With the announcement that Ubuntu 11.04 will be using the formely-netbook only Unity interface the need for a dedicated Netbook Edition of Ubuntu seems, well, a little needless.
One plan is to refocus energy on creating ‘one CD to rule them all’ – an intelligent solution in-which Natty’s installer detect whether the device it’s being installed/run on is either a netbook or a desktop and set the environment accordingly.
Clever stuff.
This would, however, mean there would only be room for one default media player and the choice between contenders is clear.
Banshee Vs. Rhythmbox
As two of the most popular media players available for Linux both have solid developer communities behind them.
Banshee was the intended default media player Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition. Sadly a few kinks towards Maverick’s release date meant the switch was shunted back to Natty.
Although Banshee has a reputation as a resource hog the team behind it have made significant strides in reducing its system footprint. Couple that with a massive selection of new and continuously updated extensions – from Miro podcast to an embedded Amazon MP3 store – Banshee looks like the flexible, modern and forward looking choice.
Rhythmbox has been the default music player in Ubuntu for all of its 14 releases and has been deserving of its default status throughout that time. Whilst it lacks many of the advanced features, plug ins and capabilities that Banshee boasts it is a solid, dependable and straight-forward application.
Both applications have Sound Menu integration, application indicators and support for the Ubuntu One Music store.
Poll
For a bit of fun ahead of tomorrows decision here’s a poll:
If the decision was up to you which media player would you choose as default?