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Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron"

Ubuntu 8.04, nicknamed "Hardy Heron," is the most recent release of the Ubuntu operating system. It is the eigth Ubuntu release, on the second long-term support (LTS) release. The Desktop edition will be supported until April 2011, and the server edition will be supported until April 2013.

Ubuntu 2
MSRP $0.00
Release date October, 2004
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Pros & Cons17
Reviews38
Details
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Competitors8
Comments13
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
37 reviews
82
negative
mixed
positive
31 positive
3 mixed
3 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Freely distributed
+33agreedisagree

•
Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
+31agreedisagree

•
Simple installation through Wubi.
+27agreedisagree

•
Available in desktop and server versions
+27agreedisagree

•
Very easy to install new open source applications.
+23agreedisagree

•
Excellent usability
+21agreedisagree

•
Very secure operating system (also for viruses, etc)
+4agreedisagree

•
Open source so that anybody can inspect the code
+4agreedisagree

•
Free alternatives to almost any 'commercial quality' programs.
+3agreedisagree

•
Very helpful community
+2agreedisagree

•
Has all the ui gimmicks you could want
0agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports
+25agreedisagree

•
Missing drivers for proprietary hardware.
+1agreedisagree

•
Fails to support a large amount of recent Samsung monitors. Fix is available but requires low-level engineering and cannot be performed by new users!
0agreedisagree

•
Hard to uninstall applications
-3agreedisagree

•
Automatic updates break commercial software like VMWare
-3agreedisagree

•
Missing drivers for most new hardware.
-16agreedisagree


39 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Screenshot

 

screenshot: default 800x600 desktop of Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron"

Availability

Ubuntu is free, and will remain free. As with the other releases, it is avaliable in both desktop and server editions. A free install CD may be requested, however the shipping process may take 6-10 weeks. For more information, see Ubuntu.

Installation    

Ubuntu 8.04 has a completely revamped install system, called Wubi (Windows-Based Ubuntu Installer.) It allows users to install Ubuntu just like they install any other program, without having to partition their hard drive. It also allows for easier installs of the full operating system, and migrates users settings, such as backgrounds and bookmarks, to Ubuntu. A version for Mac, Mubi, is expected to be released soon.

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This report was started November 27, 2007 at 10:07 am by Erik
with the last edit occurring Yesterday, 11:33 AM by bluplr
This page has been viewed 4289 times, with 455 edits by 50 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Competitors

Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" is ranked 1st among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Operating Systems »
Mac OS X Leopard

Mac OS X Leopard

MSRP  $129.00    Released  October, 2007
Pros
  • Improved Spotlight UI & performance
  • Screen sharing for controlling other machines remotely
  • Spaces for virtual desktop management
Cons
  • No more Classic support for PowerPC Macs
  • Runs games a little slower
  • More prone to security attacks, which has been proved
ProSCORE
39 reviews
70
Vote! (21 votes)
vote Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" 57% vs. vote Mac OS X Leopard 43%
Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Microsoft Windows Server 2003

MSRP  --    Released  April, 2008
Pros
  • Very stable
  • Tight integration with the .NET Framework
  • Good performance
  • Great hardware compatibility
Cons
  • Installing updates require a reboot
ProSCORE
1 review
80
Vote! (5 votes)
vote Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" 60% vs. vote Microsoft Windows Server 2003 40%
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

MSRP  $239.00    Released  January, 2007
Pros
  • GUI looks pretty fancy
  • User friendly
  • High security
Cons
  • Takes up a lot of background resources for gamers making games almost unplayable at high graphics
  • Lacks some of the best features of the system in this version
  • A crippled version of the OS at an incredibly high price
ProSCORE
15 reviews
54
Vote! (14 votes)
vote Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" 64% vs. vote Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 36%
Microsoft Windows XP Home

Microsoft Windows XP Home

MSRP  --    Released  January, 2001

Windows XP Home edition is the standard version of XP intended for everday people to use in their homes. The Home edition is relatively full featured when compared to the more expensive Professional and Media Center editions that are intended for business and home theater uses respectively.

ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (6 votes)
vote Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" 67% vs. vote Microsoft Windows XP Home 33%
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic

MSRP  $199.00    Released  January, 2007

From Wikipedia: Similar to Windows XP Home Edition, Home Basic is intended for budget users not requiring advanced media support for home use. The Windows Aero theme with translucent effects will not be included with this edition. 64-bit Home Basic will support up to 8 GB of physical memory, and will be supported until...

ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (9 votes)
vote Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" 78% vs. vote Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic 22%
Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 "Etch"

Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 "Etch"

MSRP  $0.00    Released  --

Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 "Etch" is the 9th release, and current oldstable version of Debian GNU/Linux. It is supported until one year after the next release, which happened in February 2009. Etch can be ran with either KDE, GNOME, or Xfce as the default GUI. It can also be ran with no GUI whatsoever, and...

ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (5 votes)
vote Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" 80% vs. vote Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 "Etch" 20%
Microsoft Windows Vista Business

Microsoft Windows Vista Business

MSRP  $299.00    Released  January, 2007
Pros
  • It is stable < IT IS
  • Secure
Cons
  • if people cant afford decant pcs it cant be used
ProSCORE
1 review
67
Vote! (8 votes)
vote Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" 88% vs. vote Microsoft Windows Vista Business 12%
Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 "Lenny"

Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 "Lenny"

MSRP  $0.00    Released  February, 2009
Pros
  • rock hard stability
  • great security - a top concern
  • painless upgrade from earlier versions of Debian
  • free
Cons
  • packages in stable are old
  • not as easy to use as other user-centered distributions
ProSCORE
1 review
71
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron"   vs. vote Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 "Lenny"  

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Comments

27 taps
show more
1.  avatar Omar said:

A Eee-specific version of Ubuntu was released recently, so I think I'm going to try that out as soon as I can find a cheap SDHC card to boot from. I don't want to mess with the default installation, and I want to make sure everything is hunky-dory before doing a complete switch.

Ubuntu reminds me of OSX in a lot of ways. It has a user friendly interface, but you have access to the deep and powerful Unix architecture underneath. Of course you don't have the SAME kind of usability as OSX, but from what I've experienced, it's not bad.
Dec 17, 2007 11:05am
2.  avatar michaelshores said:

I have been running Ubuntu on a pair of notebook computers for about nine months. Initially installed 7.04 on each and have subsequently upgraded to 7.10. The upgrade process was very smooth. I have yet to experience my first system crash. Ubuntu and open source applications can easily meet the needs of 80% of all computer users.
Jan 08, 2008 8:34pm
3.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

Downloading Ubuntu is much easier than downloading other distro's. I have had experience with Debian before, and I would get speeds of about 20kB/s when I downloaded the OS install CD's, but with Ubuntu I almost maxed out my connection.
Feb 15, 2008 10:43am
4.  avatar exumer said:

From experience, ubutnu is very easy to install and use. the menus are very intuitive which helps a person new to linux navigate through their system. the only cons i would have with this operatins sytem is their software package installer (when i try to install plug ins for mozilla, they would not work, i guess due to the wrapper used to install them. which i hate as well), when i tried intsalling ubuntu onto my laptop, it would not support my nvidia graphics card so i could not go past the loading screen. I have found other versions of linux that i like way more than ubuntu, including Fedora, ZenWalk, and Mandriva.
Mar 09, 2008 3:52pm
5.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

I ran Ubuntu for about a month on a really old spare computer I came across. It is the easiest Linux distro I have ever installed, and runs nicely. As long as you enable extra repositories and the Medibuntu repositories, all the software you ever need is easy to install, including plugins for Firefox. The only cons were that not all the software you install would get added to the menus, and that all the media organizers aren't that good. They also don't have the sleek look of those running on Windows. The computer I had was too old to try to emulate Window's applications. It also has very good data CD/DVD and ISO creations.
Mar 09, 2008 8:42pm
6.  avatar rabidpotatochip said:

I run MythTV on an Ubuntu system in my living room. Unfortunately, the kernel in Gutsy Gibbon broke the timing on my serial IR blaster, but downgrading to Feisty Fawn fixed it. Hardy Heron is also supposed to fix it as well, but it'll be a few days before that claim can be tested.

On a semi-unrelated note, while Ubuntu is very simple for the novice to average user the fact that most Windows software can't run on Linux is the biggest turn-off for most people. I think once Wine picks up a bit more Ubuntu will probably ride on that success.
Apr 23, 2008 10:09pm
7.  avatar Manzabar said:

@dailupinternetuser: If you don't care for Ubuntu's default look, you can change it. Also many of people who prefer how Windows looks tend to like the KDE desktop environment (vs. Ubuntu's default of Gnome). If you want to play around with Ubuntu & KDE you can either install KDE through Ubuntu's package installer or use the Kubuntu version of Ubuntu.
Apr 29, 2008 3:07pm
8.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

It wasn't Ubuntu's default look I didn't like, it was Rythmbox's look. Which is harder to change. And JuK, for KDE, is even worse. It looks bad and has no functions.
Apr 29, 2008 3:31pm
9.  avatar Manzabar said:

Ah, in that case I'd recommend trying Amarok.
May 19, 2008 3:33pm
10.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

@ Manazabar: Amarok is technically a KDE program, which means I need to install a ton of KDE libraries. How does this affect my system? I only want to run GNOME. I wouldn't mind having the KDE files on my computer, as long as they don't do anything.

May 25, 2008 5:37pm
11.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

So I tried out Wubi on one of our high schools computers and it installed perfectly. Told it the partition size, gave it a user/pass, hit install and that was it. Very nice. It gave me a boot menu at startup and worked great. It picked up our schools private Novell (ugh) network and prompted me for information. Didn't try putting anything in. Ran some programs, which looked pretty and worked great. Uninstall was just as easy with Wubi, and the school's IT people never knew a thing. (I hope).
May 25, 2008 5:41pm
12.  avatar Manzabar said:

@dialupinternetuser: Correct, Amarok is a KDE program and installing it will install all the require libraries. The only way this should affect your system is you'll have used up more disk space and any future KDE programs you want to try out should have some of their dependencies already installed.
May 27, 2008 8:07am
13.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

I'll try that out after I install Ubuntu once I get a new motherboard, processor, and power supply. And case. And probably a new hard drive. Of which I will be getting soon.
May 28, 2008 9:42am
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

m

avatar
March 12, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
91
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
want itwant it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability
  • Very secure operating system (also for viruses, etc)
  • Open source so that anybody can inspect the code
  • Very helpful community
  • Has all the ui gimmicks you could want

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

fractalhorizon

avatar
January 8, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
5 cons
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability
  • Very secure operating system (also for viruses, etc)
  • Open source so that anybody can inspect the code
  • Free alternatives to almost any 'commercial quality' programs.
  • Very helpful community

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports
  • Missing drivers for proprietary hardware.
  • Hard to uninstall applications
  • Automatic updates break commercial software like VMWare
  • Missing drivers for most new hardware.

Competitors

fractalhorizon prefers Mac OS X Leopard over Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

rabidpotatochip

avatar
August 31, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
88
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
1 con
love itlove it
have ithave it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability
  • Free alternatives to almost any 'commercial quality' programs.

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports

Comments

"I run MythTV on an Ubuntu system in my living room. Unfortunately, the kernel in Gutsy Gibbon broke the timing on my serial IR blaster, but downgrading to Feisty Fawn fixed it. Hardy Heron is also supposed to fix it as well, but it'll be a few days before that claim can be tested.

On a semi-unrelated note, while Ubuntu is very simple for the novice to average user the fact that most Windows software can't run on Linux is the biggest turn-off for most people. I think once Wine picks up a bit more Ubuntu will probably ride on that success."

Competitors

rabidpotatochip prefers Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" over Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

mattthegreat

avatar
December 27, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
92
negative
mixed
positive
11 pros
1 con
have ithave it
love itlove it
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability
  • Very secure operating system (also for viruses, etc)
  • Open source so that anybody can inspect the code
  • Free alternatives to almost any 'commercial quality' programs.
  • Very helpful community
  • Has all the ui gimmicks you could want

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Darkstriker

avatar
March 9, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
78
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
2 cons
have ithave it

Pros

  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability
  • Very secure operating system (also for viruses, etc)
  • Open source so that anybody can inspect the code

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports
  • Fails to support a large amount of recent Samsung monitors. Fix is available but requires low-level engineering and cannot be performed by new users!

Competitors

Darkstriker prefers Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" over Mac OS X Leopard
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

ahmadomara

avatar
November 23, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Free alternatives to almost any 'commercial quality' programs.

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports
  • Missing drivers for most new hardware.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Plasmarobo

avatar
August 6, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
88
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
1 con

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability
  • Free alternatives to almost any 'commercial quality' programs.

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

yaminb

avatar
May 13, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports
  • Missing drivers for most new hardware.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

MrFats

avatar
August 28, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
0 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability
  • Free alternatives to almost any 'commercial quality' programs.

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

theojepsen

avatar
July 28, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
86
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
1 con
love itlove it
have ithave it

Pros

  • Freely distributed
  • Available as a "Live" CD to try it out before installing
  • Simple installation through Wubi.
  • Available in desktop and server versions
  • Very easy to install new open source applications.
  • Excellent usability

Cons

  • Not all commercial software has Linux versions or ports

Competitors

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No
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