[Keeblo]

I really like Ubuntu, but there are two things that I would recommend changing/fixing:

1. Replace the default PDF reader with something faster. It takes the default PDF viewer (in 17.04) 10+ seconds to open files that MuPDF can open in 2 seconds. MuPDF is very basic, so it might not be the best option for the default viewer, but hopefully there's something faster than the current default.

2. Allow the software center app to request sudo privileges when installing .deb files from the GUI. When I set up my most recent Ubuntu desktop I downloaded the Chrome deb from Google and then tried to install it by double clicking the file in the GUI file browser. The software center app opened and tried to install it, but instead of asking me for sudo privileges (which I had), it failed to install. My options were A) install it from the command line with sudo or B) install gdebi and use that to install the deb from the GUI.

As someone who is comfortable working in Linux, it's not a big deal for me to install a deb from the command line. The inability to install a deb by double clicking it would be a showstopper/major issue for someone who is brand new to Linux and isn't trying to "learn Linux".

P.S. There's an argument to be made that people should just learn to use the command line, but Ubuntu's slogan is "Linux for human beings". Besides, the worst way to introduce someone to the wonderful world of FOSS software is to give them a headache while they're trying to set up their computer :-)

[michaelmrose]

Zathura can use mupdf as a backend and has much better bindings/features compared to mupdf, it also supports other ebook formats.

Still pretty keyboard driven and not an optimal choice for ubuntu.

Maybe ubuntu should have a more minimal spin with i3wm and apps like zathura.

[Keeblo]

I second that! The i3wm rocks, but it's kind of a pain to set up. Many applications expect certain GUI elements to be present, and a lot of "It Just Works" aspects of Ubuntu (e.g. hotkeys on laptop media keyboards working) are built into the desktop environment and have to be reconfigured for i3wm.