User freindly

[AndrewJames]

Okay so basically im extremely new to Ubuntu i currently running Ubuntu 11.10 32 bit. i guess you could say I'm a computer guy but id call myself a tinkerer i know more then the average computer user but not much more. i just want to know why is it that Ubuntu isn't very direct. i.e. for windows to get a program its go here and download the latest version. but for Linux i have all kinds of options i mean are there huge differences between these versions or not. For example wine, I go into USC(Ubuntu Software Center) wine isn't there i have to download synaptic package manager to get it. after i get to it there are the ability to download two different versions. I mean i like Ubuntu and I'm committed to using it but I'm not to computer coding savi. i may be looking at it the wrong way but I'm not sure. anyways any reply is nice.

[2F4U]

You are probably referring to Wine 1.2 vs. Wine 1.3. If you read the program description you would have noticed, that Wine 1.3 is based on a beta version, while Wine 1.2 is the stable version. People have different mind set, some want to run the latest version in order to be able to use some features only available in that version. Other people prefer stability over features. Wine 1.3 may be less stable than 1.2, but has some features not available in previous versions.
Besides, this is not much different from other OS like Windows.

[coffeecat]

@AndrewJames, you posted in "Other OS". Since this is a discussion about Ubuntu, I've moved the thread to the Cafe.

Thread moved to The Community Cafe.

[ernestj]

I know how you feel. When I first switched from Windows. I could not get it. PPAs and all of these different ways to download. Once you get used to the terminal, you will be much better off. Now, I love to use the Terminal. A little learning curve and you will be fine. Use Ubuntu for 6 months and then try to go back to Windows, you will not be able to go back. Windows is soooo slow, you are always waiting and waiting, drives me crazy. I have not been on my windows partition in ages.

[3rdalbum]

i just want to know why is it that Ubuntu isn't very direct. i.e. for windows to get a program its go here and download the latest version. but for Linux i have all kinds of options
i mean are there huge differences between these versions or not.

There really aren't very many options in the Ubuntu repositories. The only examples I can think of are Wine (1.3 is a development version, 1.2 is the conservative version), Python (3.0 is a major change and won't run the same code as 2.6 did), and Scribus (same story as with Wine).

For everything else, there are libraries and other kinds of support files. These aren't options, they are just things that the program needs to work; but some people might think they are different versions of the main program.


I mean i like Ubuntu and I'm committed to using it but I'm not to computer coding savi. i may be looking at it the wrong way but I'm not sure. anyways any reply is nice.

It's fine to ask these kinds of questions so you can learn more. Ubuntu doesn't require "computer coding savvy", but it does require you to relearn a lot of things. Not because of any flaws or underdevelopment, but because it's so drastically different to Windows or Mac OS. You do generally get a lot of choice with Linux, because most people using Linux have actively chosen it.

[dmizer]

Okay so basically im extremely new to Ubuntu i currently running Ubuntu 11.10 32 bit. i guess you could say I'm a computer guy but id call myself a tinkerer i know more then the average computer user but not much more. i just want to know why is it that Ubuntu isn't very direct.

You've run into the same thing that many of us have. You say you are very competent with computers, but what that really means is that you are very competent with Windows. It's difficult to comprehend how much time you've spent on learning how to be an above average Windows user, so it feels like Windows is simply intuitive. But really, you've learned a lot about Windows in little bits over a long period of time.

Since Linux is so different from Windows, you cannot apply your previously acquired Windows knowledge to Linux. With many things, most of us also essentially needed to start from scratch while learning Linux.

You say that installing software is not as direct, but actually installing Windows software is not direct. In Linux, you get the software from within the OS, not from the internet. Because of this, the software (in theory) is more trustworthy and safer. In Windows, the software comes from an unknown source. The only way you know it's trustworthy is if you hear that it is from other people.

Each system has it's advantages and disadvantages. In my case, the advantages of Linux far outweigh the disadvantages so I continue to use it.

[grahammechanical]

Wine is in the Ubuntu Software Centre. I just type wine in the search bar and there it is. Or there they are.

1) Microsoft Windows Compatibility Layer (wine).

2) Wine Windows Program Loader (wine 1.2).

3) Wine windows Program Loader (wine 1.3). This is what I have installed. I see a tick mark against it. That tells me that this version is installed.

What is the difference between item 1 and items 2 and 3? With Items 2 and 3 various AD-ons are installed at the same time.

What is the difference between item 2 and item 3? Look at the version numbers. Wine 1.2 and wine 1.3.

If you select an item in the software centre you will get an option (button) to see more info.

In Ubuntu we have a software utility that will not only download a program but will install it for you as part of the process. You can also use the software centre to remove programs.

Tell me you have something like this in Windows. Tell me that in Windows you do not have to buy a program and then direct the Windows file manager utility (What is it called? Oh, Windows Explorer. Or is it called something else now) to the install.exe or setup.exe on the CD/DVD?

Or, use the web browser to go to a web site and download the program and you have to unzip the downloaded file and then you have to direct Windows Explorer to the setup.exe file in whatever folder it has been put in.

I do not agree with your statement that Ubuntu is not very direct.

If you intend to use wine, then after it has been installed through the software centre open the Dash and type wine in the search panel. Then click on Uninstall Wine Software. When the dialog box opens you will see that the utility is now called Add/Remove Programs and that there is a button labelled Install. Click on that and you will get the familiar Windows method for installing a Windows program under wine.

Regards.

[t0p]

Ubuntu is much more direct and user-friendly than Windows. To install software in Ubuntu, you have the Ubuntu Software Centre or Synaptic Package Manager (plus terminal options if you want to use them). That's a one-stop shop, a lot more simple than the Windows process of going to website A, download the .exe file, run the installer, blah blah blah...

Ubuntu is not Windows. Apples and oranges, y'know?