Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Online Upgrade Review: Don't Expect the "Avengers" Part 3

Categories: Linux

IMPORTANT NOTES

1.  Bootup and Shutdown - Ubuntu Unity 12.04 LTS continues to shutdown and startup faster than openSUSE or Mandriva, but doesn't really have a leg up over a well-maintained Windows 7 machine or an iMac with the same hardware specifictaions.  In what is perhaps an anomaly on the Lenovo Ideapad Z360 or Nvidia Optimus-powered laptops (see #4), Ubuntu has an unusually long wait after Grub that almost feel like the OS failed to load.  As a plus, however, the login screen is much more attractive with the current wallpaper magically loading in the background.     

2. Fan and Heat - Ubuntu has had issues with my Ideapad Z360's fan.  The noise is quite audible at times (almost as loud as a desktop) and depending on the duration of uptime, the system can get uncomfortably warm.  There is a marked improvement in 12.04 in terms of fan noise and heat management but it is still not as good as Windows 7.

3. Battery and battery indicator - Battery life and the battery indicator continue to be a concern in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS when installed on the Lenovo Ideapad Z360.  I've written about the odd behavior of the battery indicator in my previous Ubuntu review.  It is no longer as erratic but an exact battery life is still hard to figure out using the indicator.  Ubuntu still consumes battery at least 2 times more than Windows 7 on the same machine.  Like before, I have a notion it's still due to the Nvidia Optimus system on the Z360 (see #4).  I hope to explore the battery life in future tests but in anecdotal use, Ubuntu 12.04 matches the previous release's battery duration (which wasn't really impressive).  12.04 on the Ideapad is pretty much limited to finishing an episode and a half of True Blood or Spartacus before indicating it requires a power source.  

4. Nvidia Optimus/Geforce card Support- This is more of an Nvidia and Linux issue in general.  Due to the lack of proprietary drivers for the Nvidia Optimus graphics-switching, Ubuntu 12.04 LTS will not run with all the bells and whistles on the Ideapad Z360.  Switching to UMA Graphics only in the BIOS (which switches off the Nvidia chip), doesn't make any difference in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.  It seems that Linux distributons will never be able to make full use of the advantages of an Nvidia Optimus-powered machine which is a sad waste of the 1GB discrete card on the Z360.  What's worst however is that this issue impacts the desktop experience (#1) and battery life (#3).

5. Sigil, Calibre, Gedit, Shutter, Firefox, Chrome and every other application installed before the 12.04 online upgrade ran like normal, but Skype continued to have issues in Ubuntu 12.04 and triggered the second error message after the Video Lens crash.

6. Onboard - Will this virtual keyboard, which also appears whenever a user locks his computer, be standard once Ubuntu gets on tablets?  It's functional enough on a laptop but really doesn't distinguish itself from Android or iOS's own keyboard.

12.04 Assemble!

Avengers was preceded by well-crafted films about members of the team.  Ubuntu's previous releases were well-made and ready.  Avengers, in theory, should have been a colourful failure with such an odd assortment of genres, characters, and concepts.  The expectations for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, on the other hand, were extremely high for users expecting Linux's most recognizable distribution to come up with something big.  Avengers is currently the hottest superhero flick on the planet; Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, even with all the media surrounding it, is somewhat a tepid cup of coffee for longtime Linux users.

Despite all the doom and gloom regarding Ubuntu's recent trials over Unity and competitor Linux Mint, Ubuntu is still at the top of the Linux pantheon.  12.04's careful improvements will ensure that Ubuntu is still the flagship Linux distribution out there.  For Ubuntu fans, this 12.04 release is recommended not because of any groundbreaking improvements but due to it's long-term support from Canonical.  Updates will continue over a longer period of time and the Ubuntu community will continue to support (and write) about 12.04 for some time to come.  

Unfortunately, Ubuntu 12.04 Unity is not the best distribution for my Ideapad Z360.  The error messages for Unity and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, although benign, is still alarming considering Ubuntu never had errors before.  Moreover, old school users like myself have yet to grow accustomed to Unity even though I've been using it for more than 6 months now.  HUD was a big DUH and no other groundbreaking developments make 12.04 distinguish itself from other unique distributions out there.  The online upgrade to 12.04 from 11.10 was a success, but the resulting system was perhaps not a welcome one.