Elementary OS 6 Odin released on a 'pay what you want' basis
- Reference: 1628767744
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/08/12/elementary_os_6_odin/
- Source link:
It seems that every other day another Linux distro comes along, claiming to be an easy to use alternative to commercial offerings, and likewise Elementary is billed as a "thoughtful, capable and ethical replacement for Windows and macOS."
The first look of Elementary OS is appealing, with a somewhat Mac-like Dock, a striking desktop background, and a minimalist user interface. There are some puzzles, though: for example, how to write a review when there is no LibreOffice or equivalent, just a programmer's editor called Code (and no, not the Microsoft one).
[1]
Elementary OS 6 'Odin' is now available
A trip to the AppCenter left us no better off, with a sparsely populated section called Office that lacked anything suitable. However, there is a paragraph in the introductory tutorial titled Sideload. "You can download Flatpak apps from third-party sources like Flathub," it said, warning that such apps "have not been reviewed by Elementary for security or privacy."
Another option is to open a terminal and "type sudo apt install libreoffice", which did the trick. Still, this does seem a lot to ask of novice users. FlatHub would have worked for LibreOffice too, and turned out to be what we should have used to get the most from the OS.
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Elementary, like [3]Zorin OS , is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (long-term support), but where Zorin supplies a generous bundle of popular applications, Elementary seems keen to point users towards its own ecosystem. This is distinctive in that both the operating system and its store (the AppCenter) adopt a "pay what you can" approach where the user types in the amount they will pay, from zero and up.
[4]
[5]
"Thanks to our pay-what-you-want model, elementary, Inc. now has several employees and regular contractors to work on the operating system, and we've sparked quite a lot of conversation around paying app developers in the wider open source ecosystem all while avoiding advertisements or data mining," said founder and CEO Daniel Foré in March this year.
[6]
Pay what you want ... apps in the AppCenter let the user choose
A glance at the company blog shows more posts with an ethical dimension, like [7]leaving Google Analytics in favour of open analytics from [8]Plausible , and " [9]Why we left Medium ", in which co-founder Cassidy James Blaede stated his view that the blogging platform had become too "aggressive toward readers."
In the post on OS 6, Blaede [10]claimed "an unmatched commitment to privacy" as well as effort to create an elegant user interface. There is also an application permissions dialog reminiscent of Android or iOS, though we blew a hole in this by installing LibreOffice with Aptitude since it only applies to Flatpak applications.
[11]Need a new computer for homeschooling? You can do worse than a sub-£30 2007 MacBook off eBay
[12]Looking for an Ubuntu Unity close cousin? Elementary, my dear...
[13]Distro watch for Ubuntu lovers: What's ahead in Linux land
[14]Zorin OS 16 Pro arrives complete with optional 'Windows 11' desktop
"Users of elementary OS never need Terminal to complete basic tasks," said Blaede. There is also strong support for touch users, with multi-touch support and numerous gestures. Accessibility is another high priority.
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Application permissions can be controlled by the user as long as they are installed with Flatpak
Elementary OS does seem spartan out of the box, though, and a question is whether it makes sense for the Elementary team to have expended so much effort on writing its own software, including a code editor, music player, camera app, email client, task manager and more – all the repositories can be found on GitHub [16]here – when more feature-rich applications performing these same functions already exist. The applications in the AppCenter are said to be diligently curated, but when there are so few that the user has to look elsewhere, the value of that is undermined.
That said, Elementary is a carefully designed Linux distro which is Flatpak-based and highly principled in its approach, and the cost is, well, whatever the user wants to pay.®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/08/11/elementary.jpg
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YRVFuJ4u-tpNtzOyZneevQAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/10/zorin_os_16_pro/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YRVFuJ4u-tpNtzOyZneevQAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YRVFuJ4u-tpNtzOyZneevQAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/08/11/pay.jpg
[7] https://blog.elementary.io/archive/3/
[8] https://plausible.io/
[9] https://blog.elementary.io/welcome-to-the-new-blog/
[10] https://blog.elementary.io/elementary-os-6-odin-released/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/16/upgrade_old_pc_extend_life/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2017/06/28/elementaryos_ubuntu_unity_replacement/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2017/05/25/post_unity_linux_futures/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/10/zorin_os_16_pro/
[15] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/08/11/permissions.jpg
[16] https://github.com/elementary
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
On the other hand, a really simplified OS has strong appeal for beginners. I don't see why they couldn't just provide a curated list of recommended applications to be installed such as Libre Office.
" I get the sentiment but if a user really is that novice, they will probably be using Windows anyway (or possibly just a consumer tablet). "
Everyone who goes to Linux is a novice. If you've grown up with Windows or a Mac, you're not used to or even aware of using the terminal to install things.
So if we, as the community, want to keep helping new people to pick up Linux - we need to remember this. Not everyone is born with a wanton lust and knowledge of the all mighty terminal.
Bullshit. Some of us use the Terminal on Macs to install lots of stuff. It is, after all, a UNIX box, and there are lots of UNIX command line tools out there.
Anything even remotely complicated in Windows requires verbose Powershell incantations to achieve, when in unix/linux you would usually edit a text file.
Given that Windows is moving to Powershell commands in a big way for most of their maintenance and configuration, criticizing Linux for terminal commands is pretty hypocritical.
If a user can't use a terminal, give them a Mac.
There, offended everyone equally with one post. My job is done, I'll get my coat.
"Given that Windows is moving to Powershell commands in a big way for most of their maintenance and configuration..."
Yeah, somebody at Microsloth needs to have a light-bulb moment and realize that what Windows 11 really needs is a graphical interface app to manage all of the Powershell commands that a user might need for day-to-day use. Then another bright-star can devise new Powershell commands to manage that GUI app. And, wow, then they can create another GUI app to manage the Powershell commands that manage the GUI app that manages day-to-day Powershell commands. They should call it ouroboros.
Wasn't Microsoft's big promise with Windows (back in the 90's, anyhow) that the user wouldn't have to fiddle with command line stuff anymore? Everything would exist in this wondrous, graphical world of buttons and checkboxes where no one would have to remember command syntax anymore. I guess that didn't pan out long-term...
Someone at Microsoft thought, "Linux is better than Windows", "Linux is harder to use than Windows", "Let's make Windows harder to use"
@karlkarl
He is right. Anyone who has set up O365 with Powershell knows the XML nightmare that awaits.
From direct experience, even MS tech support does not know how to set up proper PS / XML installs for MS Office.
Linux, by comparison, is a dream to install (and uninstall) software and typically without a reboot. Not to mention the lack of telemetry and content upload to the mothership that Windows wants to monetize.
The only reason I still have Windows at home is gaming. Everything else is done on Mint.
If I was to walk someone through installing an office suite, then frankly getting them to copy/paste some text into the terminal would be much easier than explaining the Windows installer process.
An App store would be even easier still, and most distros have that, with LibreOffice available in it.
How many versions of Linux can you fork?
sudo format-all-distros-forever
Too Easy?
"Users of elementary OS never need Terminal to complete basic tasks,"
Except the reviewer confused by how to install LibreOffice how to use terminal? I'm not sure what what their selling proposition - it so easy you don't need terminal that it floored a knowledgeable user?
Re: Too Easy?
Easy is not the same as intuitive, possibly.
Dunno, I'd rather face a small learning curve with installing software. Put the effort into making the installer work seamlessly and not back the user into a corner, because once it's up and running, they should be hopefully enjoying their new toy and learning how to use it.
Re: Too Easy?
I think FreeBSD is very easy to install. Takes me a few minutes from bare metal to fully functioning system.
But you do definitely need to know what you are doing.
The more distros the better
Irrespective of my/your preference there will always be others who have a different view of the world. This is another option for people to choose from, and choice is a good thing to have.
Sooner or later the successful ones will last and improve, while the others will fade, but at least people have a choice of what suits “them”, and that is a good thing, IMHO.
"Another option is to open a terminal and "type sudo apt install libreoffice", which did the trick. Still, this does seem a lot to ask of novice users."
I get the sentiment but if a user really is that novice, they will probably be using Windows anyway (or possibly just a consumer tablet).
Watching Linux distributions try to appeal to the lowest common denominator of user just seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity.
Besides, is typing that command really more difficult than navigating to the LibreOffice website and downloading / running a setup.exe? Personally I also find licensing / activating Microsoft Office much more difficult. DRM cracks solve this somewhat but that is also a little beyond what a novice wants to be doing.