Ubuntu - Linux

[joejoe666]

Guys,

Is there a huge advantage to use Ubuntu? i've never used linux, but am thinking about trying it. is it worth it? i only use the computer for minimal MS office, surfing and general stuff (calculator, solitaire, etc)

will boot up times be reduced? will my system work faster? sorry i don't know anything about ubuntu

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

If you know how to use it, in many instances it is better. I don't, however, believe that for what you're doing there will be a difference. Not to mention the fact that Ubuntu can be decidedly user-unfriendly at times. It's better just to stick to Windows or Mac OS, something you're familiar with.

 

[Crusty]

Before you install it directly on your hardware I would highly suggest running it inside a virtual machine(Vmware, Virtualbox, etc). If you can't run a VM on your hardware you can always download the LiveCD and run that without having to do an install so you can get a feel for the OS.

Don't be discouraged by 'user-unfriendly at times', if you want to install Linux and learn about it, Ubuntu is just about the easiest way to do that. It will certainly be more than capable for all the tasks you mentioned already.

 

[lxskllr]

Benefits...

Virus resistant

Free software

Freedom to do anything you want with it providing you have ability, or money

Detriments...

It isn't Windows. Things work differently, and you'll have to learn

Windows software likely won't work

You may have hardware incompatibilities

If you run into problems, more people know Windows than Linux. That means harder searches for fixes.

My suggestion? Try the wubi install. It's easy to do, and much faster than CD install, and see what you think. Your stated uses are a natural for Linux, and that'll give you freedom, and flexibility in the future. You'll never have a computer that lacks an O/S again. No licensing worries, and torrenting is encouraged. That's assuming you like it, but there's only 1 way to find out.

Edit:
In my experience, startup and shut down is faster in Ubuntu. Flash video is worse, and general use is about the same. Perhaps a bit faster, but not enough to switch for that alone.

 

[oynaz]

Ubuntu can be run from a CD without installing it, so there's no reason not to give it a try.

 

[eUK-host]

Ubuntu is definitely a good operating system and mostly prefered by home users, however, as being in the hosting industry, I have noticed that most of the business owners opt for CentOS as in their opinion, it is much more easy to understand and operate.

 

[pt3]

Ubuntu starts faster than Windows.
Software is easier to install, because there is an app-store where you can find millions of programs, so you don't have to buy any CDs (or go on shady websites).
Not only because of this you don't have to worry about viruses.
But because you don't have to worry about viruses, you don't need a braking anti virus program
Ubuntu is easier to maintain, because the app-store automatically finds updates for all your installed programs and drivers.
And where you need 2 hours to install Windows, including drivers and programs, you can install Ubuntu within 10minutes
And the best part, it is for free.

I'm absolutely sure, that Ubuntu isn't more complicated to learn/use than Windows but if you've used windows already for years it takes maybe 1 month to readjust.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

You're all forgetting about how samba doesn't samba very nice with Windows, how it was a pain getting HD video to work properly, how it took an hour to find the proper driver for my printer, and how as good as free software is, sometimes it sucks compared to proprietary alternatives, which, incidentally, often don't have Linux versions available.

Yes, everything is free. Yes, everything is quick. Yes, an antivirus is completely unnecessary. But I find it bizarre how you're trying to sell this guy an OS without informing him of some of the more debilitating downsides. It's like you're on commission or something.

 

[Nothinman]

You're all forgetting about how samba doesn't samba very nice with Windows, how it was a pain getting HD video to work properly, how it took an hour to find the proper driver for my printer, and how as good as free software is, sometimes it sucks compared to proprietary alternatives, which, incidentally, often don't have Linux versions available.

Yes, everything is free. Yes, everything is quick. Yes, an antivirus is completely unnecessary. But I find it bizarre how you're trying to sell this guy an OS without informing him of some of the more debilitating downsides. It's like you're on commission or something.

You're right, in some instances non-free software like Windows fits the situation better. But overall I'd say I have the opposite opinion as you. Non-free alternatives to free software are usually much larger and worse than their free counterparts, hardware support is much better and simpler to get things working and Samba works just as well as, if not better than, Windows file sharing. Hell, I've easily spent more than a single hour trying to get printer drivers and sharing working properly with Windows and the drivers are usually tens or hundreds of megs large for some unknown reason.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

It obviously depends on user experience. For example, in regards to Office, it obviously depends on whether you like the Ribbon or not. For Blender, GIMP etc, it depends on the interface and what you're doing with it. But in my experience Windows HomeGroup sharing is completely hassle-free, whereas even sharing between Linux computers was a pain in terms of recognizing machines. But it just seems strange that this thread is basically completely ignoring the problems that could happen.

 

[lxskllr]

But it just seems strange that this thread is basically completely ignoring the problems that could happen.

I think I laid out the pros and cons pretty succinctly, without going into too much detail. It looked like the OP bailed on the thread, so I didn't want to knock myself out for nothing. It comes down to personal experience, and there's no real substitute for trying it yourself. Ubuntu has been just as good for me as Windows if you take gaming out of the equation. It hasn't been hassle free, just as Windows hasn't been hassle free. They both have strengths and weaknesses, and it has to be tried to see if it's a good fit.

 

[pt3]

You're all forgetting about how samba doesn't samba very nice with Windows, how it was a pain getting HD video to work properly, how it took an hour to find the proper driver for my printer, and how as good as free software is, sometimes it sucks compared to proprietary alternatives, which, incidentally, often don't have Linux versions available.

Yes, everything is free. Yes, everything is quick. Yes, an antivirus is completely unnecessary. But I find it bizarre how you're trying to sell this guy an OS without informing him of some of the more debilitating downsides. It's like you're on commission or something.

And sometimes proprietary software sucks about free alternatives...
Furthermore I can tell you a story about my scanner, where I didn't find any driver for Windows XP or Vista at all.

By the way, I find it strange that you want to tell disadvantages of Linux but start with one of Windows, which can't by itself connect to a Linux pc.
But an Ubuntu pc can 'samba' with Windows very well. So I would count that on the pro side for Ubuntu.

I guess at one point you are right. Filesharing between 2 Ubuntu PCs could be easier in my opinion, too.
I use Ubuntu as my only os since 3 years. But the only big disadvantage coming into my mind is that Ubuntu/Linux is used by to few people. So Microsoft can abuse his market power. And that is easy to remedy, by just using Linux

(Excuse my grammar, but I'm not a native speaker - corrections are welcome)

 

[Nothinman]

It obviously depends on user experience. For example, in regards to Office, it obviously depends on whether you like the Ribbon or not. For Blender, GIMP etc, it depends on the interface and what you're doing with it. But in my experience Windows HomeGroup sharing is completely hassle-free, whereas even sharing between Linux computers was a pain in terms of recognizing machines. But it just seems strange that this thread is basically completely ignoring the problems that could happen.

I don't need or have Office at home and work provides it for me so that's a non-issue, but Gnumeric, Org, Google Docs, etc are good enough for me and a lot of people. Most people don't do any 3D design so Blender isn't even a consideration and IMO the UI for The GIMP isn't as bad as people say, I have an easier time working with it than I do with Paint.Net which is the usual recommendation for Windows. I haven't had to use the HomeGroup sharing stuff because I generally only touch networks with AD on them. But if Samba is that flaky for you then you can always use ssh, Gnome and KDE's filemanagers also both support SSH just fine and there's sshfs for unix-mounts.

There are lots of potential problems with everything, there's no way to maintain a completely comprehensive list. For me, the list of problems that Windows has is many orders of magnitude longer than that of Linux.

 

[Binky]

I think the answers to the OP's questions are: no, no, no, and no.

Try installing a few linux distros in a virtual machine like suggested above in post #3 (there's no reason to limit yourself to just ubuntu). There are LOTS of them. They're all bit different, and they're generally free unless you want them to send you a cd/dvd.

 

[Nothinman]

I think the answers to the OP's questions are: no, no, no, and no.

Try installing a few linux distros in a virtual machine like suggested above in post #3 (there's no reason to limit yourself to just ubuntu). There are LOTS of them. They're all bit different, and they're generally free unless you want them to send you a cd/dvd.

Actually I'd say the answers are maybe, yes, yes, maybe.

 

[Modelworks]

I have very inept family members when it comes to computers and while ubuntu is easy for me to install, it still poses problems for them.
The one that I like that seems to just work the easiest is puppy linux.
It installs and works without need to understand how it works.
http://puppylinuxnews.org/

 

[Modelworks]

You're all forgetting about how samba doesn't samba very nice with Windows, how it was a pain getting HD video to work properly, how it took an hour to find the proper driver for my printer, and how as good as free software is, sometimes it sucks compared to proprietary alternatives, which, incidentally, often don't have Linux versions available.

Samba works great with windows. The problem is most windows users don't have any idea how file sharing actually works. There are thousands of set top boxes, DVR and blu ray players all running samba right now and sharing files without a problem. Set the network up correctly and sharing between windows and linux isn't a problem.

oh and stay away from windows live, it screws up samba.

 

[lxskllr]

I have very inept family members when it comes to computers and while ubuntu is easy for me to install, it still poses problems for them.
The one that I like that seems to just work the easiest is puppy linux.
It installs and works without need to understand how it works.
http://puppylinuxnews.org/

Puppy's nice, especially for a "light" distro, but I don't know that it's any easier than Ubuntu, or any of the leading distros. I'd say the biggest hurdle to using any Linux, is it isn't Windows. There's no C: drive, and you can't download every dumb program you find on the web. The latter is actually a blessing :^D Otherwise it works pretty much the same.

Installing Ubuntu is just as braindead as Windows. Click the forward button, and answer a couple easy questios if you just use te default install. Once inside, you can just poke buttons to find out what's where. Some help /may/ be needed for the application names, but it's all pretty straightforward. If someone can configure the Windows essentials on their own, the basics in Ubuntu shouldn't be a great challange.

 

[eUK-host]

Ubuntu Linux can fully satisfy any average user. The main advantages of Ubuntu include:

• Faster boot and shutdown faster
• Beautiful animation of windows, multiple desktops
• Lots of free programs

The free Ubuntu most important advantage over Windows. But it also has disadvantages:

• For Linux released few games, so gamers it in any case will not work
• For some Windows programs do not have analogues in linux

While Ubuntu has not yet reached the degree of friendliness to Windows, but with each release it becomes more convenient.

The main advantages of Windows 7, I would say:

• A huge number of both paid and free software
• Nice interface
• Relatively fast loading

 

[joejoe666]

Thank you very much everyone for taking time to provide advice. I did run ubuntu on a CD and i liked it. However, this computer is shared with the family and i'm not sure if my HP printer will be able to print/scan from linux.

can i do one of the following...
1) linux as my primary OS, then i can launch windows from with in?
(i am not very savy with computers)

2)windows XP as my primary OS, then launch linux from with in?
(couple of members mentioned virtual machine....what is that? where can i learn more about it?)

3) i bought MS office 2010...will that work in linux?

4) i didn't realize there are soo many versions of linux. should i stick with ubuntu? is there a site which breaks down pros and cons of different linux versions?

thanks again for the help...i cannot log in too often right now so my apologies if i reply after a few days.

 

[Modelworks]

can i do one of the following...
1) linux as my primary OS, then i can launch windows from with in?
(i am not very savy with computers)

You can run some applications within linux using wine. Or you can install a virtual machine and run windows applications. Realize that things like games don't do well.

2)windows XP as my primary OS, then launch linux from with in?
(couple of members mentioned virtual machine....what is that? where can i learn more about it?)

Virtual machine is a program that emulates another pc in hardware/software. It allows you to run something like linux inside windows. You do need a fair amount of memory since the virtual machine needs some dedicated to it.
The easiest way is to try it out from within windows

http://www.virtualbox.org/

3) i bought MS office 2010...will that work in linux?

no

4) i didn't realize there are soo many versions of linux. should i stick with ubuntu? is there a site which breaks down pros and cons of different linux versions?

thanks again for the help...i cannot log in too often right now so my apologies if i reply after a few days.

http://distrowatch.com/

Has a list of most of them as well as what they are about. Right now I suggest you run a VM inside windows until you get more experience.

 

[lxskllr]

1 and 2 - I'm not a fan of dual booting without a compelling reason to do so. XP does everything you need now, so why Linux? If you just want to play around, a live CD, or Ubuntu's wubi install makes more sense. You could also load it into a VM for testing, but the experience will be somewhat limited. Virtual machines aren't exactly like running a full O/S install. There's hardware, and performance limitations, and they can sometimes be finicky to deal with. It would be easier giving advice if Everyone knew exactly what you needed, and what you expected.

3 - I believe that'll work in Wine.

4 - imo Ubuntu's best for someone new. It has a huge community, so you're more likely to get help with problems. It's a solid O/S, and there's really no reason not to use it, outside of personal preference. checkout www.distrowatch.org for some info on different distros. Really all the distros have all the features, you just have to put them in :^D Here's a short list for you to look at...

All the Ubuntus. Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu... Also look at Mint

OpenSuSE

Mandriva

Puppy

 

[Nothinman]

Even if Office does work in WINE, don't. Use a native office suite like LibreOffice (OpenOffice.org), Google Docs, etc. Relying on WINE for anything important is just setting yourself up for failure.

 

[mvbighead]

Thank you very much everyone for taking time to provide advice. I did run ubuntu on a CD and i liked it. However, this computer is shared with the family and i'm not sure if my HP printer will be able to print/scan from linux.

can i do one of the following...
1) linux as my primary OS, then i can launch windows from with in?
(i am not very savy with computers)

2)windows XP as my primary OS, then launch linux from with in?
(couple of members mentioned virtual machine....what is that? where can i learn more about it?)

3) i bought MS office 2010...will that work in linux?

4) i didn't realize there are soo many versions of linux. should i stick with ubuntu? is there a site which breaks down pros and cons of different linux versions?

thanks again for the help...i cannot log in too often right now so my apologies if i reply after a few days.

If you bought Office 2010, you're probably best off sticking with Windows. Essentially dropping $200+ on an application that is designed for Windows (or if you purchased a Mac compatible version, a Mac,) essentially makes that software irrelevant when you try to use Linux.

Personally, for me I use Windows on my main stations that I like to game on, manage VMWare with, etc. I have Ubuntu installed on my various PCs that I use to access internet, a few mild games, etc. My guest bedroom PC is running Ubuntu 10.10, despite having problem with an ancient graphics card (Radeon 7000).

My reasons for using Linux (which Ubuntu has been my primary choice due to the advice received here) include avoiding using non-legal copies of MS Windows, thereby avoiding additional licensing expenses for the various systems I have spread about, and it simply works... most of the time. Like others have said, there can be issues. In my case, my Radeon 7000 is having a bear of a time working efficiently. Mind you, I am simply viewing a desktop and occasionally the mouse disappears and does not reappear until the system is rebooted. Also, the video can be quite choppy/sluggish with nothing really being done. And all of this works fine in Windows XP, but I'd rather buy a supported video card for $30-40 than a license for Windows for $100 or more.

Further, Linux tends to need less managing than a Windows box. No spyware apps, no AV apps, etc. Just load it, rename the Firefox icon to Internet, and most people will have an easy time using it and a hard time screwing it up.

Also, toggling back and forth is not ideal, and takes too much time for most people, but for testing with VMs, it certainly isn't a bad idea.