Then, about two months ago, I switched to using a new Dell with Ubuntu Linux at work. For the most part, I couldn’t be happier, but there are a few things I really miss about my Mac. Here’s a list of the 10 things I miss the most. If you know of replacements for any of these under Ubuntu, please leave a comment and share your solution.

1. Dashboard

When I first upgraded to OS X Tiger, I thought the Dashboard was silly and a waste of processing power. After almost two years, it became the thing I instantly missed the most when using Ubuntu. With a selection of Dashboard widgets including clocks displaying multiple time-zones, the weather, system stats, and website stats, the Dashboard can become quite addicting. When using Ubuntu, I keep wanting to press F12 to check my widgets, but I haven’t found a good desktop widget solution for Ubuntu yet.

2. Quicksilver

I love Quicksilver on the Mac for quickly launching apps and doing repetitive tasks. I can’t use a Mac without Quicksilver because digging through the Finder to launch something like the Activity Monitor drives me nuts.

I’ve only scratched the surface of what Quicksilver can do, but I can’t find anything on Ubuntu that does these tasks quite as well. I’ve tried Deskbar but find it slow and annoying. Is there something out there that compares with Quicksilver on Ubuntu?

3. Adium

Adium is simply the best chat client I’ve ever used. Because it is based off the same messaging library as Pidgin (GAIM), it supports just about ever IM network out there. The interface, however, is much nicer than Pidgin’s interface and integrates perfectly with OS X.

When Using GAIM on Ubuntu 7.04, I feel like I’ve stepped back 5 years. GAIM under Ubuntu is clunky and rather ugly. It’s also much more difficult to see when new messages arrive because there is no notification system similar to Aduim’s Growl based notices. The version of Pidgin shipping with the Ubuntu 7.10 looks more promising, hopefully it is more polished and fun to use.

4. Professional Graphics Software

Yeah, I know, this is probably the number one complaint that everyone has about using Linux, but I’ve found it to be true – I can’t find any really great professional graphics software for Ubuntu. I know, GIMP is great, but I’m accustomed to using Adobe Fireworks for web design and site mockups, and GIMP just doesn’t fit my needs. Come on Adobe, start supporting Linux already!

5. TextMate

The Free Man’s TextMate: Gvim + Nautilus

I spend a lot of time working in a text editor. I got hooked on using TextMate for my web and Ruby on Rails work. It might not be the best text editor in the world, but it seems to be the best on the Mac.

On Ubuntu, I’m using a combination of Gvim and Nautilus to replace TextMate. Gvim is fine, but I’m not yet a Vim expert and the lack of a good integrated file browser really bothers me. I think I’ll get over this one pretty soon.

6. Dictionary

Mac OS has a great built-in dictionary application. I often find myself launching this app (with the help of Quicksilver) to check a word or find a good synonym. The high quality entries are from the Oxford American Dictionary.

On Ubuntu, there is a dictionary application, but it can only look up words in free dictionaries (results and quality vary). This means that you must be online to look up a word, which is kind of a bummer. There are some cool features like multi-language dictionaries, but the quality often leaves much to be desired. Is there a really great dictionary app for Linux?

7. Quicktime

Quicktime is one of those things that Mac users take for granted. It’s just there and it plays almost any media file you throw at it (especially if you’ve installed the Perian plugin).

Playing your favorite media files on Ubuntu is not a great experience. Sure, if you hunt around the web enough, you find instructions on how to make just about any media file play in Linux, but the results are usually buggy. I often find it possible to play a file but not possible to fast forward or rewind without the player crashing. I miss Quicktime and its simplicity.

8. Bluetooth Support and Syncing

Bluetooth support in OS X is simple and easy to use. I have a mobile phone with Bluetooth and it only took me a few minutes to pair it with my Mac and start syncing files. A few minutes later, I was using the phone as a mobile modem that can connect my Macbook to the net while on the road. Transferring files to and from devices like mobile phones and the Nokia N800 is also a breeze.

While I was able to get rudimentary file transfers working with the Bluetooth module in my Dell N1420, it was not easy. Syncing contacts and calendars also seems to be impossible. Much work could be done to improve the Bluetooth experience in Ubuntu.

9. System-wide spell checking

Mac OS X has system-wide spell checking for all Cocoa based apps. This means you can have just about everything you type into your Mac spell checked. This unified system means that you only have to train one dictionary with your new words.

Of course there is spell checking in almost every Ubuntu application, but each one has its own system. You need to train the dictionaries for each app and get used to each system’s little quirks. Hopefully, someone out there is working on a system-wide spell checking framework for Linux.

10. Smart Trackpad

I prefer to use an external mouse instead of a notebook’s trackpad, but if I have to use one, I want it to behave itself and be easy to use. Apple’s implementation of the trackpad is simply brilliant. You can customize the trackpad to ignore accidental clicks, use two-finger scrolling, and the all-so-cool two-finger “right click”.

After using a Macbook for over a year, the trackpad included with my Dell Ubuntu system seems horrible. First of all, the scrolling feature of the trackpad doesn’t work at all. What’s even worse is the lack of a setting (that I can find) to make the trackpad ignore accidental taps. I’m constantly having the cursor jump to another spot on the screen because I accidentally tapped the trackpad with my palm while typing. I’m really hoping that Ubuntu 7.10 addresses some of these issues.

Overall, I have to say that I’m very happy with using Ubuntu. These are just a few little things that really bug me about my Dell Ubuntu notebook. With a little patients, I’m sure most of these issues will be solved. There are also a lot of things I love about Ubuntu that I miss when I use OS X, maybe I’ll share those in my next post.

Related posts:

1. From OS X to Ubuntu: 2 Years Later
2. Why I’m Switching to Mac and Linux
3. Dell Inspiron 1420N with Ubuntu Unboxing

The time seems right for a company like Dell to partner with a distribution like Ubuntu and bring Linux to the masses. Unfortunately, Dell and Ubuntu’s parent company Canonical have not worked together closely enough to make this a first-rate offering. While I think the 1420N is a great computer overall, the lack of attention to detail (and unbelievably bad driver support) keep these latest Linux offerings from being ready for the general public. Hopefully Dell and Canonical will resolve these problems and make a truly great product that I could feel comfortable recommending to family members who are not familiar with Linux.

The Good

Design

Having used a Macbook for the last year, I was not initially impressed with the 1420’s design. Apple has made the industrial design of their computers into such an art that any other laptops look bad in comparison. However, when compared with other PC notebooks, the 1420 is very nice. It looks nice sitting on my desk and is comfortable to use.

Heat Management

One place where the 1420 design outshines the Macbook is in heat management. If you’ve ever used a modern Apple notebook, you’ll know that they become extremely hot and it’s nearly impossible to use them on your lap. The Dell 1420 has a fan that blows hot air out the left side of the notebook and keeps the bottom of the notebook very cool. You can comfortably use the 1420 on your lap for hours without the machine overheating.

Keyboard

The keyboard feels nice and has good tactile feedback. The extra buttons like “delete”, “page up” and “page down” are placed in reasonable locations considering the normal lack of space on notebook keyboards. The extra media keys work well to control the volume and navigate media in Totem and Rythembox. The power button conveniently brings up the Gnome logout menu (this can be changed to preform other tasks via the Gnome Power Manager).

Screen

I upgraded to a higher resolution glossy screen. While the 1440×900 resolution is nice, I wish it was available with a non-glare coating. Colors look noticeably different when compared with a Macbook and with computers running Windows XP. This could simply be a difference between the way Linux and other operating systems handle color or might possibly be a problem with the video driver (more on that later). Overall, the screen is very nice and one of the first notebook screens that doesn’t make my eyes hurt after hours of work.

Good But Needs Improvement

Bluetooth

I ordered the Bluetooth module for an extra 20 dollars. I’ve been using Bluetooth with my Macbook to transfer files to and from my mobile devices and for connecting to my mobile phone for internet access. I knew that Bluetooth support in Ubuntu is pretty poor, but I wanted to see if it would be usable. The first thing I noticed is that there is no way to turn the Bluetooth radio on and off separately from the WiFi radio without entering the BIOS. This means that the Bluetooth radio is almost always on, wasting battery power and possibly causing a security risk. It would be nice to be able to turn the radio on and off with its own switch or via software. (Update: If you feel like compiling some software, it is possible to turn Bluetooth on and off via the command line. Here’s how.)

Getting the Bluetooth up and running was not easy. Most of the necessary software was installed by default, but I still needed to install extra software and edit configuration files to make anything work. With some tweaking and the help of these instructions, I was able to send files to and from the my Sony Ericsson w810i and Nokia N800. I’ve heard that it is possible to use the w810i as a modem in Linux, but with no graphical interface for these type of connections, it’s not very useful for the average user.

WiFi

The 1420 WiFi works well with unsecured and WPA secured networks. NetworkManager has problems connecting to WEP encrypted networks. Lack of good WEP support is annoying and severely limits Ubuntu’s ability to connect to public access points.

Audio

I was surprised at the high quality sound card included with the 1420. When listening with headphones, no noise is noticeable and audio sounds very clear. The inclusion of two headphone jacks and a microphone jack on the front of the machine is a nice touch. Getting a microphone to work was not quite so easy. There are holes in the case above the screen that appear to be for a built-in microphone. If there is a microphone back there, I was never able to get it to work.

I was able to get an old headset working when I plugged it into the microphone port on the front. Unfortunately, Ubuntu and Dell have not included an audio mixer for adjusting the input volume. I needed to hunt through the Synaptic package manager for a mixer and install it before I could get the microphone volume loud enough to make Skype calls. A little bit of customization and package pre-installation on Dell and Canonical’s part could take using microphones from annoying to a great experience.

DVD Drive

Watching unencrypted home recorded DVDs is no problem and you’re prompted to install the proper codecs when the first DVD is inserted. Burning simple data and audio CDs and DVDs is also very easy with the built-in tools. It would be nice if Dell included more robust burning software (perhaps Nero Linux) and DVD software capable of playing commercial DVDs without installing software of questionable legality (at least in the US).

The Bad

Video

Every page where Dell advertises the 1420N should include a bright red notice to warn potential buyers that Ubuntu currently has no 3D video driver for the integrated Intel X3100 graphics card. Trying to use 3D applications such as 3D screensavers or enabling Desktop Effects (aka Compiz) will instantly freeze the window manager and leave you with little choice but to forcibly power down the computer. Even the external monitor port (VGA) does not work!

Intel has released drivers for the new Santa Rosa mobile platform (including the X3100 integrated graphics), but these drivers are not supported in the current version of Ubuntu. This is the age-old story of poor Linux driver support for new hardware (and I’m sure everything will be supported once Gutsy Gibbon is released in October). It does seem that two companies like Dell and Canonical could find a solution to this problem other than shipping unsupported hardware. Why couldn’t Canonical push out the necessary video drivers for Dell owners? Shipping notebooks with no 3D video support is simply unacceptable. If Dell and Canonical want to reach more users and be taken seriously, they need to step up their cooperation and start shipping computers that work correctly out of the box.

Hibernate and Suspend

The hibernate and suspend functions worked well out of the box. However, after a few hours of use, these functions stopped working. Thinking I had probably installed something that messed things up, I used the Dell utility (available in the GRUB startup menu) to restore the notebook to its factory condition. After the 15 minute reinstall process, hibernate and suspend worked again. Unfortunately, without installing any additional software, the computer quit hibernating and suspending correctly after a few days. Trying either of these functions completely freezes the OS and forces you to hard reboot the notebook. This is another problem that I’m sure will be fixed in Gutsy.

Final Thoughts

Overall, as a Linux geek, I’m very happy with my decision to get the Inspiron 1420N. The notebook is by far the fastest I’ve ever used (it could be even faster with a 7200rpm hard drive) and it’s comfortable to work with on a desk or on your lap. The price (depending on what coupon codes you can find) is reasonable and comes in quite a bit cheaper than a Macbook. Unfortunately, Dell and Canonical have fallen short of releasing a truly great product. With just a little extra work and closer attention to the pre-installed software and drivers, they could be shipping the perfect Linux notebook. The way it is now, I wouldn’t recommend this notebook for anyone who’s not a seasoned Linux geek.

Related posts:

1. Dell Inspiron 1420N with Ubuntu Unboxing
2. Switching From OS X to Ubuntu: 10 Things I Miss
3. Install Ubuntu 7.04 on Your Intel Mac with VMware Fusion

Overall, the unboxing process and first few hours with the machine are going well. I’m writing this post and even edited and uploaded the photos from the Dell – all with no extra software installed. While Dell still has a long way to go to catch up with the style and elegance of an Apple unboxing, it seems like they’ve come a long way over the last year. I’m just happy to have a computer running Ubuntu out of the box. Ah, the smell of freedom is in the air!

Check back later for more reviews and info about this latest Dell Ubuntu offering. Update: The review is online now.

The box that DHL dropped off.

Looks like this one was made in Malaysia. Thanks for the info Dell.

They made sure that the first thing you see is the recycling kit. That’s kind of cool.

So far, things are looking pretty nice.

It seems like they just threw all the junk that comes with the computer in the box. It works, but it doesn’t look so great.

Of course, it doesn’t come with much but a power adapter (and an extra battery I ordered).

And a bunch of pretty much useless books. The only thing worth keeping here is the CD.

I didn’t order any OS support with this computer. Thankfully, they have a sticker on the disc pointing us to Ubuntu’s community support site.

Ok, this looks pretty nice.

But they put so much tape on the styrofoam that I had to go get a knife to get it open. Not very classy.

Finally got it open!

I ordered the “Expresso Brown” colored notebook. Looks black to me!

It doesn’t look too bad when opened up. And the screen doubles as a mirror!

The bottom of the machine is functional but ugly.

No Windows sticker! I could do without the extra “n series” logo.

A Windows key on an Ubuntu machine, sort of a bummer.

The machine boots up to the Dell EULA.

Related posts:

1. Review: Dell Inspiron 1420N with Ubuntu
2. Goodbye Windows (Sorta)
3. Matt Mullenweg Interview