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Ubuntu 10.10: Maverick Meerkat Benchmarked And Reviewed

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  • Ubuntu
  • Linux
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October 28, 2010 6:00:03 AM

Every April and October a new version of Ubuntu is released. For the past few years, October releases of the world's most popular consumer Linux distro have been grim. Did Canonical get it right this year, or is Ubuntu 10.10 yet another Halloween horror?

Ubuntu 10.10: Maverick Meerkat Benchmarked And Reviewed : Read more

More about : ubuntu maverick meerkat benchmarked reviewed

October 28, 2010 6:34:07 AM

I didn't know they were taking pre-orders yet, though HP Slate doesn't ship until the middle of November. Unfortunately, the HP Slate looks like a really half-hearted attempt. Business product? That pretty much means not to get your hopes up. It should have been out much closer to the iPad, but got pushed back repeatedly. Ever since they bought Palm it seems like their Windows efforts in this form factor will take a backseat until they try to make WebOS work - can't blame them really, WebOS is pretty slick and they paid a lot for it. But I still do want to get my hands on the Slate, but look forward to seeing what they do with WebOS more now.
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1
October 28, 2010 7:43:58 AM

If we "put all the issues aside", i love allot of things.....Don't get me wrong, i love to play with Linux at home, but at the moment I prefer to use it at work, in the server room ware it belongs (at the moment). Using it at home it just to much of an effort, to many issues, hardware compatibility etc...Hopefully one day...
Any way Ubuntu came a long way to make it happen....But still few days ago i tried it and few others on a net book, with via chip set and CPU with no luck...
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-7
October 28, 2010 7:48:52 AM

"Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition is also a mess. As a netbook operating system intended for actual people to use in a production environment, I have to say that UNE 10.10 should be avoided. From our experience on the Dell Mini 10v, UNE Meerkat is in no way ready for general consumption. Its many bugs and poor performance are just not acceptable or at all realistic for the average end-user. Loading almost anything on UNE 10.10 was clearly sluggish"

Wow. Im running 32-bit Maverick UNE on my Asus eee 1000HA and i have to say that i fell in love as soon as it installed! As soon as i disabled the unity interface to get the desktop interface I was away laughing! I havnt had any of the problems you mention, app startup has been great, no crashes/bugs - And this is my first serious attempt at using a Linux distro. I had a lot of fun tweaking everything to my liking and i now feel like I have the perfect OS for me. Its really strange you had bad experiences like that, must be the dell mini haha.
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4
October 28, 2010 8:03:08 AM

TomSah:
Quote:
As soon as i disabled the unity interface to get the desktop interface I was away laughing!

Well there you go, you got rid of Unity. I don't doubt it works fine now, LOL. I'm using the 10v with 10.10 32-bit Desktop Edition right now and it's absolutely fantastic, one of the best OSes on this thing by far. The track pad is a nightmare, and there's no fixing that, but in 10.10 it's much better than earlier versions. Tap to click is the best in Windows 7, but drag and drop in Ubuntu is much less maddening than Win7.
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1
October 28, 2010 8:32:58 AM

How come you don't compare the benchmarks to Windows?
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1
a b 5 Linux
October 28, 2010 8:35:13 AM

Just moving the cursor up and down the launcher shows how slow Unity is. The delay between when the cursor moves over an application to when the application's name pops up gives the impression of playing a game at very low framerates.

The Ubuntu font looks ok but it's really only usable in menus and window titles (which I think is all it is used for, fortunately). There's no way such a stylised font could be readable for long periods in a document.

Adam, you should see if any updates fixed the consistently inconsistent HDD to HDD file copy performance.

pinkfloydminnesota said:
How come you don't compare the benchmarks to Windows?


Because Windows is not a Linux distro, and this review is for a Linux distro?
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9
October 28, 2010 8:59:46 AM

randomizer:
Quote:
Adam, you should see if any updates fixed the consistently inconsistent HDD to HDD file copy performance.

As of 10/22/10, when I re-tested the HDD to USB times, they had not.

pinkfloydminnesotaHow come you don't compare the benchmarks to Windows?

Workin' on it, stayed tuned. But randomizer is right, this is a review of the new Ubuntu release. As a review of the new version of a software product, this type of article isn't the appropriate forum for that comparison.
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4
Anonymous
October 28, 2010 10:33:12 AM

64 bit vs. 32 bit? 32 seems much better all round, stability, compatibility etc.. Is there that much speed difference to be worth using 64 bit?
gvnmcknz
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1
October 28, 2010 10:37:22 AM

I guess there are lots of things to do to make it good.
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0
October 28, 2010 12:18:40 PM

I installed 10.10 on my laptop... but the dang mouse pad didn't want to work the right way...
On 10.04 I had no problems what so ever...
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0
October 28, 2010 12:25:11 PM

I installed maverick yesterday on an old laptop . I found it slow and unresponsive in all honesty, but looking online, it looks like I'm not the only one. A number of users are having problems, even those with i7 desktops. Hopefully it'll get sorted out soon. You can switch the window commands to the righthand side by the way.
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0
October 28, 2010 12:28:23 PM

Oh just quit it, Linux is dead.
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-17
October 28, 2010 12:32:10 PM

Why does Tom's always use 'old' hardware when it comes to linux reviews but when it comes to anything else they always have the latest and greatest CPU / GPU combo? A Radeon 4870? Really?
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-6
October 28, 2010 1:10:02 PM

I just installed Lucid on an old Celeron M 1.4Ghz and 1GB RAM wich had XP before... Darn it, for productivity is kickin' alive and well. I had to install MSO2007 over WINE and it was flawless on the first try.

I'm glad the route Canonical is taking Ubuntu is the right one for all of us. Improved experience all the way. It's a very responsive OS from every angle, even with all the bling bling you want.

On my main rig I'm still stuck with Win7 because of my gaming needs, but that's all that's actually giving me the no-go for Ubuntu in a full time basis.

Also, try installing XBMC for your HTPCs. One hell of a Media Center software.

Cheers!
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3
October 28, 2010 1:27:18 PM

loftieI installed maverick yesterday on an old laptop . I found it slow and unresponsive in all honesty, but looking online, it looks like I'm not the only one. A number of users are having problems, even those with i7 desktops. Hopefully it'll get sorted out soon. You can switch the window commands to the righthand side by the way.

How old is the laptop, specs? Did Lucid work well on that system, does Windows? Is this the Desktop Edition you're using?
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0
October 28, 2010 1:33:01 PM

I'll have to give this some deep thought before I try it.
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0
October 28, 2010 1:40:36 PM

Yuka:
Yeah, gaming is an issue, but then again it is on Mac as well. I game so infrequently these days that I just install Windows on one of the test HDDs when I play one (2-3 times per year). Have you considered a dual boot, maybe with a separate hard disk? If Windows is for gaming only, using Linux for everything else will help keep Windows pristine and running smooth for games. Although right now I think Netflix is an even bigger problem that needs to be addressed. It's what keeps my HTPC unhappily with XP, and from my experience it's a deal-breaker for many more everyday users than games.
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2
October 28, 2010 1:42:20 PM

I wish AMD would support my older computers' Radeon 9550; I miss having those better compiz effects and the ability to play youtube without chops. Maybe I'll downgrade...
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1
October 28, 2010 1:46:02 PM

Wheat_ThinsWhy does Tom's always use 'old' hardware when it comes to linux reviews but when it comes to anything else they always have the latest and greatest CPU / GPU combo? A Radeon 4870? Really?

Well, ET:QW is the latest native commercial FPS, so...
There's actually two 4870's, but I can currently only use one for another project, so it's not in right now.
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0
October 28, 2010 2:10:24 PM

Quote:
Until HandBrake 0.9.4 comes out as a working Linux version (either CLI or GUI), we continue to use HandBrake 0.9.3 in CLI.


Handbrake 0.9.4 cli works fine. The 0.9.4 is an issue with the Gnome desktop. CLI is uneffected.
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0
Anonymous
October 28, 2010 2:54:03 PM

Stay with 10.04, upgrading has been a nightmare for some unless you do a fresh install. Those that try to do a fresh install with 10.10 stay far away from the new btrfs filesystem which you can't even use as /boot yet only root and others. They also got rid of the Gdebi package manager in favor of the bloated slow Ubuntu Software center and it doesn't even show which dependencies are getting installed so you are better manually installing Gdebi again I am going to stay with 10.04 and ext4 filesystem after trying 10.10, hopefully with 11.04 releases it might be worth an upgrade and btrfs might be usable as a filesystem. I have had no problems with 10.04 and recommend it over 10.10 by far.
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-2
October 28, 2010 2:59:43 PM

This new version is borked, there is a bug that is affecting SSD's and HDD's that causes the boot times to take as long as 5 minutes on my Phenom 2 X4 system with 8 gig's of ram. What is worse is I reported the bug almost a month ago and no help.

Its bad enough that I don't even like booting up ubuntu right now. I like the OS and I really want it to work but almost every patch there is now an issue.

Not to mention that if I load the latest catalyst driver for my 5830 the system crashes, I then have to go into low res mode and reinstall 10.6 but then I have other issues.

Canonical is doing good work but they need to do better if they want to go prime time.
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0
October 28, 2010 3:09:31 PM

I have been using Ubuntu for several months now, and have had no luck with gaming. My 8800gtx sli laughs at HL2 in windows, but when I run it in Ubuntu it lags like crazy.
3rd Party driver support is hit and miss in my experience. The Volume control on my G11 Keyboard is missing the fine control I experience in Windows, and has a tendency to shift the balance control while adjusting volume. HT Omega striker soundcard is also less than stellar under Ubuntu. linux gamers, PLEASE
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1
October 28, 2010 5:22:14 PM

Where are the gaming benchmarks?

Oh..sorry.
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-3
October 28, 2010 5:41:38 PM

Very useful review.
Have been looking at moving up from Lucid Lynx and had only been waiting on some free time to change over.
Based on this review, I think I'm going to keep Lucid Lynx running and install Maverick Meerkat on an older system.
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0
October 28, 2010 6:15:59 PM

1004formeStay with 10.04, upgrading has been a nightmare for some unless you do a fresh install. Those that try to do a fresh install with 10.10 stay far away from the new btrfs filesystem which you can't even use as /boot yet only root and others. They also got rid of the Gdebi package manager in favor of the bloated slow Ubuntu Software center and it doesn't even show which dependencies are getting installed so you are better manually installing Gdebi again I am going to stay with 10.04 and ext4 filesystem after trying 10.10, hopefully with 11.04 releases it might be worth an upgrade and btrfs might be usable as a filesystem. I have had no problems with 10.04 and recommend it over 10.10 by far.

btrfs is still undergoing rapid development...why would you want rely on it? No different when ext4 was in rapid development and many users had problems using it let alone relying on it just because it was "new"...
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0
October 28, 2010 6:16:29 PM

@loftie & @adamovera
I have Lucid on a 7½ year old Sony VAIO VGN-A117S laptop, and it works fine. We mostly use this laptop (in the kitchen) for email and browsing, but it is also used for editing documents and graphics (typically OpenOffice, Inkscape, Gimp), and occasionally for viewing movies or videos from our media server. All network resources work fine - printer, scanner, servers. We expect to get a few more good years out of it.
Basic specs: 1.6GHz Pentium M, 1GB RAM, Mobility Radeon 9600, 80GB disk. It also has a 1920x1200 17" display, which was one of the main reasons we bought it.
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0
October 28, 2010 6:21:34 PM

For people experiencing problems with A NEW RELEASE...why don't you people file bug reports or get involved with the Ubuntu community to make such things known, maybe forking out some system information so they can improve it. Every Linux distro on a fresh, new release in my experience had more bugs than the prior...be active and help out please. Linux maintainers/developers need as much info of the global problem to solve...the problems.
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0
October 28, 2010 6:39:40 PM

Great article Adam! Very thorough. Enjoyed reading it as well as your other articles! Thanks for the updated hardware rig...though still expect people to NOT be satisfied with the fact that you didn't use the world's fastest super computer, or hardware that hasn't been manufactured yet, or even compared Linux to swiss cheese in terms of functionality.
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0
October 28, 2010 7:15:12 PM

I like your taste in music, Adam :) 
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0
October 28, 2010 7:16:06 PM

Because Windows is not a Linux distro, and this review is for a Linux distro?

Well, it's a review for an operating system, and I'd be curious how fast I can get in and out to check my email from a cold boot to check my email compared to Windows.
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0
October 28, 2010 7:35:14 PM

deanjoHandbrake 0.9.4 cli works fine. The 0.9.4 is an issue with the Gnome desktop. CLI is uneffected.

This is what is on the downloads page for HandBrake, both GUI and CLI, say under Ubuntu/Fedora:
"0.9.4 is no longer available due to compatibility issues with the newer version of gnome."
0.9.4 for Linux was up at one point, but was taken down awhile ago.
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0
October 28, 2010 7:38:51 PM

marraco"Besides, Linux doesn't really do gaming"EEEkkk!. Stop it. Linux do gaming, DX11, and also play crysis:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdv1Um243Z8Update yourself.

First of all, it's not native. Second, well, I'll let the poster of that video explain:
"What does not work:
- Some levels
- Low and Medium Shaders (only High)
- Graphical glitches
- Flickering
- Missing textures / corrupt textures
- Mouse navigation issues (note the moments in which I temporarily open the main menu in order to center the cursor, otherwise it exits the game's window)
- Unstable unless special patch is applied
- DX10 level graphics (Very High) unless custom config file is used
- Multiplayer"
I can get to the installation screen of almost any Windows game, doesn't mean it works.
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1
October 28, 2010 7:53:17 PM

1004forme:
I don't ever do upgrades, I have always done fresh installs. OS upgrades make me nervous, and this is my experience with Windows as well. Btrfs is not the default, EXT4 still is. And for good reason, btrfs was supposed to be the default, but it does not work - I tried it as well, it's still crap right now.
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0
October 28, 2010 9:56:13 PM

ok...windows forever
Score
-2
October 28, 2010 10:58:27 PM

I just use Ubuntu with VirtualBox for the ocassions when I need stuff that's better handled with a native UNIX core (ssh, post script viewing, etc). I gave up a long time ago trying to use Linux as my main desktop environment what with them spending 10x as much time trying to fix insignificant things as they do trying to make hardware function correctly.
Score
-1
Anonymous
October 28, 2010 11:33:39 PM

I can't believe they chose mutter for Unity. That was a real shocker. Luckily, they are going to switch it to compiz in natty so it becomes much faster.

I really like Maverick Meerkat so far. It is a big improvement over Lucid which was also pretty good. I can't wait to see how Natty takes off.
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0
Anonymous
October 29, 2010 12:48:03 AM

I installed Unity on an older Dell laptop a few days ago and have fallen in love with it. While not as polished as the Gnome GUI, it is perfectly usable. So much so that I installed it on a 64-bit desktop. I still have another desktop with 10.04 which I was going to leave alone (10.04 being LTR), but using it after my experiences with Unity are giving me second thoughts. For me, Unity is a clear Winner.
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0
Anonymous
October 29, 2010 5:34:19 AM

I can think of once convincing reason to move to 10.10 over 10.4, if the following is applicable to you: you need the latest ATI Catalyst proprietary drivers to support your card. This turned out to be the case for me when I was setting up new machines recently: it was easier to download and install the release candidate upgrade to 10.10 than it was to get Catalyst working by hand.
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0
a b 5 Linux
October 29, 2010 12:35:01 PM

cnoxWhere are the gaming benchmarks?Oh..sorry.

Page 16. Oh sorry, I ruined your sarcasm.
Score
1
October 29, 2010 12:56:21 PM

I upgraded to 10.10 and have had no issues. I am a very happy Linux user.

I have been using Linux (Ubuntu) on my home PC for about 3 years now. I have not experienced any problems. I don't play games anymore, so the fact that the game makers do not support Linux as much as Windows is not an issue for me.

I really like the ease of doing things with Linux. I have played around with a few different video cards, motherbords, cpu's etc over the years. With Linux, I don't have to worry about calling Microsoft and re-activating my OS after I change hardware. The fact I can pull my OS hdd and just plug it into another computer and boot up with no problems is great.

Last night I was copying some music to and from my daughters iPod. No need to use iTunes, no issues with what user downloaded the music, what device the music was on etc...

I just like how I can do some things much easier with Linux.
Score
3
October 29, 2010 3:24:30 PM

Linux is dead platform and waste of time. Go install .NET and learn programming, much more useful then borking with Linux.
Score
-7
Anonymous
October 29, 2010 8:40:10 PM

"Linux is dead platform"
Omg, there are more devices sold with Linux then Windows nowdays. Just think about Android...
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3
October 29, 2010 9:30:55 PM

How do you claim that 101010 is "binary for 42"? the way I read it; it's A2h; which is 162 decimal.
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-1
October 29, 2010 9:40:53 PM

What page is the battery life on?
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1
October 31, 2010 7:15:06 AM

lradunovic77Linux is dead platform and waste of time. Go install .NET and learn programming, much more useful then borking with Linux.


In what universe is Linux even close do dead? Several mobile OS'es are Linux based (Android, PalmOS,...). Linux is dominant in the server market, an industry that's far more important than the PC world. Ubuntu is finally getting some clout in the desktop market, however small it is.

Please, stop saying such dumb things.
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2
October 31, 2010 11:48:31 AM

adamoveraHow old is the laptop, specs? Did Lucid work well on that system, does Windows? Is this the Desktop Edition you're using?


Pentium M 1.8GHz, only 512MB ram though and Intel gfx. Odd thing is it runs better on battery than plugged in. Laptop is about 4 years old. Never tried Lucid, this was my first go with Ubuntu, so I could have done something wrong I suppose. And it's the desktop edition I used, not the netbook version.
Score
2
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