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paulmmj
September 5th, 2009, 07:33 PM
Hello everyone,
I am a new member, but I am long since sick of the sick of Windows, Vista or otherwise. Perhaps the biggest turn off is the fact 90% of all computers run on Windows, making it the lowest common denominator for malware creators. Knowing this, I purchased a Mac with OS X and I am very happy with it. But, I'd still like to use my hulking tower of a PC for, well, personal computing. Being impressed with UNIX, due to OS X, as well as the very reasonable price of all Linux operating systems, I've been researching the best variant of Linux for personal computer, and my research has yielded Ubuntu. Perhaps I'm demanding too much, but I'd like to know the answers to the following questions:

- Is Ubuntu the best Linux for personal computing?
- Can all Linux/UNIX programs run on Ubuntu?
- What's the best resource for finding freeware/open-source Linux programs?
- What, if any, freeware/open-source options are there for the following types of programs:
~ Recording software? (a la GarageBand)
~ Word processing? (a la Microsoft Office)
~ GEDCOM family tree making?
~ Torrent searching/downloading?
~ Photo and image editing? (a la Adobe Photoshop)
~ Music/video software? (a la iTunes)
- What computer gaming options are there for Ubuntu?
- Will Ubuntu increase computing power over Vista significantly?

I apologize for the sheer number of questions I have, but I'm desperately trying to get something of a stationary computer set up before school starts.

Thanks in advance,
Paul,

NoaHall
September 5th, 2009, 07:43 PM
-There is no certain "best" - but Ubuntu is easy to use, and here on the forums there's great support. It's also the most used one.
-Almost all programs can - Just as many as can run on Debian - and you can compile from the source, and convert .rpm's( what Ubuntu is built upon)
-It comes with a built-in list of applications! Thousands!
-Audacity
-Microsoft office via wine/virutalbox or Open Office which comes with Ubuntu
-Ktorrent, and Deluge
-Use the Gimp or photoshop via wine/virtualbox
-Music - Amarok, songbird or rhythymbox
Video - in built movie player, or VLC
- Lots of good free open source games, and gaming via wine
-Ubuntu will give you greater speed and customibilty over your OS

wojox
September 5th, 2009, 07:46 PM
Welcome,

Click my signature. :D

hockeytux
September 5th, 2009, 07:51 PM
- Is Ubuntu the best Linux for personal computing?
- Can all Linux/UNIX programs run on Ubuntu?
- What's the best resource for finding freeware/open-source Linux programs?
- What, if any, freeware/open-source options are there for the following types of programs:
~ Recording software? (a la GarageBand)
~ Word processing? (a la Microsoft Office)
~ GEDCOM family tree making?
~ Torrent searching/downloading?
~ Photo and image editing? (a la Adobe Photoshop)
~ Music/video software? (a la iTunes)
- What computer gaming options are there for Ubuntu?
- Will Ubuntu increase computing power over Vista significantly?




Welcome to Ubuntu Paul :) You will find lots of programs preinstalled on the standard Ubuntu version. Many of these are Linux equivalents for Windows programs but many also work on both, like OpenOffice for example.

As for sources, Ubuntu has repositories which are essentially huge databases where you will find lots of programs of all kinds. You can access them by going to Applications > Add/Remove Programs and also via Synaptic Package Manager in System Admin. Enjoy! :popcorn:

pythonscript
September 5th, 2009, 07:57 PM
As previous posters have answered most of your questions, I'll tackle your last one. I moved from vista to ubuntu last year, and on the same hardware, I have noticed a dramatic difference in the speed, power, etc. Ubuntu boots faster, loads programs faster, as well as gives a definite increase in graphics power. If you install advanced compiz effects, which you can find more details elsewhere on the forums, you can get many graphic effects for switching between windows, etc, that simply blow Vista away. These same effects take much fewer system resources to run, as well.

sourav123
September 5th, 2009, 08:03 PM
Hello everyone,
I am a new member, but I am long since sick of the sick of Windows, Vista or otherwise. Perhaps the biggest turn off is the fact 90% of all computers run on Windows, making it the lowest common denominator for malware creators. Knowing this, I purchased a Mac with OS X and I am very happy with it. But, I'd still like to use my hulking tower of a PC for, well, personal computing. Being impressed with UNIX, due to OS X, as well as the very reasonable price of all Linux operating systems, I've been researching the best variant of Linux for personal computer, and my research has yielded Ubuntu. Perhaps I'm demanding too much, but I'd like to know the answers to the following questions:

Hi Paul,

First of all, I would like to welcome you to the exciting world of Linux. You have made a great choice in choosing Linux over Windows. I would try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

- Is Ubuntu the best Linux for personal computing?
A: The answer varies from person to person. Some people prefer Fedora, some others Ubuntu and still others Mint. While Ubuntu is not the best Linux distribution, it is certainly one of the best and defintely recommended for new starters.

- Can all Linux/UNIX programs run on Ubuntu?
A: Since Ubuntu is just a distribution of Linux, any Linux program can be used in Ubuntu. And since Linux is based on Unix, most of the Unix programs will run fine as well. However, in very rare cases, you may need to tweak the settings a little to use the program, but this is very rare.

- What's the best resource for finding freeware/open-source Linux programs?
A: Ubuntu or any Linux has a built in package/software management system. This is the best place to look up any software you want to use.

- What, if any, freeware/open-source options are there for the following types of programs:
~ Recording software? (a la GarageBand)
A: Not sure on this, but Audacity works fine.
~ Word processing? (a la Microsoft Office)
A: OpenOffice.org
~ GEDCOM family tree making?
A: Not sure on this.
~ Torrent searching/downloading?
A: Transmission for downloading. For searching you have to use the web.
~ Photo and image editing? (a la Adobe Photoshop)
A: Gimp for advanced editing. For simple tweaks, F-Spot.
~ Music/video software? (a la iTunes)
A: Amarok for audio and VLC for video. However the default players in Ubuntu i.e. Rhythmbox for audio and Totem for video are just fine.

- What computer gaming options are there for Ubuntu?
A: Not many commercial games run natively in Linux. But you can use Cedega or Wine to run Windows games in Linux as well.

- Will Ubuntu increase computing power over Vista significantly?
A: No software can increase computing power as such because computing power is hardware dependant. However, you will find that Ubuntu (or Linux in general) has a lot better memory management functionality. As a result, the bloats in Windows will not be present when you use Linux, and will seem to boost performance.


I apologize for the sheer number of questions I have, but I'm desperately trying to get something of a stationary computer set up before school starts.

Thanks in advance,
Paul,

You are welcome to ask as many question as you want. I, or any other person here, will be really happy to help you.

paulmmj
September 5th, 2009, 08:24 PM
Wow,
Thank you everyone for your seemingly instantaneous replies, as well as your kindness, your support has most certainly convinced me Ubuntu is "where it's at". I have saved all your answers in my email for use "on the other side", when Ubuntu is up and running. Now, the big question is, where and how do I get my copy of Ubuntu on my PC (I have no desire to keep any files on there, for they are on my Apple, as well as no desire to keep Windows in any form). Additionally, is the installation process particularly arduous? For I'd much like to have it at least running on my PC by the end of today.

Thanks once again,
Paul.

NoaHall
September 5th, 2009, 08:32 PM
http://www.ubuntu.com/

Download it from here or order a disk. You can choose between the 32 bit version or the (faster) 64 bit version. Your CPU must support 64 bit for it to be able to run 64 bit Ubuntu.
Burn it onto a disk, and then boot the computer with the disk in the drive , this will give you the option between running it as a live disk (which will let you test it, it will run slower during live than a proper install) or just installing. Installing is quick and simple. Just follow the simple set up.

pythonscript
September 5th, 2009, 08:32 PM
You can download ubuntu from: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

and you should be able to install it within an hour. Burn the iso to a disk, pop it in, and once the install starts, you'll answer a few simple questions and be up and running.

achianese
September 5th, 2009, 08:37 PM
In response to NoaHall, I would offer a recommendation that for a first try installing Ubuntu, you should use the 32-bit version. Many more applications are compatible, and you'll generally have fewer hassles. The 64-bit version is probably somewhat faster, but it might be a better thing to try once you're more experienced using Ubuntu.

falconindy
September 5th, 2009, 08:37 PM
You can download an ISO of Ubuntu from where else... ubuntu.org! Installation is a breeze -- far more intuitive than Windows install ever were. The only slightly tricky part is partitioning your drive. I would opt to do it manually, as the defaults don't give you a large enough space for the root. You want 8-10gb for your root partition, and twice the amount of RAM you have set aside as /swap. The rest can be devoted to /home. Ext3 is the preferred file system, though Ext4 is also viable and may be a good idea if you're doing anything with large files (like databases).

I'm a former Windows user myself. I used XP since its release and refused to go to Vista. When Win7 came on the horizon and I stumbled upon the phrase "Vista Service Pack 2" to describe it, I decided it was time to switch to Ubuntu. I haven't looked back, and I actually find myself cringing whenever I come in contact with a Windows machine now.

Copernicus1234
September 5th, 2009, 08:39 PM
I haven't looked back, and I actually find myself cringing whenever I come in contact with a Windows machine now.

Me too. I actually feel more comfortable in Ubuntu than I did in Windows. It took a few months, but now I never want to boot into Windows.

falconindy
September 5th, 2009, 08:42 PM
In response to NoaHall, I would offer a recommendation that for a first try installing Ubuntu, you should use the 32-bit version. Many more applications are compatible, and you'll generally have fewer hassles. The 64-bit version is probably somewhat faster, but it might be a better thing to try once you're more experienced using Ubuntu.
I don't think this is true at all. I can only cite two times I've had issues because of my 64-bit install:

1) Compiling x86 assembly code. Easy workaround by creating a 32-bit chroot. Tons of tutorials available on this indirectly via Google.
2) Recompiling GCC. Easy once I realized the basic build options are retrievable with `gcc -v`.

I don't think anyone new to Ubuntu is going to have these kinds of issues.

Xenomorph05
September 5th, 2009, 08:45 PM
I don't think this is true at all. I can only cite two times I've had issues because of my 64-bit install:


The only issue I have had with 64 bit is with Blender and not many people seem to be able to help me work it out yet.

NoaHall
September 5th, 2009, 09:04 PM
64 bit works with pretty much anything. Most applications have 64bit version now, and you can compile from source even if it doesn't. You can even force 32 bit .deb files to run under 64 bit.

Xenomorph05
September 5th, 2009, 09:08 PM
You can even force 32 bit .deb files to run under 64 bit.

Would you please share how to do this? It keeps telling me that it is the wrong architecture.

NoaHall
September 5th, 2009, 09:15 PM
sudo dpkg --force-architecture -i package.deb

paulmmj
September 5th, 2009, 09:19 PM
Thank you! If I install it, will it delete all traces of Windows?

Xenomorph05
September 5th, 2009, 09:20 PM
sudo dpkg --force-architecture -i package.deb

I know the word package must be replaced with the actual def file name but is there any other part that needs to be modified for it to work properly? I had tried installing Blender with this and it wouldn't open at all so I was hoping there was another way to install 32 bit on 64 bit.

falconindy
September 5th, 2009, 09:21 PM
Thank you! If I install it, will it delete all traces of Windows?
As long as you reformat the drive (which will happen when you specify ext3), you'll be free of that virus known as Windows.

Xenomorph05
September 5th, 2009, 09:24 PM
Thank you! If I install it, will it delete all traces of Windows?

You can let Ubuntu use 100% of your HDD or install it with your Windows and dual boot. You can also manually pick the size of each partition but don't forget to make a boot partition by adding "/" to it if you manually partition it.

NoaHall
September 5th, 2009, 09:24 PM
You may need certain Lib's. Try running Blender through the terminal - it will give out any error messages.

Xenomorph05
September 5th, 2009, 09:27 PM
You may need certain Lib's. Try running Blender through the terminal - it will give out any error messages.

Alright. When I run into more blender issues I will add them to the thread I had started so we don't have to many topics in this thread lol.

scorp123
September 5th, 2009, 10:13 PM
Is Ubuntu the best Linux for personal computing? Totally depends on your personal taste. I'd recommend you take the quiz (yes, no kidding):
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

Depending on your answers that quiz will recommend a Linux distribution for you.


Can all Linux/UNIX programs run on Ubuntu? Basic answer, short and simple: Yes. (please feel free to skip the next section)

More detailed answer: Depends. What exactly do you define as "all programs"?

If we are talking about pre-made software packages then yes: Ubuntu has tons and tons of programs in its on-line repository. You just tell the package manager what you want and voila: it will download the application and all its dependencies for you. Done. So if we are talking about such software, then yes -- you can expect it to run tip top on Ubuntu (or it would not be in the repositories in the first place).

If however we define "all programs" as "all the software that was ever written for Linux OS" ... well then matters get more complicated. If the program we're talking about is popular and "mainstream" then chances are there is a pre-made package for it. Good examples would be e.g. web browsers such as Firefox and Opera, or video players such as VLC. So for those popular applications the same thing applies as explained above: Yes, you should easily find packages and they should run tip top.

If however the software we're talking about is rather obscure and not so popular (= nobody has cared so far to create an Ubuntu/Debian package for it) then you will have to compile it yourself. And to do that takes some experience. But if you're succesful the resulting program should run on your system too.

And last but not least: If the software we're talking about is some rather obscure closed-source commercial application that was written ages ago for a specific Linux version that once existed ... then chances are: No. It will not run anymore because current Ubuntu releases are too new and too many things (OS kernel, X.org graphics drivers, programming libraries, etc.) have changed in recent years. I have such programs in my possession, e.g. an old StarOffice CD from 1997 when OpenOffice didn't exist yet and StarOffice was still a pricey commercial package that you had to buy $$$. Those old binaries won't run anymore on modern Linux systems. Another package I have here is an old commercial VPN client software from Cisco ... It was written with ancient Linux 2.4.0 kernels in mind and won't run on our present-day modern 2.6.xx Linux kernels (Ubuntu 9.04 is currently at kernel version 2.6.28).

So if you have such obscure old commercial software packages then the answer is "No", such extremely ancient stuff won't run anymore on a modern Linux system.

But then again ... the chances that you might ever run into such packages or even already have such applications somewhere in your possession are extremely low.


- What's the best resource for finding freeware/open-source Linux programs? Synaptic. That's the GUI frontend for the "apt" package manager. That's all you need for now. You tell it what software you want, and the program will handle the rest (download the main program, download the dependencies, install things, make menu entries ...).


Recording software? (a la GarageBand) Look at the "Ubuntu Studio" packages:
http://ubuntustudio.org/

The packages they list are also easily available via "Synaptic". In fact you could tell your 'normal' Ubuntu desktop to turn into a "Ubuntu Studio" desktop if you wanted to. If you search for "ubuntustudio" in Synaptic you will see all the available package combos, e.g. installing the package "ubuntustudio-audio" would drag in all the audio applications "Ubuntu Studio" ships with.


Word processing? (a la Microsoft Office) OpenOffice :D (included in the Ubuntu Desktop installation)


Torrent searching/downloading?
Transmission (included in the Ubuntu Desktop installation).


Photo and image editing?
GIMP (included in the Ubuntu Desktop installation)


Music/video software? (a la iTunes)
Depends on your taste. I personally like Exaile a lot; others might prefer Songbird, Amarok, or Audacious.


What computer gaming options are there for Ubuntu? There is a surprisingly good selection of first person shooters if you're into that category ... e.g. nexuiz, sauerbraten, openarena, tremulous, alien-arena, warsow ...

There are also tons of simpler games, e.g. arcade-style space invader clones such as "chromium" (not to be mistaken with the Google web browser), gunroar, kraptor, and many others.

One of my favourites is "teeworlds" ... it's a 2D shooter (nope, that "2D" isn't a typo) and it's funny as hell :D (ideal for a quickie shootout amongst coworkers during lunch break ...)



Will Ubuntu increase computing power over Vista significantly? Not sure I understand you correctly ... But IMHO Ubuntu runs way faster than anything Microsoft is able to produce. But then again I admit I am biased :D

paulmmj
September 5th, 2009, 11:30 PM
Thank you, Scorp123!

You have most certainly solidified my decision, and I really like the sound of "free" and "pre-packaged" together. I've now loaded the disk into my PC, and I am installing Ubuntu. This does mean it will erase everything and be unpartitioned? Perhaps I should've loaded from boot menu? I'm not sure...

Basically, what I am asking you guys is, I am correct to just put the disk with the Ubuntu .iso in after start up, and then click "install."

I apologize if you've answered these questions a million times, but perhaps one day I too, will answer some Linux newbies questions...

Oh! And I took the test, I "compatible" with Ubuntu as well as some others, but I may as well try Ubuntu and see where I go from there. Incredible resource! Additionally, the Wikipedia portal to the free software is incredible! As a staunch Wikipedia advocate, I'm disgusted at the fact I did not know of it's existence.

Just going to go check on the installation process,
Paul.

Xenomorph05
September 5th, 2009, 11:40 PM
This does mean it will erase everything and be unpartitioned? Perhaps I should've loaded from boot menu? I'm not sure...

As you go through the installation options you can pick a few options and if you want you can do a clean install or leave your other partitions there and it resizes them a bit.


Basically, what I am asking you guys is, I am correct to just put the disk with the Ubuntu .iso in after start up, and then click "install."

You can install or pick try it with no changes to your computer and install it after.

paulmmj
September 6th, 2009, 12:30 AM
So yeah, mission success. Updating files or something now...

But it appears to have partitioned the drive all on it's lonesome, for I can still boot Windows. Not that it's a critical issue at this point, but how do I rid my computer of Windows forevermore?

NoaHall
September 6th, 2009, 12:32 AM
You can use gparted to format the disk into something like ext3 or ext4.

Xenomorph05
September 6th, 2009, 12:33 AM
So yeah, mission success. Updating files or something now...

But it appears to have partitioned the drive all on it's lonesome, for I can still boot Windows. Not that it's a critical issue at this point, but how do I rid my computer of Windows forevermore?
Congrats! Install gnome partition editor and use that to delete the Windows partition and add it to your ubuntu space or use it for whatever you want.

Bartender
September 6th, 2009, 01:00 AM
Or just reinstall. Good practice. Make sure at step 5 to tell Ubuntu to use the entire disk.

paulmmj
September 6th, 2009, 01:03 AM
Excellent! I am now coming to you live from Ubuntu. Typical problem I get whenever I update Windows, and now when I just got Ubuntu is sound. How can I get my sound to work? I have an Audigy card, the test function makes it beep loudly and no other sound but the test beep play.

Oh! Working on the partition now, great advice! Thanks!

Paul.

aatyler
September 6th, 2009, 03:18 AM
Hello everyone,
I am a new member, but I am long since sick of the sick of Windows, Vista or otherwise. Perhaps the biggest turn off is the fact 90% of all computers run on Windows, making it the lowest common denominator for malware creators. Knowing this, I purchased a Mac with OS X and I am very happy with it. But, I'd still like to use my hulking tower of a PC for, well, personal computing. Being impressed with UNIX, due to OS X, as well as the very reasonable price of all Linux operating systems, I've been researching the best variant of Linux for personal computer, and my research has yielded Ubuntu. Perhaps I'm demanding too much, but I'd like to know the answers to the following questions:

- Is Ubuntu the best Linux for personal computing?
- Can all Linux/UNIX programs run on Ubuntu?
- What's the best resource for finding freeware/open-source Linux programs?
- What, if any, freeware/open-source options are there for the following types of programs:
~ Recording software? (a la GarageBand)
~ Word processing? (a la Microsoft Office)
~ GEDCOM family tree making?
~ Torrent searching/downloading?
~ Photo and image editing? (a la Adobe Photoshop)
~ Music/video software? (a la iTunes)
- What computer gaming options are there for Ubuntu?
- Will Ubuntu increase computing power over Vista significantly?

I apologize for the sheer number of questions I have, but I'm desperately trying to get something of a stationary computer set up before school starts.

Thanks in advance,
Paul,

Well Paul, I was in the same boat as you. As for your questions:

1 & 2) Ubuntu IS a linux distro BASED on Debian linux. So 99.9% of things designed for linux will run, the only time you MIGHT (and I haven't experienced this yet myself) run into a problem is when something is designed for a different distro of linux such as Redhat and the other variants, but that's only for software specifically designed to run on those platforms. Ubuntu is incredibly easy to use and install, and like was pointed out, the support forums are amazing, I've found all of my answers here on the forums including some pretty off the wall stuff (like CAC-DoD stuff that I need for doing connecting to the Army webmail and whatnot).

2) As far as the programs go, synaptic package manager (builting) is great. However, google searches will be your best friend as you get used to the new operating system. Sourceforge is another great place to look. Its a website where alot of open source developers get webhosting and what not.

3) I dont know much about audio recording as its not much my cup of tea.

4) word processing and torrent downloading are very easy in Ubuntu. Open Office suits all of my needs as a college student and transmission is a bittorrent client (very clean interface and even easier to use than the windows Bittorrnet, IMHO) included in the distro.

5) Don't know what the GEDCOM family tree is, but one thing to keep in mind is that with WINE alot of windows programs can run under linux with few or no issues (check out: http://www.winehq.org/ NOTE: I don't use wine as I stick with whatever open source solution is available, computing interests tend more towards programming CLI stuff so native linux stuff on the commandline is more to my liking).

6) Photo and image editting are done (natively on linux) with GIMP, which is the photoshop of linux, and it does things very well. Photography is one of my hobbies so it was rather important when I switched over. Now, I don't use any picture organization / photo album stuff, I just pull strait off of my SD chip from my camera)

7) Now by itunes I'm assuming you mean support for the Ipod, there are some programs included with Ubuntu but I haven't gotten around to checking them out, but all major audio / video formats are support either out of the box or by downloading a codec or two, basicly the same as windows with a different look)

8) I saw easily a 300% increase in computing power over Vista. My internet experience is incredibly fast, and Ubuntu is very stable in a multi-tasking situation. My typical time goes something like read some web forums, check email, listen to streaming audio, download a torrent while reading / compiling / running source code, and having an IM up, all with no lag and no random crashes like in windows. I can't say enough good things about how efficient Linux is on computers.

My only advice, is use the system information manager on windows to find out exactly what hardware you have and start doing some homework on google about how compatible linux is with your specific hardware, I had a few things like my graphics card and wifi card that I needed to do some extra work (changing a few setup files, download a few different drivers) after install to get to work properly. I also would stress to do some research on dual booting or the WUBI installer if you don't want to jump right into linux. Infact, I'd reccomend doing a WUBI (this installs ubuntu like a program in windows that can be completely uninstalled cleanly if you don't like it via the Add/Remove programs) install for about a week to feel things out before you go into partitioning.

Well, hope this helped, good luck to you!

EDIT: Here are some good, informative sites to check out if you haven't allready:

WUBI: http://wubi-installer.org/

good Dual Booting info:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation
http://members.iinet.net/~herman546/index.html (http://members.iinet.net/%7Eherman546/index.html)
http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vi...lled_first.htm (http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vista_with_linux_vista_installed_f irst.htm)

Sites about the known issues with dualbooting with VISTA SPECIFICALLY:

http://www.vistarewired.com/2007/02/...-windows-vista (http://www.vistarewired.com/2007/02/16/how-to-resize-a-partition-in-windows-vista)
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...sta-partition/ (http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-gparted-to-resize-your-windows-vista-partition/)

paulmmj
September 6th, 2009, 04:45 AM
Thanks aatyler,
I'm liking this whole "open-source" "free" stuff, as well as the "fast-running" thing. Who knew operating systems were supposed to work...

Thank you for all of your advice, especially referring me to wine as well as WUBI, I'm researching them both right now.

With Thanks,
Paul.

Georgia boy
September 6th, 2009, 04:58 AM
One thing that I don't miss about Windows since I started using Ubuntu is that when I used to shut down Windows I would all of a sudden be unable to do so due to it having found an update and decided that it was going to install it just as I was wanting to shut down. It would tell me to wait until update was installed. With Ubuntu when I shut down, it shuts down with no hassle. It also start a lot faster than Windows XP did. Granted I still have XP loaded as a dual boot, but I've only been there about five times since I installed Ubuntu in August last year.

Tom

3rdalbum
September 6th, 2009, 05:36 AM
In response to NoaHall, I would offer a recommendation that for a first try installing Ubuntu, you should use the 32-bit version. Many more applications are compatible, and you'll generally have fewer hassles. The 64-bit version is probably somewhat faster, but it might be a better thing to try once you're more experienced using Ubuntu.

Do you know on a rowboat, the little things that keep the oars in? Your post was a load of those :-P

If you were talking about Windows, then you'd be correct, but Ubuntu is not Windows. Most programs on Linux are open-source, so they are simply recompiled for 64-bit. In addition, there is 64-bit Flash, and whenever you have to use a 32-binary it will "just work".

If your processor is 64-bit you might as well use it. Just make sure you install the 64-bit Flash plugin from the Adobe website, because the repositories just install the 32-bit wrapped plugin that doesn't work as well.