At work, I have a bunch of Ubuntu Servers with over 300 TB of space. But I don't have anything small and portable I can just hack Ubuntu on. So I decided to resurrect my boss's old laptop and give Ubuntu a whirl. Here are some of the system and usability issues I had with Ubuntu Desktop 10.10 on an Ultra Light Sony Vaio (vgn-txn15p) that bug the heck out of me.
The problems I had and their fixes.
1) Stupid thing won't sleep.
fix - add "blacklist tpm_tis" to the end of "/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf"
2) Can't find that stupid program, and I don't want to drill down the stupid menus to find things. Why can't I just type something in some search text box and find what I need like in Macosx and Windows 7?
fix - install deskbar-applet "sudo apt-get install deskbar-applet"
right click on a gnome panel and put it on the bar. Open up deskbar preference and select your Loaded Extensions of choice. I like Calculator and Programs, to me everything else on that list just confuses me.
I love this little applet because I've found so many programs on Ubuntu that I didn't even know was there. Like Login Screen. I always thought Ubuntu was insecure in the way it handles usernames, why is there a list of people I can easily see on the login screen (gdm)? So in Login Screen, I can turn it off. Yeah!
3) Terminal is painful to use in it's current form. Why can't I hit a button and have a terminal window, then hit the button and it's gone?
fix - guake "sudo apt-get install guake"
Now, I feel like a true Linux hacker. Terminal power at a touch of a button. Sweet!
4) How do I sync all my files with all my other computers?
fix - dropbox (referral - Please use this link so I get goodies. Not money, just extra space.) Just follow the Ubuntu installation process with .deb. Easy as pie.
Watch the video, I love dropbox. I have it on the 20+ computers I use regularly... You can get 2gb free just for signing up!
5) Battery is dead.
fix - Buy a big ass extended battery. You'll be happy. I get 7-10 hours on a full charge.
6) Tuning.
fix - install powertop to optimize my power consumption. "sudo apt-get install powertop"
Ever want to know what's eating all your juice? Follow the directions and you'll be hacking longer...
Conclusion...
Well there you have it. After doing the stuff above to help me through the pain of using Ubuntu on an Ultra Light. This current setup almost makes me want to use my Sony Vaio over my Black Macbook. If Ubuntu was rock solid like my mac, I would definitely make the switch...
I'll probably post something about the different distro I used on this little ultra light, later. But this is a good start. Let me know if you have other little tricks to make life easy on Ubuntu.
Take care!
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