Ubuntu-12.04

[vinnywright]

So I got bored as h311 this week and decided to install Ubuntu-12.04 (on a testing partition)to see just what all the wining about unity was about ......

well it didn’t take an hour before I was sick of it .....I mean really they say Kubuntu isn’t "intuitive" just what is that statement supposed to mean anyway ?

I couldn’t find any configuration utility that wasn’t so dumb-ed down that it mite as well not be their to begin with (ok maybe that’s going to far but still) I would say
that kubuntu IS infinitely more configurable/customizable in a point and click kind of way than unity ever dreamed of being.

and all I really wanted to do was play with compiz-fushion some ........and it wouldn’t even work with unity (ok I may not have tried hard enough) and I will go back and try some more and post back.

what I finaly did was install all the gnome stuff I could find in synaptic (and ya I had to install synaptic as well) including gnome-session-fallback to give you a gnome-classic log in and set GDM instead of lightdm then after rebooting and choosing gnome-classic at log in and running "compiz --replace" in a terminal (which crashed the desktop and required a log out/in) I had something that resembled a old ubuntu with compiz running..........................and I still don’t like it

BUT my grandson will probably like drawing fire on the screen and seeing the wobbly windows and the windows burning in and out and 3d windows above the cube with gears spinning inside it...............Baaa

there is just no comparison to the look and feel of my beloved Kubuntu ..... and the wide range of configurable options.
yes I do like some of the extra I candy that compiz gives over Kwin but it isn't worth the bother really, in the long run kwin has enough and even looks cleaner in my opinion

VINNY

[SteveRiley]

I couldn’t find any configuration utility that wasn’t so dumb-ed down that it mite as well not be their to begin with

Ah, but you see Vinny, GNOME doesn't believe you should need to configure anything. Don't you dare go trying to think outside their box!

[SecretCode]

Computer users - all of them, not just new or novice ones - get horribly confused and scared when they become aware of the opportunity (let alone the need) to customise something on their computing devices. GNOME (and Unity) are courageously following Apple's lead in protect poor defenceless users from this unacceptable danger.

In some not-too-far future release, they won't even be able to change their desktop wallpaper.

[vinnywright]

Ah, but you see Vinny, GNOME doesn't believe you should need to configure anything. Don't you dare go trying to think outside their box!

LOL ....yes it shure seems that way

SecretCode

Computer users - all of them, not just new or novice ones - get horribly confused and scared when they become aware of the opportunity (let alone the need) to customise something on their computing devices. GNOME (and Unity) are courageously following Apple's lead in protect poor defenceless users from this unacceptable danger.

In some not-too-far future release, they won't even be able to change their desktop wallpaper.

almost that way now isn't it ..................................but I did find this http://askubuntu.com/questions/13523...e-ubuntu-12-04 not as easy as Kubuntu and I haven’t tried it yet ..........but guess it still possible at least

VINNY

[SteveRiley]

In some not-too-far future release, they won't even be able to change their desktop wallpaper.

Exactly. Because the ability to change wallpaper is fraught with risk, organizations should implement security policies that prevent users from performing this vital function.

[SecretCode]

(a) That's quite a few steps a hapless sys admin has to work through

(b) I don't see much wrong with organisations who own desktop PCs and make them available to staff for work purposes locking down the wallpapers and screensavers and system sounds and other cosmetics, as well as more serious system and app security details. (As long as they don't expect said staff to be innovative or creative.) It's when the commercial vendor sells a device and still expects the same kind of lack of user freedom that it gets a bit much.

[SteveRiley]

Being too aggressive with lock-down policies creates an environment rife with what I call circumvention vulnerabilities. I saw it happen hundreds of times during my consulting days. When security policies are so tight that people feel stifled or actually can't perform a decent workflow, then they start looking for ways to get around the controls. This detracts from getting work done, creates a culture of mistrust, and often results in the exploitation of configuration vulnerabilites. So ultimately such lock down efforts backfire.

[SecretCode]

That's true. For many years I've resorted to bringing a separate laptop into projects at companies like that. "No you can't join it to your domain and apply your security policies because it's already part of the consulting company's domain." Or "... because it's running Linux!"

In recent years, of course, permanent employees have been demanding to use their smartphones and tablets on company networks, and forcing companies to rethink their security in terms other than a hardened firewall perimeter and a "no risks here" free-for-all internal network. The distinction has been misleading since ... well, since floppy diskettes, never mind USB memory sticks.

[SteveRiley]

I think the BYOD movement is a good thing. It's forcing IT to think about how to remain relevant.

Do you follow the Jericho Forum at all? They've been championing the borderless network notion for a long time. I'm a big fan.

[SecretCode]

Yes, it's a good thing ... I just wish it had been around 10 years earlier when I (and fellow consultants) were already trying to Bring Our Own Devices.

I think it's disappointing that so many companies appear to follow vendors' leads (and the computing press, which is largely a mouthpiece for vendors) instead of thinking for themselves. They wait for Microsoft or Symantec or BMC or whoever they have an established relationship with to say yes, here's a tool that will address your BYOD security needs (until then, the vendors just seem to say here's an official policy recommendation that it's too risky and you should prohibit it). So few companies seem to have actual control, in the ISO 27001 sense, with assessed risks and properly linked mitigations / countermeasures.

I wasn't familiar with the Jericho Forum - this one: The Jericho Forum ? It sounds like good stuff.

[SteveRiley]

re: ISO 27001 and controls... dude, yer speakin mah lingo. Admit it: you're a closet policy wonk too! Let's form a support group.

re: Jericho... that's the one. They grok infosec policy in ways few others do. And they also have the benefit of being right. Therefore, they're sometimes criticized; ignore the whiners.

re: me posting at this crazy time of night... insane. I got "drafted" into a drum-and-bugle line for the Seattle Seafair Torchlight Parade next month. First practice is in six hours. I will be marching with this crazy French horn bugle pitched in G, which completely horks my brain! Nighty-night; the G&T is kicking innnnnnnnnnnnn......................

[SecretCode]

Support group duly constituted. Let the wild risk assessment begin!

[K-Project]

Spent quite a bit of time with Ubuntu Unity, versions 11.10 and 12.04. I like it, it works and looks nice. But I sort of realised over time that it wasn't really for me. I'm not the most technically gifted Linux user by any stretch, but I do like to have some control over how things work or look. You really can't do any of that stuff without any consequences in both Unity and Gnome 3. They present a locked down experience to a degree I haven't seen in Linux before, and while I can appreciate the aims and I am not strictly against their plans, I have to solemnly concede that it's not for me.