Comments by "Gilad Barlev" (@GSBarlev) on "Rethinking The Ubuntu Linux Desktop Installer" video.

  1. I actually applaud Canonical* for aiming for a default installation that targets providing 90% of users with 90% of the software they need. IMO, the default suite should contain, beyond the base "server" installation of systemd, apt, snap—fine, because we're Canonical—etc - That flavor's desktop environment with its preferred settings configurator - Graphical "software store" - File browser - Terminal emulator - bash, Python, curl, wget, git, nano and vi[m] - graphical plaintext editor (gedit/kate) - Web browser - PDF reader and CUPS printer / scanner suite - Image viewer (*not* a photo "manager") - Simple music / video player - Font manager - LibreOffice because since the majority of people still don't export documents and slide decks to PDF, users still need a way to view (if not edit) those files without uploading them to GSuite. But that's probably it. No IDE for sure, no GIMP, no Shotwell, no iTunes clone, no Steam, WINE or Lutris, and no email client, because who the heck uses an email client in 2023?! *wow, I don't say that every day
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  2. Just a quick note that if you can do it by a checkbox, you should be able to do it by a config file as well—if you're, say, configuring a whole computer lab, you shouldn't need to resort to Ansible if you want push-button deployment. As an example of this done right, the OpenGApps installer has a setting to remember (or import) the last selection of Google Suite apps and services you chose. That's stored in a config file somewhere and easily ported between machines without needing to explicitly specify your full package list or sync via an Ubuntu sign-on.
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  3. I haven't even looked at Abiword in years—how does it compare to Libre when it comes to viewing docx? You're probably right that unless you're a student (who is likely stuck in GSuite) you probably aren't loading PowerPoints or spreadsheets too often.
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  4. Eugh, Lord save me from photo and music "library" apps. I have an organizational system, it's called file folders Sorry for the salt, but when I click an mp3, I just want it to play—I do not want iTunes or its Linux clones to spoil up, import the file and append it to a playlist.
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  5. I understand the desire to leave off LibreOffice—it's big and consumes a lot of system resources. But if you need to open a docx on your 32-bit single-core laptop, the alternative is doing it in the browser, and that is way worse
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  6. Did this stop being a thing at some point? It used to be that distros like Ubuntu offered a "minimal" or "network" ISO and then "LiveCD" which, as it was meant to be runnable on airgapped systems, contained the full software suite without assuming you could access the internet.
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  7. It's a shame that VLC can't be installed by default with most distros (due to codec licensing concerns).
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  8. I thought the issue with VLC was codecs and licensing—like, even with distros that don't have a problem with non-FOSS in their official repos, I thought there were legal reasons it couldn't be included in the base install without having to send MPEG-LA a nickel every time the ISO was downloaded. If that's not the case, then I really don't get why more distros don't ship with VLC installed by default...
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