Xp to Ubuntu

**crferrucci** · October 1st, 2012

I have a older Dell 5100c running xp 2g ram and 40 g hard drive. I tried ubuntu 12.04 with a live cd. It worked great. I was very impressed with this operating
system. Does this mean it will work ok if I replace
xp with ubuntu ?

**offgridguy** · October 1st, 2012

It will work fine. If you have anything on your XP that you want to save, be sure to do so onto
an external device, flash drive, cd, or whatever your preference before you replace with
ubuntu. Depending on what you have been running in terms of software apps. you
may find that you cannot use these same programs with ubuntu. There are a lot of
open source alternatives that work very well though, LibreOffice 3.6 as an example.
Good luck with your install, the prompts are very straight forward, easy to follow,

**crferrucci** · October 2nd, 2012

Thank you for your input. What I real do want is a new desktop. I have been looking at different operating systems.
windows 8 is too metro for me, apple is great but expensive.
This is my first time looking at Linux,and I am pleasantly
surprised. Ubuntu appears to be user friendly, does anybody have more to add good or bad ?

**critin** · October 2nd, 2012

Originally Posted by crferrucci

Thank you for your input. What I real do want is a new desktop. I have been looking at different operating systems.
windows 8 is too metro for me, apple is great but expensive.
This is my first time looking at Linux,and I am pleasantly
surprised. Ubuntu appears to be user friendly, does anybody have more to add good or bad ?

Yeah, you can make linux look like any desktop you like at the moment.

**offgridguy** · October 3rd, 2012

Originally Posted by critin

Yeah, you can make linux look like any desktop you like at the moment.

Hello critin; Could you elaborate on this a bit more for me? Thank you.

**critin** · October 3rd, 2012

Originally Posted by offgridguy

Hello critin; Could you elaborate on this a bit more for me? Thank you.

When I began with ubuntu I had trouble finding things from the menus, so I used youtube a lot to see the different versions in action. There are some that advertise especially for xp, win7 window users, such as zorin, julinux, and others. I also saw ads for 'mac look'.

I tried them and they did actually have xp, win7 type menus so things were easier to find. It made the transition (for me) faster and I soon uninstalled those and came back to ubuntu. The winxp 'look' isn't needed or wanted any longer, but it helped at the time. Ylmf OS was my favorite. It's a good system. Under the 'look' its still linux though, and you have to learn how to use it.

I don't need to look for apps on the web like I do in windows, I look in linux software sites and SC to find what I want. I never have issues with those installs because installing from Synaptic brings in all the dependencies. It's common sense for me to use the os's own apps because I don't want to break my system and be unable to fix it.

New users really do seem to make using ubuntu harder than it needs to be. Comparing one system with another is senseless--they are different.

**offgridguy** · October 2nd, 2012

Originally Posted by crferrucci

Thank you for your input. What I real do want is a new desktop. I have been looking at different operating systems.
windows 8 is too metro for me, apple is great but expensive.
This is my first time looking at Linux,and I am pleasantly
surprised. Ubuntu appears to be user friendly, does anybody have more to add good or bad ?

I enjoy ubuntu, have been using it for about 3 months. It does have it's downside
mainly in the way of compatibility with third party software. There is a lot of open
source software available, I have downloaded and tried a lot of it, ended up uninstalling most as it just isn't that good. With the compatibility issue you
will find you will have to download and install drivers for your various devices
which can be time consuming, also some tasks as simple as configuring a
printer can be very frustrating. Another difference is that ubuntu doesn't give
you the tools that windows does through the GUI, so a lot of things get done on
ubuntu using the command line which is a learning curve, Overall I think it
is worth doing, but be prepared to spend some time learning. As to user friendly, only for the computer proficient.

**crferrucci** · October 2nd, 2012

Thank you offgritguy for your input.

**vasa1** · October 2nd, 2012

Originally Posted by offgridguy

I enjoy ubuntu, have been using it for about 3 months. It does have it's downside
mainly in the way of compatibility with third party software. There is a lot of open
source software available, I have downloaded and tried a lot of it, ended up uninstalling most as it just isn't that good. With the compatibility issue you
will find you will have to download and install drivers for your various devices
which can be time consuming, also some tasks as simple as configuring a
printer can be very frustrating. Another difference is that ubuntu doesn't give
you the tools that windows does through the GUI, so a lot of things get done on
ubuntu using the command line which is a learning curve, Overall I think it
is worth doing, but be prepared to spend some time learning. As to user friendly, only for the computer proficient.

Thank you for posting several times in the last few hours about the downside of using Ubuntu.

It's absolutely true that one has to be proficient... if not computer-proficient, at least proficient in asking for help and in evaluating the suggestions offered. Looking through the threads you initiated and marked [SOLVED], I'm happy to see that your experience hasn't been a bad one in that respect.

The other point brought up by you in several of your posts is the unavailability or inadequacy of software in the Ubuntu world that performs exactly or nearly exactly the way Windows software does. So it's quite possible to be in, or to put oneself in a position in, which Windows is the only option.

But then again, just how necessary is it to repeatedly offer one's experience of how Ubuntu is inadequate? After all, Is it really that important?. It looks like it is.

**offgridguy** · October 3rd, 2012

Originally Posted by vasa1

But then again, just how necessary is it to repeatedly offer one's experience of how Ubuntu is inadequate? After all, Is it really that important?. It looks like it is.

vasa1; Thank you for taking the time and the interest in researching my posts
and threads, I respect that you make a very legitimate point. Even as I submitted
the previous post I realized it was not a glowing endorsement for ubuntu and
may generate some negative response. Oddly enough it seems very common
among computer users to critique windows for its many flaws and glitches , yet
it is taboo to suggest that ubuntu is less than perfect. I started with ubuntu
truly hoping that I could replace windows entirely with a linux system. Unfortunately I cannot and judging by the amount of posts I read of people
who use a dual boot, I am not alone. As always I am grateful for the help and
support of the ubuntu community, thanks to all.