Part of the change to make Ubuntu more accessible to the average user,
plus combining the interface on PC and mobile devices. Not something
the advanced user is happy with but the plan is to make 12.04 LTS a
version that has advanced features though these will need to be
installed rather than be standard.

Guess the thinking is that the advanced user is going to know how to
do this, or find out how to do it, and the non-advanced user isn't
going to be bemused by functions they'll not use.

First thing I'll be doing is installing Synaptic and tweaking 12.04 to
be more to my liking - at least we'll have the option to do that :-)

i> since i have been using synaptic forever, why isn't it installed by
i> default?

Synaptic is old and venerable. I like it. You do. But not everybody does.
Canonical has put lots of effort into improving the Software Centre,
including adding the features of Gdebi, so you can install debs. They want
it to be your one stop shop, mostly to sell you things, the cynic in me
says.

Maybe. But is that a problem considering they list all options anyhow.
If they can sell some software and help with development than all the
more power to them. Me thinks sending some money Ubuntu's way is a good
thing.

thanks for your reply. Since I have been using ubuntu since 2006 i am very
UNHAPPY with this attempt to copy windows and Mac and cater to morons...i want
the Linux systems to be more for the experienced users and for the tools such as
synaptic, gimp etc to remain

Here is the basic idea re: catering to morons. Experienced users can and
will change it to suit themselves. They allow users to do that. You can add
PPAs to your sources list and change as much as you like. Things do not
work as well in reverse. Newbies cannot tailor it and a dumbed down system
works for them. The model is not so luch OS/X or W7 or 8 as Android. They
want a simple interface that does not get in the way. android works
because nobody knows it is Linux. Marketingwise.

A consumer device like a computer needs to be usable by the average user. This
means that it has to be as intuitive as possible. Whenever someone says they
"don't like computers that are made for idiots", what they are really saying is
they like computers that are complicated and take time to master. If that's what
you want, fine, but you are the minority.

I've been using computers since before hard drives, mice, and modems were
standard equipment. TR-DOS, DR-DOS, MS-DOS, Windows 3.1 - 7, Mac OS 8.5.3 -
10.6.8 and I'm having trouble getting Ubuntu to do what I want. I shouldn't have
to ask for help to do something as installing the latest version of Firefox
after downloading it.

The future of Linux is to be in the niche market of geeks greater than me
until a focus on the user experience is taken. That is a shame, though.
Microsoft needs a competitor in the PC market. It will improve Windows AND
Linux.

The thing is, these tools will always remain and the advanced user is
going to be catered for. What's happening is making the computer more
of a consumer device than it currently is. The advanced user isn't
going to the left out in the cold, they'll perhaps need to work a bit
more to configure the system - and if they can't do that then perhaps
they've no business being anything more than a consumer

Any user is encouraged to learn more than the GUI. Learn how to
install programs the right way. study at least the "new to Ubuntu" in
the help menu. It may in fact be time to learn how if you haven't but
really very few people stay as consumers. I would rather see Ubuntu as
easy as it can be made, and cater to new users if for no other reason
than to help them. I still do what I want with the OS and study what is
so I can help the new users. Maybe this is the best way to work with
Linux rather than have a smug face because I use something some have not
yet used.

All said I like the direction Ubuntu is taking.