How good & convenient is Ubuntu these days?
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I am running Windows 7, and I figure that I will continue to run it until it is no longer supported - and as long as I continue to use my notebook system. Perhaps if Windows 8.x or 9 becomes something decent, I will continue on running Windows. But I have read that a lot of organizations are running Ubuntu now, so I figure that it should have reached a high level of user & installation ease. My idea of an easy system to install is to be able to download the installation package, and then be able to install into a newly formatted disk with no issues - like I was able to do when I very recently did a complete system rebuild (of my Windows 7) from downloading (of course, I had to supply the product key.) Is Ubuntu up to this level yet? I can remember in the mid 90's when I had read that Linux was easy, blah, blah, blah, but in actuality it was pain in the a@@. The one thing that Micro$oft has done quite effectively is create an easily installable package, and with the proper support for any issues.
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I am running Windows 7, and I figure that I will continue to run it until it is no longer supported - and as long as I continue to use my notebook system. Perhaps if Windows 8.x or 9 becomes something decent, I will continue on running Windows. But I have read that a lot of organizations are running Ubuntu now, so I figure that it should have reached a high level of user & installation ease. My idea of an easy system to install is to be able to download the installation package, and then be able to install into a newly formatted disk with no issues - like I was able to do when I very recently did a complete system rebuild (of my Windows 7) from downloading (of course, I had to supply the product key.) Is Ubuntu up to this level yet? I can remember in the mid 90's when I had read that Linux was easy, blah, blah, blah, but in actuality it was pain in the a@@. The one thing that Micro$oft has done quite effectively is create an easily installable package, and with the proper support for any issues.
Download Oracle VirtualBox, fire up a VM, and try it out. All the fun without any of the damage. But to answer your question, yes, installing Ubuntu is about as easy as installing Windows, its a LOT more user friendly than it was in the 90's and even more than it was in the mid 2000's.
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I am running Windows 7, and I figure that I will continue to run it until it is no longer supported - and as long as I continue to use my notebook system. Perhaps if Windows 8.x or 9 becomes something decent, I will continue on running Windows. But I have read that a lot of organizations are running Ubuntu now, so I figure that it should have reached a high level of user & installation ease. My idea of an easy system to install is to be able to download the installation package, and then be able to install into a newly formatted disk with no issues - like I was able to do when I very recently did a complete system rebuild (of my Windows 7) from downloading (of course, I had to supply the product key.) Is Ubuntu up to this level yet? I can remember in the mid 90's when I had read that Linux was easy, blah, blah, blah, but in actuality it was pain in the a@@. The one thing that Micro$oft has done quite effectively is create an easily installable package, and with the proper support for any issues.
I have it at home, and I've installed Ubuntu in 3 or 4 machines, usually dual boot with XP. I found it easier to install than XP. Day to day use is similar to W7 experience: the computer does what you expect, and you have to type an administrator's password to install or upgrade software. Have fun,
Pablo. "Accident: An inevitable occurrence due to the action of immutable natural laws." (Ambrose Bierce, circa 1899). "You are to act in the light of experience as guided by intelligence" (Rex Stout, "In the Best Families", 1950).
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I am running Windows 7, and I figure that I will continue to run it until it is no longer supported - and as long as I continue to use my notebook system. Perhaps if Windows 8.x or 9 becomes something decent, I will continue on running Windows. But I have read that a lot of organizations are running Ubuntu now, so I figure that it should have reached a high level of user & installation ease. My idea of an easy system to install is to be able to download the installation package, and then be able to install into a newly formatted disk with no issues - like I was able to do when I very recently did a complete system rebuild (of my Windows 7) from downloading (of course, I had to supply the product key.) Is Ubuntu up to this level yet? I can remember in the mid 90's when I had read that Linux was easy, blah, blah, blah, but in actuality it was pain in the a@@. The one thing that Micro$oft has done quite effectively is create an easily installable package, and with the proper support for any issues.
It's complicated. There are a lot of little things to consider. As a desktop, IMHO Ubuntu is quite good. Except the mobile/tablet like interface, which is a horror, frankly - I was in the same room with guys working on Linux and the curses "where the fuck is terminal?" were quite funny (followed by sudo apt-get install gnome-session-fallback). Now consider if the software available is good for you. Office, codecs, Flash, ODBC, gaming, development - there is a myriad of things that may or may not be available in the quality you may require. Let's put it in this way: on Microsoft platform you will find less quality tools, and certainly you won't download sources and build yourself to just do it. But what is lacking in numbers you'll find it in quality: you won't find a Visual Studio if you need it, or Office (sorry, Open Office is no match for MS Office). That does not mean you won't do it with OO: if that's ok for you, by all means go for it. I'd sum up Windows vs Ubuntu in this way: 1. System updates Ubuntu: lots of packages; pros: pretty much same as on windows; cons: too many :), maybe have to filter a little Windows: just what MS offers; pros: no need to know much about updates; cons: none Verdict: pretty much equivalents. More choices on Ubuntu, if needed. 2. Installations. Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install ; pros: just a command; cons: you have to know package name, stay in terminal; perhaps maintain a list of ppa's for non-canonical things. Windows: double-click on msi/exe; pros: click/next/next; cons: locate and download package. Verdict: Ubuntu more maneuverable. Also Windows can be scriptable via WU api (COM, vbs), but you need to write it yourself. 3. Browsers Pretty much the same. Certain websites do not support Linux (Quickbooks, for example - just learned this). Verdict: if you are in the need for IE for certain proprietary/custom things, you have to dig if you can do it with Wine. Less problems on Windows regarding plugins (but NPAPI is dropped by Chrome, Firefox also are going crazy with blocking...). 4. Gaming Ubuntu: pros: honorable support, but not perfect; SteamOS is gaining traction, but there's much to the top. cons: Many games not running (or not running ok) on Linux. Occasional driver problems from main vendors; keep watching what NVidia does, for example. Windows: Number one gaming platform. Cons: none. Verdict: Windows. 5. Media. Not an expert here, but I suppose are pretty much equivalents. Maybe occasional driver/apps glitches on Linux (the subject is vast
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Download Oracle VirtualBox, fire up a VM, and try it out. All the fun without any of the damage. But to answer your question, yes, installing Ubuntu is about as easy as installing Windows, its a LOT more user friendly than it was in the 90's and even more than it was in the mid 2000's.
Ron Beyer wrote:
Download Oracle VirtualBox, fire up a VM, and try it out. All the fun without any of the damage.
I think I will try that. I suppose that I would be able to do an install from a stick drive that would mimic having a newly reformatted hard drive.
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I am running Windows 7, and I figure that I will continue to run it until it is no longer supported - and as long as I continue to use my notebook system. Perhaps if Windows 8.x or 9 becomes something decent, I will continue on running Windows. But I have read that a lot of organizations are running Ubuntu now, so I figure that it should have reached a high level of user & installation ease. My idea of an easy system to install is to be able to download the installation package, and then be able to install into a newly formatted disk with no issues - like I was able to do when I very recently did a complete system rebuild (of my Windows 7) from downloading (of course, I had to supply the product key.) Is Ubuntu up to this level yet? I can remember in the mid 90's when I had read that Linux was easy, blah, blah, blah, but in actuality it was pain in the a@@. The one thing that Micro$oft has done quite effectively is create an easily installable package, and with the proper support for any issues.
Cristian's response is great, I'll simply provide a two word answer to your subjectline question: Still sucks. You want elaboration? I think the hidden scrollbar thing on windows sucks. It takes mental and physical agility to position the cursor so the scrollbar shows up. Distracts from what I'm trying to do. Look at the difference between, for example, the RubyMine IDE in Windows vs. Ubuntu. In Windows, the fonts are small and consistent. In Ubuntu, the fonts are all over the place, the tree control sucks (and I still haven't figured out how to make the font for the tree control smaller). Personally, I also can't stand the Mac'ish application menu bar at the top of the screen. Of course, that would be fine if it were consistent! But no, some apps put their menus in their own windows, leading to more UI confusion. So, at the end of the day, I do all my Ruby on Rails development in Windows. The only thing I have Ubuntu around for is the command window where I have to Telnet into some stuff that I haven't figured out how to set up the security keys for in PuTTY for Windows. However, as someone else posted - download Oracle's Virtual Box and an Ubuntu VM, and you're all set to explore the wonderful world of open source. Even from scratch, and Ubuntu install is very simple. Marc
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I am running Windows 7, and I figure that I will continue to run it until it is no longer supported - and as long as I continue to use my notebook system. Perhaps if Windows 8.x or 9 becomes something decent, I will continue on running Windows. But I have read that a lot of organizations are running Ubuntu now, so I figure that it should have reached a high level of user & installation ease. My idea of an easy system to install is to be able to download the installation package, and then be able to install into a newly formatted disk with no issues - like I was able to do when I very recently did a complete system rebuild (of my Windows 7) from downloading (of course, I had to supply the product key.) Is Ubuntu up to this level yet? I can remember in the mid 90's when I had read that Linux was easy, blah, blah, blah, but in actuality it was pain in the a@@. The one thing that Micro$oft has done quite effectively is create an easily installable package, and with the proper support for any issues.
I have it loaded on a VM using VirtualBox and it's a breeze to install and use. I just recently got serious with it because I ordered a Beagle Bone Black and it has a version of Linux on it and I want to do some development.
VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.1 ToDo Manager Extension Relax...We're all crazy it's not a competition!
