Why Ubuntu Still Sucks

I'm sorry, but it needs to be said: The new Ubuntu sucks - at least when

compared to Windows Vista. Yes, it's free. And yes, it's better than the

previous release, Ubuntu 7.04 "Fiesty Fawn" (Yawn?). However, at heart it's

still just another Gnome-based Linux distribution and, as such, remains well

behind the curve when it comes to desktop sophistication.

Case in point: Search. Much noise has been made about Canonical's decision

to switch to the newer Tracker search engine. Yet, I can't help but get the

impression that many of Ubuntu's most vocal fans have never even booted

Vista, let alone explored the depths of its search mechanism.

With Vista, search isn't simply an afterthought. It permeates every nook and

cranny of the Windows shell. And I'm not talking about the ubiquitous

"search" field in each explorer window (though this is certainly a great

feature). Rather, I'm thinking of the way that Vista exposes its various

search-based folder views.

For example: Click on a column header in any explorer window and you're

presented with myriad ways to shape and filter your view of the underlying

data. My favorite is the "Stack by" feature: Simply click the header (for

example, the file Type column), select "Stack by" from the drop-down list,

and voila! You have a dynamically filtered view of the entire underlying

folder structure, with each file type grouped into "Stacks" that can be

drilled-into or saved as persistent dynamic search objects.

The above is just one example of how integrated search can fundamentally

alter (for the better) the way you interact with your desktop environment.

And try as I might, I can't reproduce this capability under Ubuntu 7.10

"Gustsy Gibbon" - even after a weekend of trolling through the Synaptic

Package Manager looking for anything that would enhance the OS' otherwise

anemic search mechanism.

Bottom Line: Ubuntu, like all Linux distributions, is supposed to be all

about power and choice. However, when stacked-up against Vista's robust,

pervasive integrated search mechanism, Ubuntu looks more like a lightweight

poser than a real challenger.