CBC Recommends Linux To Average User 270
rustalot42684 writes "The CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] has posted an article on its website promoting the use of Ubuntu Linux to the 'average computer user'. 'With the exception of gaming, which is limited, almost all of the average person's basic computing needs are well looked after with this package. I've used the last three versions of Ubuntu on my main portable web-surfing computer for years just to avoid viruses and spyware (as the vast majority of these nasty programs are written for Windows), and I have yet to be disappointed.' The author seems to have made some sweeping generalizations about the development of GNU/Linux, but that aside, will mainstream media coverage help more people switch?"
The CBC is generally forward thinking... (Score:5, Interesting)
The CBC has been very responsive to complaints, comments, etc. Check it out at http://radio3.cbc.ca/podcasting/podcastplaylist.a
Every little bit counts. (Score:5, Interesting)
My year of Linux on the desktop was 2002, but I've also had a lot frustrations along the way... including with the upgrade to my Ubuntu upgrade today. I eventually solved it by using vim to comment out lines 543 and 544 (not lines 541 and 542, like it said in the Ubuntu Forums) of
I had a sad realization today, reading an earlier Slashdot post. To beat Windows (much less Mac OS) on the desktop of people who are not early adopters, Linux does not have to be as good -- as I believe it is, on balance. Rather, it has to be better, and conspicuously better.
For some people, this will mean games. For others, multimedia. For still others, CAD, or other occupation-specific apps. But for everyone, it means "When I want to do _______, it better work on the first try."
Re:Boy, THIS one is easy. (Score:4, Interesting)
So... Unless You Game.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Bandwidth usage limitations in the 3rd world (Score:3, Interesting)
Many third world countries has download & upload limitaions on their broadband with no choice of a free unlimited option.
Re:Boy, THIS one is easy. (Score:3, Interesting)
Back to the point: I'm a guy comfortable with Windows. One of the lucky few who doesn't have problems with it. But I'm tired of it. And if I let my friends know that Ubuntu is a good thing, they'll believe me.
Re:Boy, THIS one is easy. (Score:5, Interesting)
You know what? She prefers linux. Can use linux. Doesn't become frustrated with Linux.
She scoffs at Windows now.
I don't know this average computer user you speak of, but the one I know well coped just fine with using Ubuntu.
Re:Boy, THIS one is easy. (Score:3, Interesting)
Boy, I wish that were true. I've done somewhere between 30 and 60 Linux installs in the past 10 years and I have NEVER had every hardware device work in the PC without tinkering. But Unbuntu has fixed all that? No, it has not. I installed Kunbuntu last week on an AcerPower 1000. It detected the Broadcom wireless, but installed a generic broadxx driver that does not work. Took me about 9 hours to find, deceipher, and install ndiswrapper and Windows drivers -- which at this point work only from the command line.
Nothing against ndiswrapper. It's a wonderous program and can be pretty straightforward once you have it down. But I don't see many non-geeks managing to get it working.
On the positive side, everything else (well, everything I care about anyway) works, and, for the first time ever, I actually got correct test page printed out of CUPS without days of tinkering.
(K)unbuntu looks to be good enough for a non-gamer who doesn't have important unsupported peripherals. Slackware 11 seems to work OK also, but -- predictably -- is taking some configuring. That's OK, I'm willing to tinker quite a bit if it means that I never have to type "sudo" again.
The good news: Desktop Linux has come a long way in the past decade. The bad news: It still has a little way -- not all that far I think -- to go.
Its only a matter of time... (Score:3, Interesting)
Microsoft fans will be quick to point out that gaming isn't there and some will even try the ol' "Plug and Play doesn't work" card.
For gaming it is true that there hasn't been a large enough adoption of Linux for most companies to make the investment. As Linux continues to be adopted I suspect that more companies will feel that there is a market to be tapped.
The "Plug and Play doesn't work" card is a farce. The vast majority of hardware works right out of the box. Most of the time I find it easier to get hardware working with Linux than with Windows. With Windows I always spend a lot of extra time loading drivers that came on separate media (If I can find them). More and more manufacturers are including Linux drivers and as the popularity of Linux grows it just gets better.
So for Windows fans: You may not like Linux but Linux's time is coming. So if you don't want to join the party fine but stop trying to throw a turd in our punchbowl.
Re:Every little bit counts. (Score:2, Interesting)
Which is exactly why I use linux
Re:Is Ubuntu ready really? (Score:3, Interesting)
As for end user re-installs of windows they are even worse, and I will only spend the hours required to fix them if I am paid, honestly it is far quicker to do a full Linux install and configuration than it is to fix a 'default' windows install.
The question people should be asking is which is easier to use and maintain. The answer to that is of course Linux, usability is far simple because you can set up the Home/User directory for the end user to play in, install software in there (as long as it doesn't network), you can even set up simple backups from their home directory to another directory they can't touch via a cron job.
If necessary you can stick the toy operating system in another partition for playing games where, thankfully, it can't touch the Linux partitions. The hardest thing about learning Linux is once you install it, you just use it, no fiddling and nursing it along, a couple of years latter you want to try a different distribution and you find you have forgotten everything you learned ;).