Update: This is depreciated, kept for reference. Please read the new, relevant article on GNOME Studio.
Disclosure: I install Ubuntu Studio on Xubuntu:
sudo apt-get install ubuntustudio-audio ubuntustudio-audio-plugins ubuntustudio-graphics ubuntustudio-photography ubuntustudio-publishing linux-lowlatency ubuntustudio-video ubuntustudio-menu ubuntustudio-desktop
As a web developer, blogger, musician, podcaster, brand manager, graphic designer, copywriter, and author, I need a lot of stuff.
I need to look under the hood, but I want to close the hood. I need the engine to keep working and I need it to run slick and quick.
That pretty much eliminates Mac and Windows, not to mention Apple no longer has Steve… and Windows, well… you know. (On the same machine, two-finger scrolling doesn’t work in Win 8.1, while it does on Xubuntu/Kubuntu. #synapticNoUpdate)
Alternative Considerations
Red Hat/Fedora/CentOS… They require too many mods. So much is already written for Debian and Ubuntu. #proprietaryism Will CentOS follow suit with the SugarCRM exodus to SuiteCRM? Hope not.
Debian… Too minimum, I just don’t have the time. But cheers to the widely-used swirl!
Ubuntu… Very standard like Deb, which is good, but I’m creative, remember. On my creative desk, I need just a little more intuitive-UI eye candy when working on art outside the terminal. I do use Ubuntu for LAMP servers. Cheers to Ubuntu Touch!
Kubuntu… I used this for three years before switching. :/ Just got tired of it all…
The startup screen (plymouth) renders incorrectly on multiple displays. #incompleteDev Irrelevant as of KDE5/15.10
As of Vived Vervet 15.04, doesn’t support screensavers. Eye candy without “Really Slick” screensavers? #wut? :/
The ubuntustudio-menu won’t register categories like it did in 14.04. Might as well go to Xubuntu which won’t take the ubuntustudio-menu either. #dealBreaker :/
Muon Software Center doesn’t have all the stuff of the Ubuntu Software Center. Maybe Kubuntu should change it’s name to ‘Kubunt’ without the last ‘u’ since it’s not full Ubuntu. #againstConcept :/
15.04 apps crash once in a while, but just need a reload. 15.10 Kubuntu install USB/DVD just won’t even load on older computers; Xubuntu 15.10 will. #tooHeavy #incompleteDev
In 15.10, Dolphin (the file manager) no longer has the option to double-click to open folders and files, which makes selecting a real pain. Yes, you can click the little + on the icons, but then you also select who knows whatever other files, which makes deleting outright dangerous. Did they just forget to add that option in 15.10 or did they try to decide how everyone else should use a GUI? I’m tired of asking such questions at every distro upgrade. #overmappedDev
KDE 5 desktop would be great for a standard corp environment, everyday home use, or recovering Windowhalics, though. #plus
I admittedly use Kubuntu on my notebook and Xubuntu +Studio on my desktop. KDE makes notebook computing better, despite. I cross my fingers, hoping KDE will make it all well some day because they really do have a lot to praise in their design and features. #plus #plus #plus
Ubuntu Studio… Love it, need it, want it, prefer it. Just doesn’t install correctly.
The 14.x installer would crash at GRUB time and the 15.04 GRUB wouldn’t boot. It doesn’t work if installing alongside another OS. #incompleteDev
Like KDE Vivid, the startup plymouth renders incorrectly on multiple displays. #incompleteDev
The installer seems to be using an older version of Xfce (Xubuntu). Maybe they are gearing up for 16.04 LTS, that would be smart. #dunno
The apps are great, just what I need with their settings installed correctly, and the menu to organize them all. #plus
Xfce desktop. #plus
If the plymouth startup screen centers properly like in Xubuntu, and it can install and startup, I WILL switch for my creative machine. #dunno
Xubuntu… Winner! Here’s why:
1. It can install. No crash problems with partitions or GRUB. Xubuntu is robust.
2. It can add Ubuntu Studio (code above) with little to no conflict. Studio (Vivid 15.x) is built on Xubuntu anyway. Though the menu categories disappear once you edit the Whisker menu, they remain in the context menu if you right-click the desktop. Still very convenient. All those media apps need the Ubuntu Studio menu to organize them.
3. Perfect, customizable, intuitive eye candy. The Numix theme (Window Manager) with NOX appearance style is slick! Compiz & Settings Manager are seamlessly available. Docky is ideal. I only wish Dolphin worked better and that I could drag windows from more areas like KDE.
4. The startup plymouth screen centers properly on multiple displays. #completeDev
5. It has screensavers. Creatives need Helios on the display they’re not using.
6. Ubuntu Software Center… It’s all there and it works. It’s not a KDE mod, so none of that, “Oops, can’t do that because you’re using Kubuntu. Haha.”
7. Being Ubuntu/Debian… It plays well with most of the Linuxverse. So, if others can do something, you probably can too quickly, then get back to creating.
I’m still a semi-secret fan of the “Kubuntu Studio” concept because KDE really is intuitive, which is good for creativity. Ubuntu Studio would be my preference it if could install because it has the menu arrangement that just won’t work as well elsewhere. That said, Xubuntu with Studio basics ain’t bad.
Please check out my Vubuntu project at jessesteele.com/vubuntu.