這次夢，竟然是一個點子，可能這個點子幾個月前是想過一下，不過沒有特別發表過而已。那是我希望 Linux 上有個功能，是自動批次轉換文字文件檔案裡面的字型。例如說我討厭「新細明體」，那麼我就可以文件中所有使用新細明體的字型轉換成文泉驛正黑。我在夢中就是夢見一個 GUI，可以做轉換的工作。

補充一下，這個夢並不是 OOo 的「替代字型」功能，而是永久替換字型。我想過個功能有沒有用？當然有，比如說以前文件用了一套商業字型、舊款字型，在新的一批電腦上已經沒有這種字型，那麼我就不如全部轉換成我現有的字型好了。又或者，公家使用的文件，如果可以把專屬字型轉換成自由字型，那大概也是好事。始終來說，文件裡面一天指定使用新細明體，傳給別人的時候也終究是新細明體；因為有些朋友，在 Window$ 和 Linux 上用 Samba 交換文件是很常見的事，而因為沒有特別調較 OOo 中的預設字型，以致在 Linux 上產生的字型就用文泉驛正黑或者 AR PL 新宋，而在 Window$ 上產生的文件就想當然是新細明體。辜勿論不設定預設字型是「前人之錯」，現在要的，就是可以亡羊補牢的方法，重新把文件的字型統一處理。

其實 OOo 現時也有批次轉換檔案的功能，不過那是從 M$O 的格式轉去 ODF 而已，那只是檔案格式的轉換。

當然，實施字型置換功能會有點危險，例如文件會因為字型字寬不同而走位，不過，很多日常生活中用到的文件，要是走位也沒有太大的問題。

其餘的問題，也許要再想一下。

說回原來的夢境……如果夢境反映著潛意識的一些轉化，那麼轉化既成，意義便不在於要在現實中實踐夢境的點子－－這個是在下對心理學家卡爾•容格（Carl Jung）的理解。不過，講求靈性追求的錫呂•瑪塔吉女士甚至連潛意識和超意識也「揚棄」了。

嗯，那麼夢……也許也不用再解釋了……最多只是反映近來可能太常看 Ubuntu Brainstorm 看點子，看得累了是了。

Io intanto rifletto sulle mie, di idee... per fortuna, qualcuno ha già pensato a questo!

If the past is any example, there will be a rush to download the latest release of Ubuntu Linux and its many siblings, Kubuntu, Xubuntu and the rest of them. It will be slow going if past releases are any indicator. The bandwidth of the mirrors will be stretched to capacity.

I have a better plan. You see, I do not have to download Hardy. I have been running it for weeks and on the 24th of April, my copy will be up-to-date and, at most, I will have to update a few packages. I know what your are thinking. You want to start fresh and not inherit any problems from the beta.

That makes sense. Neither do I. In fact, I have not had any problems for some time. The transition from Gutsy Gibbon to Hardy Heron, taken several weeks ago, could not have been less painful. Before that, I had suffered through my share of crashes and then they stopped. So I bit the bullet and did a fresh installation, replacing my stable and well running Ubuntu 7.10 with the latest version, 8.04. It was a risk, but it turns out my concerns were for naught.

So on the 24th, I can sit back and relax while others tie up their computers for hours to enjoy what I have experienced for some time. Perhaps, this is being too practical. After all, I have spoiled the surprise. I have missed out on that anticipatory Christmas morning feeling that comes with downloading the latest release. Yes, and no. You see? I have already had my Christmas.

There are several good things about Hardy Heron. First off, it comes with all that we expect from the Ubuntu developers. They have worked long and hard on our behalf to make this the best release of Ubuntu yet. It is current with all of the most recent releases of the programs included in Ubuntu, including OpenOffice 2.4. It has included Transmission for handling torrents, Firefox 3 browser which is a vast improvement over its predecessor, Vinagre for VNC chores, Brasero for handling burning CDs and DVDs, and improved Nautilus file handling capabilities.

I use a 3D card with all of the bells and whistles. I have been burned more than once with changing settings and not being able to get into X without reconfiguring Xorg manually. Now it has Bullet Proof X which allows you to configure X and test the settings to make sure that they work before you mess up your system. This is part of the latest Xorg 7.3 and is a great addition to Hardy Heron.

I am sure there are lots a major things going on below the surface such as those that speed up booting time, but it is the little details that I notice. I like changes to Synaptic. Now there is a tab that makes adding third party software a breeze. I like the inclusion of the Wubi installer.

Now if the Ubuntu disk is inserted in a Windows machine, it will offer to install Ubuntu from Windows with no changes to the Windows computer. It is a painless and dead simple way to try out Linux without worry that Linux could somehow mess up your computer.

Speaking of not messing up your computer. A small but important change is in the wording of the grub boot menu on the Live CD. Now it says, "Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer" which is more descriptive of the way the Live CD works and is certainly going to instill confidence in technophobes who cringe at the thought of doing anything that might get them into difficulty with computers.

I like improvements to the way restricted drivers are handled. They are no longer something that you have to hunt for. Ubuntu detects if there are restricted drivers available and gives and icon in the system tray which offers to install them for you. This is big improvement. There is still a way to go IMO. Canonical is still trying to walk the fence between usability and ethics regarding codecs, instead of allowing end users to decide. I favor installing them by default and making users agree to the terms of the EULAs of the various developers.

Much has been made of the new look. For me it is still drab. I am not a fan of brown and orange. Sorry, it does not work for me. I know that it is the traditional colors for Ubuntu which distinguishes it from Kubuntu and the others, but really? Brown and orange? That is a small gripe. I change the theme first thing.

I also install KDE and KDE4 desktops. I see great potential in KDE4. It is faster than KDE3, but I find KDE3 easier to configure and more flexible. I flip flop between Kubuntu and Ubuntu and can't decide which I prefer, so I use both depending on my mood. I am one of those guys who can't tell you the difference between Gnome 2.22 and its predecessors. It has always been good for me. Gnome seems to move at a glacial rate in comparison to KDE, so I am slow to notice its minute changes.

I like where Canonical is headed with MythTV which can be a chore to configure. They have made it much simpler with Mythbuntu appearing as a metapackage. They have also improved pulseaudio and UbuntuStudio is officially now part of the Ubuntu family (along with the aforementioned Mythbuntu and Edubuntu). Great news for media fans and educators.

There is so much there that I have not had the time to explore all of the features or to take advantage of all of the enhancements such as those made in AppArmor, memory protection and KVM. The new firewall, UFW or Uncomplicated Firewall, is supposed to be good. It is installed and not intrusive so I assume that it is doing its job.

So on Thursday, I will be doing nothing. The day will go unnoticed. Instead, I will be using my computer while others are madly downloading and burning the latest release of Ubuntu to CD. Sometime later, when things calm down, I will download a copy of Ubuntu 8.04 and burn it to CD because, afterall, it is an LTS release, and my copy is still only a beta.

I think that Hardy is a sign of great things to come. It shows attention to detail and Canonical's commitment to end users. I logon to Ubuntu Brainstorm every once in a while to see what future releases could be like. Can anyone ever imagine Microsoft actually caring enough about end users to solicit their opinion?  But, Linux is different and in the Linux world Ubuntu stands out from the rest.

Thank you Canonical. Thank you to all of the developers who have worked long and hard to make Ubuntu 8.04 to be what it is. And that is simply a great user experience which is what it should be in the first place. Are there things that I would like to see added? Yes. Am I confident that many of them will be addressed? Yes, because they really care about what I, and many thousands of others, think. So the future looks great from my end and things could not be better for the present.

Fala-se por aí que na comunidade de software livre todos sao livres de trocar ideias. Sim, mas nao basta ir a um forum e dizer isso e aquilo. Como é que a Novell vai te ouvir? Se você é um usuario compulsivo do Windows e tentando usar Linux sentiu a falta dum painel de configuração de redes, parecido a aquele que tem no Windows, você pode muito bem levar uns bons bafos num forum ou mailing list de software livre, rodeado de bons e nada simplicistas adeptos.

Pois bem foi pensando nessa nessa dificuldade de saber aquilo que os usuarios querem realmente que o Mark Shuttleworth (é mesmo assim que se escreve?) decidiu criar o  Ubuntu BrainStorm. Lá você pede aquilo que quer ver melhorado ou incorporado no seu Ubuntu, sem correr risco de ser ofendido por meia duzia de adolescentes. Os mais pedidos aparecem mais destacados.

Francamente, Mark é mesmo um genio. Repare algumas das coisas que os usuarios mais têm pedido:

Fix Suspend and Hibernate
Provide a simple graphical interface to manage _any_ type of network connection
...
E nao é que ja nao tenha isso no Ubuntu, tem, mas o usuario comum quer ele bem mais 'amanteigado' ou ao estilo Windows.

Los desarrolladores luego discutirán las ideas más populares en las reuniones Ubuntu Development Submits y eventualmente las propondrán como especificaciones, que se agregarán al wiki y luego se seguirá su implementación en el Launchpad.

•  Fuente: VivaLinux.