I use my Lenovo T400 Thinkpad as a work laptop but also as an experimental machine on which I put and delete various Linux distributions and software. At various times I’ve had Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE on the computer, though most often Ubuntu, and that’s what is there now.
Because I always seem to be in the state of configuring and testing the machine, I don’t usually take it on the road with me, because I don’t think of it as stable. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but I haven’t always thoroughly made sure I put everything on it that I might need and then test it.
So after about a dozen of these cycles of install, configure, install something else, reconfigure, I’ve decided that I’m going to keep just one distro on it and live with it for a few months, both in my home office and on the road. The distro I’m using now is Ubuntu 9.10 and I’ll keep it for a while.
I’ve used the machine set up this way on and off since October, but since the beginning of the week it has been configured for work. Here are a few observations, especially with respect to my various work on the desktop in earlier installments.
- I don’t really need an automatic wallpaper changer since I rarely see the screen background on the laptop.
- For some reason I can’t get Ubuntu to connect to my Snow Leopard iMac printer, though at various times in the past it has worked. There should be a button that says “connect to you Mac printer” – it is still too hard.
- I’m still getting the hang of using multiple workspaces under Gnome, and I think the Mac probably handles the notion more smoothly. I should use Ctrl-Alt-Tab or something to find my apps more quickly. Wish I could get all open apps to appear on all workpace lower panels. (A setting somewhere?)
Update and solution from Brian Warner: Right click on the double dotted line handle to the left of the minimized windows in the bottom panel and choose Preferences. Then select “Show windows for all workspaces”. - Generally, I’m feeling that there is more clutter than I would like when I have all my apps and a dozen Firefox tabs open. Time for a rethink. Is this just in contrast to the Mac or am I not working optimally on the given desktop?
Update: The Tree Style Tab Firefox addon provides nice functionality to put the tabs on the sides and automatically shrink the tab bar.
Also see: Life with Linux: The series
Glad to hear that you are going to use Ubuntu in anger. My wife and I have been using Ubuntu since its first release (Windows free all that time!) and have not looked back.
A couple of things.
To de-clutter things you can group apps together. This may be a bit cleaner . It’s in the same place as the other setting suggested by Brian.
Another way is to enable the Scale plugin in Compiz. This is not just eye candy but equivalent to Mac OS X’s Expose. All windows from all workspaces will be visible and then click the one you want. This can be enabled in all sorts of ways, but I prefer having the cursor move to the bottom of the screen and then click the middle button or a key to activate.
Dude,
I fell in love with virtual desktops around ’00(enlightenment’s pager…). There’s nothing like it.
Your keep mentioning Mac, well i’ll tell you. all apple has done usability wise is to manage multiple applications per desktop. Well all that usability goes out the window with multiple desktops. The “spaces” they added or whatever.. is a retarded version of the concept.
Add a pager to your panel (Ubuntu got one per default with 2 virtual desktops i believe). Make it so that you about as many virtual desktop as you got applications.
Now, put one application in each. **Wham** Now every application is clutter free, available 1 click away (1 click on the relevant desktop in the pager)
I look at it with 1 workflow per desktop. At this point i remember them, so i know desktop 1 is full of terminals.
I know that my 2nd desktop is irc+im+skype, gee.. i browse my files/network with desktop 3. desktop 4 is surfing. i got my music (i.e. amarok/exaile) on desktop 5. and so on and so forth..
Add session support into this mix, your computer will boot up with the same applications, on the relevant virtual desktops every time you turn it on (you might not but oh well)
It amazes how people manage to clutter up their stuff. It really really does.