Why do you choose Ubuntu over Windows

[Aeodwrath]

Only thing i use windows for is Vectorworks 12.5 which is a cad programe I run in a Vbox Win XP virtual disk. I play Games andmy main game is WoW which works flawlessly in Wine. I also have a steam account. The native Linux games such as Metro last light and the Witcher are amazing.

I dont need windows at all. And Linux is just soooooo much nicer to use. Love the terminal, love experimenting in Vbox with other distros and yes no active x or registry. Linux always runs smooth and never slows up/ My last windows 7 pc slowed to a crawl even if i used registrycleaner etc. Sick ofdoing virus scans etc and paying antivirus subs pc toolssubs etc. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!

[portalhavoc]

Because I just got tired of Windows. That's why I choose Ubuntu over Windows. (Although I still use Win 7 for gaming.)

[Entheo]

I prefer choosing what updates to install and when. Fewer viruses are targeted at ubuntu. The open source aspect is great and i feel much more of a community spirit with ubuntu users. Generally microsoft as an organisation sucks.

[tdmeskimo]

I have been using Ubuntu since 8.04 and I believe it is just amazing. I can install Ubuntu on any system I like as many times I like. I have Lubuntu on an old Dell Vostro 200 that runs great, I have a AMD 6-core with the Ubuntu Unity that is nice, and my most recent build I have an AMD 8-core that is great with Ubuntu Unity. For my day to day computer need I just need Ubuntu, if I want to type and print I have LibreOffice Writer, if I need to e-mail there is Thunderbird, every thing I need is already installed by default. I like more though so I install CrossOver for Office 2010 because 1. not everone uses LibreOffice, 2. work uses MS Office 3. the world has not ebraced the Free and Open Source software. I like that there are distros flavors like Lubuntu for my Dell Vostro 200, light yet powerfull enought that it to has Office 2010 with the help of CrossOver and still is quick too. Yet still useable like all my Ubuntu Unity systems too with the same programs. For me trying and finding Lubuntu is a perfect OS replacement for XP for my Dell Vostro 200. Other than buying the hardware and little software like CrossOver (already had Office 2010) I save lots of money on the OS everytime. That is three systems with the saving of (3X~100.00) of $300.00, so for me free is good. :D. Last for more free software there is the Ubuntu Software Center that has lots of software I play with, my latest play with software is Blender for video right now. I understand Blender can do much more so I will find out. Love Ubuntu keep up the great work and many thanks.

Timko Mathiasen

[Andika_Demas_Riyan]

I love linux when my friend show me his desktop modded with beautiful picture...

and I am using linux because right now i cannot afford mac..lol

[Dragonbite]

I love linux when my friend show me his desktop modded with beautiful picture...

and I am using linux because right now i cannot afford mac..lol

That was something that got me into Linux in the first place! Now, I still don't have a Mac ;)!

[walth2]

Honestly.... I don't see a reason to use Linux. (I can feel the hate coming thorugh the Internet toward my IP address...)

1. Lack of a stable working product that works consistanly and correctly.
2. No support. Just forums, web pages, and other loosley held pieces of knowledge. Information is sometimes conflicting and sometimes absolutley wrong.
3. Substantially more diificult to use from a novice user perspective. There is a steep learning curve to this O/S.
4. The false promise of a faster, more responsive machine. (There is a claim that you can get more life out of your older machine)
5. Lack of professionally developed software with a robust support model that is designated as world-class.
6. Cryptic informational messages and components that can olny be installed through the CLI.

What's my basis for my statement? My poor experience with SUSE, Ubuntu, and now Xubuntu...
I've wasted dozens of hours trying to get hardware running at a level that is acceptable to an end user, in each case with little or no luck.

In each case, I would take a machine running Windows and reimage it with a clean install of Linux, I'll stick with my latest fiasco with Ubuntu and Xubuntu for this example. After all, this is the Ubuntu forum, so I can keep it topical.

I'm runing an older HP with an Athlon 2600 (2.06 Ghz 32 bit processor ), 1 Gb ram, 120 Gb HD, and GeForce 4MX onboard video. I was running Windows 7 Professional on the machine and it was running at an acceptable level of performance. It worked reasonably well. (Yes... Windows 7 32 bit Pro ran fairly well on this old box. It was acceptable.) I'm not running a 6 core 3.9 Ghz AMD chip overclocked with 16Gb and a Radeon R9 graphics card. The idea is to revive an older machine for my kid to learn Python and use it for his homework, and internet surfing. No heavy intense processing on this revived machine.

I decided to reimage the machine and change to Ubuntu 14.10 (or whatever the latest release is....) and the machine ran incredibly slow..
The GUI lagged seriously. I found out that Ubuntu is too heavy and I needed to switch to Xubuntu or Lubuntu. Well.. there goes 6 hours of my life I'm not getting back. I thought that Linux could get you more life out of your older machines? I guess not.

So I download Xubuntu and then installed it on the same box. It runs slighly better, but it's still slow (yes..slower than Win 7 Pro).
And now I can't get the browser to run Flash and the screen jitters due to some incompatibility with the GeForce 4 MX 64Mb imbedded video card. So... a video card that was manufactured 8 years ago and distributed in thousands of PC's still has a problem that hasn't been fixed. The icons and text "white out" and become unreadable. The official solution, switch to another video card.

The forums stated that Xubuntu was lighter and would work better on Low-spec machines... per the Task Manager, my CPU is running at 38% to 54%, my memory at 23% and the GUI is stil lagging in responsiveness, and I think it's still responding slowly.

Even my 9 year old son looks at this and says "Dad this is crap... It doesn't work. It's slow and I can't watch Minecraft videos on Youtube." All I'm saying is that when your software is on version 14 and it's intuitively obvious to a 9 year old that it doesn't work properly, I think it's safe to say there is a problem.

In comparison, a clean Windows install takes a couple of hours and a couple more to configure it. Right now I'm looking at almost 20 hours with no end in sight and a system that isn't functional at a reasonable level of acceptability. I'm not saying Windows is perfect, but there are some lessons to be learned if Linux is to be widely adopted as a front runner that can seriously compete with the Windows O/S in terms of simplicity of use, hardware performance, and useability. The O/S will never be adopted if it's too difficult to use for for the novice user or if it takes too long to ramp-up and get working.


Let me give you an example... I wanted to run topas to troubleshoot the latency issues (but that's a Unix thing... so I tried to run htop)

Instead of running 'htop', I get back:
The program 'htop' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing:
sudo apt-get install htop
You will have to enable the component called 'universe'

Ok.. I understand yet another component is not installed... (gee... what a surprise..:rolleyes:)
But WTH is 'enable the component called universe' ? I understand I need to do something else, but there isn't any explanation about how to do it. From a user perspective, this is more time wasted on troubleshooting and researching and less time spent on more productive things.

My personal experience with Linux is that it's been a giant "time suck".

Oh.. and my background... about 30+ years of computer experience... programming in various languages (Perl, Java, C++, HTML, JavaScript, Cold Fusion, COBOL, Pascal, Assembly Language, Fortran) and I have a degree in Infromation Systems. I've used DOS, AIX Unix, & Windows. And I still think Linux is a mess.

This is just my opinion from spending hours with this O/S and not getting anywhere.I genuinely hope your experiences have been better. I really did want this to work out. I'm glad to see others are having a wonderful time witrh their installs.

[robiansyag]

I am starting to use ubuntu since my last pc got burn. Luckily I got new one and then my friend recommended ubuntu to me.

[bro2]

Honestly.... I don't see a reason to use Linux. (I can feel the hate coming thorugh the Internet toward my IP address...)

1. Lack of a stable working product that works consistanly and correctly.
2. No support. Just forums, web pages, and other loosley held pieces of knowledge. Information is sometimes conflicting and sometimes absolutley wrong.
3. Substantially more diificult to use from a novice user perspective. There is a steep learning curve to this O/S.
4. The false promise of a faster, more responsive machine. (There is a claim that you can get more life out of your older machine)
5. Lack of professionally developed software with a robust support model that is designated as world-class.
6. Cryptic informational messages and components that can olny be installed through the CLI.

What's my basis for my statement? My poor experience with SUSE, Ubuntu, and now Xubuntu...
I've wasted dozens of hours trying to get hardware running at a level that is acceptable to an end user, in each case with little or no luck.

In each case, I would take a machine running Windows and reimage it with a clean install of Linux, I'll stick with my latest fiasco with Ubuntu and Xubuntu for this example. After all, this is the Ubuntu forum, so I can keep it topical.

I'm runing an older HP with an Athlon 2600 (2.06 Ghz 32 bit processor ), 1 Gb ram, 120 Gb HD, and GeForce 4MX onboard video. I was running Windows 7 Professional on the machine and it was running at an acceptable level of performance. It worked reasonably well. (Yes... Windows 7 32 bit Pro ran fairly well on this old box. It was acceptable.) I'm not running a 6 core 3.9 Ghz AMD chip overclocked with 16Gb and a Radeon R9 graphics card. The idea is to revive an older machine for my kid to learn Python and use it for his homework, and internet surfing. No heavy intense processing on this revived machine.

I decided to reimage the machine and change to Ubuntu 14.10 (or whatever the latest release is....) and the machine ran incredibly slow..
The GUI lagged seriously. I found out that Ubuntu is too heavy and I needed to switch to Xubuntu or Lubuntu. Well.. there goes 6 hours of my life I'm not getting back. I thought that Linux could get you more life out of your older machines? I guess not.

So I download Xubuntu and then installed it on the same box. It runs slighly better, but it's still slow (yes..slower than Win 7 Pro).
And now I can't get the browser to run Flash and the screen jitters due to some incompatibility with the GeForce 4 MX 64Mb imbedded video card. So... a video card that was manufactured 8 years ago and distributed in thousands of PC's still has a problem that hasn't been fixed. The icons and text "white out" and become unreadable. The official solution, switch to another video card.

The forums stated that Xubuntu was lighter and would work better on Low-spec machines... per the Task Manager, my CPU is running at 38% to 54%, my memory at 23% and the GUI is stil lagging in responsiveness, and I think it's still responding slowly.

Even my 9 year old son looks at this and says "Dad this is crap... It doesn't work. It's slow and I can't watch Minecraft videos on Youtube." All I'm saying is that when your software is on version 14 and it's intuitively obvious to a 9 year old that it doesn't work properly, I think it's safe to say there is a problem.

In comparison, a clean Windows install takes a couple of hours and a couple more to configure it. Right now I'm looking at almost 20 hours with no end in sight and a system that isn't functional at a reasonable level of acceptability. I'm not saying Windows is perfect, but there are some lessons to be learned if Linux is to be widely adopted as a front runner that can seriously compete with the Windows O/S in terms of simplicity of use, hardware performance, and useability. The O/S will never be adopted if it's too difficult to use for for the novice user or if it takes too long to ramp-up and get working.


Let me give you an example... I wanted to run topas to troubleshoot the latency issues (but that's a Unix thing... so I tried to run htop)

Instead of running 'htop', I get back:
The program 'htop' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing:
sudo apt-get install htop
You will have to enable the component called 'universe'

Ok.. I understand yet another component is not installed... (gee... what a surprise..:rolleyes:)
But WTH is 'enable the component called universe' ? I understand I need to do something else, but there isn't any explanation about how to do it. From a user perspective, this is more time wasted on troubleshooting and researching and less time spent on more productive things.

My personal experience with Linux is that it's been a giant "time suck".

Oh.. and my background... about 30+ years of computer experience... programming in various languages (Perl, Java, C++, HTML, JavaScript, Cold Fusion, COBOL, Pascal, Assembly Language, Fortran) and I have a degree in Infromation Systems. I've used DOS, AIX Unix, & Windows. And I still think Linux is a mess.

This is just my opinion from spending hours with this O/S and not getting anywhere.I genuinely hope your experiences have been better. I really did want this to work out. I'm glad to see others are having a wonderful time witrh their installs.
Hmm, I'm a novice myself, but I expect that Geforce 4 MX is likely the issue. Ubuntu uses hardware acceleration to power its Desktop UI (Unity), so it's obvious that it would chug having to rely on the GPU for anything...but Xbuntu should've been fine.

One thing though: If you google "*desktop environment* for Ubuntu", then you should find an easy PPA in the first link or 2. You don't have to reinstall to change desktop envinonments. You select from your installed DEs on the login screen.

I suggest trying the MATE DE. Just google it for Ubuntu, and it should be easy to install.

However, I agree that Linux takes time to get used to, and that won't change as long as Linux is in the back of the pack in terms of marketshare. Drivers get made for Windows...

[Mike_Walsh]

Honestly.... I don't see a reason to use Linux. (I can feel the hate coming thorugh the Internet toward my IP address...)

...The false promise of a faster, more responsive machine. (There is a claim that you can get more life out of your older machine)...

...I've wasted dozens of hours trying to get hardware running at a level that is acceptable to an end user, in each case with little or no luck...

...I thought that Linux could get you more life out of your older machines? I guess not...

...My personal experience with Linux is that it's been a giant "time suck". ..

...Oh.. and my background... about 30+ years of computer experience... programming in various languages (Perl, Java, C++, HTML, JavaScript, Cold Fusion, COBOL, Pascal, Assembly Language, Fortran) and I have a degree in Infromation Systems. I've used DOS, AIX Unix, & Windows. And I still think Linux is a mess...




I'm sorry to hear that you've been having a bad experience with attempting to get Linux 'up-and-running'. But in all honesty, having 30 yrs of computer and programming experience doesn't necessarily prepare you for the reality that is Linux.

Many people have spent their entire lives using Windows, or similar systems, and their experience has led them to believe that things will just 'work', out-of-the-box.

I don't have degrees in I.S., or anything like that.....though I, too, have been using these things for over 30 years (since the late 70's). But I found the transition from Windows to Linux incredibly easy. I'm running 3 old machines; the youngest is at least 10 yrs old.....the oldest, at least 15. And in each and every case, I had every one of them running to what I would call an 'acceptable standard' within a matter of days.

Perhaps my standards, and expectations, are lower than yours... ;)

Windows DOES rule.....ON the desktop. But ONLY on the desktop. Almost everywhere else, you will find Linux running things. Most of the world's super-computers. The vast majority of the web's servers run on Linux. Most of the software in your car, running your router, nearly everything with embedded OSs in it, will be found to be running Linux.

Linux doesn't WANT to 'take on' Windows.....this is a false idea that MANY people have. If you 're happy with Linux, that's great. If you prefer Windows, stay with it. Use whatever works best for YOU. And remember; 95% or more of Linux software and development has been produced by people who do this because they enjoy doing so.....they're not getting paid for it.

Linux is a free alternative to Windows.....not a free version OF Windows. There's a difference.

Have a read of this:-

http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

Regards,

Mike.

[Alex_Goga]

*new here!*

[Dragonbite]

Honestly.... I don't see a reason to use Linux. (I can feel the hate coming thorugh the Internet toward my IP address...)

Or could it be because you are posting on a thread titled "Why do you choose Ubuntu over Windows". Maybe this would be better received in a threat for what you do NOT like about Ubuntu?


I'm runing an older HP with an Athlon 2600 (2.06 Ghz 32 bit processor ), 1 Gb ram, 120 Gb HD, and GeForce 4MX onboard video. I was running Windows 7 Professional on the machine and it was running at an acceptable level of performance. It worked reasonably well. (Yes... Windows 7 32 bit Pro ran fairly well on this old box. It was acceptable.)

I'm running an AMD Athalon Gateway Netbook with a Radeon Xpress 1200/1250/1270 and 1.7 GB of Ram. I haven't bought a new computer for myself since 2000, always getting corporate toss-offs and hand-me-downs. Heck, this Netbook is the only device I have which includes Bluetooth and nobody has HDMI.

I have a 32-bit Windows Enterprise and 64bit openSUSE running KDE. Right now as I speak it is running Kinfocenter, Konsole ans KSysGuard and sucking up 0.38 GB of RAM. I've been surprised by this since KDE is supposed to be heavier than Unity (which I find usually running 7-800 MB range) and Gnome shell (mine keep running solid 800 MB or more) with not much running on it. Windows is about upper 900 MB. And just looking, I see the checkbox for "Enable desktop effects on startup" is checked.

I find 1 GB of RAM just doesn't work well with any Linux. Can you increase it to 2 GB (even 1.5 GB) of Ram or so?


I decided to reimage the machine and change to Ubuntu 14.10 (or whatever the latest release is....) and the machine ran incredibly slow..
The GUI lagged seriously. I found out that Ubuntu is too heavy and I needed to switch to Xubuntu or Lubuntu. Well.. there goes 6 hours of my life I'm not getting back. I thought that Linux could get you more life out of your older machines? I guess not.


That statement is a typical YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). Works for some people, and not for others. Didn't you try it out with a Live USB first?



Let me give you an example... I wanted to run topas to troubleshoot the latency issues (but that's a Unix thing... so I tried to run htop)

Instead of running 'htop', I get back:
The program 'htop' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing:
sudo apt-get install htop
You will have to enable the component called 'universe'

Ok.. I understand yet another component is not installed... (gee... what a surprise..:rolleyes:)
But WTH is 'enable the component called universe' ? I understand I need to do something else, but there isn't any explanation about how to do it. From a user perspective, this is more time wasted on troubleshooting and researching and less time spent on more productive things.


Ok, I'll grant that the message regarding the repository is cryptic, but most people that don't understand that there is the Universe repository is not going to be trying to install and run a CLI-based process viewer either. Along the same line, the target users for Ubuntu are not going to jump into running a CLI applications and get mad if it is not inlcuded.

If you are wanting to just into a distribution that gives you these sort of tools right away, or provides a DVD with everything so you can pick-and-choose during installtion, have you tried Fedora?


Oh.. and my background... about 30+ years of computer experience... programming in various languages (Perl, Java, C++, HTML, JavaScript, Cold Fusion, COBOL, Pascal, Assembly Language, Fortran) and I have a degree in Infromation Systems. I've used DOS, AIX Unix, & Windows. And I still think Linux is a mess.

.. and you have only been in the forums for a month and not asked even half-of-a-dozen posts.



This is just my opinion from spending hours with this O/S and not getting anywhere.I genuinely hope your experiences have been better. I really did want this to work out. I'm glad to see others are having a wonderful time witrh their installs.

You tried, it didn't work, you got frustrated. It happens to all of us. The key is to take the time and have the desire to learn.

If you want something that acts like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... why get anything but a duck?

[CDR Services]

One short answer is "Windows Updates" I enjoy messing about with my OS install, trying different programs installing and removing things. Eventually it is time to do a clean install. With Windows XP or 7 I backup all the Documents,Music, and Pictures Etc. and wipe and reinstall the OS! Once windows is installed I have to install all the device drivers for Motherboard, sound, Display, Network, USB 3.0 Etc. Etc.
Then the joy of downloading Windows Updates! Then you need updates for the updates you just installed! Then there are security updates for those updates!!!!! then Net framework 3.0 4.0 (what the heck is net framework for)!! then of course the antivirus program and all the other apps I need to make a usable system! Those windows updates can go on for days!

With Ubuntu I can install my OS and all the hardware works automatically! I run Update Manager once, reboot and the system is pretty much done! A little bit of mucking about in terminal to install and fine tune a few thing but I keep the scripts in my dropbox for those, I can have my Ubuntu system back the way it was in 2 hours versus 2 or 3 Days with Windows!!

[walth2]

Mike,

Thanks for the link. It was an interesting read. I can relate to the Lego analogy.

I'm not discrediting the developers of Ubuntu and other Linux based O/S's. They have spend a great deal of time and effort on developing the O/S. But if you think about it, this software is on it's 14th release and it still needs a lot of manual tweaking to make everything work. You mentioned it took days on your machines. To me, a computer has a "time vs. ROI" value. If I can get the machine running and begin using it within a few hours, then the return is much greater ( positive perception of the O/S, personal enjoyment, productivity, etc..). If it takes a week to install and configure, then that time is not spent on using the machine to get a return on it. Everyone of us sets up a machine to do something (firewall, proxy server, desktop, workstation, etc.). If we can get to the end point sooner, then the better off we are. My opinion is its the destination and not the journey. I understand not everyone shares that view.

I also acknowledge there is a subset of users who enjoy the deeply technical aspect of being able to work with a machine on a more basic level without the overhead of the "dumbed down" interface. But it takes some time to get there. (crawl, walk, run..). Going back to the Lego analogy, in time I probably will be taking it apart and digging into it, but that's not a good place for me to start.

Its just a really difficult O/S to get running properly. The going back and forth between the GUI and CLI, the knowledge of what packages you need to install (and not having some packages preinstalled), the troubleshooting with hardware incompatibilities (SSE vs SSE2, network cards, etc.) & lack of drivers... it's just a very steep, time consuming, learning curve. The time spent on the learning comes with an opportunity cost.

For me, my personal decision within the last few days is to roll back to Windows as my main O/S on my main machine, but keep Linux installed on another less used hobby machine. If I have a deadline or need to produce work, I need the reliability of a tested and (somewhat) stable environment.

Thanks,
Walt

[Mike_Walsh]

Hallo, Walt.

Yes, 'One & one is 2' is quite an amusing view of Linux, isn't it? And actually, very accurate.

I must confess, despite having used these things on and off for over 30 years, I still count myself as nothing more than an enthusiastic hobbyist; I don't rely on them for my work, and never have done. I've always, until recently, been one of those people who's happier doing something with their hands.

(To answer your observation about the 'Lego' analogy, I was one of those kids who spent hours and hours with my Lego - and 'Meccano' - building first one thing, then pulling it to bits, and making something completely different. To this day, I honestly think it's one of the best children's toys ever conceived! I rest my case..... )

Due to a change in personal circumstances in recent years, I now have a lot more time on my hands, and have returned to one of my first loves in order to help pass the time. I more or less grew up with these things, as the Commodore 64 & Sinclair Spectrum (Timex Sinclair in the US) were just then coming onto the market at the time I left school.....and I was absolutely fascinated with them!

My parents bought my brother and I a Commodore 64, and I spent hours learning to use the Basic programming language; even producing my own 'Hangman' program.....with a 'database' of ALL of 25 words..! (lol) My brother had no interest in the thing at all, so I ended up with it all to myself...

Although I've used t'internet ever since its inception, it's only in the last couple of years that I've actually been on it full-time myself; and I've discovered, quite by accident, that I really enjoy messing about with the technical side of these gadgets.....and I seem to have a 'knack' for sorting problems out, as and when they arise. Hence, I suppose, why I've found the transition to Linux so easy. I'm one of those people mentioned in the article who, although not necessarily wanting to tear my system apart and rebuild it the way I want it (!), nevertheless enjoys diving into the guts of the thing from time to time, and 'getting my hands dirty'. Add to that the fact that I'm a stubborn old bugger who refuses to let things beat me, plus the fact that invariably it's the tiny things that always catch you out (although sometimes I can't 'see the wood for the trees'!), and I'm really quite at home with the philosophy of the open-source community.

I'm writing this on my oldest machine, the 15-yr old Dell laptop. When XP reached EOL in April, I started looking round for something to replace it with. I'd installed Ubuntu to my my big desktop Compaq, so I tried some of the 'buntu 'flavours' on this one.....only to find out that they wouldn't work with the 'awkward' graphics card in this thing. So rather than spend days and weeks trying to make them work, I simply looked round until I found a distro that WOULD work.....which is why I'm using one of the newest releases of 'Puppy' Linux on here; and it works a treat. I believe it's something to do with the fact that it's using a newer kernel than the 14.04 'buntus (3.14 as against 3.13), so perhaps the Puppy devs have found a fix for my graphics adapter. Whatever, it works, which is the main thing.....and does everything I ask of it. It's one of the things I like about Linux; the fact that it's totally 'modular'.....and it's what makes EVERY Linux machine unique; the fact that it CAN be configured in so MANY different ways.

On top of all this, I've never had to worry about 'getting a return' on an 'investment'. I've never owned a new machine; mine have always been other people's cast-offs, because they've always wanted the newer, more up-to-date hardware. Suits me. I've always enjoyed keeping elderly 'tech' running; to my mind (and it's an old cliche), 'they don't build them like they used to...' And Linux goes out of its way to make it easy to KEEP old hardware running.

By and large, I have no Windows software that I haven't been able to find open-source equivalents for; with the exception of one single graphics app that I just haven't been able to find a direct equivalent to, without needing to install 3 or 4 others to achieve the same functionality.....a little-known graphics editor called PhotoScape, which I've been using for years (I do a lot of graphics and CAD work as my main hobby). Fortunately, this one app runs perfectly under 'Wine', as it has the coveted 'Platinum' rating (in fact, I was the one who submitted the review on the newest version of PhotoScape to the Wine database). Many applications refuse to work at all with Wine, and that one fact will put many people off making the switch, as it would otherwise help to ease the transition from one to the other.

The other answer, of course, is 'dual-booting'. I've gone a lot further than this; I run anything up to half-a-dozen OSs at any one time; some HDD-based, some flash-based, so I can carry them with me... You try doing that with Windows; I DO enjoy the versatility of Linux..! The Microsoft registration procedure tends to 'tie' the OS to a given motherboard; no way can you transfer OSs back-and-forth, the way Linux allows you to.

Your decision to run Linux on a secondary machine is a sensible one; that way, you CAN take your time, in order to end up with a fully-configured system. And it's ALL good practice; in the early days, I 'broke' my system SO many times, and re-installed it, that I can very nearly do it with my eyes shut now!

BTW: The whole reason that certain packages are not installed by default, as I understand it, is purely for legal reasons; certain countries are very funny about things like audio & video codecs being supplied by the distributor, because of their government's relationship with their media industries. The distributor can be sued - they're easy to track down - but it's next to impossible to track down every single individual, world-wide, who downloads and installs these things. We have other funny laws here in the UK, too; it's perfectly legal to own the seeds of the cannabis plant, but the moment you fill a pot with soil, and put the seed into it, you're then breaking the law...

Go figure. ;)

Regards,

Mike.

[poorsnake]

In Ubuntu I get a legit system for free, With lts , wheras most of windows iconic os' es have their support removed

[Stephan_H_Smith]

My first Linux experience was in 2003 when I went back to college after I lost my trucking job (I am not that young). I was working in the computer lab, and a buddy of mine and coworker suggested I try linux, which I'd never heard of at this point. He kindly installed Debian (at that time, one of the hardest distros for a new user - just about every time I asked a question in the forum, the first response was always RTFM) on a spare hard drive on my computer and set up dual boot. I was intrigued with it! I tried many distros (I had damn small linux running on an old AMD KIII machine, which the kids adored for the games I could download. Incidentally, this machine is STILL running happily - and STILL boots and runs faster than windows). I tried many distros, one of my favs being Simply Mepis. The kids also liked Puppy. I also used a lot of Ubuntu, Kbuntu, Christubuntu (I wish that one was still around). Right now, I am typing this in Ubuntu 14.04. I just realized while typing this that I have not used my Windows 7 in almost 2 weeks (it is in an external dock so I can access my documents and such). Windows lets you be a dummy and still use it. Linux makes you learn, which is good for the brain. Will I go back to windows? Dunno. There are still a few things it is easier to do in windows, such as programming in some languages, but that is changing every day. I may do like I did once before: set windows up in VirtualBox on my Ubuntu machine and just use it as a window when I need to do something in it. I still have a lot to learn - I still consider myself a new user - but yeah. I prefer Linux

[benrob0329]

Oh boy, where do I start???

For one thing, Microsoft sucks.

Ok, now that I've got that off my plate, here goes:





Windows Update
$$$, $$$$$$$$$$$$...
What you don't buy a commercial license for, you don't own what you make.
If you get a new computer, you can't simply move your hard drive into the new computer, for multiple reasons.
You need Anti-Virus software.
Windows 8 is, um...
MS owns everything, they don't like to use one open standard if they don't have to.
MS bashes other companies, and only cares about making $$$$$$$$$. Unlike the Libre/Open/Free communities, who just want to make a good piece of software.
ect.

[Dragonbite]

Oh boy, where do I start???

For one thing, Microsoft sucks.

But tell us how you REALLY feel.... ;)




Ok, now that I've got that off my plate, here goes:





Windows Update
$$$, $$$$$$$$$$$$...
What you don't buy a commercial license for, you don't own what you make.
If you get a new computer, you can't simply move your hard drive into the new computer, for multiple reasons.
You need Anti-Virus software.
Windows 8 is, um...
MS owns everything, they don't like to use one open standard if they don't have to.
MS bashes other companies, and only cares about making $$$$$$$$$. Unlike the Libre/Open/Free communities, who just want to make a good piece of software.
ect.


Show me a company that isn't about making money, and chances are it's a non-profit. You're comparing a (for-profit) "company" with an open-source "community". Those are 2 different beasts, like comparing making movies and painting portraits.

Plus, after opening up core components of .NET, continuing Skype support for Linux and assisting the Samba project doesn't see overly evil (just slightly evil). Can't say anything about them not opening up OneDrive because Google hasn't opened up Google Drive either... and Google promised they would (still waiting.... 5 years and counting..... "not be evil" phththt!)

But the licensing and ownership bull-pucky is really annoying. I can accept just about any computer because I know I can put some form of Linux on just about anything and make it usable in some capacity.

Oh, and about the Windows Update, with Windows 10 Home you lose the option to choose which updates to install (and when)! I don't like that because they have an update that seems to break ONLY with dual-boot systems and I had to mark to skip it if I didn't want it to attempt (and fall-back when it fails) every time I start it up.

Linux ftw.

[benrob0329]

It's not the fact that there making money, its the fact that they care more about whats in there pockets than making a good product for those who dish out the cash to stuff them.

Oh, and in that case, I won't even look at Windows 10! ;-)

[trash1464]

I worked with Microsoft products professionally for decades. Windows is the biggest pile of spaghetti code the world has ever seen it will never be a stable reliable platform. It is the worlds great misfortune that Windows has majority market share. After decades of endless bugs (with no fix), instabilities, sub standard support and just plain stupid architecture, I have developed a deep seated evil hatred of all things MS. Being retired, the only thing I use Windows for now is photo editing. The day a suitable photo editing app is identified, I will never touch another bit of MS garbage again. GIMP is getting close and I hold hopes for it.

By stupid architecture I mean the insistence of MS to put everything in one location, namely C:\. No isolation of user and application data from the OS partition. That is just plain stupid IMO! With Linux, OS and data can be installed on separate partitions or even separate spindles. As others have noted, the Linux design makes system recovery a comparative piece of cake. MS will never get that concept down.

I guess this thread isn't meant for servers but I'm on a roll. Another stupid MS design; producing servers with a local console running a mandatory GUI interface complete with hard stop GUI popup errors and.... games!? Not to mention resource eating screen savers! MS, you have got to be kidding! All utterly useless and counter productive if you are managing servers at remote locations.

Windows sucks! Windows REALLY sucks!!
Ubuntu rocks!

[benrob0329]

I agree with 99.999999% of all of that! The only thing is that I'm seriously looking into the *BSDs...

[trash1464]

FreeNAS runs on BSD. It rocks! Replaced windows server with FreeNAS and my life on that front is so much easier! No endless reboots, no lockups, no crashes, no gaping security holes. It just works and works well.

[Mike_Walsh]

Hi, trash1464.

Just purely for information, I run a little-known app called PhotoScape. Unfortunately it was written for Windows (ack!!), but it runs perfectly in Ubuntu under Wine, version 1.7.38 (one of the most recent releases). I know Wine isn't to everybody's liking, but it's about the only reason I use it.

I used PhotoScape for years in XP, and consider it to be one of the very few indispensible apps that I can't do without (I do a large amount of graphic design, in addition to CAD work; I also use Blender for a few projects, too.) PhotoScape has to be the only app I can't find a Linux equivalent for, unfortunately; I've whole-heartedly embraced everything else the Linux world has to offer...

I do use the GIMP, but there are some things I just find easier to do under PhotoScape..! If you're interested, you can find it here (http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php). It's a very neat little app, and incredibly easy to use. I'm that impressed by how well it runs under Wine, that I personally submitted the review for the most recent version (3.7) to the Wine App Database.

About the only thing that doesn't run under Wine is the animated GIF creation feature.


Regards,

Mike. :)

[meshak]

Yeah, and it even has viruses targeted to it as well, Window defender takes FOREVER to update, and touchscreens could have been the only thing in mind when windows 8 was created:lolflag:

[Copper Bezel]

I'm still tentatively hopeful that Win10 will be Microsoft's first fully-modern desktop OS.

[riderpe]

You can make it yours. I am a 67 year old programmer and with the different frameworks available C++, Python, and a huge helpful community you can write application, tools and experiment. It is a most wondrous sandbox.

[Duck_Dude]

I have gone back and forth for years trying to figure out what it is that intrigues me about a linux based system vs. windows (i use mac/windows at work) and I have never really been able to put my finger on it ... Until recently.

I've been taking different IT courses specifically related to security. In the past month, learning what I've learned, I've completely stopped using google, only use windows for gaming ( I haven't even bothered to change the wallpaper I use it so infrequently) and I have ordered the ubuntu phone to get rid of my Nexus 5.

I choose it today because of security, privacy and the open source commitment. I wish I would have made the switch permanently twenty years ago when I first started playing around with linux.

[Dragonbite]

Why Linux over Windows? Because of Windows 10.

Technologically it looks to be a very good release and may even be beneficial for them in the marketplace.

However, the hidden "gotchas", like requiring Home edition to install updates automatically whether you would like to or not is not very comforting. Solution requires spending (more) money or holding onto old technology.

This would be annoying in and of itself, but when it is coupled with the recent upgrade track record of putting out updates and service pack only to later withdraw them because they are crashing systems left and right INCLUDING Enterprise Server versions (the ones the require the most stability) it does not give me much faith.

Or the one I ran across where because my computer was dual-boot the update would constantly fail. My single-boot system had no problem, but dual boot systems all kept failing until I marked to ignore it.

That won't be an option unless I pony up $99 to upgrade, or not update.

[craig10x]

@dragonbite: i did recently read an article about those automatic updates which explained that while you can't stop it from automatic updating you have a choice of two ways of receiving them:

1) fast track (for those who like to live on the edge...lol) where you get them pretty quickly or 2) Slow track (they are delayed for a month or two) which will be the more conservative approach (and preferred) because by the time you get slow track, the bugs should essentially been smoothed out from the various consumer feedback they get...

Security Updates of course, will be given in a timely manner (regardless of whether you fast or slow track) of course, for obvious reasons... ;)

Also, part of the reason for the auto updating is that windows is essentially going on a rolling release style model...That is why they said Windows 10 is the last version of windows...it's because from 10 on there will be no new versions of it...it will just roll and be continually up to date...In fact 10 will morph into simply "windows"...

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, the rolling release, always-up-to-date cycle is one of the things* that makes me think of Win10 as potentially a fully modern OS. It simplifies a lot of troubleshooting and avoids the mess of software built for this-but-not-that version and so on. I'm looking forward to Ubuntu Snappy following a similar system when it comes to the desktop in 2016. I already appreciate it in browsers.

* I mean, there are a lot of them. Windows wasn't a properly multiuser system until 8, which is also when it learned to handle swap correctly. The convergence stuff seems right, as does the use of the Windows Store for individual app updates as well as system updates, like Linuxes and Android and Mac all already do. I mean, 8 introduced a lot of good things under that mess of bad interface design (and I don't mean the tiles.)

[craig10x]

Yes, copper bezel, there are a lot of parallels between windows and canonical (ubuntu) now...both are doing convergence and the new rolling style windows is much like the ubuntu snappy concept as well...
In fact, after reading that article about windows 10, sounds kind of like the fast track updates will be like "snappy personal desktop development" and the slow track updates like "snappy personal desktop stable version".
Both rolling, but one for the bleeding edge testers and the others who want rolling but stability as well...even if it's a slower "rolling" ;) :mrgreen:

[Stefan_Puffer]

I've been really happy with my Windows 7 machine. For me Windows 7 along with XP is one of the best operating systems that Microsoft has released.

Recently I purchased a Windows 8.1 netbook/tablet and it's just not my thing even though I do like my Windows phone. One thing that I really did not like was the integration of Microsoft's cloud services into the OS. While that's not too bad on Windows 8.1 it looks like Windows 10 is going to be even more so integrated with their online offerings and I really don't like that.

I started thinking about what applications I use the most these days and that is GIMP and Libre office suite. Since there wasn't anything binding me to a Windows machine I thought now is the time to purchase a second laptop with just Linux installed on it. I didn't want a dual boot machine and I didn't want to run a VM.

So I went out and purchased an i5 Lenovo that was on sale and started looking around at different flavors of Linux. I tried several before settling on Ubuntu 15.04 which pretty much worked with my hardware right out of the box and it has a nice modern interface without having a Windows XP feel/look to it which is something I like.

I actually like the Unity interface and have no problem with systemd. The only problems I've had so far were keyboard shortcuts that stopped working and sometimes the machine doesn't shutdown (stays on a flickering Ubuntu shutdown screen) but they're not major issues and I've been using the laptop exclusively for two weeks and I'm very happy with it.

[Dragonbite]

Recently I purchased a Windows 8.1 netbook/tablet and it's just not my thing even though I do like my Windows phone.

I have to ask, since you are only the 2nd person I have run across admitting they have a Windows phone and is NOT connected with Microsoft (or are you?...):

Are you in the USA, or are the only 2 people I have found both living outside of this country?

[Copper Bezel]

I had a student with a Windows phone once. The Nokia one with the colored shell (hers was yellow) and fat camera. Seemed to like it quite a lot.

[trash1464]

Hi, trash1464.

Just purely for information, I run a little-known app called PhotoScape. Unfortunately it was written for Windows (ack!!), but it runs perfectly in Ubuntu under Wine, version 1.7.38 (one of the most recent releases). I know Wine isn't to everybody's liking, but it's about the only reason I use it.

I used PhotoScape for years in XP, and consider it to be one of the very few indispensible apps that I can't do without (I do a large amount of graphic design, in addition to CAD work; I also use Blender for a few projects, too.) PhotoScape has to be the only app I can't find a Linux equivalent for, unfortunately; I've whole-heartedly embraced everything else the Linux world has to offer...

I do use the GIMP, but there are some things I just find easier to do under PhotoScape..! If you're interested, you can find it here (http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php). It's a very neat little app, and incredibly easy to use. I'm that impressed by how well it runs under Wine, that I personally submitted the review for the most recent version (3.7) to the Wine App Database.

About the only thing that doesn't run under Wine is the animated GIF creation feature.


Regards,

Mike. :)

Thanks for the heads up re. PhotoScape, Mike. Downloading it now.

[trash1464]

I am suspicious of the new rolling update direction of Windows 10. Sounds like a path to a subscription model like what Adobe has gone to with Creative Cloud. There is no way I am going to pay MS $xx per month for the rest of my life just to use their garbage software.

[maclenin]

Is this a trick question?

[Copper Bezel]

I am suspicious of the new rolling update direction of Windows 10. Sounds like a path to a subscription model like what Adobe has gone to with Creative Cloud. There is no way I am going to pay MS $xx per month for the rest of my life just to use their garbage software.
It very likely is a similar direction, and the subscription fee means that that comes with a sting in the tail that isn't true of open source software or nearly-so things like Android and Chrome. But look at what Adobe did with their pre-cloud Creative Suite - things like, say, old versions of Photoshop not being updated with recent codecs for camera raw, but Adobe providing a separate free convertor utility. (I've had to deal with this using CS5 with my Nikon 3200.) Either I have an extra, wasteful step converting my files for Bridge and Photoshop to be able to read them, which is a small but unnecessary inconvenience and a loss of time and cycles I have to deal with every time I import a round of shooting, or I just have to concede that my version of CS doesn't support my camera and be forced into an upgrade. It's intentional bad design just to encourage people to upgrade even if they don't actually need any of the new features in the most recent editions of the software. I'd much rather bite the bullet and just accept the subscription model instead of buying a package, assuming that I "have" it, and then finding it falling behind in a year or two and having features lose compatibility as I go.

I just appreciate the always-up-to-date approach on Android and Ubuntu too much to complain. And all the better if Ubuntu always packages the most recent stable releases of software instead of the ones available six months ago (and Android, of course, on Nexus devices, where system updates come as they're released and ported to the device instead of at the carrier or OEM's behest.) It's part of the reason these platforms are more convenient to work with than Windows and much software written for the Windows model, having abandoned the old "bits in boxes" approach to software distribution at their respective inceptions. If software-as-a-service and subscription models are the only way to properly monetize good software design, I'll accept the monthly bill for that.

(Whether Microsoft's own software is worth bothering with such an arrangement is another entirely separate question and one I don't care to get into. I will say I've never bought a Windows license that didn't come with a PC, and that Microsoft themselves are very unlikely to do anything that encourages people to think about opting to run an alternate OS on their devices, particularly since they can easily subsidize the cost of the platform away entirely through their fee on applications sold through the Windows store.)

[craig10x]

I think it is silly to believe that the new rolling windows will become a subscription model...they make money on each application of windows on all the hardware that manufacturers produce and of course, there is the app store...and various other sources of income for them...The reason for the rolling is very simple, they are following canonical's philosophy of convergence and just like android phones update, and eventually ubuntu snappy, so will the windows installs roll as well...

[Copper Bezel]

Right, they want to transition to a world where every developer pays them to be able to sell their apps on Windows, while delivering Windows to all PC consumers ever free of charge.

[RayTomes]

I have been using Win-XP for yonks and recently set up dual boot for Ubuntu. Why?
1. Windows objective is to get money from you and Ubuntu objective is to help you.
2. I can ask questions in forum for ubuntu and get good help.
3. Everything is free and to help user not hinder.
4. Windows tries to trap you on its software and products. Old files types die.
5. The world would be a much better place without money being the main objective.

[Matejko]

I have both ubuntu and windows, just because of need to work in Adobe products. I'm waiting for this magic moment, when Adobe will decide to run on linux...

[Dragonbite]

I have been using Win-XP for yonks and recently set up dual boot for Ubuntu. Why?
1. Windows objective is to get money from you and Ubuntu objective is to help you.
2. I can ask questions in forum for ubuntu and get good help.
3. Everything is free and to help user not hinder.
4. Windows tries to trap you on its software and products. Old files types die.
5. The world would be a much better place without money being the main objective.

I would add that the documentation available for Ubuntu is very good and sources are sometimes official documentation whereas when I have Windows questions I need to be very careful of the source and if I need to download anything it is usually from a trusted repository or can be double-checked while I almost need a Hazmat suit for Windows downloads.

[pretty_whistle]

All these things are good reasons to choose ubuntu, however the main thing for me is security. Since ubuntu I haven't gotten malware nor it's friends and it's been 3 1/2 years! With windows I would've been infected multiple times in that time and I had the latest antivirus and did all the things you're told to do to avoid infecting yourself but alas I managed to get some anyway. All that advice did for me was reduce the frequency of it but it never totally ridded it. With ubuntu I'm home free. :P

[Mike_Walsh]

Frankly, if you're still using Windows XP, you need your head testing.

It's archaic.

It's way past its sell-by date.

And it's just plain dangerous, given the current state of the 'hacker' eco-system.

I used it up until April last year, when it reached EOL. Eleven years was long enough for me. I wiped Windows out of my life, and moved to Linux...all in the space of twenty-four hours. Despite all the 'ooh'-ing and 'aah'-ing you get from many people who are wary about making such a drastic move, I felt that over 35 years experience with these here 'boxes of tricks' would stand me in good stead during the learning curve.

They did. I've not looked back since....not once.


Regards,

Mike. :D

[eli15]

Just made the switch a couple of weeks ago. Built a microATX Intel Atom-based game box for the kids to retro-game on, it needed an OS. Linux Lite 2.4 was my choice. it's decently fast (I can run PS1 games). I'm getting hooked on Linux... no malware attacks, just takes a little elbow grease to make some stuff work. Worth it? Yes. Converted :)

[MGrowl]

Its lightweight; boot and shutdown time are remarkably increased; not to mention more secure. I don´t mean to turn this into a flame-thread for windows, but if you know your way around using computers I believe linux is the way to go. Most of the programs a person would need for productivity are available (not to mention, free of charge, unless of course you´d like to donate to the developers). It´s also completely customizable. What more could a computer user want? More points for stability and reliability. Unless you´re a gamer, or have that one application/program that can only run on windows, I wouldn´t hesitate to recommend ubuntu to anyone willing to leave BSOD´s and slow computing behind.

[ben152]

Where do I even start with this.....

I reloaded several machines that I had Windows 7 on originally and the performance increase with Ubuntu was drastic. Security, security, security...that alone is a reason. It's free and in my opinion actually better than Windows. There are a lot of hardcore folks out here making some awesome products and improvements on a daily basis for that matter. Stability... no more system crashes or BSOD... no more virus, malware or spyware issues.

[jmcbride3313]

I like them both but I tend to jump around, with others in the family I cannot leave Windows but I am making progress.

[daveharas]

Totally left Windows and OSX behind now, have to do XP for work sometimes ](*,). Ubuntu gives freedom to modify, change and manipulate your system and interface to get exactly what you like! It is secure, faster and keeps your system alive. :D

[SA6]

I'm a programmer and like a clutter-free environment with easy access to a powerful command-line. Linux fits the bill.

[Dragonbite]

If this means what I think it means, then Ubuntu and Linux may have the making for an uptick in adoption rates!



http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/microsoft-can-monetize-windows-10/
Pay for Updates

Microsoft very, very quietly slipped some vital information out into the world at the end of June. I almost missed it myself. It ties in directly to the continually stipulated “Windows 10 and its updates will be free for the length of the device cycle” bit. A vague statement, at best, but we understand. As with Windows XP, Vista, 7, and now 8, each product has a life cycle.

In a slide contained within the Windows 10 Revenue Recognition PowerPoint presentation, the small print reads “which can range from two to four years.” It goes on to say device life is determined by customer type, and that deferral periods may vary.

It isn’t definitive, of course, but if the update cycle becomes monetized after two to four years, Microsoft will have captured a generation of new Windows users without fully explaining exactly what’ll happen at the end of time. You can check the slides out here (direct download), and see what you think.

It raises the very serious and extremely valid question of what happens afterwards?

I don't know about you, but I don't think I have any computers that are younger than 4 years old, heck I don't think they were under 4 when I GOT them!

So if Microsoft starts either saying they no longer support the Windows 10 on these devices, or requires users to start paying then Ubuntu (Linux) looks like an AWESOME ALTERNATIVE to anybody out there!


Microsoft says your system is old and outdated... use Linux and find a happy, long life is still available!

We just have to be ready to get the word out if this comes to light!

[Linuxratty]

Because it does not have the stupid problems I've had to deal with in Windows.

[iamjiwjr]

My wife had daily Windows-related complaints. It took a whole day to reformat and reinstall Windows. With Linux she NEVER complains. And I can install a half a zillion distros in the time it takes to reinstall Windows once. Then there's the lack of hassle that Windows grinds you to a nub with. Constant question boxes. No customization options with Windows. Windows greed is super expensive. Linux is free. One click upgrades vs a zillion clicks upgrades. No viruses etc. And on and on and on. The more I use Linux the ease of use just becomes a bigger and bigger contrast to Windows hell.

[Dragonbite]

Why choose Ubuntu over Windows? Because with 400GB of stolen zero-day exploits and other documentation being stolen and posted on the Internet, Windows is getting a whole-lotta less secure! Over 30 Flash exploits showing up in 2 days alone!

At least if *nix gets compromised the likely victim is your /home account, but less so the entire system. Or so I have heard from people.

[ben152]

Why choose Ubuntu over Windows? Because with 400GB of stolen zero-day exploits and other documentation being stolen and posted on the Internet, Windows is getting a whole-lotta less secure! Over 30 Flash exploits showing up in 2 days alone!

At least if *nix gets compromised the likely victim is your /home account, but less so the entire system. Or so I have heard from people.


I've been Windows free for several months now and I really can't figure out why I hadn't done it sooner. The only machine left with Windows is my wife's because she works at home and because of work she needs access to some odd programs so she can interact with the rest of her company. Her PC is the newest and most current of all the machines and yet is also the slowest and problematic.

...I would love to see in my lifetime the demise of Microsoft and Windows... :???:

[Dragonbite]

...I would love to see in my lifetime the demise of Microsoft and Windows... :???:

Just not until after I am making a living not using Microsoft technologies please (ASP.NET, MS SQL Server, Office, etc.). I'm working on it but until I get a job that is using 100% non-Microsoft (including having to make sure websites work in IE/Edge) I'm currently reliant on Microsoft.

[Harry_Riley]

Because windows is one of the most malicious software ever made.

[yonnie]

prior to the popularity of Linux, many apps for Windows cost you money and they didn't work well, then they'd change something and you would have to spend more money. Linux changed that and then Windows had to play catch-up!

[Dragonbite]

Linux didn't change that... open source did.

But true, many apps cost money and the ones that really did things cost really big bucks! If you didn't have the means to pay, you had a choice of using some alternative or pirate it.

My Windows has LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird and more open source programs. One nice part of it is consistency between Windows and Linux because I'm using the same program in many cases.

[susan13]

I have in the past (every few years) tried to make use of Ubuntu as a main OS. Partly because of hardware (printer/scanner) incompatibilities at the time, and partly because of my own laziness to learn how to use it properly, I bailed totally on Linux, time and time again.
Pretty much every time MS brought out a new OS, I'd give one flavour or another of Linux a try. Then abandon it.

So here we are again. Windows 10 - Full of Snoopware, but basically not too bad an OS as MS releases go.
"OK." I thought. "I'll just use the older, still-supported, versions of Windows for now!"
BUT, that same Snoopware was continually being back-ported/added to the older versions too, and it was becoming really annoying...
Then, they decide to stop reporting what they are up to in the updates. I'm guessing it's not for the reasons they stated - but more so the end-users don't actually know what Snoopware is being added to their PCs and so are less unlikely to remove it.

Guess what Microsoft - I did remove it: ALL OF IT - the whole system! You finally did it!! Two computers happily running Ubuntu, six to go.

Sadly, I will have to keep one PC on Windows (used with specific Windows-only graphics suites), but that will be fire-walled from the rest of the network.

No more money from me or my company. Oh, and I've cancelled our Office365 subscription too - we are now using a combination of LibreOffice and OpenOffice. Hope it was worth it?

Hi! To the Linux Community, and HUGE THANKS personally to Satya Nadella - without your inclusion of all this Snoopware/Spyware in Windows, I would not have discovered just how awesome Ubuntu Desktop has become!! Thank you.
"So long, and thanks for all the fish!" ):P

Hugs,
Susi xxx

[Sweet_Baby_Jamie]

My parents gave me their old Windows XP computer when they bought a fancy new one that came with Windows 10. When I got this one it was so slow but I figured that's just because it was so old. So I Googled about making old computers run faster and found my way to this awesome free OS! My computer is too old to run Ubuntu but when I tried out LXLE it was great!

I didn't mean to wipe away Windows when I installed it but I didn't know how to make a dual boot, and I didn't really care if it wiped away Windows anyway because it was sooooooo slowwww.

All I can say is wow! I can't believe this is a free OS! My parents think I'm some kind of computer wizard or something. When their fancy new computer went down with a virus they used mine and were like, "How did you make it so fast?" I told them it's not Windows but they didn't get it. It has a very similar user interface to Windows XP and it's so darn fast, zoooooom! Anyway when their computer had to go back to the shop for a virus or something they used mine again and were so frustrated with some recurring problems on theirs that they asked me to "do whatever you did to make yours run so fast. And make it like yours, with the menus and buttons instead of this bewildering stupid maze we have now."

I read all about making a dual boot, backed up all their stuff onto a USB key and installed LXLE on their computer, so scared I would mess it up. "You couldn't make it any worse than it already is, Jamie, go for it!" they said.

I did succeed in making a dual boot, yay! But they almost never boot up Windows any more. They run this Linux distro that was made for old relics like mine on their fancy high-power computer! But it's screaming fast, simple enough for this 9th grader and my parents, unhindered by most viruses, and they love it!

[JawasDennu]

I'm using Lubuntu on my netbook and other machines for following reasons:


No messing around with AntiVirus-Snakeoil.
Better overall performance.
More free diskspace: Less than 10GB used for OS and all applications for office, media-production and stuff.
No snoopware, spying or unwanted remote-control from manufacturers like MS or Apple.
Customizing design and functions, even deep down to machine level ain't no rocket science.
It's open software, every bit ist documented.
It's free like in "free speech" AND "free beer".
The communities are great.


... and i like the spirit behind this project.

Have a good time,

Jawas

[farmerjohn73]

I shifted to linux when my system got slow with winxp and windows vista was launched. first, it was a dual boot as i was new to linux - I had tried opensuse first and then tried ubuntu. ubuntu had immeadiately fascinated me, with the speed, no lag operations, lower memory foot prints and above all, i could get all the softwares i needed were already installed. if at all i needed more, i could get from single source of repositories. I am an average user but got vexed with windows coz it ate up most of my time as one or other headline was about the compromised security of windows, managing the security softwares and updating them. Ubuntu has made me worry-free of viruses and malwares, yet, I am never careless in my browsing habits.

Ubuntu is something that every computer user should shift to. Bid adieu to windows and macs..

[David_Ramsay]

As a coding platform - linux covers it all without Pay For API things.
How to learn == learn off others code == free to download and understand
other peoples code == learn how to code by example.. 'hello world'

Linux is best coding platform away from Microsofts force you to do their way!

I love GCC compiler even in the early years..

Sounds bad, removed myself from windows code to linux because long filenames
vs dos 8 chars and 3 suffix - but never looked back - missing anything??

yeah how they encode on raw hdd space - love extfs vs. and can see long filenames on raw hdd

[doc_ccb]

Workspaces! I have a 3x3 workspace setup (unity tweak tool) and my work flow will never be the same again.

Still dependent on windows though because of Photoshop and Illustrator. Gimp and Inkscape doesn't quite cut it yet.

[night_sky2]

No messing around with AntiVirus-Snakeoil.


This was an issue for me as well, until I discovered that Microsoft has a decent, lightweight AV built-in Windows 8.1 and 10 that's called Windows Defender.

[Dragonbite]

This was an issue for me as well, until I discovered that Microsoft has a decent, lightweight AV built-in Windows 8.1 and 10 that's called Windows Defender.

At one point it got very poor ratings for detection, but I don't know if that has imporved with Windows 10.

I like Linux for the freedom it provides, such as choices (oh, so many choices), community and rapid development.

I use Ubuntu because it wraps all of that up into a pretty package that is easy to set up (it took me a couple hours to install and configure Ubuntu from scratch while it took that much time just to get Windows to start installing!)

It isn't perfect, but Linux does a good job for me overall.

[night_sky2]

At one point it got very poor ratings for detection, but I don't know if that has imporved with Windows 10.
I don't know where those very poor ratings come from but after 3 years, it's been very good for me. I have not been infected and it blocked 2 or 3 viruses and malware from softwares and a USB drive I pluged from a friend in my Windows laptop. I don't believe it to be worst against the most common threats than what's available on the market.

I still think the best antivirus is common sense and safe habbits, though. ;)


I like Linux for the freedom it provides, such as choices (oh, so many choices), community and rapid development.
Can't agree more.

[Dragonbite]

I don't know where those very poor ratings come from but after 3 years, it's been very good for me. I have not been infected and it blocked 2 or 3 viruses and malware from softwares and a USB drive I pluged from a friend in my Windows laptop. I don't believe it to be worst against the most common threats than what's available on the market.

Heck, I have a co-worker who has a Windows server set open to the world for a collaborative chess competition and it doesn't have any anti-virus. It's never been infected and he runs an online scanner once in a while.

I go with the the Windows defender, and I haven't picked anything up yet. My parents pay for McAfee (I've been trying to talk them out of it, but they just won't listen) and I've been over to their house a few times to clean things up.

Now they are running Apple tablets more than their computers. At least I can tell them I can't help them because I have no Apple products, let alone an iPad.

[night_sky2]

I go with the the Windows defender, and I haven't picked anything up yet. My parents pay for McAfee (I've been trying to talk them out of it, but they just won't listen) and I've been over to their house a few times to clean things up.
I can safely say that my days of paying for an antivirus software are over. I used to pay like 40 bucks a year for that Kaspersky software suite back in the days.. But then I discovered that they are plenty of good freebies out there like Avast, Avira, AVG, Panda Cloud ect.. Still, what I like most about Windows Defender is that it's sooo lightweight. I mean, it has virtually no impact on system ressources.

[xen3]

I'm not choosing Ubuntu over Windows... but I want to run it inside a VM for a while, however it is failing (with VirtualBox). Windows 10 is so rotten though. I can play my games; yes. But the Start Menu doesn't even work. It gets corrupted all the time. That stuff happens in Linux too but Windows has never done it before. It's like Microsoft is jumping on the fast-paced no-looking-back development pace of Linux and making the same mess ;-). They create all this fancy stuff but don't spend enough time on it.

Now my Windows system is almost unusable and I only installed it a few weeks ago. But one thing I've never liked is the Linux file managers. Managing my stuff with Windows has always been so much easier and more powerful. No messing with permissions and ownerships either. I guess Ubuntu has better UI than e.g. KDE. Dolphin while lauded by many just sucks from my perspective. Maybe Nautlius is better; but I don't know.

So, actually in Linux desktop I have always been using the shell (command line) to manage and move and rename files etc. But that is not very powerful because renaming something in the shell takes a lot of time compared to a GUI. Moving stuff around also is rather arduous. So when I start using Linux, my productivity goes down a lot. Also in Kubuntu 14.10 you can't really make good screenshots of windows, which is important to me. GIMP is highly unusable to me and Inkscape is a lovely tool but has a quirky UI. Back in the day when I was using e.g. QuarkXpress, my experience was just much better. Before, I used Photoshop (when I was young) and PaintShopPro (version 3 and 4 even) and I could do with it what I wanted and needed, but with GIMP it is a thousand mile journey to produce the smallest of benefits. I don't have that much time. Or energy.

I don't like LibreOffice either, I use OpenOffice even though I never liked that either, but OpenOffice is not in the repos so it gives more problems. I haven't used Microsoft Office for a long time so I am in a bind. For writing letters etc. I actually use HTML editor "BlueGriffon" and print in Firefox. But the previous version crashed in Kubuntu 14.10. Open source Mozilla tool and I couldn't use it in Linux. The new version is much better (1.8) and I hope I can use it in Linux this time?

I choose Ubuntu because it is easy and somewhat well-polished compared to the rest, I hope I won't run into as many issues. Last time however on my laptop, the Software Center kept crashing.

It's speedy enough in a VM but my VM software freezes all the time, so I can't run Ubuntu yet.

All I want to do is some Linux programming at this point but it is impossible unless I boot and run from some Live DVD. I can't install on my system because it uses an AMD bios RAID and I don't know how to do that yet, nor was I intending to install Linux natively. Maybe I should just try to use VMware instead.

[mystics]

Windows 10 is so rotten though. I can play my games; yes. But the Start Menu doesn't even work. It gets corrupted all the time...

Now my Windows system is almost unusable and I only installed it a few weeks ago.


I would check into settings, run a virus scan, and/or seek support on that. Windows 10 may be rough around the edges, but what you're describing is not normal.


But one thing I've never liked is the Linux file managers. Managing my stuff with Windows has always been so much easier and more powerful. No messing with permissions and ownerships either. I guess Ubuntu has better UI than e.g. KDE. Dolphin while lauded by many just sucks from my perspective. Maybe Nautlius is better; but I don't know.

File managers are designed as a graphical way to interact with the system. They are not, themselves, a file system, nor do they define the rules of the file system. If you're having trouble with things like ownership and permissions, then you should do some research into the way ownership and permissions work in Linux. The fact that you already do a lot from the command line should give you a jump start.

[oskar10]

What made me switch to Ubuntu was that windows isn't as supported for web development as both Linux and Apple is.
I have had many problems while installing Node.js packages as well as updating Node.

Ubuntu is also a good system since its not rare to come over the LAMP stack while doing web development. My VPS is running Ubuntu and
feeling comfortable with my desktop made me feel comfortable with my server.

There is still a lot that i do not know about Ubuntu and Linux in general but i'm working my way up.

[sukelis]

... because a real operating system shouldn't have "reboot" as the first step in troubleshooting... :confused:

I'm in the process of switching from XP to Ubuntu. Yes, XP, still. When I switched from w2k to xp, I thought it was an improvement. It was the last time I thought an MS release was an improvement over the one before. I have a laptop with 8.1 dual-booting with Linux and I flatly refuse to upgrade to win10. But it is becoming ...frustrating... to keep running xp. Too many apps can no longer be upgraded, especially browser plug-ins. So I knew I was well and truly stuck - I will not go to win10 and I can't stay with xp. I like to have too much involvement/control over my environment to be a candidate for Mac, so Linux was the obvious choice. Ubuntu is my choice for principal distro because it's a kick ass OS with an amazing community.

One thing I hadn't considered as an advantage to Linux - that I'm finding is a HUGE advantage - is that it is, and is based on, an OS that was designed from the ground up for multiple users. There is a depth of resiliency here that just does not exist in windows. And yes, I did just have to reboot my xp system one more time... this thread had come up in my search results for something else and my post-reboot angst just led my fingers here.

As an interim solution, I had started out thinking that I'd upgrade to win7 on my desktop and run Ubuntu in a VM until I found replacements for all the apps I can't live without. Now I think I'll do it the other way around and stick windows in a VM. The reboots should be much easier that way.

[Stephen_Wade]

Not especially a reply, just continuing the thread. I wanted to leave XP due to end of support, so I went to Ubuntu. Well, my modest laptop could not load that so I got Lubuntu. This gives me a pretty secure web browser, Firefox. After that---NOTHING. How do I use this?
No Easy Steps text books like Windows, cannot find any advice on line. I have still got XP on desktop, all those lovely prompts, balloons, wizards. So I am going to upgrade to a desktop with Windows 7.
I hope a Moderator does not take this down as happened when I tried to make this point on another Ubuntu forum. And if a Moderator sees this the battle has been going on here for years, too late to score the numbers on either side?

[uNoubu8a]

After that---NOTHING. How do I use this? No Easy Steps text books like Windows, cannot find any advice on line. I have still got XP on desktop, all those lovely prompts, balloons, wizards. So I am going to upgrade to a desktop with Windows 7. I hope a Moderator does not take this down as happened when I tried to make this point on another Ubuntu forum. And if a Moderator sees this the battle has been going on here for years, too late to score the numbers on either side?

You sir are the winner of todays :KS. But alas you troll on the empty side of the internet so the feels will be low.

[peyre]

You sir are the winner of today[']s :KS. But alas you troll on the empty side of the internet so the feels will be low.
Eh, it's good that he's airing his frustrations with our OS. We all know it's not perfect (it can't be: it keeps changing) and makes misseps from time to time. I get frustrated with Xubuntu all the time--it's always something; the latest version fixes some things and breaks others. But it isn't enough to make me give up on it; Windows does the same thing and has been more annoying about it, in my estimation. Still, I can't blame people for wanting to stick with Windows if they're used to it and like it.

[masetrax1]

More control, pure and simple.

[ursatempest]

Well...

It was a bit of funny story, see. So I just entered a college, and after looking at their syllabus, there is of course Linux class.

So I figured, 'hey, I already use a huge number of open source programs anyway, why not trying my hand on Linux?' So I downloaded Ubuntu, and installed it on separate partition of my laptop. So far, so good.

But I'm not used with Ubuntu UI. So I was like 'Well, let's find Windows-alike distro. Shouldn't be too hard.' And I settled on Zorin OS.

I make bootable USB, basically just click yes on all prompt, and proceeded to sleep. The next day, the installation failed - so I reconnected to internet, and this time actually view everything. And then...

'Wait, since when I have 990GB free space?'

Yeah. I accidentally wiped my HDD.

Well, it is inconvenient of course, but there's a reason why I backed-up almost everything. Anyway, I play around with Zorin OS, but turns out for some unfathomable reason it refused to get redirected when I'm on captive wifi network. And it's kinda deal-breaker to me, since almost all good wifi network near me use captive wifi.

So I contemplated just reinstalling Windows 10. But I was like, I can use Linux, right? It isn't that bad. I mean, it is inconvenient, but to be frank it isn't any worse than my usual activity of wrangling computer into usable state.

I decided to install Kubuntu instead. So far, it performed... well, not quite smoothly. But adequate, at least. I still haven't figured out why MTP sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, I'm still scratching my head why the FPC can't find wincrt, and how do I set file date on Dolphin so it uses proper YYYY-MM-DD format?

But on the whole, it's not enough to make me reinstalling Windows 10.

[jeffmhamilton]

I purchased a cheap laptop for my in-laws for browsing and email only. They don't do games or anything difficult for a cheap pc to do. Within two months they were hit by ransom=ware. I installed Linux and they have not had issues since. For their meager needs, Linux is the best choice. It is stable and secure.Just installed it on my older pc and love it.

[TheFu]

No hassles with licenses. No CALs. Try tracking that in a small company. It is impossible.

Power, privacy, control, customization, package managers, security controls, clean interfaces or all the cheese I can stand. F/LOSS!
Support for older HW that Windows doesn't support.

Did I mention privacy?

I like that Linux doesn't think I'm stupid and lets me use tools in a way the authors didn't intend. The Unix philosophy backs this up.

Plus, I know that if I only use the GUI, I'm only getting 10% of the power from a computing OS. The other 90% comes from automation that all Unix systems provide.

Windows on the other hand has these things:
Power - a newer computer seems to be needed every few years to have the same level of system responsiveness
Privacy - Win10 and all backported updates to Win7 fail my privacy desires. There is some hope. https://wb.jdpfu.com/view/982 will help disable telemetry in Windows.
Control - With Windows, MSFT hard-coded networking so that standard OS methods to block privacy-sucking-things wouldn't work.
Customization - On Windows, there are 3 choices for a desktop. My desktop looks different from every other desktop I've seen. It is completely custom and minimal. I don't want menus or panels. Trivial to disable them. There are 50+ different desktops to start from. Check out fvwm-crystal. Very nice. At the shell, my configuration is different from everyone else too. Completely custom.
Package managers - Windows has "setup.exe" - meh. Dependencies have to be manually handled. You need DotNET 4.3.2.1.5.3.12 or it won't work. I can reload my desktop and all the programs I want in 30 minutes. Do that with Windows - I dare you to try. Package managers are amazing! People who weren't around in the mid-90s have no idea how much better package management has become over the years. Windows doesn't have anything like our repos. 80K packages available, 99.999999% free, FLOSS.
Security controls - No need for some commercial add-on product for $300/seat. On Linux, using a few small, tools, we can build a completely different security layer than what the creators intended. If it can be done with a firewall, then the Linux firewall can do it. No need to wait for some programmer to design a GUI for a checkbox. Do it yourself. Need to redirect all traffic - easy. Need to redirect all traffic for 1 userid? Easy. Want to make 1 user stuck in a single directory? Easy. Want to lock down a system against changes? Trivial. The Unix security model completely rocks. There aren't internal exceptions like there are in Windows.
Clean interfaces - I won't want a menu. Can I have windows without a menu?
F/LOSS - if you come from MSFT, you expect to pay for software. Everything. When you come to Linux, you re-learn that most of the best software is Free/Libre Open Source. That means we have the freedom to modify the code and re-release it. It also means that companies can modify the code for their specific requirements. Try to do that with Windows or anything from MSFT, Oracle, Apple, EMC, Adobe, .... You can't because they don't release their source code.
Useful remote access/management I can securely, manage, my systems from 2 ft or 12K miles away, for free. Doesn't matter. Do that Windows. You can't.
Old HW Support - my printer, and fax and scanner don't have 64-bit drivers, thus no support from Vista onward, but the devices work fine. Why should I have to replace 3 devices just because the OS is different? On Linux, those things just work - 32-bit and 64-bit OSes.
Easy to move installations - A HDD can be in 1 machine, unplugged, moved to another, plugged in, and booted. It will almost always work as expected. Can't do that with Windows. I've done this a few times - Pentium4 --> Core i7 - it worked!

My house is full of computing devices - most of these run some sort of Linux/Unix. That means my Linux knowledge transfers to all those devices. Android - is Linux. Kodi is Linux. Plex is Linux. My DVD/media player is running Linux. WD TV Live runs Linux. TiVo runs Linux. My VoIP adapter runs Linux too.

Guess I answered why I like Linux, not really why I prefer the Ubuntu versions of Linux. Why Ubuntu?
* Community
* Popular enough - lots of help available
* Corporations know it - they've never heard of other, lesser-know, distros.
* LTS - I need 5 yrs of support. Anything less isn't worth my time.