30 Days With Ubuntu Linux 852
jkwdoc writes "Vexed by Vista's hardware requirements and product activation issues, many have claimed on various boards that they plan to 'switch to Linux.' [H] Consumer spent 30 days using nothing but Ubuntu Linux to find out if this is truly a viable alternative for the consumer. Linux has indeed become much more than the 'Programmer's OS.'"
Misguided or simply lazy (Score:5, Interesting)
IMHO, anyone who wants all the control of building your own computer, reads a website which has overclocking in the name and thinks Linux/FreeBSD/Open Source is either misguided about the benifits of Linux or is just lazy. Putting your own computer together these days with all the options, choices to make, etc. is getting harder than it was 10 years ago. Meanwhile, Linux has been getting easier. So I don't see where the challenge is for these people.
It is nice to see that non-Linux people are continuing to give Linux a try. Most things in the world only get one chance and then its over.
On the other hand... (Score:1, Interesting)
That depends ... (Score:3, Interesting)
That depends upon what the problem is finally determined to be.
Since there is no way anyone else can diagnose your problem, you are free to make any claims you want to about it.
Meanwhile, your experience seems to run counter to the majority. I have installed Ubuntu on many machines without a single problem. Ubuntu does have problems installing at times, but mostly with SATA drives on specific chipsets in specific configurations.
Who the hell is this end user that edits DVDs? (Score:5, Interesting)
She DOESN'T do any DVD editing. She DOES use digital photography (in that I send her pictures of her great grandson and she views them). She's even managed to solve minor problems on her own. She writes documents, receives documents (both word and excel), and has had no issues to date that could not be solved in 10 minutes on the phone.
Her only major complaint? It's not the user interface. It's not the multifunction printer/copier/scanner. It's not the funky colors. It's not the email. It's that she can't make the computer wit more than 2 hours before hibernating.
Perhaps these "reviews" of "typical users" should evealuate what a real "typical user" actually is.
It's the Internet! (Score:5, Interesting)
I switched to Debian desktop in 2005 (Score:4, Interesting)
I thought I would miss some things in Windows but I didn't. The thing I thought I would miss most was Microsoft Word, but Abiword did fine. I was always concerned I would have to modify my resume and send it out in a nice Word format that Linux wouldn't have, but that was never a problem. I never missed Windows for anything. They talk about Windows having better hardware support, but my (then) 802.11b wireless was a hell of a lot easier to install on my system then Linux. I also liked the ability to open a shell and just be able to do stuff - do an awk or sort or whatever on a file, have multiple windows and so forth. It had all the nice user brain-dead stuff of Windows, but I could drop to a shell and actually do stuff, instead of getting some MS-DOS prompt crap. It's much better nowadays than my old days when I had a Linux kernel version 1 running fvwm as one of my work desktops (the other desktop at that time was a Sun IPX running SunOS 4.1.3_U1).
My question to Ubuntu/linux preachers (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd usually spend efforts trying to improve on things that would help me at work.
Anyway, now im starting a web hosting and web design (very) small company. I'm not really impressed by the direction MS is taking nor by the fees its charging. Vista smells like a truckload of overhead shit that i have zero interest in even trying out. The 2003 line of servers from MS is just too expensive just to avoid mentionning i hate the notion of online activation/tracking.
I've installed Ubuntu and other distros of linux at the time and while I've always got stuck with the file structure and various command lines to learn, i feel this is something i could get the hang of over time.
But what brings me back everytime to windows are my own limitations regarding programming. At work, we do ASP and ASP.net. Not c#, vb.net. I can read c# but i don't really program with it.
I have no interest in learning php, ruby or other languages despite all their advantages. Because at work that's not what we use and I'd rather re-use my skills rather than split into a new branch just because im having something on the side.
so, my question is, is there any (easy) way i could be running the
I know its pretty contracdictory but i dont want to install overhead on my server just for the benefit of running
So, is it possible ?
It isn't about trying, it is about sticking around (Score:2, Interesting)
The problem is having people that do try out Linux stick around. Most go back to what is comfortable and they are used to after the novelty has wore off. There seems to be so much fluff about those that try out Linux and not about about those that stick with Linux. There hasn't really ever been an issue with those trying out Linux.
The problems with Linux. (Score:3, Interesting)
1. No 64 bit Flash. Or the lack of support in the X64 version of Firefox for 32 bit plug ins.
2. You can not watch DVDs you buy at the store with out breaking the law... Thank you US government...
3. Drivers specifically the fact that it is IMPOSIBLE for a manufacture to put a binary linux driver on a disk and stick in the box with his product.
The first part the Linux community really can not do a lot about. I guess that the distros could ship the 32 bit version of Firefox as the default until Adobe catches up.
The second issue is a legal fiction and can only be fixed by lawyers... And that is never a good state of affairs.
The third is my least favorite problem because it could at least be helped by the kernel developers. If they would just put in a stable binary driver interface then it would be possible to put drivers an a CD. Currently they don't want to put one in because they feel it would encourage closed source drivers. They will use excuses about performance but the simple truth is it is all about politics.
This article was a great example. The new network adapter didn't have a driver in distro. In this case the driver hadn't made it to the kernel yet. Even if the manufacture had produced a FOSS driver there would be no way to put it on the CD. There would be no way of knowing if it would work with the users kernel. They would have put a bunch of source code on the disk and maybe a script to compile it... If the user has a development system installed and the right headerfiles...
I hate technical problems caused by politics.
Re:I remember similar stuff said about XP (Score:3, Interesting)
I still use Linux (Fedora Core 6) as my primary OS, and I'm pretty happy with it. It does all of the day to day productivity tasks that I need, and I like the flexibility it gives me in terms of technical capabilities - if I want to, SSH into work write a program in C++, test a web page, try out a new language, and so forth, I can do it with minimal hassle. I don't really see switching off of Linux as my own personal desktop OS.
However, I still have a Windows partition, and it's not going to go away any time soon. The Linux gaming scene is still pretty much dead (no offense meant to Michael Simms and the folks at LGP!), for one thing, and my console isn't a complete replacement for that yet. Outlook is still (unfortunately) the best local email client when it comes to remote-synchronized calendaring, email, and address books, especially when you toss smartphones and such into the mix, at least until I move to Google Apps. And when it comes to my own needs, Windows Media Center provides a better fit than MythTV. I'm waiting for 30 people to chime in that MythTV is everything to everyone - but that's just not true.
So, much as I hate to say it, Vista's probably in my future. But so is Linux.
Re:Misguided or simply lazy (Score:4, Interesting)
A very good review in general (Score:3, Interesting)
I was impressed by the author's attention to detail and clear specification of the tested systems and the steps involved in using them.
One useful correction would be that programs are just as easy to install on .rpm-based systems as they are on .deb-based systems. The default tool on Fedora Core 6 is called YUM [fedorafaq.org] and it does all the dependency resolving necessary. There are even simpler front ends to it such as Pup [oreillynet.com] and Pirut. Package installation, deinstallation, upgrade and update are just as easy as they are with Aptitude.
The problems that the author experiences with 64-bit Flash are unfortunately a result of there being insufficient pressure from GNU/Linux consumers on vendors to supply Free software. A similar problem is experience by many Ubuntu users that rely on the non-Free drivers produced by Nvidia for their graphics cards, or the various non-free binary blobs used for some dodgy wireless hardware. This will continue to be a problem as long as distributions like Ubuntu facilitate the manufacturers of this hardware in evading one of the central principles of Free Software. The manufacturers can't do a good enough job of staying current with the kernel and so GNU/Linux will always be a second class citizen as long as we accept this. Fortunately there are manufacturers, such as Intel [intellinuxgraphics.org] that provide Free software for their 3D graphics cards and their wireless chipsets and so it's worth choosing their components when building a new system. (I used to buy ATI stuff because the Free 3d drivers were better than the Free Nvidia ones, but apparently the nouveau [freedesktop.org] project is opening up the list of working Free Nvidia cards. I'll probably be giving Nvidia and ATI both a miss in favour of Intel though).
Unfortunately Mark Shuttleworth is a short-term thinker who is pushing [desktoplinux.com] many of the Ubuntu developers into including binary, closed blobs that work until you update your system. This is the tired old "I'm a pragmatist" line which has been releiving the pressure on manufacturers to open their drivers and on users to choose non-closed hardware while purchasing new systems. It's anything but pragmatic and leads to the sort of frustrations seen in the article.
Re:I remember similar stuff said about XP (Score:5, Interesting)
Now Vista on the other hand has elicited nothing but hand wringing for several years. For what I can tell it has little good to offer except eye candy. On the downside the OS has DRM in it's DNA, it has a ridiculous security sceme. It fails to run lots of current software. It claims but fails to be more secure (can't use 3rd party anti-virus). It has extreme hardware requirements. I built my last new PC within months of the release of XP. I will not build a PC for Vista. I will not buy a PC with Vista. I do not look forward to the day that I must start using Vista at work.
The big question is this: Linux or Apple? I have an older PC in the house running Ubuntu. It's great, and it also sucks. It has tons of free software. It can't legally play DVDs. It is supremely stable and runs really fast on very antiquated hardware. Getting it to do something out of the ordinary (like using the midi keyboard I got for my son) requires navigating a byzantine maze of forums, scripts, command lines. It fit nicely with my philosophy. You can build your own. On the other hand, Apples "just work." They cost more. You don't get to build your own. Since I don't have as much time as I used to I'll probably buy an Apple for 90% of my use, and I might have a 2nd PC with linux for doing stuff that requires high end software that I don't care to buy.
That being said, am I a typical user? Hardly. I've been on the internet since 1988. I built my last computer myself. I know enough to know how little I know. Lots of people think I'm some sort of computer guru. I realize that I am just barely competent. I would never recommend linux to my Dad or a computer-clueless friend. I tell them, "Go buy a Mac. They just work." When they get their Apple, they are happy. I'd rather USE a computer than ADMINISTER one.
Re:Misguided or simply lazy (Score:5, Interesting)
Who gives a fuck, it's new and it's cheap. Cheaper with XP or Linux instead of Vista, which I spent a good 3 hours setting up for someone yesterday (on a Dell) and was underimpressed. It sounds cliche, but there really are a lot of people who just want to use their computer to check email, surf the Internet and watch youtube videos. Call his suggested configuration outdated if you will, but it is adequate for a large group of users. I would also suggest that this configuration may actually boot up faster and run just as quickly as the average Dell because it won't come preinstalled without the megabytes of crap software that Dell likes to include with thier OEM and run at boot time. Ironically enough, looking through the invoice, they listed and charged $.01 per peice of crap software preinstalled. I can only guess it's for accounting/inventory purposes that they would do such a thing. I would hope that if they are going to charge for crap software that I don't want, even if it is a penny, I should have the opportunity to opt out when ordering.
Re:ya but (Score:5, Interesting)
It may simply be spoken by someone who values big explosions and flashy effects over playability. (Face it... Nethack IS ugly. It also happens to be a good game, but that doesnt' change the fact that it's ugly.)
Re:Replaced Windows and not noticed (Score:3, Interesting)
For me and a guest speaker, we made the switch and he didn't notice.
One of our social groups (not business) had a guest speaker. He requested we provide a computer and projection system for a PowerPoint slide show. The newest laptop I have is a Windows 2K/Ubuntu machine running Office 2K & Open Office.
He came and spoke and complained that his slide show wasn't working properly. The text boxes appeared all at once instead of Bullet line by line. In some simple troubleshooting we found the file worked properly on my wife's work machine running XP and Office 3K (not a laptop and not borrowable). Since I didn't want to spend lots of money on upgrades, I tossed the PowerPoint presentation at my Ubuntu partition. It worked perfectly.
I let the guest speaker know we fixed the problem with the presentation computer. At the next meeting, we simply ran the presentation on the Ubuntu partition using Open Office. Since we set it up for him and had it ready to go, he didn't notice the switch.
Searching later, I did find out about the free PowerPoint viewer from Microsoft.
Re:ya but (Score:3, Interesting)
Install Cedega. It's not Open Source, but it does come in a nice and friendly .deb package, and it runs a reasonable number of my favourite games perfectly. In a way, the installation, starting the game and running it in a window instead of a stupid fullscreen mode, works even easier and smoother than on Windows.
For some games, that is. Others just don't install or install but don't work properly.
Shopping. (Score:3, Interesting)
So while slapping the components together has gotten easier, shopping for them has gotten harder. Even 10 years ago, shopping for parts was always more time consuming then actually building and configuring the machine, now it is even worse. Not wanting to deal with all that and not wanting to buy a crappy HP/Dell was a big factor in convincing me to get a G5 for my last computer rather than a PC. Probably as much of a factor as the OS.
This may seem tangental to the original discussion, but I don't think it is. Like building computers, it's my opinion thatthe limiting factor in moving to linux isn't lack of technical skill, but being willing to spend the time lookup up how to do things that are different from windows, and scouring mailing lists and forums to find an answer when something goes wrong. So if someone is willing and able to spend the time to learn about everything you need to know to pick out PC components, and deal with windows driver issues on bleeding edge hardware, then they have the skills needed to use linux. The question is one of motivation - why would they do so if linux doesn't do what they want, ie play games.
Re:ya but (Score:5, Interesting)
Not true. Ubuntu installs very smoothly, and if you don't mind paying for Cedega, Cedega and the games it supports also install very quickly, easily and smoothly. Installing firefox was a lot harder. Or installing WinXP. Or those very same games on Windows, even. Seriously, for gaming, Ubuntu+Cedega is as easy as you could hope for, annd it gives you a lot more control than you'd have in Windows.
Re:Misguided or simply lazy (Score:5, Interesting)
Mac doesn't manage system wide updates at all. For every app, you have to hope it has a "check for update" option, somewhere. With Linux package managers, it's across the system, for all applications. Mac will never do this, because Apple vs Mac developers is a dysfunctional relationship, Apple wants to make it awkward so they can unfairly compete when they feel like it.
Finally, Mac apps and updates are often lazy, and request the system is restarted. Linux packages rarely do this.
I don't know what your Linux package management experiences are, but I've rarely had any issues installing, updating and removing apps, although granted on systems like Debian they are not the most up to date, which rarely matters over the advantages of everything being managed.
Re:Misguided or simply lazy (Score:3, Interesting)
talk to a hardcore seti addict sometime. they will drop $1500 on a new liquid cooled rig to push them up to the next user class. the guys in the top 20 are even worse. i had a friend who once misappropriated a whole software test lab over a 4 day weekend to see a boost in seti rank.
Re:It's the Internet! (Score:2, Interesting)
Some time ago, I've also installed Ubuntu on my parents' computer. It used to run WindowsNT, but it was getting really sluggish. And having to solve problems every other weekend was no fun either. Once Ubuntu and all the software they needed (ooffice, skype, mail, photo manager,
More recently, I bought a new notebook (HP Pavilion dv9000), and installed Kubuntu 6.10 next to the installed Windows XP media center.
Now, I hardly boot in Windows anymore, especially after I had installed Beryl (simple apt-get) which looks and acts great.
However, using it on a relatively new laptop, it still needs some special attention if you want to use all features.
In my case, these were:
- automatically connecting to wireless networks to WPA-protected networks. after browsing some forums, I installed wpa_supplicant + edited some conf-files
- built-in speakers/microphone do not work out of the box. First had to find out which was included (Conexant) and then downloaded latest ALSA drivers + a specific patch which I found on the ALSA forum. After compilation/installation all specific buttons and the speakers worked. unfortunately, the built-in microphone is still not working.
- built-in webcam. This is a Ricoh webcam and is not UVC-compliant (although the company itself claims it is). After finding and mailing with some people who had similar hardware, I got in touch with someone who was willing to write a new usb-driver specific for this camera. After a lot of back-and-forth (he did development, I did the testing), the webcam now works.
Other then these problems, everything else worked beautifully.
Over the last few years, I've really become a big Ubuntu-fan and when I buy a new desktop machine, it will run Ubuntu as well.
I feel it has grown substantially over the last year, and is already a good candidate OS for a lot of people. What's needed at this point is even more hardware support. Hopefully, the initiative of the Linux kernel community will give a boost in this area.
My Windows Experience (Score:3, Interesting)
The tree view on the left panel doesn't answer to keyboard commands that work on folders and files in the right panel, such as pressing Del to delete a folder. Windows Explorer is consistent in this regards.
Consistent keyboardability was one of the things that impressed me in Windows right from the start... and the first version I used was Windows 2.something... but over the years Microsoft has gratuitously broken existing shortcuts, introduced new controls with inconsistent or *no* keyboard access, and generally degraded things until I would hesitate to use Windows mouseless.
But for all that they're still better than Apple or X-11-based systems.
It doesn't get updated properly...
Another strength of Windows, though it's not consistent. Luckily F5 almost always works to refresh.
When I delete a folder...
Losing the selection when deleting files or directories, or losing the selection on refresh, is another annoyance that Windows mostly avoids. Mostly.
I can't move a file or folder with the mouse right-button.
That's something that I thought would be really useful, but I find I don't actually do it on Windows... instead I do copy/cut and paste/past-shortcut when the default drag isn't the right thing, and I'm more bothered by Finder not having "cut" on OS X.
Lastly, even though Nautilus recognize some oddly named text files as such, double clicking them is an exercise in guessing
I'm wary of double-clicking anything these days, particularly on Windows. Open With is my friend.
The things that bother me about Windows Explorer are mostly things like "you can't open that in a Window, that's on the desktop!" and "you don't really want to see these files, yes I know you said you did last time, but I'm still going to hide them anyway". That, and the whole "html desktop integration" fire drill.
Re:ya but (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Misguided or simply lazy (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:My question to Ubuntu/linux preachers (Score:3, Interesting)
As a fellow programmer, I have to put in a plug for using your time at home to learn other languages you don't use at work. Picking a new language and then forcing yourself to do a project in it will seriously make you a better programmer in your primary language, and will make your life much easier at work. When you dive into a language that is substantially different than your original you learn completely new ways to approach problems, many of which you can add to your mental toolbox back in your original language.
Now, as an ASP developer, going home and learning PHP would be a bit of a waste of time as they are pretty much the same, and you wouldn't get much from your pain. But going home and building something in C#, prolog, ruby, python, scheme, haskell, etc... would work miracles in expanding your brain because they are so very different. You may still do all your primary development in ASP, but you will find that you are 10 times the programmer in ASP having learned a couple of completely different ways of approaching programming.
Re:ya but (Score:2, Interesting)
30 + days with Ubuntu (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Misguided or simply lazy (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:ya but (Score:3, Interesting)
And $5 a month? I thought one of the points of Linux was that it was free... surely by paying $5 a month you're just paying the same amount as windows over a longer period of time, and all for less performance, installs that take 10 times as long as their Windows counterparts (read the article), and worse graphics and performance.
Sorry, doesn't cut it for me.