Linux.
I think that the upcoming death knell of XP may encourage some people to at least take a look at Linux.
Ubuntu is progressing nicely!

Jan Stedehouder said,

April 20, 2008 @ 10:48 am

LOL. Indeed, the mass of computer users is struggling with multiple monitors. No, a niche of computer savvy people is playing with multiple monitors. Most of the every day users are glad to work on one. And Google Talk isn’t really the most used IM application out there. If you want to set goal posts to determine whether Ubuntu Linux can hit main stream, perhaps some more mundane goal posts are in order. ;-)

ajshaker said,

April 20, 2008 @ 12:03 pm

hope Ubuntu makes it there and remain free.ubuntu’s progress is the biggest adv over xp or vista.well even if ubuntu makes it there as alternative,ppl will always want a MAC.

Caraibes said,

April 20, 2008 @ 2:23 pm

You & your girlfriend could use Skype to talk everyday. While it is a non-free app, you can get it at no cost, and it is cross-platform.
Just add the Skype repo to your sources.list
;)

marty mason said,

April 20, 2008 @ 9:29 pm

hi jeff yes i agree with your comments
it is not there yet to the masses
but people like my self
who have little tech knowledge
it is such a complicated procedure to find things
the
the package sys is an example
how do you find what to install and uninstall
ive spent 3 days trying to make firefox work
but ime having troubles
and i cant find any where to fix this problem
so ime getting discouraged
marty

Joe Anderson said,

April 21, 2008 @ 1:59 pm

Ubuntu will never be popular. People hate change

Jeff Dickey said,

April 25, 2008 @ 10:44 am

I’ve noticed that all the “Linux isn’t ready” and “who wants a Mac?” FUD has really changed tone in the last year or so…. Previously, it was a seemingly-defensible, sort-of-logical argument against leaving the Microsoft collective. Now the tone has changed. Instead of “Nothing but Windows is ready for the masses”, it’s becoming “Nothing but Windows will give me the bragging rights that I’ve ‘earned’ by all the years and money I’ve invested in Microsoft dead-end technology.” or “Nothing but Windows will give me the weapon of fear-of-the-unknowable that I use to keep my clients/users docile.” I’m sorry, but in the real world, those are no longer - if they ever were - acceptable reasons to keep shooting yourself in the head with Windows. If I had a dollar for every hour I’ve wasted working around defective software in or under Windows, I might not be able to retire, but I could pay the rent for a few years. People are looking for something - damn near anything better, and have realized that there really are alternatives that provide better security and stability, lower cost, better productivity, more enjoyment - pick any four. Microsoft is the Senator McCarthy of the software world…. Have you no shame, sir? Have you no shame?

Anish Nambiar said,

May 27, 2008 @ 3:12 am

Public acceptance might take some time till we have more corporates joining the bandwagon…there is no easy way to be on yahoo messenger, google talk (GOOGLE does use a lot of open source so they should try to get a LINUX READY GTALK edition). I would love to get my entire family on Ubuntu but till these small niggling glitches are sorted out it would be some time before they do. And of course,being a gamer, would LOVE to see some SOLID titles for Linux as the stability provided by Unix based OSs is unparalleled!

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