maybe i'm running-in open doors here and those issues are already getting adressed, but the following are the unadressed issues of rh9, the ones frequently getting stumbled over by me and people i know using rh9 (or linux in general): 1. not having the possibility in mixed networks of accessing/streaming all kinds of files on windows-pcs without the necessity of having to download them first. ximian xd2 makes it at least possible to open docs, and afaik lindows 4 even allows streaming. also, the log-in-window which pops up every time i want to access a windows-pc even if it has no restriction at all is simply annoying. even in case the win-pc has a password, it should be sufficient to type it in just once, so that it gets stored, logs in automatically and just asks again when and if a password has changed. 2. default integration of xmms (for audio) and an videoplayer (gxine or totem) into browsers (at least mozilla, galeon/epi). gxine is already working with mozilla and galeon, is usable, but is still slow opening streams as well as not being able to play streams from cache, so if you want to view for example a huge trailer twice, it needs to download it again. also, development on gxine seems to have stopped since a few months, maybe in favour of totem?! 3. red hat's (legal) position regarding shipping xmms without the mp3-plug is understandable, however, would it be technically as well as legally possible to write a script or modify xmms in a way (i'm not a programmer) so that it fetches the mp3-plug automatically when it is started for the first time? 4. rh9.x should ship with flash-, java- and whatever plug-in already installed in browsers, because, if i remember correctly, it's just possible to install those plugs via mozilla when you are logged-on to gnome as root (this might have changed in the last versions, don't know exactly). maybe even j2re installed by default would be a good idea (if legally possible), so no hassles for the newbie anymore (also, it's quite frustrating from a newbie's perspective if one of the first things you're trying-out doesn't work for no apparent reason, it sheds a dark light on linux, leaves a bitter taste, might create frustration). 5. installing programs under linux is still not as easy as it is under windows, and this seems to be one of the steepest hurdles for newbies to overcome (finding the right software for ones purposes under the plethora of os-software with often cryptic names, solving deps manually). i've seen that yum might get included into rh 9.x which would be good (btw, why not apt4rpm?) and that there are thoughts about unifying the various softwarechannels and -reps, but imo rh9 suffers from the lack of an integrated "softwarecenter", which would include installation (automatic solving of dependencies), updating and removing of all rpm-based software under one clear and easy-to-understand gui (similar to ximian's red carpet), as well as a description what the resp. program does. also, from what i understood, mike hearn's autpackage-project seems like a very good idea from a user's perpective, and maybe it should be supported in one way or another, at least included when it's ready? 6. the quality of printing is still not as good as under osx or windows, but i guess this is not in the hands of the distributions, but in those of the printervendors (i also haven't myself made familiar with the advanced options of printing under linux, so i can only talk about default)? again, all those issues might be already known and worked on, but from outside, it's hard to tell. sometimes one gets the impression that the distributed development of linux (or gnu/linux) shared between various projects favours that people are specialising on their respective fields, and that _functional_(from a user's perspective) integration between the various pieces gets not the attention (or priority) it deserves. at least i (and the people i know) would prefer not having the latest "ingredients" in the next release(s) (except kernel 2.6 which is really a big step forward), but having the issues mentioned above adressed (faster) instead. especially to prevent companies like lindows (which seems, according to the latest raving reviews, to be very good at adressing these issues, though i don't like it at all) to take over the desktop of the average homeuser (who just wants to use his pc without getting involved in the technical details), it would be nice seeing red hat (and the other big distris) putting (even) more emphasis on exactly that kind of consolidation! one might say that red hat targets a different, more "educated" audience, however, imo it wouldn't be wise to leave (the much bigger) part of the desktopmarket over to lindows etc.which are obviously seeing a valid business targeting it (as far as i understood, red hat has stopped to distribute boxed versions, trying to sell or distribute it included in magazines, over the internet etc. so if someone-while searching for an alternative to microsoft-gets a copy, installs it and finds it to work flawlessly right out-of-the-box, chance is good that he might subscribe to rhn!). again, those comments are being made from an ordinary users perspective, and are meant in a constructive manner!
