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View Full Version : Windows XP vs Ubuntu 6: The Average User's take.



Koori23
June 14th, 2006, 03:21 AM
Honestly, having read for many hours, some of the posts in this forum.. I'm beginning to think I've missed something. Maybe I am the only one who *hasn't* had incrediby horrible experiences with Ubuntu..

I haven't had GDM issues, my video/audio works just fine, whether it be in Firefox or downloading a .wmv from the Net (I did have to mess with the contrast/brightness though). I use OpenOffice regularly, opening and saving Excel spreadsheets from work everyday.. Even those with macros and fancy formatting.

I am bias about one thing though, I typically don't play games on my PC, I have PS2 for that, the games I do play are online Texas Holdem and SameGnome. So I won't comment on the Linux gaming support issue.

As far as networking is concerned, I'm just your standard cable modem subscriber.. I use Comcast and Ironically, Ubuntu picked up my IP Addy and my DNS/Gateway stuff right on installation. WinXP, I would need to install software using some address that I can't remember, nor can I find the CD that I need. So XP is not Internet enabled at the moment. I did have to research (I bought an Ubuntu book) and figure out firestarter.. I still can't figure out why it's not on by default but it took like 2 minutes to get it working.. About as much time as it takes to get ZoneAlarm working.

I still can't figure out the whole repository scenario, I like how it works, I just don't understand a damn thing about how to edit the repos. Everytime I do that, I screw something up and get a massive error message..

I update stuff, I just click the icon and wait a minute.. No biggie..

I found out (by reading here) that Rhythmbox will do everything I need it to as far as listening to CD's and so fourth.

Through this forum, I've been directed to some amazing outside sources for information (ie other sites) and am now diving into the shell, see if I can figure that one out.

GEdit has spellcheck.. Sweet!!

All I'm saying is, I've read some pretty critical reviews of Ubuntu, almost people in despair in some cases.. I guess I'm asking this question. Am I just not demanding enough of a computer user to see Linux's defects? Or, do I spend the 5 minutes to find the "linux way" and work from there? But, mainly, I click on something, do whatever it is.. And move on.. I don't have to manually configure anything most of the time.

Either way, you must adjust to a new "cuture" that is now living inside your harddrive.. I guess my adjustment wasn't as bad as some.

nephesh
June 14th, 2006, 03:28 AM
You're completely right, people typically just like complaining when something isn't going their way. It's completely natural if you ask me; Windows users would do the same thing if there was a decent forum for them.

I also had more driver issues setting up XP the last time I did it, luckily I had a handy dandy driver CD (which I had to scrounge around for) or I wouldn't have been able to connect to the internet. Drivers are just a vendor support issue, which only means Linux's flaw is that it's not mainstream enough.

About firestarter...the linux default is to have hardened ports. Firestarter is only a configuration utility for the standard firewall that is built into the linux kernel.

If you have other linux questions I recomend following the link in my signature and bookmarking it.

mscman
June 14th, 2006, 03:31 AM
I'm glad to hear your linux experience has been so great! Unfortunately for some, hardware compatibility is a nightmare. When that's the case, they complain about how bad Linux is, and how much better Win XP is. It's great the your experience has been the opposite; that is basically how i feel about it. Sure, there are a few things that I can do quicker in XP, but that's because I've used Windows all my life and have only used Linux for almost a year.

Have fun, and hopefully the rest of your Linux experience will be great!

aysiu
June 14th, 2006, 03:36 AM
Honestly, having read for many hours, some of the posts in this forum.. I'm beginning to think I've missed something. Maybe I am the only one who *hasn't* had incrediby horrible experiences with Ubuntu.. I think you're hitting on two things here:

1. This is primarily a support forum, so people who have perfectly working installations tend not to ask for... support. You'll notice these people will most often participate in Ubuntu Cafe discussions or help other users who are having trouble.

It's a bit like hanging out at the customer service area of the baggage claim area at the airport--you'd begin to think, "Am I the only one who didn't have her luggage lost?"

2. People also tend to extrapolate a lot based on their own experiences. You had a great experience, so you're surprised when you see others not having one. Others have bad experiences and don't understand how people can say Ubuntu works or is great.

Experiences vary--this is true for both Windows and Ubuntu. The problem is that Windows usually comes preinstalled, people are used to putting up with Windows problems, Ubuntu is new, and one bad experience can taint someone's idea of Ubuntu forever--first impressions mean a great deal when it comes to operating systems.

23meg
June 14th, 2006, 03:37 AM
Note that this is a technical support site and you naturally hear mostly from people having technical problems. Those who aren't having problems are mostly just going about their daily work. (Edit: aysiu beat me to it)

Lokken
June 14th, 2006, 03:42 AM
Having just picked up a new computer (HP a1430n) at a discounted price, I was anxious to try it out with Ubuntu. Now, the problem with my previous computer was that I couldn't get the Nvidia drivers working. I even swapped out video cards, just to test with different ones. Figured it was a motherboard problem. It was also a newer machine.

Now, this one, I can't get the networking going. It's using the onboard networking (MCP51 or somesuch). Doesn't work under other distributions either.

Honestly, I think the best systems to run Ubuntu are about 2 years old. Hardware is generally well supported by that point, and can do everything at an acceptable speed.

As for me... I'll probably end up buying a new case and motherboard combination, and moving the X2 into it.

Windows... Wow. I wish I could get rid of it right now. Some stupid registry problem (after 3 days) lead to reinstalling. And, of course, HP doesn't ship with normal Windows CDs, so my 'system recovery' took 1.5 hours. And, that's back to factory settings. Another hour+ of uninstalling all the garbage that comes with a new computer, so yeah... I prefer the Linux way, almost always.

Lokken.

aysiu
June 14th, 2006, 03:44 AM
Honestly, I think the best systems to run Ubuntu are about 2 years old. Hardware is generally well supported by that point, and can do everything at an acceptable speed. Surely you mean the second-best systems, right? (http://www.system76.com)

eqisow
June 14th, 2006, 03:48 AM
I'm glad to hear your linux experience has been so great! Unfortunately for some, hardware compatibility is a nightmare. When that's the case, they complain about how bad Linux is, and how much better Win XP is.

Exactly, I realize at the start it can be rocky if you have hardware that doesn't play nice with Linux, but after you get into it you can make hardware purchasing decisions based on how well it works in Linux. I know what works in Linux and what doesn't, and I buy accordingly. To me making that small effort if very worth it.

Aysiu is also right about computers that are preinstalled with Windows already having drivers. A computer manufacurer isn't going to ship broken boxes. Hence, hardware support is 100%. It's the same way if you get a computer pre-installed with Linux. In almost all cases, a Windows install from an OEM CD has way more hardware issues than an Ubuntu install.

grsing
June 14th, 2006, 03:48 AM
Honestly, having read for many hours, some of the posts in this forum.. I'm beginning to think I've missed something. Maybe I am the only one who *hasn't* had incrediby horrible experiences with Ubuntu..

I haven't had GDM issues, my video/audio works just fine, whether it be in Firefox or downloading a .wmv from the Net (I did have to mess with the contrast/brightness though). I use OpenOffice regularly, opening and saving Excel spreadsheets from work everyday.. Even those with macros and fancy formatting.

I am bias about one thing though, I typically don't play games on my PC, I have PS2 for that, the games I do play are online Texas Holdem and SameGnome. So I won't comment on the Linux gaming support issue.

As far as networking is concerned, I'm just your standard cable modem subscriber.. I use Comcast and Ironically, Ubuntu picked up my IP Addy and my DNS/Gateway stuff right on installation. WinXP, I would need to install software using some address that I can't remember, nor can I find the CD that I need. So XP is not Internet enabled at the moment. I did have to research (I bought an Ubuntu book) and figure out firestarter.. I still can't figure out why it's not on by default but it took like 2 minutes to get it working.. About as much time as it takes to get ZoneAlarm working.

I still can't figure out the whole repository scenario, I like how it works, I just don't understand a damn thing about how to edit the repos. Everytime I do that, I screw something up and get a massive error message..

I update stuff, I just click the icon and wait a minute.. No biggie..

I found out (by reading here) that Rhythmbox will do everything I need it to as far as listening to CD's and so fourth.

Through this forum, I've been directed to some amazing outside sources for information (ie other sites) and am now diving into the shell, see if I can figure that one out.

GEdit has spellcheck.. Sweet!!

All I'm saying is, I've read some pretty critical reviews of Ubuntu, almost people in despair in some cases.. I guess I'm asking this question. Am I just not demanding enough of a computer user to see Linux's defects? Or, do I spend the 5 minutes to find the "linux way" and work from there? But, mainly, I click on something, do whatever it is.. And move on.. I don't have to manually configure anything most of the time.

Either way, you must adjust to a new "cuture" that is now living inside your harddrive.. I guess my adjustment wasn't as bad as some.

Partly, you're less demanding than some people (you aren't trying to do wireless networking, which is a big source of headaches on these forums). And partly, you just got lucky with hardware that plays nice with Ubuntu, another very common problem. Basically, your experience is what Ubuntu should be, and we just have to work on making it that way for everyone (that "we" is a pretty universal we encompassing the whole community).

aysiu
June 14th, 2006, 03:54 AM
You mentioned being "lucky." Unfortunately, that's what it comes down to. Yes, if you do your homework and research compatibility lists, it won't be luck that determines how pleasant your Ubuntu experience is, but most migrants from Windows to Ubuntu do not pick their hardware for Ubuntu and are hardly going to buy a computer especially for Ubuntu if they've never used it before.

So, in many ways, it is the luck of the draw. At least we have live CDs, so you can test out hardware compatibility a bit before committing to a full installation.

I have to say, though, that if I happened to have a computer that wasn't Ubuntu-friendly, I wouldn't be using Ubuntu right now. And if I had a computer that wasn't Linux-friendly, I wouldn't be using Linux at all.

Koori23
June 14th, 2006, 04:00 AM
Thanks for the responses.. I did make a rookie mistake though, I posted it in the wrong forum.. Sorry.

aysiu
June 14th, 2006, 04:04 AM
Thanks for the responses.. I did make a rookie mistake though, I posted it in the wrong forum.. Sorry.
It's been moved to the appropriate place--no worries.

Koori23
June 14th, 2006, 04:06 AM
About firestarter...the linux default is to have hardened ports. Firestarter is only a configuration utility for the standard firewall that is built into the linux kernel.

.

Hardened ports is good.. I'd rather they not see me in the first place. So, that's where my question comes from. IPTables is about the best system that exists right now for software firewalls (I've read about it), why not give people the option... No harm no foul, I just am curious why you wouldn't use something as powerful as that and do it so easily. The only thing I really had to do was click a checkbox for "No ICMP requests" or something like that.

prizrak
June 14th, 2006, 04:20 AM
I think there are two main issues
1) The bad experience (and in many cases close minded) community is by far more vocal than those of us who have everything working or know how to use search.
2) Lack of research - not many people bother to find out if the hardware is supported or to play around with the livecd even though it is currently the default install CD.

aysiu
June 14th, 2006, 04:23 AM
2) Lack of research - not many people bother to find out if the hardware is supported or to play around with the livecd even though it is currently the default install CD. Well, maybe now that it is the default CD, people will actually start playing around with it a bit first before installing Ubuntu.

In the past, you'd have had to have downloaded two separate CDs to test Ubuntu and then install it.

In all fairness, the new Ubuntu's been out only two weeks.

proleterijat
January 9th, 2007, 11:06 PM
geey this wysiwyg field is working on my firefox :)

i am a fresh ubuntian and feel great about, although i have had many issues....

first, i put ubuntu on my laptop, compaq hp nx6310, freedos version and have had a messy time getting it right, took about 3 days to figure out how to install anything and finnaly got to instal 6.06 but got a black screen just before the end, the let it finish (through the indicator led so i knew when it stopped installing) but then needed to setup x and user through the shell

i had a linux crash-course and had to learn quick :)

when that was done with i went to put it on my desktop - smoothly until the ati driver which had to pe adjusted through terminal, but works great now, and third day on, kde stopped functioning (kde apps)

took 2 days to figure out how and what happened and 2 hrs from realising it was my kde.

since then, only good things happen. love ubuntu love it and adore the synaptics and the community so there u have it

i just feel that all that complicatons forced me to learn linux quickly so i love that too :D

Many salutes

Quillz
January 9th, 2007, 11:37 PM
Honestly, having read for many hours, some of the posts in this forum.. I'm beginning to think I've missed something. Maybe I am the only one who *hasn't* had incrediby horrible experiences with Ubuntu..

I haven't had GDM issues, my video/audio works just fine, whether it be in Firefox or downloading a .wmv from the Net (I did have to mess with the contrast/brightness though). I use OpenOffice regularly, opening and saving Excel spreadsheets from work everyday.. Even those with macros and fancy formatting.

I am bias about one thing though, I typically don't play games on my PC, I have PS2 for that, the games I do play are online Texas Holdem and SameGnome. So I won't comment on the Linux gaming support issue.

As far as networking is concerned, I'm just your standard cable modem subscriber.. I use Comcast and Ironically, Ubuntu picked up my IP Addy and my DNS/Gateway stuff right on installation. WinXP, I would need to install software using some address that I can't remember, nor can I find the CD that I need. So XP is not Internet enabled at the moment. I did have to research (I bought an Ubuntu book) and figure out firestarter.. I still can't figure out why it's not on by default but it took like 2 minutes to get it working.. About as much time as it takes to get ZoneAlarm working.

I still can't figure out the whole repository scenario, I like how it works, I just don't understand a damn thing about how to edit the repos. Everytime I do that, I screw something up and get a massive error message..

I update stuff, I just click the icon and wait a minute.. No biggie..

I found out (by reading here) that Rhythmbox will do everything I need it to as far as listening to CD's and so fourth.

Through this forum, I've been directed to some amazing outside sources for information (ie other sites) and am now diving into the shell, see if I can figure that one out.

GEdit has spellcheck.. Sweet!!

All I'm saying is, I've read some pretty critical reviews of Ubuntu, almost people in despair in some cases.. I guess I'm asking this question. Am I just not demanding enough of a computer user to see Linux's defects? Or, do I spend the 5 minutes to find the "linux way" and work from there? But, mainly, I click on something, do whatever it is.. And move on.. I don't have to manually configure anything most of the time.

Either way, you must adjust to a new "cuture" that is now living inside your harddrive.. I guess my adjustment wasn't as bad as some.
On my laptop, Ubuntu was a breeze to install. All my hardware components were automatically recognized and configured, and I didn't even need any drivers, like you do with Windows.

On my desktop, things didn't go quite as smoothly. I had to purchase a new wireless card, although Ubuntu luckily recognized it right away. However, the encryption wasn't handled properly, so I had to make my network unsecured for the time being, although that's really not a big deal. My sound card still isn't recognized, nor was my monitor on a fresh install, although getting the ATI driver solved that and let me use my native resolution again.

Overall, I'm very pleased with Ubuntu, and am really preferring it to Windows. Sure, there are a few hardware issues here and there, but for the most part, the transition was smooth.

Josey
January 9th, 2007, 11:59 PM
I agree. I am pretty new to the linux community and if was setting up a new computer for a first time computer user I would put ubuntu on their machine every time. Like lets say you are getting a computer for your grandma for email and internet. With ubuntu you don't need to worry about a firewall, spyware and viruses. Hardware support is excellent and things just seem to work so much better.

Ubuntu for everyone! :)

edit: oh yeah.... and they won't be installing tons of junk "trial" software that will make their computers run like crap because they all want to run at startup.

tenshi-no-shi
January 10th, 2007, 05:30 AM
I started out using Hoary and I have to say that I had some problems but all in all it was simpler than the ten plus times I reinstalled Windows on my machine. my network card worked, my video card worked (an ATI 7500 that seams to run not perfect but pretty good for a card that I accidently popped a capasitor off of a couple time and fixed.) my major problems were sound ( my on board sound would not work right, had to go through 2 soundcard to find one that works well) and my mouse, but I learned to live with it. I lost the ability to play games like morrowind on my comp, but hey I have a PS2 for that, and morrowind was a bit of a dog on my 700mhz Coppermine Pentium III anyways.

I think that people need to keep in mind while switching to linux that it doesn't have a multi-billion dollar giant behind it to get everyone to support it. I figure if I can get my computer to do 90% of what I would like it to do I am happy.

Oh and on my parents laptop (a Toshiba Satellite A75) it was like it was made to run Ubuntu. It supported everything out of the box, wireless card, sound card, even video card (ATI Mobility 9000). The processor frequency scaling works, though I haven't tried to get the advanced power features to work (My parents just shut off the power when not using it, or leave it plugged in).

macogw
January 10th, 2007, 05:50 AM
My laptop supported everything OOTB. My mom's desktop was what I first ran the LiveCD on, so when my brother and sister told me that they will switch to Ubuntu when they get their own computers, I said "here, learn now" and put it on hers. I made one hardware modification. I added a Broadcom-based wireless card. Getting that set up with network manager and ndiswrapper and everything took less than 20 minutes.

Most people here are here because they need help. The ones who aren't having problems either don't need the forums or are answering all those questions up in the beginner section.

seijuro
January 10th, 2007, 06:46 AM
2. People also tend to extrapolate a lot based on their own experiences. You had a great experience, so you're surprised when you see others not having one. Others have bad experiences and don't understand how people can say Ubuntu works or is great.

Experiences vary--this is true for both Windows and Ubuntu. The problem is that Windows usually comes preinstalled, people are used to putting up with Windows problems, Ubuntu is new, and one bad experience can taint someone's idea of Ubuntu forever--first impressions mean a great deal when it comes to operating systems.

I completely agree with you on this the only thing I'd like to add is that Linux is the one getting the short end of the stick when it comes to peoples unwillingness to work out problems mostly because this is a new habbit that they have not had to deal with for the forementioned reasons of most computers coming preinstalled with windows. Second, a lot of lesser knowledgeable (trying to be polite here) people tend to confuse features of OS and software running on top of the OS which typically ends up with someone unfairly expecting Linux to have X feature that windows doesn't have either except for the extra software running on windows providing it.

rbhigday
January 15th, 2007, 02:33 AM
I was sorta agree with the OP. I read all the problems with things and actually put them off thinking I would have headaches. Since I started on my laptop. I was not looking forward to wireless. but I followed two guides and poof an hour later I was rid of the cable forever. I also know most of my problems is a lack of knowledge but it will come with time. But I still even with the challeges I do not think is really as bad as some make it out to be. But you forget only those that don't know or have problems come here, if were lucky the ones that know will also be here to help. Some I think live here!!!

Floppyjoe
January 17th, 2007, 05:44 AM
I really like computers and figuring stuff out. I used to have all my computers with windows on them but now I am down to one desktop computer with a remaining windows Xp partition which I dual boot from. I keep it to work on my website. There are some good web development programs in Ubuntu and someday soon I may make a complete switch to Linux. I was dual booting on my laptop also but for some reason I could not get updates for Xp on it anymore so I deleted it and just run Ubuntu on it now.

I also don't like the way Microsoft breaks the older versions of windows in their updates to try to force you to upgrade to a newer product. I did have some difficulties with Ubuntu. Setting up wifi was a learning experience. After one version update my wireless was gone and had to figure it all out again. Someone mentioned something about keeping certain config files during an update instead of replacing them, which I will have to watch for next time.

One reason I did not use Linux sooner is because of the fear I would damage data on my computer when doing partitioning. I heard horror stories about that. But Ubuntu makes this very easy. Some of the things I like about Linux are (1)It's Free (2)I don't have to worry about piracy issues. I can give the software to whoever will take it. (3) It's got a cute little penguin mascot.

Ramptu
February 14th, 2008, 12:23 AM
A previous poster mentioned that he had the a1430n and was having trouble with Ubuntu...I have this PC and I'm about to install Ubuntu on it (dual boot). I ran the live cd and no problems with anything other than I couldnt set the VGA to 1680x1050 which I'm hoping will not be a problem after I do a complete install.

After spending days trying to get another laptop and desktop with an ATI card I know it can be a pain in the *** to get everything working. But when you do it is just awesome. That old laptop is like new.With these two installs under my belt I learned alot and hopefully avoid some of the mistakes I made with the previous ones.Im avoiding all of these "package deals" and I install everything separately.

The biggest problem with me coming from windows and being new to Linux is that I'm familiar with ms file extensions and programs but linux is another ballgame. I have learned to read every detail before I download from synaptic.Still learning and having fun. Amazing stuff. I hope to get some good results on this PC.


HP allows for one set of recovery dvds. Would this help if my hard drive becomes unreadable? Is this a complete copy of my OS?

Follow up:

I have installed Ubuntu 7.10 32bit along side my windows XP. I let the Ubuntu live cd do all the partitioning and everything went without a hitch. I absolutely love Ubuntu. Everything just looks better and I love being able to flip between 2 desktops with my scroll mouse. I'm still playing around with the effects and I like having my close windows animations on random. So far I haven't had any problems but one tiny problem with my refresh rate on my viewsonic 22 lcd. it has on occasion diverted to 50Hz a couple of times causing things to look blurry, but after changing it back to 66 Hz it fixes it. My monitor manual says to use 60Hz but only 50Hz and 66Hz are available for me to choose. But everything just looks so much better than windows for some reason. Even my DVD ISO's played with vlc look hi-def. I want to install the 64bit Ubuntu but I want to get comfortable with it first. Anyone on the fence should give it a try its truly awesome.