A Visual Critique of Ubuntu

Recently, I stumbled cross a rather stinging, yet even even-handed, critique of Ubuntu’s Gnome-based UI implementation. In a series of blog posts, Farhad Shakiba – a self-described “unemployed software engineer, hardware engineer, artist, writer and body sculptor” – proceeds to pick-apart the Ubuntu desktop, providing copious real-world examples of where the distro falls short of delivering a commercial-grade user experience.

Some highlights:

1. He believes that the new desktop effects “feel like hacks.” Specifically, the various window animation and flow sequences. He notes how the “animation sometimes disappears when your computer is under load” or how the image “tears” during F-Spot photo transitions. Even the simple act of moving a window on the desktop can cause unpleasant artifacts, as captured in a screenshot in Part II of his series (i.e. the “Snapping Window” example).

2. He’s also critical of the layout of the Gnome menu system’s “branches and leaf-nodes.” Specifically, he finds it too easy to for the user to end up “traversing the wrong path” as they hunt for a specific setting or utility. He notes that there are numerous, redundant ways to accomplish similar or identical tasks, including: Setting the screen resolution (2); managing printers and print jobs (3); configuring the mouse (3); configuring the keyboard (3); configuring networking (3); and configuring/managing packages (4).

3. Overall fit & finish seems to be another point of concern. For example, he documents – and provides screenshots of – various UI object scaling issues, including the notoriously oversized volume control icon (my favorite). He also points out the lack of feedback from the Network Manager (“When Network Manager is connecting to a network there is very little feedback associated with what’s actually happening in the background”) and the inconsistent look and feel of many applications, especially those that use the myriad GTK+ widgets.

Of course, I’m only touching the surface here. There are many more examples, and Mr. Shakiba does a good job of balancing his desire to bring attention to them with his own affection for the Linux platform. I, for one, applaud Mr. Shakiba’s bravery. It takes guts to stand-up to the Ubuntu cabal, with most dissenters quickly labeled as “heretics” and burned at the virtual stake.

Perhaps it helped that Mr. Shakiba sprinkled a modicum of praise throughout his missive (he is, after all, a true believer).Thankfully, I have no such need for diplomacy. I’ve tried nearly every release of Ubuntu since “Dapper,” and my opinion remains unchanged: From a UI perspective, it simply doesn’t hold a candle to Windows Vista.