GreatFeaturesOfUbuntu

Revision 39 as of 2006-02-13 21:28:35

Introduction

This page is to compile a list of 10 great features of Ubuntu to be used in a flash animation which will be shown during the installation process. See [:UbuntuExpress/GnomeUserInterface:the spec]. This page contains a list of features, with some text to accompany potential animations, and a storyboard for each feature to show the general effect of each animation. In most cases screenshots have been added to the storyboard (the screenshots have been done of the whole desktop). Where this has not been done, it is due to a breakage, and this has been noted in the relevant section.

The aim is of the animation is:

to highlight very cool features in Dapper and in Ubuntu in general. We should identify the ten coolest features, whether they are general Gnome / KDE features or Linux features or features in new versions of apps being installed, or just things that Dapper does really well, and find a nice way to illustrate each of those.

List of Features

So far the content on this page is very much in draft form. Please feel free to suggestion improvements to the text and other features in Ubuntu which fit the aim, as stated above.

Access the Internet

Ubuntu includes the well-known Firefox web browser, which safely and securely gives you access to the world wide web. In this release, Firefox allows you to rearrange tabs with a simple drag and drop action. Ubuntu also includes Evolution, a comprehensive and powerful office organiser. Evolution can manage your email, calendar and contacts, and your appointments are shown on the desktop calendar.

Storyboard: Show Applications/Internet menu ([attachment: menu-internet.png screenshot]); launch firefox, open a few tabs ([attachment:firefox.png screenshot]); Open Evolution at mail screen ([attachment:evolution.png screenshot]); add some appointments and tasks, show desktop calendar ([attachment:gnome-calendar.png screenshot]).

Create office documents

Use OpenOffice to create business presentations, spreadsheets and word processing documents. The new version of OpenOffice in this release includes good compatibility with Microsoft Office (TM) documents.

Storyboard: show Applications/Office menu ([attachment:menu-office.png screenshot]), and open the sample data spreadsheet (screenshot); open the sample data presentation and word processing file (screenshot).

Notes: sample data has not been fully added yet, so this may have to wait.

Add/Remove Applications

In Ubuntu, you can install and remove software securely and simply. You can choose from hundreds of software packages built specifically for your system in the Ubuntu software catalogue, and with the click of a button Ubuntu will download them and install them. And it’s all completely free.

Storyboard: Click on "Applications" menu ([attachment:menu-applications.png screenshot]). Open Add/Remove Applications from that menu ([attachment:gnome-app-install.png screenshot]). Expand X category and select X application, hover mouse over apply ([attachment:gnome-app-install2.png screenshot]).

Organise files

Organise your work more efficiently with the Nautilus file manager and Places menu in Ubuntu. Nautilus is designed specifically with efficiency and ease of use in mind. When you add bookmarks to folders on your system in the filemanager, these appear automatically in the Places menu. The same goes for any mounted internal and external hard drives, cameras, music devices, network servers and more.

Storyboard: Open Places menu ([attachment:places.png screenshot]), Open nautilus and add bookmark ([attachment:places2.png screenshot]), plug in camera/IPOD, reopen Places menu ([attachment:places3.png screenshot]).

Update Notifier

Software updates are automatically announced with a small red icon. Ubuntu will display, review and install them easily, ensuring your software is up to date and secure.

Storyboard: Hover mouse over red icon notifier (screenshot), click and enter password, select updates, hover mouse over Apply (screenshot).

Translations

Ubuntu is available in over 40 languages, from Arabic to Xhosa. Adding languages to your system is simple with the Language Selector application. Simply tick the box by the language you require, and the languages will be downloaded and installed automatically.

Storyboard: Open Language Selector from administration menu ([attachment:language-selector.png screenshot]); select a new language a click apply ([attachment:language-selector2.png screenshot]); Login with a different language, preferably with a funky alphabet (screenshot of desktop)

Notes: The last of these needs to be done after translations are working and merged - right now this is not done in dapper

Contribute to Translations

If you want to contribute to the Ubuntu effort, you can help translate the applications you use with one click.

Storyboard: Open an application (nautilus), Open Help menu ([attachment:launchpad-integration.png screenshot]), click "Translate This Application", browser opens ([attachment:launchpad-integration2.png screenshot]).

System -> Help

You can access the system documentation through the Help program. This contains guides for all the programs which come with Ubuntu. There is also the Ubuntu Desktop Guide to answer any questions about using your Ubuntu desktop, and the Ubuntu Server Guide for server-related questions. This is your first stop to begin learning about Ubuntu!

Storyboard: Open System -> Help (screenshot); Click on Ubuntu Desktop Guide (screenshot; Go to Common Tasks - Music (screenshot)

Notes: Yelp is broken at the moment in Dapper, crashes so these screenshots haven't been done yet.

Community

Ubuntu also enjoys an enormous and diverse community. You can access the online documentation, ask questions on the web forums, chatrooms and mailing lists, read about community news on The Fridge, and share ideas for improving Ubuntu on the Ubuntu wiki.

Storyboard: Screenshot of each of the above? Open http://ubuntuforums.org in firefox ([attachment:forums.png screenshot]), Open xchat-gnome and select Connect, then Ubuntu Servers ([attachment:xchat-gnome.png screenshot]); open http://fridge.ubuntu.com in firefox (screenshot); open https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HelpingUbuntu in firefox ([attachment:wiki.png screenshot]).

Notes: the fridge has broken tabs on firefox at the moment, so screenshot hasn't been done yet.

Manage and Play Music

With the Rhythmbox Music Player, it's easy to manage and play your music files. Rhythmbox has an easy to use music browser, searching and sorting, playlists, and supports internet radio and even your IPOD. The powerful Gstreamer framework means that Ubuntu supports many types of music file.

Storyboard: [todo]

Rationale: According to [http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/feature/16836.html this] survey, an itunes equivalent is the fourth most requested application by users.

CD Burning

With the Serpentine Audio CD Creator, you can make audio cds from your ogg or mp3 music files. The user-friendly program design makes it easy to use, and the powerful Gstreamer framework means that it supports many types of music file. Simply drag files into the window from your file manager and click write to disk, it's that simple!

Storyboard: Open Serpentine Audio CD Creator ([attachment:serpentine.png screenshot]); open nautilus with some audio files (screenshot?); drag files into Serpentine window ([attachment:serpentine2.png screenshot]); insert blank CD and click "Write to CD" (screenshot).

Accessibility

Ubuntu ships with a range of assistive technology applications from simple high visibility themes to screen magnifiers and screen readers for the visually impaired to keyboard enhancements and an on-screen keyboard for those with motoric difficulties. These features can be enabled from the very first boot screen.

Storyboard: Boot screen with accessibility options ([attachment:AT-boot-menu.png screenshot]), install and open screen reader (screenshot), install and open screen magnifier (screenshot).

Notes: at-spi appears to be broken at the moment on dapper so these screenshots are missing.

Thin Client

Rationale: Ubuntu has excellent and quite unique thin client support, but very few people know about it. It's one very useful way of deploying Ubuntu in a corporate environment, but right now the people who know about it best are the people using EduBuntu.

Ubuntu can be setup to run as a thin client server. This allows you to use a fast central server for applications and files, and to use older or lower-power computers on the desktops of your users. A single server can handle the applications of up to 40 users. This greatly reduces your total management cost, as software upgrades need to happen only on the server rather than on every desktop.

Storyboard: instead of using screenshots, we should develop a flash sequence that illustrates the thin client concept.

USB Live Boot

You can create an Ubuntu system on a USB stick. Boot from that USB device on any modern computer and you have a complete desktop environment ready to run! This is a great way to test Ubuntu on a new computer, or to carry a useful desktop environment and files around with you. Use it for hardware and network diagnostics, or to show Ubuntu to your friends on their computers without actually changing their software installation.

Storyboard: again, develop a sequence which shows the idea of a USB stick booting on a computer to an Ubuntu desktop.

Shipit

Want a few cds to hand out to friends? Running an event and want to be able to showcase Ubuntu? Shipit can ship you Ubuntu cds at no charge, anywhere in the world. These professional printed and packaged will help you turn heads

Storyboard:

Free and open source software

NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN