Ultimate Edition Forum

I don't get it!! Every single Distro I try is the same set of programs and eyecandy! Can anyone give me a good reason to use Ultimate??

It's all about time, my friend. If you want to install plain Ubuntu and install all the software and libraries not included then go for it. To install Ultimate, it takes me 15 minutes. I install flash and a few codecs,libraries, my restricted video drivers, a few tweaks and I'm done. I am back up and running in an hour. Try that with Windows(it takes me a whole day to get things back up and running). Keep in mind also, that the designer of this distro fixes Ubuntu's mistakes and optimizes the operating system so that everything works properly. Also, Ultimate gets updated much more often than any other operating system. There has been a Christmas release and soon a 2.1 release. Ubuntu won't be doing that till April. Also Ultimate includes Ultamatix exclusive to this distro that will install extras that you will need to play certain videos. Also ther are themes specifically designed for only this distro(wallpaper etc.). If you are going to run Linux this is the one. Believe me, I have tried them all!!

ubuntu wrote:I don't get it!! Every single Distro I try is the same set of programs and eyecandy! Can anyone give me a good reason to use Ultimate??

I suggest you use what works for you. I installed Ultimate Edition 2.1 because it's more stable on my system than plain vanilla Ubuntu 8.10 but that's me and my system. In a more generic sense, I think Ultimate Edition makes sense for people who want a good selection of sofware PRE-installed with their distro. The most popular "set of programs and eyecandy" are going to show up in most distros because they're the most popular.

There are, basically, three type of Linux distros available to the user:

1. Spartan - At one end of the spectrum we have the "bare-bones" distros. These install the absolute minimum necessary to get your PC booting. Arch is one such distro. You install the bootstrap OS files but everything else is up to you to install manually. Freedom of choice and too build from the ground up the EXACT distro you want/need is the touted advantage (pro). Too much effort, too "geeky", not user-friendly will be common complaints about such distros (con).

2. Full Blown - At the opposite end of the spectrum we have the fully-loaded distros. These distros come with a "full suite" of applications, sometimes two or three or more applications that do the same thing or have a lot of overlap. Media players, codecs, or specialty software might be a highlight of these distros (like Ubuntu Studio, for example). Ultimate Edition is this kind of distro. This is what I call a "Load and Go" distro. Load it up and you're good to go with tons of software at your fingertips (pro). Some people, however, will see this as "bloat" (con).

3. Middle of the Road - This is the classification where, probably, 80% of Linux distros fall. MotR distros try to install a basic, middle of the road (hence the name) spread of applications that will satisfy the greatest number of users right from the start. It's a balancing act: enough applications to satisfy, but small enough to fit on a 700MB CD for ease of downloading and compatibility with existing hardware. If you think that's an easy thing to do, I suggest you try it sometime. It's also why probably 80% of the distros you run across have a similar set of applications and eye candy installed. The basics, the most popular apps for doing the most common tasks, is a pretty well-worn path with Linux users generally speaking.

In short, no, I can't give you a good reason to use Ultimate Edition because I have no idea what your particular needs are. I can suggest you try it on, see how it fits. If you like it, great, welcome to our little asylum. If not, well... Fair winds and following seas! Mabye OpenSuse or Fedora or Debian is closer to what you're looking for.

When did you get Ultimate Edition 2.1?

To the poster..........why not?

this is what i use this particular distro for.....serf web,networking,server,watch tv(with the tivo features),stream TV,media server,use Microsoft's software,play games(free source,and window's),
burn/copy dvd's/cd's,the list go's on.......and i do this all for free. except for the micro crap stuff I use

ive tried to do these things(all at one time) on many different distro's ,and all have failed till
I happened to find threemahn's work.Granted i could have made em all work with some time and effort,but
everything just fell in place with this particular os.

so..........why not? I not really "sticking up" for this single one distro,but its what im using now,and I don't think ill be wondering away from it...........because it just works.