Ubuntu
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
Shameel wrote:
What are your thoughts?
The three things that have stopped me in the past from going full-tilt Linux: 1) DVD writer support 2) Scanner support 3) Wireless modem support Of course, it's been about eighteen months since I last tried any of these so they could be supported now, but I've got my Linux box doing Apache and MySQL and Java and everything else goes to Windows and that seems to work for me for now. I may take a look at the latest Ubuntu distro and if it doesn't work, I will blame you. :-D
m.bergman
For Bruce Schneier, quanta only have one state : afraid.
To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered. -- Voltaire
Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense. -- Steve Landesberg
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Shameel wrote:
That's the time it took to install Windows, Microsoft Office, LAN Drivers, Wireless LAN Drivers, Display Drivers, Bluetooth Drivers, etc. etc. etc.
Yeah?? The drivers are out of the box and Windows has them too and they just work. Compare apples to apples please. Oh, I'll give you the Office install. That thing is a monster... If you're going to go download the latest vendor-packaged drivers for Windows, do it for Ubuntu too. The out-of-the-box drivers that Microsoft uses are not written by Microsoft. They're written by the hardwar vendors and are the same drivers you get from the vendor site, just without all the pretty packaging.
A guide to posting questions on CodeProject[^]
Dave KreskowiakDave Kreskowiak wrote:
If you're going to go download the latest vendor-packaged drivers for Windows, do it for Ubuntu too.
Ubuntu will scan your hardware, and you can have it update to the latest stable driver from the vendor automatically (well, by pushing a button). -- edit -- It doesn't do it automatically because some linux users get miffed if you don't give them the choice, since the drivers are proprietary and there are open source drivers for most things. -- end edit-- Windows drivers do work, but you always need the vendor driver for best performance. (this is well known in gamer communities. First thing you do, get vendor drivers).
If it moves, compile it
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Even if Microsoft were to have a complete brainstorm and decide to bundle Office free with every copy of Windows, they couldn't possibly win. They'd be hit with anti-competitive actions left, right and centre.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
...brainstorm...
Did you mean to type Brainfart?
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
...brainstorm...
Did you mean to type Brainfart?
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
No, but now I wish I had. I will try to get that into a couple of meetings I have tomorrow.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
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Shameel wrote:
What are your thoughts?
The three things that have stopped me in the past from going full-tilt Linux: 1) DVD writer support 2) Scanner support 3) Wireless modem support Of course, it's been about eighteen months since I last tried any of these so they could be supported now, but I've got my Linux box doing Apache and MySQL and Java and everything else goes to Windows and that seems to work for me for now. I may take a look at the latest Ubuntu distro and if it doesn't work, I will blame you. :-D
m.bergman
For Bruce Schneier, quanta only have one state : afraid.
To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered. -- Voltaire
Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense. -- Steve Landesberg
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
I like Ubuntu a lot. I run it in VMWare player, alongside Windows XP (For testing applications, sometimes I find a bug that appears in XP but not anywhere else. And no, it is not using new APIs that appeared in Vista) I use it for writing code for my C programming class, but often test things in Lubuntu, which is what the professor said to use. He also likes Emacs.
Attempting to load signature... A NullSignatureException was unhandled. Message: "No signature exists"
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Mono still doesn't do WPF. That, IMHO, is a major drawback.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997You mean WPF is a major drawback? :)
____________________________________________________________ Be brave little warrior, be VERY brave
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
I'm not a huge fan of the way the UI in Ubuntu is going, with the whole Unity thing. Linux Mint is a distro based on Ubuntu that has a more Windows-like interface, with all the advantages of Ubuntu. If Microsoft doesn't make sure Windows 8 is mouse friendly, I might consider a permanent switch to Mint.
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
I agree wholeheartedly. Actually, the only reason I have Windows anywhere other than work now is to play games. I used to be obsessive about having an up-to-date Windows install at home so that I could play around with libraries and code golf in my spare time, but not any more. I never develop anything full-blown outside of work, so it seems a waste of time and money. Besides, it's more of a challenge to get into a new development stack.
Beautiful is better than ugly. Explicit is better than implicit. Simple is better than complex. Complex is better than complicated. Flat is better than nested. Sparse is better than dense. In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
I have done this exact same thing in the last week. Very impressed with Ubuntu, love the way they have done the dash, software center and settings section. My external usb soundcard (EMU 0202) was identified and works perfectly, yet the vendor does not support ubuntu, and it requires a separate driver install on windows 7 to even be identified! The only reason to hang on to windows at all is for Visual Studio, SQL Server and iTunes
---Guy H ;-)---
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
Windows is user fraindly ,,,, but ubuntu is not user fraindly even if illetrate person can easily oprate the windows operating system
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
I am a Linux user, dual boot all my computers. But, personally, I prefer Linux Mint. It's built on top of Ubuntu, and improves it considerably, IMHO. http://linuxmint.com/[^]
The world is going to laugh at you anyway, might as well crack the 1st joke! My code has no bugs, it runs exactly as it was written.
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Mono still doesn't do WPF. That, IMHO, is a major drawback.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997WPF for the industry is not relevant.
Windows forms is sufficient. In my case I had two years with ubuntu (9.10) installed on a PC and runs faster than windows xp or 7 with fewer resources.
In these two years had no problem software. The software was developed in .Net and works on Mono without any modification, have access to a database with ~ 45GB (MSSQL2008)NKS
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
Games? Games are the reason to run Win 7, right? What FPS games run equivilantly on Linux?
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
I installed Ubuntu 11 Studio as a dual boot two weeks ago and agree with your points. It was the easiest Linux installation/setup I have been through yet. Everything just worked. No sudo commands or funky vi editors were involved. Only when I decided I just couldn't live with the bright magenta login screen did I venture into the vi editor. There seems to be a plethora of software available. I'm really liking it! The hard truth is that Ubuntu could never completely replace Windows for me, at least not for work. For now, it's just an experiment. I will probably only fire it up when I want to play OpenBVE or test a website in Firefox. Eventually, I intend to use it as a training environment for learning some different programming languages.
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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I'm not a huge fan of the way the UI in Ubuntu is going, with the whole Unity thing. Linux Mint is a distro based on Ubuntu that has a more Windows-like interface, with all the advantages of Ubuntu. If Microsoft doesn't make sure Windows 8 is mouse friendly, I might consider a permanent switch to Mint.
I always hear good things about mint, especially from windoze users. I use xfce for a desktop now, because I don't like unity/gnome 3. It might work for some, and I'm not bashing it, I just couldn't get used to it. Also , puppy linux is a neat little distro. It runs all in memory too. You can use it from a live disk and it will "save state" without whiping your current os. I never got it installed, but I have run it several times from the cd.
If it moves, compile it
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Windows is user fraindly ,,,, but ubuntu is not user fraindly even if illetrate person can easily oprate the windows operating system
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I installed Ubuntu 11 in VirtualBox inside Win 7 and I was so impressed with it that I decided to install it alongside Windows 7. Here are my reasons on why I feel Ubuntu is better than Win 7. 1. It has a very neat UI compared to Win 7, not that Win 7 UI is bad, but Ubuntu UI is outstanding (makes me think who needs Aero?) 2. It comes pre-installed with many basics apps and utlities like Libre Office, Bluetooth drivers, LAN and WiFi drivers, etc. I took me more than 4 hours to setup Win 7 and hardly 10 mins to setup Ubuntu with identical features. 3. I like the Ubuntu Software Centre, wish Win 7 had such a feature. 4. The System Settings is neatly and logically arranged. It is very easy to use compared to Win 7's Control Panel. For example, to disable Network, all I have to do it click a button. In Win 7, it's not that easy. 5. Supports multiple destops out of the box. 6. Has a neat Taskbar(?) on the left and an information bar(?) on the top that displays almost all required information. (I'm not sure if the names I used are correct. I'm not so knowledgable in Linux.) The only downside is that I had a little trouble configuring by Bluetooth mouse, but at last it worked. In Win 7 all I had to do is just switch on the mouse and Win 7 did all the magic. (Of course, I had to install the Bluetooth system driver first which I didn't have to do in Ubuntu.) Many of the features I listed above are unqiue to Ubuntu and not Linux in general. And the most compelling reason to use Ubuntu is: I paid nothing for it. :-) What are your thoughts?
Ubuntu is the best system for non gamer users, because it is much more simple to be installed and used than windows 7. But its the major advantage is the fact that it is almost immune to common viruses, because one can get almost all software for free from trusted sources.
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I am a Linux user, dual boot all my computers. But, personally, I prefer Linux Mint. It's built on top of Ubuntu, and improves it considerably, IMHO. http://linuxmint.com/[^]
The world is going to laugh at you anyway, might as well crack the 1st joke! My code has no bugs, it runs exactly as it was written.
I don't dual boot, but I do have a windoze xp and a windoze 7 vm. I got the xp one for some games my brothers wanted me to play, and I have the 7 one for some work/testing I do at home. I prefer gentoo, but there's nothing wrong with Ubuntu or Mint. Especially if you don't want to spend the time, and pay the attention required, for gentoo.
If it moves, compile it