How 'well' does Ubuntu work for most of you guys?

[pissedoffdude]

First off, I'm not here to generate any genuine negative feelings. No point in doing so, and I have positive feelings for Ubuntu.

But...

Some background info. I first tried linux (linspire) about 10 years ago, detested it, noticed Ubuntu's 'Linux..for human beings' slogan, and gave it a shot. Fantastic. Was using Windows XP 64-bit, which worked okay from a Microsoft perspective (but there were no drivers!). Tried Ubuntu...freaking awesome, printer worked, scanner worked --on a 64-bit o/s! Anyway, long story short, I've been using linux since then, and I owe a lot of that to Ubuntu's awesomeness

Now, where my main point is. Has it degraded in quality as a result of 'easiness?' I don't mean that in the sense that an O/S shouldn't incorporate it, but has it worked well for most people? For example, restricted drivers via the GUI never seem to work. I have to download the nvidia run or do it via the terminal, which isn't a big problem, but I notice this every release. The same goes for the 'Ubuntu Restricted' Package. I ALWAYS have to re-install the microsoft fonts via the terminal, since the terminal presents me with an ncurses interface that never pops up via the GUI (obviously, but I don't get like a pyGTk app or anything like that).

Ubuntu will work well eventually, and it's not an issue, but I have to use the terminal each time this happens, and it always feels incredibly buggy. It's not restricted to my PC because I have recommended it in the past, I have tried it on my computers and others, but there's always a hump to overcome (again, it's easy to do so by just using the terminal, but that's what I don't want to see fit since I don't want to be the primary support contact for everyone).

Have you guys noticed this as well?

[Bucky Ball]

I have Ubuntu 14.04 minimal installs running faultlessly on three machines currently. It always has and 12.04 before that did also. I did some research and am running machines that don't need third-party graphics drivers (I built one of them).

Seems to be graphics and wireless is where the main issues lie. But then again, people grab a machine that looks good, get it home, discover the graphics card or wireless card is not compatible with Ubuntu, it doesn't work 'off the shelf' so then they come here and we help them jump through hoops to get things working, if we can. :)

We get a lot of people wanting a whinge or rant about how hard Ubuntu sucks when it is actually the hardware and its manufacturer that is the issue. I encourage people to email the manufacturer directly instead.

I personally have seen no regression whatever. Probably down to my hardware being pretty much 100% compatible. Takes probably an hour or less to do some research and have a check prior to going to the store, but amazing how many people don't. :-k

As far as the Nvidia driver goes, that is third-party and nothing to do with Ubuntu or Canonical. Canonical can't include it in the kernel for legal reasons. You know what I'm going to say ... I encourage you to email nvidia directly.

And Ubuntu works more than well, at least for me, now, no need to wait for 'eventually'.

Next! and let's try and avoid this thread turning into a Ubuntu or <insert OS here> bashing frenzy, as these threads have a habit of doing. Thanks. :)

[pissedoffdude]

Good point, HW definitely is the biggest factor. If others have experienced the same, can we get your guys's hardware specs? Maybe it's localized to some MB'S etc. My personal experience is that it hasn't worked too well with most HW, but there's a massive amount of devices to support, so it's clearly not Ubuntu's fault

[grahammechanical]

Has it degraded in quality as a result of 'easiness?'

I do not see the connection between ease of use and degradation of quality. Of what in particular? Of the code?

When I first installed Ubuntu it was in 2007 and I was very confused by that fact that there were 3 , 4 or more utilities doing the same thing. Which one to use? And what do all these technical terms mean?

A lot of that is gone. Things are more simpler. I see that as a sign of quality not a degradation of quality. The more Ubuntu becomes easy to use the more people will use it. Computers have become a consumer product. And consumers want things to work from the moment they press the On button. The only way Ubuntu can meet that condition is for the consumer to buy a Ubuntu machine.

But some people just cannot leave well enough alone. I saw a post the other day were the person had purchased a machine with Ubuntu on it and then installed Windows over it. The person did not like Windows so they re-installed Ubuntu but some things are not working as they should. Missing drivers. Ubuntu was no longer a consumer product.

And it is not just inexperienced people that do this kind of thing. Here is a recent blog post from a long established Linux/Ubuntu developer who purchased an expensive machine with Ubuntu 14.04 preinstalled and then installed 15.04 and found Bluetooth to be non-functional. He shows how to fix it. He knew what he was doing.

https://ftbeowulf.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/dell-xps-13-9343-developer-edition-bluetooth-firmware/

If we want Ubuntu to work like a consumer product, then buy it pre-installed and then treat the device like a consumer product and not a techie product.

Regards.

[wildmanne39]

I have been using ubuntu for more then 7 years and I never have an issue with it any more, it just works but I do not install every six months like I use too, I stay with the LTS version a lot longer now.

The only issues I have ever had and the most common are as BB said graphics and wireless issues but I have not even had any of those issues in a long time but I watch what hardware I buy and make sure it is not bleeding edge without support.

I do not see ease of use as making the quality less, I use the terminal for most things anyway so it does not matter to me how easy they make it.

[Dragonbite]

Seems to be graphics and wireless is where the main issues lie.

That's been the case for some time now, but for me once Fedora ran my Broadcom wireless out-of-the-box that was the last of my problems (afterwards, ever new release of any distribution worked).


We get a lot of people wanting a whinge or rant about how hard Ubuntu sucks when it is actually the hardware and its manufacturer that is the issue.

That's also exactly what happened with Windows Vista in the beginning... manufacturers didn't supply drivers that worked and so things did not work out-of-the-box.

Overall, Ubuntu has worked nicely on my machines but I have to admit they are all 2nd hand (older) and I don't go crazy with them either.

As of late, though, I find the older (of the older) machines having difficulties but the (semi-) up to date machines (duo cores) work alright.

Although I do have 2 laptops without PAE support that gave me trouble (until I changed to another distribution, then they work fine).

[mamamia88]

Well enough that I don't feel like shelling out for a second windows liscense. Occasionally I'll get an error at bootup because I've switched back and forth between amd drivers so many times that something got messed up but, other than that it's been relatively hassle free.

[The_Forgotten_King]

I've only have the GRUB Boot error, but that was my doing (screwing with the partitions), but otherwise no errors. Fast, efficient, and overall compatable...

The day someone make a distro that can run windows programs is the day windows dies. xD.

[Copper Bezel]

Works quite well for me, but I always seem to end up with Intel graphics. There are little annoying gotchas here and there or unreliable tools, same as in Windows. And unlike Android, for that matter - some limitations apply, but I kinda think of that as the model for a fully usable operating system. Never heard of a regular update breaking something there​.

[fkkroundabout]

i'm quite happy with the simplicity of ubuntu server, but i don't like how heavy unity is, so i don't run the desktop. and installing ubuntu-desktop seems to bring with it a tonne of things i don't think i need, nowadays with my better knowledge of linux. the fact nomodeset is easily accessible was quite helpful, as my graphics card had not yet become supported when i first started trying ubuntu/linux. oh also when i started uninstalling & installing a variety of desktop environments things started to become a little unpredictable, but now i've tried them all i can't see myself running into that problem

so overall only problems with setup, usually things are pretty low maintenance once things are set up, and i can't remember an ubuntu system having brought itself down in a big way

[Bashing-om]

Me too !
Subscribe to:


so overall only problems with setup, usually things are pretty low maintenance once things are set up, and i can't remember an ubuntu system having brought itself down in a big way


I have not broke my system in so long - once I had it set up - That I have become placid. All my boxes run some 'buntu and all perform faultless. Next is to build a media box and run Netflix !



ya want it done right, and ya want to



know how/where/why then it's 'buntu

[Welly Wu]

Ubuntu has improved its' quality dramatically over the past several years by simplifying and making it easier to just work right out of the box. I bought a System76 Lemur Ultra (lemu4) notebook PC in August 2012 and I recently bought a ZaReason Zeto desktop PC system and the latest Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux versions work flawlessly. It functions and behaves like a PC which is all that I expect. I don't have to mess around with the PC hardware components or the software to use my PCs daily. I also own a Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P designed for Microsoft Windows 8.1 Home 64 bit and Ubuntu 14.04.2 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux installed and it runs perfectly on it. I have zero issues with Ubuntu. I stopped looking for problems years ago. This has been my saving grace.

[PJs Ronin]

Am tempted to respond.

I'm certainly no Ubuntu/Linux expert but I did earn a decent living fixing peoples Windows machines. Even today I still have a need for Windows and run Win 7 Pro in a VM with Ubuntu 14.04LTS as the host. I've been messing with Ubuntu for about 5-6 years and one thing I have noticed is that there seems to be less breakage as I rsync my production system into a new partition and then dist-upgrade. Folks here can probably tell some horror stories of upgrading early Ubuntu editions but I only really go back to Precise when I started this upgrade journey. Quantal was a nightmare for me so I was glad when I could go to Raring which installed reasonable well. I had even less problems with Saucy and Trusty was a breeze. Utopic was almost boring and Vivid is also playing nicely with some great new features.

In my assessment, the Ubuntu upgrade path and new install path are now very smooth roads whereas Windows still has some issues. I must admit that I'm looking forward to Win 10 to see if Microsoft is back on track. The one bug bear I have always had with computers and operating systems is printers. If my computer is going to throw a hissie fit anywhere it will be when I'm trying to print an important document. Ubuntu and Windows are on a par with this one.

[kagashe]

I am using Ubuntu since 5.04 and it works for me at home for everything. In my office Laptop, initially I had WinXP and Ubuntu in dual boot. Then I was using WinXP if required in virtual box on Ubuntu.

Recently I purchased Lenovo G50-45 Laptop with pre-installed Windows 8.1 and installed Ubuntu 14.04 in dual boot on second day after studying about UEFI secure boot since I was installing on UEFI for first time.

Kamalakar

[Copper Bezel]

If my computer is going to throw a hissie fit anywhere it will be when I'm trying to print an important document. Ubuntu and Windows are on a par with this one.
I have an office-style laser printer with an ethernet port, and I never want to go back to anything I have to plug into a computer. Network printing is just so much simpler - the same printer, using Samsung's official driver, would spit garbage 50% of the time when I tried using it directly connected to the computer, and there's just no need to. It's a local network resource. I can print as easily from the laptop as from the desktop, and I'm fairly well convinced this is how printers were always meant to behave.

[Idjit_BoB]

I am a new user compared to the others who responded to this thread. In my opinion the question is a relative one.

I have two laptop computers. One a Sony (~2008) with Vista and the other a Thinkpad (2005) with XP. I know people reinstall Windows every year or so because it gets buggy. To me it seems strange someone should have to go through this kind of effort for a consumer product. If I had to replace the engine in my car every year I would use mass transit or ride a bicycle. Some tech-heads already do the later. Just visit Seattle.

I was ready to throw these laptops out, then decided as a last ditch effort to save them I would load Linux onto them. Best thing I ever did.

There were some bumps along the way, but it had more to do with my inexperience than anything else. Now my two laptops run fine with Ubuntu 14.04 (Zorin OS 9). They even recognized my printer on my home network with no trouble whatsoever.

I'm sure there will be difficulties somewhere down the road, but that's what life is about, isn't it? Besides people on this forum have been patient and helpful, which I appreciate very much.

I'm a happy camper.

[m4tic]

Hi guys, haven't been here in a long time, was on 9.10 I think last. Well I've gone through a point where I gave up on computers as they were a hassle and I've been busy with work. So far my only interaction with PCs was whenever my work needed me to boot up their laptop for diagnosis tools, I am an earthmoving equipment technician. So far android has been well for me as I can load manuals on it and so on. Been living PC free for about three years now until recently I'm starting a new electrical side project. My sister gave me her 1 year old laptop of which the hard drive decided to die on me the first day, had to replace the hard drive and loaded Ubuntu 15.04, then replaced it with Ubuntu Gnome 15.04 later on, just preference.

I'm currently using it for designing electrical circuits using, gEDA for the schematics, still struggling to find a simulation counterpart maybe someone can help with that. LibreCAD looks to be good, only played with it for a bit and I'm still coming to it once my first project is running well. So far so good I'm getting stuff done, system is stable, Wi-Fi works well after resume but not in unity for some reason.
Battery life looks to be better in Ubuntu Gnome, with Unity I was getting not more than 3 Hours, now I'm well over 4. I've stuck to Firefox as chrome isn't in the software centre but I could download it from their website but I'm not gonna.

Anybody who's used CAD, and EDA software? I need recommendations please.

[Bucky Ball]

Now my two laptops run fine with Ubuntu 14.04 (Zorin OS 9).

Zorin is not Ubuntu 14.04 LTS but is based on that Ubuntu base kernel as far as I know. I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, the default drivers that come with Zorin are not the same as a Ubuntu install so not comparable as far as how well does Ubuntu run for you. Zorin is also not officially supported by Canonical. It is what is known as a Ubuntu 'spin'. As such, what the Zorin community adds to the base kernel may be unique to Zorin and not related to Ubuntu apart from the fact it works on the kernel. :)

[Daletec]

If we want Ubuntu to work like a consumer product, then buy it pre-installed and then treat the device like a consumer product and not a techie product.

Regards.

Should have ended the thread, right here! Truth for all of Linux! Quote of the decade, in my opinion.

[Idjit_BoB]

Zorin is not Ubuntu 14.04 LTS but is based on that Ubuntu base kernel.

Thanks for the clarification.

I always try to include the origin of my OS as a Zorin "spin" (as you put) so not to mislead.

I have been confused regarding Linux lineage, distros, flavors and so on. I still am, but as I say I am happy with having resurrected my old laptops and thankful to this forum in particular for helping me resolve some minor issues.

[Idjit_BoB]

Daletec,

I hope you didn't misunderstand my thoughts regarding Ubuntu when quoting grahammechanical...

If we want Ubuntu to work like a consumer product, then buy it pre-installed and then treat the device like a consumer product and not a techie product.
My comments were not directed at the Ubuntu OS but the MS pre-installed consumer product Operating System bugginess.

The Ubuntu based Zorin OS I have is not pre-installed and has been a much more user friendly OS for me. I am very pleased with it.

I am looking forward to the next computer I come across so I can install an unvarnished version of Ubuntu and take it for a spin.

[poorguy]

hey all, as a ubuntu 14.04 lts and ubuntu mate 14.04.2 lts the only problems i have are ati graphics card drivers issues and also integrated nvidia graphics adapters driver issues. now most of my ati cards are pci-e but are older cards from 2007 and most always i have to deal with issues from the git go. but always seem to find a fix to bring the desktop up and all seems to work good. why ati doesn't supply drivers i don't know. even some of my newer ati cards i can't find a proprietary driver. it seems that nvidia has always a proprietary driver to install. all my installs that have all intel hardware go without a hitch so in my opinion intel hardware is the way to go with linux.

all in all even with the driver issues using linux is a great learning experience for me. i find more help from the info from other posters issues that i can solve my minor ones and enjoy my linux distro. if you use ubuntu with unity desktop yes you better have some good powerful hardware. if not there are ubuntu mate or linux lite that run on older less powerful desktops.

just my experience and only my opinion. thanks for the space and enjoy using your linux distro.

the poorguy

[Idjit_BoB]

Bucky Ball,

FYI

I went to the Zorin forum and I found where the Zorin 9 OS Core and Zorin 9 OS Ultimate is based on the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. Zorin states that its' OS is supported until 2019.

[poorguy]

i have zorin os 9 core and it is good. i install it on alot of desktops that are donated to my church for people who can't afford to buy a pc. it is also a good way to make the change from windows operating system to linux for some.

the poorguy

[Bucky Ball]

Bucky Ball,

FYI

I went to the Zorin forum and I found where the Zorin 9 OS Core and Zorin 9 OS Ultimate is based on the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. Zorin states that its' OS is supported until 2019.

Good news. :)

[Daletec]

Daletec,

I hope you didn't misunderstand my thoughts regarding Ubuntu when quoting grahammechanical...

My comments were not directed at the Ubuntu OS but the MS pre-installed consumer product Operating System bugginess.

The Ubuntu based Zorin OS I have is not pre-installed and has been a much more user friendly OS for me. I am very pleased with it.

I am looking forward to the next computer I come across so I can install an unvarnished version of Ubuntu and take it for a spin.

No problem. Most of us, here, understand how to research and resolve issues for ourselves, most folks don't. I think most Windows users are in the same boat as self-install Linux users, no support other than what you can find. Manufacturers support their products with preinstalled OSes, I think was the intent of the original post, and folks expecting that type of support should definitely buy a product with Linux preinstalled, also. I think that was the intent. I purchase my laptops with whatever on them, as long as the hardware specs fit my needs, I then install Xubuntu and tune it to my liking. I do find I have put forth effort with regard to wlan or lan drivers, on occasion, but that is not Ubuntu's or Canonical's fault. Not being a Linux snob, as I try to recruit users, not run them off, but I think expectations are often unreasonable. Not saying yours are, just agreeing with the original poster's point of expectations. I think we're all on the same team, here.

[monkeybrain20122]

Super!!!!!

[fyfe54]

Works great on System 76 Gazelle Pro which is just over a year old. Running Ubuntu 15.04 on the 4.1.1 kernel. No issues at all.

[Idjit_BoB]

No problem. Most of us, here, understand how to research and resolve issues for ourselves, most folks don't. I think most Windows users are in the same boat as self-install Linux users, no support other than what you can find. ... Not being a Linux snob, as I try to recruit users, not run them off, but I think expectations are often unreasonable. Not saying yours are, just agreeing with the original poster's point of expectations. I think we're all on the same team, here.

Well said. I highlighted in bold the portions which are most true. How sad how one pays a Microsoft tax and receives no real service for it. My view regarding your comment on expectations... I try to never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Thanks for taking the time to clarify.

[nargaroth_reg]

Very well for most tasks except compatibility and performance issues with some games and hardware devices, but ofc that is a fault of the devs and manufacturers of those products, not Ubuntu. I always write them asking for linux support when I have the time and buy compatible hardware. I've not faced any problems with the nvidia drivers, although the graphical application recommended to install the wrong version for my graphics card. I've found 14.04 to be very stable and fast and I think I'll be using it until the next LTS comes out.

[Bucky Ball]

... but ofc that is a fault of the devs and manufacturers of those products, not Ubuntu. I always write them asking for linux support when I have the time and buy compatible hardware.

... and I urge others to do the same. :)

[Bashing-om]

... and I urge others to do the same. :)

Uh Huh !

The hing that squeaks the loudest get the oil first .



and together we can

[vq1]

I am new to Ubuntu and Linux. I visited MIT for my company to check out some new 3d modeling software they are developing. I am now running the software on a google ChromeBook with Gnome 14.04.

I really like the concept of open-source so I decided to resurrect my old college laptop with a dead hard drive (HP elitebook 2730). Now running Gnome 14.04

So I am not comfortable enough to run my main machines with Linux (yet). And my job requires use of corporate software such as SolidWorks, Keyshot, Adobe Creative Suite.

But I am enjoying learning my way around the terminal (http://overthewire.org/wargames/) and playing around with Python.

[Bashing-om]

@vq1; Hello; Welcome to open source in general, and ubuntu in particular.


I am new to Ubuntu and Linux. I visited MIT for my company to check out some new 3d modeling software they are developing. I am now running the software on a google ChromeBook with Gnome 14.04.

I really like the concept of open-source so I decided to resurrect my old college laptop with a dead hard drive (HP elitebook 2730). Now running Gnome 14.04

So I am not comfortable enough to run my main machines with Linux (yet). And my job requires use of corporate software such as SolidWorks, Keyshot, Adobe Creative Suite.

But I am enjoying learning my way around the terminal (http://overthewire.org/wargames/) and playing around with Python.

Hang in here, ask, and we make a veteran of you soonest.
It is often amazing what the alternatives are.



open source ->



all for 1 and one for all

[Kale_Freemon]

Ubuntu has it's fair share of issues. Not everyone experiences the same issues though, as everyone runs different hardware. I've had most of my luck with Intel hardware, so I stick primarily to Intel as far as processor and graphics are concerned. Recently bought a System76 Lemur with 15.04 on it. Ya, I've had plenty of issues with it that are annoying, but not deal breaking. I'm willing to bet that it's just because it's newer hardware, and a newer version of Ubuntu. So, things are bound to go awry here and there. After a little bit of time, though, I'm sure most of these minor issues will be ironed out.

However, I must say that I am impressed with how well the Intel HD 5500 graphics chipset works with some of the games I like to play. Torchlight 2, Half Life 2, and Killing Floor all play insanely well on this machine. Much better than my five year old Gateway (which was also much slower I noticed).

As far as the simplicity of the system is concerned, I don't think this degrades the overall quality of the OS. In fact, as it becomes more and more polished, I think ease of use is a sign of quality. Especially when ease of use is the main focus of the OS in question.

[Dragonbite]

Funny, Ubuntu is running into some graphical issue with the Thinkpad T61 at work which in the past it has worked without any issue (got the Sys Admin guy to come and see what I was doing when he saw "UbuntuPC" on his network ;) ).

Now, on the same machine, it boots the LiveUSB to the desktop but once you try somehthing it dies.

Unless I win it in the company raffle (of old computer systems), it isn't worth investigating too far.

[philinux]

Running on 3 machines. 2 desktops and one netbook. Not one issue.
I don't do gaming just office type stuff and net. Netbook is low spec and hangs now and then. It dual boots win7 which hangs a lot more.

[sam-c]

a- I like Peppermint as it is Cloud Based Non Windows Dependent and is Mint+ubuntu Based.
b- I do not like Distro "Wars" Ubuntu VS Mint!
c- Other Wise Ubuntu is great!
Thanks for listening
Uncle Sam

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

Ubuntu works well for me on my Linux compatible hardware. It has been many years since I have had problems with updates and upgrades. It has most of what I need by default; however, my needs are simple now that I don't need to explore new technology for my job. Most everything else I use is in the repositories. I am not aware of anything I was able to do in the past that I can't do now, if there is then it is something I don't care about and never used. I have used other Linux distros over the years but Ubuntu is the one I have decided to use for now.

[English_Invader]

I do not see the connection between ease of use and degradation of quality. Of what in particular? Of the code?

When I first installed Ubuntu it was in 2007 and I was very confused by that fact that there were 3 , 4 or more utilities doing the same thing. Which one to use? And what do all these technical terms mean?

A lot of that is gone. Things are more simpler. I see that as a sign of quality not a degradation of quality. The more Ubuntu becomes easy to use the more people will use it. Computers have become a consumer product. And consumers want things to work from the moment they press the On button. The only way Ubuntu can meet that condition is for the consumer to buy a Ubuntu machine.

But some people just cannot leave well enough alone. I saw a post the other day were the person had purchased a machine with Ubuntu on it and then installed Windows over it. The person did not like Windows so they re-installed Ubuntu but some things are not working as they should. Missing drivers. Ubuntu was no longer a consumer product.

And it is not just inexperienced people that do this kind of thing. Here is a recent blog post from a long established Linux/Ubuntu developer who purchased an expensive machine with Ubuntu 14.04 preinstalled and then installed 15.04 and found Bluetooth to be non-functional. He shows how to fix it. He knew what he was doing.

https://ftbeowulf.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/dell-xps-13-9343-developer-edition-bluetooth-firmware/

If we want Ubuntu to work like a consumer product, then buy it pre-installed and then treat the device like a consumer product and not a techie product.

Regards.

The problem is that a Linux desktop OS in any way, shape or form is a techie product. You can't sell a laptop to the average Joe with such a frequent upgrade cycle for the OS and not provide immediate plug and play support for basic stuff like Bluetooth for every upgrade.

For me, a willingness to build your own system and an understanding of each part is a basic 101 for using Linux at desktop level.

Back to the original question...

My minor issues with Ubuntu are 1) when I boot, instead of getting the Ubuntu screen with the little dots the video display on the monitor goes off for a few seconds and 2) despite choosing UK keyboard layout on installation, the system boots with US keyboard and I have to keep changing it back to UK. I can live with it but both faults would be unacceptable for a consumer product.

[QIII]

The problem is that a Linux desktop OS in any way, shape or form is a techie product. You can't sell a laptop to the average Joe with such a frequent upgrade cycle for the OS and not provide immediate plug and play support for basic stuff like Bluetooth for every upgrade.

That, I think, is more a function of the public having been steeped in Windows for so long than it is anything "techie". The expectation that things should be like Windows is the greatest hindrance to Linux acceptance. Remove that expectation and Linux is just another operating system, just as German is just another language besides English. If you've spoken English all your life, expecting German to be like English will be the greatest hindrance to learning German.

The only way plug and play support for "basic stuff like Bluetooth" to come about is for the OEMs to provide Linux firmware and drivers for their hardware. Microsoft does not make anything plug and play -- unless it's manufactured by Microsoft. Hardware is plug and play when the OEMs spend a lot of time and effort to make sure their firmware/drivers work flawlessly with Windows and those drivers meet Microsoft's standards for inclusion in the Microsoft Driverbase. Microsoft doesn't lift a finger to make anything plug and play. The OEMs do or they starve. It's smart business to make sure your hardware works with Windows. That's where the money is. From a business standpoint, it's foolish to waste a great deal of effort and resources for 2% of the market.

Frequent updates are a good thing, in my estimation. Rather than waiting until next year for the next big thing, you get the upgrades incrementally as soon as they are available.

Linux works best when it's used as Linux and not as an expected drop-in replacement for Windows.

I use Windows when that is the appropriate tool for a job, and Linux when it is the appropriate tool for a job.

[Welly Wu]

I think that for myself, Ubuntu 14.04.x 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux has evolved and matured to the point whereby I no longer have any desire to use Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh OS X. The biggest catalyst for me has been Valve Corporation's decision to support GNU/Linux including Ubuntu a few years ago. This has been the biggest change yet that has driven me to Ubuntu as my primary and sole desktop operating system. Soon, Codeweavers will support Microsoft DirectX 11 with CrossOver which means that a large number of Microsoft Windows PC games will "just run" right out of the box. For more mundane tasks, I found that most FLOSS software applications get the job done. I have enough closed source, commercial, proprietary software applications that I paid for to meet specific niche needs while using Ubuntu.

[rg4w]

I've had periods of many years using mostly Mac, then mostly Windows, and in recent years mostly Ubuntu. For the last year I've been using Ubuntu almost exclusively. With the clean simplicity of Unity and the solid security of Debian underneath it, this last year has been among the most productive I've ever had, and probably the most enjoyable as well.

[angry_johnnie]

Been using it since 2007. I've used Linux, exclusively, on all of my machines, since 2009. Never ran into a problem I couldn't fix.

[RichardET]

That, I think, is more a function of the public having been steeped in Windows for so long than it is anything "techie". The expectation that things should be like Windows is the greatest hindrance to Linux acceptance. Remove that expectation and Linux is just another operating system, just as German is just another language besides English. If you've spoken English all your life, expecting German to be like English will be the greatest hindrance to learning German.

........................................

Linux works best when it's used as Linux and not as an expected drop-in replacement for Windows.

.........................................

I use Windows when that is the appropriate tool for a job, and Linux when it is the appropriate tool for a job.

I agree with you 100%; It's important to keep OS pluses and minuses in perspective. Using MS Windows is not "selling out" to "big corporate interests." Likewise, writing code for MS Windows is nothing more than a job, which most of us have to have, unless we hit the lotto!

Stallman even claims that using Ubuntu is playing into the hands of "corporate interests."

I guess if one is being a "purist", one should only use Arch Linux or FreeBSD with no X support - then we get the "real" computer experience, as some of us recall from the 1970's?

For me, I really like Ubuntu, I appreciate all the professional work involved with it; But at the same time, I have no problems using Windows on good hardware, which works best with it, especially laptops; This constant kvetching by Linux/*BSD users over lack of wireless drivers, resume/suspend, etc. seems like such a waste of time. With the latest core i7 powered laptops, with 8+ GB of RAM, VM's running on Windows allow one to use FOSS systems, without all the hassles.

Running Windows as a regular user, not administrator, plus maintaining some sort of virus protection, then using a FOSS style VM on top seems like a good plan; then you get the best of both worlds and use the $2000+ laptop one just bought as a true high tech tool, not a toy.

[HermanAB]

I haven't used an actual Windows machine in several years. I only use Mac and Linux. At work, we have 'Offcie' machines and 'Engineering' machines. The engineering laptops run Linux, so that is what I use - for everything.

However, I do have Crossover and multiple Windows virtual machines that I use mainly for MS Office and the occasional Windows dependent programs.

[Welly Wu]

Codeweavers' CrossOver is essential software for me as well and I happily renew my 12 month support entitlement each passing year. I am hoping that Codeweavers will do another Flock the Vote whereby they give away a free 12 month support entitlement in 2016 during the US presidential election cycle again. If so, then I plan to pay for an additional 12 month support entitlement at a steep discount off of the MSRP next year anyway because that is how much I depend on CrossOver software technology. By the end of 2015, CrossOver for GNU/Linux will support Microsoft DirectX 11 technology so that a larger portion of Microsoft Windows 7 and 8.1 PC games will "just run" right out of the box.

This is why I love Ubuntu. There are enough software applications and packages especially from select third party independent software vendors that make it useful for me during my retirement years. Hulu, Netflix, Spotify, CrashPlan+, Codeweavers, VMWare, Bitdefender, TeamViewer, Oracle Java, Adobe Flash, Google Chrome, Google Music Manager, Valve Corporation's Steam, Private Internet Access VPN, etc. all just work right out of the box on both my ZaReason Zeto and Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P PCs. That's quite a bit of third party, closed source, commercial, proprietary, software code that support GNU/Linux and there are still more software companies that are supporting Ubuntu and other GNU/Linux distributions with each passing month.

I found it easy to transition from Microsoft Windows 7 and 8.1 64 bit to Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux. I saved a lot of time and money by switching and I lost nothing in terms of features, capabilities, and functionality. Ubuntu is by far the easiest and most user friendly GNU/Linux desktop distribution currently available that just works right out of the box with both of my PCs and it supports UEFI and Secure Boot technologies as well. Ubuntu helps me to focus on my software applications and to manage my personal user data by getting out of my way.

That said, I may consider a 2015 Razer Blade 14" high end gaming notebook PC at the end of this year. I have roughly 581.00 Steam PC games in my library and I also have a couple of Microsoft Windows 7 and 8.1 64 bit PC games with my Ubisoft U Play and Electronic Arts Origin accounts and libraries that I can not play while using Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux right now. Obviously, I spent a lot of time and money with a few of these PC games in the past and I am reconsidering Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64 bit since I have a lot of software applications that still support older versions that I expect will support the latest version which should ship at the end of this month. There is nothing quite like the 2015 Razer Blade 14" gaming notebook PC on the PC market right now. It has the stylish thin and fairly light design of an Apple MacBook Pro with the PC gaming chops of Razer combined to make it a sleek, powerful, and portable product. I have been thinking about this product for quite some time. Yet, it is still Microsoft Windows regardless of which specific version and that comes with its' own pros and cons. I will continue to wait and save up my money and I will see how I feel this December. I may purchase it.

[Dragonbite]

I should try some of the sticky programs (works in Windows) on Linux through Crossover or the like, again. The list isn't long, but the games are touch on my older hardware (MS Publisher, MS Outlook, and World of Tanks/Warships). What also doesn't help is when Minecraft Mods come with .exe installers. I usually install it on the Windows systems and then take the "installed" files and move them to the Linux system and it works.

I will check out Windows 10, but only to see about updating the Windows 7 or not.

[Dragonbite]

One thing I like about Linux is that antivirus software is not AS needed as it is with Windows. My system is doing some strange things since I added free anti-virus programs (only one on a particular box) and reading this article also makes me a little biBeware: Free Antivirus Isn’t Really Free Anymore (http://www.howtogeek.com/218675/beware-free-antivirus-isnt-really-free-anymore/)!

I, myself, is pretty careful but when the kids are downloading and installing Minecraft Mods and games the like it gets a little bit trickier to verify everything is safe and thoroughly checked.

[PaulW2U]

Ubuntu will work well eventually, and it's not an issue, but I have to use the terminal each time this happens, and it always feels incredibly buggy.

I'm not sure I agree with your findings as I've installed virtually every flavour of Ubuntu on numerous pieces of hardware over the last five years. The only problems that I can remember having are:


Samsung N150 netbook - wi-fi did not work until an updated kernel became available.
Dell 8400 PC - Xubuntu - no sound for several releases but I was switching to Kubuntu anyway so did not ever get to fix the problem.
Unbadged PC - Kubuntu development release - display kept freezing or was laggy. Definitely hardware incompatibility.

But all of those problems were several years ago. I can't say I've had anything to worry about since. Even my most recent purchase of an incredibly cheap Toshiba laptop runs the current development release of Ubuntu better than I expected.

So I guess I'm now in the "Ubuntu just works" group of users here. ;)

[Mike_Walsh]

That's also exactly what happened with Windows Vista in the beginning... manufacturers didn't supply drivers that worked and so things did not work out-of-the-box.

Overall, Ubuntu has worked nicely on my machines but I have to admit they are all 2nd hand (older) and I don't go crazy with them either.

As of late, though, I find the older (of the older) machines having difficulties but the (semi-) up to date machines (duo cores) work alright.

Although I do have 2 laptops without PAE support that gave me trouble (until I changed to another distribution, then they work fine).

Agree 100%! ^^^^

I've only been using the 'buntus for a little over a year. I started off with a single-core Athlon 64 (which still works very well); but I fancied an upgrade, so switched to a dual-core Athlon 64 X2; everything is now snappier, and smoother (despite being 10 yr old+ tech).

My old Dell lappie is PAE-enabled (2.6 GHz P4), but suffers from the most god-awful graphics adapter Intel ever produced; the 82845 'Extreme' Graphics chip. I did eventually get it working with Xubuntu 14.04.2 (via a 'fix' that had been kicking around the forums since before I joined!), but, on the whole, I find it does run faster & more efficiently with 'Puppy' Linux. I dual-boot the two of them.....though, to be honest, getting one of the 'buntus to run on the Dell has become something of a challenge for me over the last 12 months.....!!


We get a lot of people wanting a whinge or rant about how hard Ubuntu sucks when it is actually the hardware and its manufacturer that is the issue. I encourage people to email the manufacturer directly instead.

Hm! Probably very true.....but how anybody can have the sheer cheek to whinge or rant about something that is totally free to use, by anyone who wants to download it.....and which is, to my mind, the most awesome O/S I've personally come across, well.....words fail me.

Not to mention the fact that, apart from a small staff at Canonical, most of the software that goes to make up Ubuntu is written & developed by a lot of people who don't get paid a penny for their efforts.....and who turn out some pretty amazing stuff, when all's said & done.

I rest my case...


Regards,

Mike. :)

[ajgreeny]

Been using Ubuntu (or different DE versions of it) exclusively since Ubuntu 5.04 or 5.10, I can't remember which, without a single show-stopper; a few small hic-cups, I accept, but fewer than I had in Windows.

My first Linux machine was an old AMD Sempron 2400+ which worked brilliantly for an old single core CPU, with an ATI 9200SE graphic card, which worked well with fglrx proprietary driver for a few years until AMD dropped support for those old cards, but even then the OS radeon driver was fine as I'm not a game player.

I now use Intel cpu and integrated graphics, for which Linux and Ubuntu support is extremely good, and as I have no need for any special software I do not have to use wine or any other emulation software (I know; wine is not an emulator, but you know what I mean).

There is nothing I used to do on my windows machine that I can't do just as well and in some cases even better, using Ubuntu, but see my final paragraph below; that is a great shame; if I could do that using Ubuntu I could get rid of that VM.

I do, unfortunately, have to run a VM of WinXP in VBox to update my satnav GPS machine, as it is not possible to use, and not even recognised in Ubuntu.

[Dragonbite]

We get a lot of people wanting a whinge or rant about how hard Ubuntu sucks when it is actually the hardware and its manufacturer that is the issue. I encourage people to email the manufacturer directly instead.

I don't think many manufacturers are too interested in developing for 10 year old (or older) technology. Aren't they more into selling more units than serving things that have lasted beyond their expected lifetimes (which is wha, 2 years these days?)

[tdmeskimo]

Well. I have been using Ubuntu since 8.04 release and as a main desk top OS since 10.04 release. With 10.04 release I really stopped using Windows, I have it in a virtual box now. My biggest rant of hardware really isn't what is in side the computer case, but what is outside of the computer case, the printer! I find that starting to go away too, I have a Samsung ML-2165W and I used to have to work at it to get the printer driver to install. Suddenly with 14.04 release, my Samsung was automatically recognized like most HP printer, and WOW! So for me Ubuntu is very well 5 starts out of 5.

[user1397]

The OP's question has two sides. One is how well ubuntu works for you now, and one is how has it worked for you overall in the past.

As far as in the past, it was a little rough at first (started with 5.10) but I used it as my main OS on and off for years. Some years I would have a computer that had some hardware problems with ubuntu, so I would stick with windows for a while. I also was into some PC games for a while which kept me on windows more often, but I almost always at least dualbooted.

Currently, I have a laptop (specs in my sig) that works flawlessly with ubuntu, and my HP printer was automatically recognized and required 0 configuration as well. I won't be one of those people that blindly thinks linux is better in 100% of situations, but for me it works better than windows in my current setup.

I mostly just browse the web, do some local music, use libreoffice, and program a little (trying to learn). Don't play PC games anymore really so that's not a factor.

I find the convenience of running kubuntu as my main OS to be greater than running windows, simply because of maintenance and security. I feel safer overall using linux, and the maintenance is like trying to compare maintaining an indoor cat with a dog, the dog being windows. I get little bugs here and there every now and then, but nothing major.

No OS is perfect!

[MoebusNet]

Windows-free since 2006! :)
There isn't anything I do that can't be done in Linux. I'm sure there are (by design) applications and hardware that are Window-only, but I haven't needed them.

[help_me2]

Ubuntu will work well eventually, and it's not an issue, but I have to use the terminal each time this happens, and it always feels incredibly buggy.

Have you guys noticed this as well?
Ubuntu has worked incredibly well for me the last 8 years. But I always make sure to have compatible hardware. You can't expect it to work on every computer out there. Will Mac OS work on every computer? No. You have to have compatible hardware. Same with Windows. Get a PC that is linux friendly and you will have a great experience.

Btw, it doesn't feel buggy to me. It is actually more stable than Windows has ever been for me. I was always having issues with Windows, but never have problems with Ubuntu.

[Linuxratty]

In the past, wonderful, now, just as well. No problems. It gets a 10. 12 years on Linux come Sept.

[chrsbrss]

I love Ubuntu, but I'll admit that I'm still stumbling around with it.

I first started playing with it with Ubuntu 12.10 or so, and currently have Ubuntu 14.04 as my primary computer with my attempt to get 14.04 server set up.

My biggest issue is that I'll install something using the command line, but screw up someplace and need to totally re-install the OS again, but not nearly as often as I did a few years ago. My current set up has Lubuntu 14.04 (with Ubuntu full desktop as well) Ubuntu Server 14.04 that I'm currently working on to be a backup of all of my files on Lubunt and Windows, and I just purchased a Windows desktop to replace my Windows laptop that crashed here a few weeks ago. As a rule, I do all of my standard day to day things on my Lubuntu/Ubuntu computer and all of my video editing on my Windows computer.

[yetimon_64]

After 8 years it still works nicely, no major problems. Had some trouble with this new laptop being very new hardware with hybrid graphics but the xorg edgers ppa fixed that nicely. There is some hardware that is unlikely to ever get full support it appears (fingerprint readers in mind there) but generally speaking I'm finding the quality on Trusty is no worse than when I first started on Gutsy, some of the feature changes I initially balked at using I now have come to understand any can use easily while still being able to tweak things to my liking. The style of OS has changed drastically in that time but I don't equate that as a degradation of quality in any way.

In all my years of usage only one machine of mine had AMD graphics, the rest have been Nvidia. With the exception of this one with hybrid graphics needing the xorg edgers ppa, I have on most of the installs only used the GUI tool to install the graphics driver without fail. The couple of times I tried the nvidia site packages I messed up badly and being relatively new at the time ended up doing reinstalls, that very quickly got me into the habit of using the Additional drivers utility. I must admit to actually liking using the terminal for installing and in particular updating the system. I got into some trouble with the update manager gui (at the time I came to call it "Update Mangler") and partial updates being offered early on causing grief, so now out of habit I'll revert to a terminal if any update notifications come through.

Using bash aliases doing an update and upgrade only requires me to type "agug" (for "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade") and swiping my finger across the fingerprint reader or for a dist-upgrade "agdu" is used etc. After bludgeoning the system into building a driver from source code for the fingerprint reader I have now actually forgotten my sudo password (no longer needed \\:D/), nice easy and safe updating from the terminal with no password or sudoers file alterations for such a set up being needed.

For my needs this operating system does very nicely indeed. Cheers, yeti.

[richlion2]

First off, I'm not here to generate any genuine negative feelings. No point in doing so, and I have positive feelings for Ubuntu.

Now, where my main point is. Has it degraded in quality as a result of 'easiness?' I don't mean that in the sense that an O/S shouldn't incorporate it, but has it worked well for most people? For example, restricted drivers via the GUI never seem to work. I have to download the nvidia run or do it via the terminal, which isn't a big problem, but I notice this every release. The same goes for the 'Ubuntu Restricted' Package. I ALWAYS have to re-install the microsoft fonts via the terminal, since the terminal presents me with an ncurses interface that never pops up via the GUI (obviously, but I don't get like a pyGTk app or anything like that).

Ubuntu will work well eventually, and it's not an issue, but I have to use the terminal each time this happens, and it always feels incredibly buggy. It's not restricted to my PC because I have recommended it in the past, I have tried it on my computers and others, but there's always a hump to overcome (again, it's easy to do so by just using the terminal, but that's what I don't want to see fit since I don't want to be the primary support contact for everyone).

Have you guys noticed this as well?

Hi,

I was very attached to Sabayon Linux (a Gentoo Binary version) since 2007. It worked very up to a point... About 3-4 months ago they released the newest Nvidia drivers and everything went downhill and I got fed up. Gentoo does not provide the right solution to the Nvidia problem. Install the system -works. Apply system update and the screen goes black with too many awkward solutions - system is basically dead.

I switched to Kubuntu. This distro handled the recent Nvidia problems very neatly (please note my underline is to emphasize the handling of the problem, so I am surprised people still have issued), because by default it starts with a default non-nvidia graphics driver and all you have to do it use the graphics applet in KDE to switch to the not so recent Nvidia driver recommended.
http://www.binarytides.com/install-nvidia-drivers-ubuntu-14-04/
(you need to strip out the installation of the drivers, as Kubuntu has them installed already after the installation)
All my problems are now gone.
For the past 3-4 months I tested Kubuntu thoroughly on 2 PC's (both with ATI graphics cards) and various laptops, HP with Nvidia (2x), 1 Acer with Nvidia. Updating the system has never broken my system.

I don't know where you get your problems from, maybe you have a rather specific issues, but to answer your main question "How 'well' does Ubuntu work for most of you guys" - for me I have absolutely no problems. The software installation package is brilliant, nicely designed and easy to use. The whole system installation process cannot be easier. Believe me, Ubuntu has done a really great job and I'd rate it 5 starts out of 5. The installation process, sequence of screens and setups - I think it's one of the top designs. This is now my only Linux distro at home.

You may ask the question what do I use it for? With an old Dell with an ATI graphics card it's all the basics, email, Skype, watching videos, Music, etc. I don't play games. I did try to install stuff needed for watching Blue-ray videos from an external Samsung USB drive, but due to DRM problems I abandoned the attempt, but this is not an Ubuntu issue of course. I also use it to launch my Forex platform that uses Java. The main thing - all the stuff just work and updates do not break my system, which is why I abandoned Gentoo.

I'd also mention documentation, I think it's also one of the best distros, really really good work, even using "sudo apt-get" shouldn't scare anyone.

Regards,
Richard

[Welly Wu]

I think that Ubuntu gets a lot of criticism simply because it works for many people with few problems and they either expect the same results from a different GNU/Linux or BSD distribution or they get bored with it and they start distro hopping in hopes that another one will be similar enough for them to learn to get by with it. Let us be clear. Canonical is in charge of the Ubuntu project and it is forging its own path with a clear agenda and set goals along with a plan to implement gradual changes over time. It is still a free and open source software project that is becoming more proprietary especially with regard to the future Canonical software licenses that will undoubtedly emerge with future versions to align with its own best interests in mind. The company does not make a lot of revenues and profits from the desktop market. Ubuntu is well engineered especially if you stick with the currently supported LTS versions for a long period of time. It works because of its' community worldwide that support one another such as the Ubuntu Forums. One thing that Ubuntu users need to keep in mind is that a lot of new users especially from competing and commercial desktop operating systems choose to try Ubuntu through word of mouth recommendations and the help and technical support along with training that goes with it like a hand in glove. This is why I was able to give away a bunch of older notebook PCs and install the latest Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux desktop operating system on each one because I am there to provide the hardware, software, help, support, and training necessary for each of my friends to feel comfortable enough to learn how to use Ubuntu as their daily driver. This is the driving force that further spreads the adoption of Ubuntu worldwide and it is the reason why I choose to stick with it after many years simply because these set of conditions don't readily exist with other GNU/Linux or BSD UNIX distributions. I see more people migrating away from Apple Macintosh OS X and Microsoft Windows because they are facing tough economic challenges or they are tired of being trapped in those ecosystems. Most people only use a sliver of the full features and capabilities of any desktop or mobile operating system and they perform the same basic tasks and functions repetitively to gain experience and skill sets. Ubuntu is simple and easy enough to learn without overwhelming users with a cornucopia of advanced features and capabilities and almost everything is available for free of charge. There are no hidden costs or gotchas associated with Ubuntu yet there are a growing number of software products within the Ubuntu Software Center to cater to specific users' needs for more advanced features and capabilities without overwhelming the number of established free, libre, open source software packages that are available for users to explore and discover new software to replace more popular, commercial, and expensive software products typically found with Mac or Windows. On the whole, Ubuntu is a carefully designed, well thought out, and well engineered software project that strives to make the right tradeoffs to balance usability, user friendliness, features, capabilities, and especially hardware and software compatibility. More people are becoming generalists in that they are discontinuing the usage of commercial and expensive software products and they are choosing to focus on their web browser and its' ecosystem to provide more basic features and capabilities for free of charge. So, the desktop operating system becomes less important of a choice for consideration for the foreseeable future. More people choose to embrace Ubuntu because they immediately appreciate the financial cost savings and the level of customization and flexibility that it offers for free of charge as a result.

Ubuntu offers the lowest barriers of entry for many users worldwide. It gets out of each users' way and it introduces each user to the FLOSS ecosystem. It also puts them in charge to access and manipulate their data assets or content more directly with fewer costs and restrictions while allowing them to enjoy greater cross platform compatibility especially when Apple and Microsoft customers choose to embrace more FLOSS packages and they share open formats and standards. The community is more diverse and inclusive and it shows its' humanity toward others through openness and a willingness to reach out and help fellow Ubuntu users worldwide. More users choose Ubuntu because it means fewer technical challenges especially when collaborating together on projects or data to achieve a common goal or result.

Once you choose to purchase, own, or use an Apple or Microsoft product or service, you close yourself off into an ecosystem that constantly needs more customers to pay higher prices for the latest and greatest hardware and software just to get new features and capabilities each passing year. GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX are the antithesis and the antidote to the pros and cons of using commercial software products given real world limitations imposed by budget and the number of customers or PCs. Ubuntu is the main targeted GNU/Linux distribution for more independent software vendors to port their commercial software products at a growing rate of adoption with each passing month. I purchased, downloaded, installed, set up, configured, and use a ton of them myself and I am not wanting for anything when using Ubuntu 14.04.x 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux on both my Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P or ZaReason Zeto PCs. By saving $100.00+ USD per PC by not using Microsoft Windows, I can spend the same amount of money or more to purchase more hardware or software products, services, or subscriptions as a result. While I do like the FLOSS philosophy, I am a pragmatist and I choose the best tool for each job. In no way, shape, or form is Ubuntu limiting my available choices to use either FLOSS or commercial, closed source, hardware or software products or services. I get to use select Microsoft Windows software products and services with the same level of features, capabilities, and performance compared to when I used to own and use Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional with Media Center Update 64 bit. Yet, I am not beset by the financial, legal, or technical limitations imposed by Microsoft Corporation any longer. Ubuntu affords me more choices, freedom, and liberties to choose how to use both of my PCs and it does not betray my trust in connecting my PCs to the Internet, World Wide Web, or both local and online accounts. Ubuntu is not spying on me because I know the principles of defense in depth, multi level and multi layer security, and protecting my privacy. Ubuntu takes privacy and security seriously and it is easy to turn off the Amazon search results and to turn off the Ubuntu Dash web search results for faster performance.

More people in my small social network use Ubuntu because I am here to help and support them. Ubuntu is the natural choice for us because of these stated reasons and it works well for each of us. I almost never get panicky telephone calls or urgent e-mail messages from my friends and fellow Ubuntu users. I almost always get requests for my help and technical support from Apple and Microsoft customers and I have to travel to fix their problems for them. For example, my aunt Julie N. owns a mid 2010 Apple MacBook Pro 13" and she never knew about the existence of software products to manage her accounts and passwords. She still uses a pencil and paper to write down each account ID and password. She forgot her Apple iCloud password and got locked out of her Mac e-mail account. She is studying to become a project management professional and her certification program requires her to use Microsoft Access, Project, and Visio software products which are not available for Apple Macintosh OS X. I had to purchase, download, install, set up, configure and teach her how to use Codeweavers' CrossOver for Mac along with Microsoft 2010 Access, Project Professional, and Visio Professional so she can continue her studies. Now, she needs to purchase, download, install, and use Rita Mulcahy's PM Fast Track version 8 which is only available for Microsoft Windows 7 or 8.1 64 bit. It will cost her $300.00 USD to use this software product so that she can practice retired PMP test questions and answers to prepare her to sit and take her official project management certification examination. My father uses Microsoft Windows 8.1 Home 64 bit and he constantly calls me with complaints that something broke or his Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Touch got infected with malware again. He spends most of his time in a deep state of frustration when a software product breaks or his desktop operating system crashes yet again and he has to perform another Lenovo OneKey system recovery to reinstall Microsoft Windows 8.0 64 bit from scratch, upgrade to Windows 8.1 64 bit, update to the latest update, and reinstall his favorite software applications along with restoring his personal user data. He has done this many times in the past and I have had to travel to see my father and aunt many times to fix their technical issues at their apartment or home in the past. Now, I use TeamViewer 10 to do most of my work remotely and securely, but it is limited to software related technical issues at best. If my father purchases a new hardware device and it does not work with Microsoft Windows 8.1 Home 64 bit Update, then I have to travel to his apartment again to fix it and get it to work for him.

[SantaFe]

Actually it doesn't work for me at all! I keep telling it to get off the computer & get a job but it refuses! Lazy ingrate! :D :D

[Geoffrey_Arndt]

what happened to the Original Poster . . . . all these responses not supporting his premises and assumptions? If anyone truly wants a fair, apples to apples type of comparison of Ubuntu (or any Linux) to Windows, let them buy a fully pre-loaded, pre-designed Linux system. Then the differences, if tallied up, will favor Ubuntu overall.

But I do take exception to the old adage "build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door" . . . . not true. One has to fully "market" the better mousetrap and be as ingenious as Bill Gates and Ballmer were in the early day of PC'ing.

[Linuxratty]

what happened to the Original Poster . . . . all these responses not supporting his premises and assumptions? If anyone truly wants a fair, apples to apples type of comparison of Ubuntu (or any Linux) to Windows, let them buy a fully pre-loaded, pre-designed Linux system. Then the differences, if tallied up, will favor Ubuntu overall.



Come Sept. I'll have been a Linux user for 12 years! And at the end of the day, yes,it's far and above better than Windows.
And I feel that's been the fly in Ubuntu's ointment, no marketing.

Looks like he headed for the hills. What did he expect anyway? This is a Ubuntu forum and most of us here have been using it for years. We are not going to say:"Yeah,it's toast and I'm going to W10,woohoo!"

[dhunt84971]

Can't agree more on the "marketing" over "better" thing. I am using a full fledged System76 born with Ubuntu 14.10. When I compare this to my work provided Windows 7 Professional system which has similar hardware specs; they both run quite well. Of course the Ubuntu system boots much faster and shuts down much faster, but a lot of that is because of the lack of anti-virus software and office IT bloatware. I use VMs to run a lot of "Windows Only" and legacy software, but even there I can go back and forth between the two systems with little issue. I do miss the multiple workspaces when I am on the Windows system and I find that all file transfer operations are faster with native EXT4. Just as there are some software packages I miss on Ubuntu like OneNote and Visual Studio.

At the end of the day, it seems to me that there are very few differences for the average user. In fact, most of the people I have let use an Ubuntu computer for a short period didn't even really think about the Operating System or know what an OS even is for that matter. They just used it for their basic needs (mostly web browsing and email) and that's it.

[pissedoffdude]

what happened to the Original Poster . . . . all these responses not supporting his premises and assumptions? If anyone truly wants a fair, apples to apples type of comparison of Ubuntu (or any Linux) to Windows, let them buy a fully pre-loaded, pre-designed Linux system. Then the differences, if tallied up, will favor Ubuntu overall.


Heh, for one I'm busy enough as it is with work. I used to be a distro hopper and totally enjoyed tinkering with every part of my linux system, which is why I still run arch as well. I've gotten to the point where I get exhausted fixing issues daily, and so I wanted something that 'just works.'

I'm definitely not saying Ubuntu's a bad distro. I'm just saying on 3 pc's (one being a dell xps 13), I've had issues getting the HW and SW working correctly by using Ubuntu's built in tools such as the restricted drivers manager and Software Center. For instance, the software center freezes constantly in my case and occasionally breaks packages, though this can be fixed with the 'apt-get install -f' and the restricted drivers manager never gets around to installing nvidia's proprietary drivers on the non xps machines.

So I was wondering if other Ubuntu users find some buginess in the area as well. Looks like it's probably just the hw in my case. I can't complain if the system is up and running at the end of the day. I'm just a little frustrated at putting in a little bit of extra effort. At the same time, I did end up making the mistake and believing everything will just work with Ubuntu without putting much consideration into my hw

[fkkroundabout]

^ yes i had graphics card problems with a RADEON 6670 when i first tried ubuntu/mint, but they have since been resolved in the latest FGLRX drivers, it seems, and it worked out of the box nowadays

but recently i switched graphics card, motherboard, and processor, all entirely different brands, one being a lesser known, etc, all in the same day, and everything worked straight away, without any adjustments !
curiously i actually expected the ethernet not to work as i had read it might not before i did any of this, and i spent time trying to work out why it wasn't working, before i realised i hadn't plugged it in >.< then it worked straight away... oops
this wasn't on ubuntu, but i would expect all the major linux distros would be equally flexible with hardware changes, since they all tend to use the same drivers/kernel.

[Geoffrey_Arndt]

IF, repeat, IF someone does either of these 2 basic things:

> do their "due diligence" re hardware & UEFI up front (before trying to force a Linux install), OR,
> obtains their PC the very same exact way they obtained their Windows PC's, any comparisons between the OS's is total BeeEss.

I've had plenty of experience with NOT doing the above, and vice-versa.

Many, if not most, of the minor issues with "hardware & software" incompatibility (on Linux friendly hardware) are a result of user inexperience or incorrect procedures (imho).

I didn't start off with Linux (Xandros) in 2003 because of gross dissatisfaction with Windows performance (especially as I am career IT), but for something so critical (consumer or business OS's) to be limited to Apple and Microsoft is just plain insane. Monopolies and cartels will always serve their own interests to the "exclusion" of consumer interests if they can get away with it (and that's exactly what happened . . . look how long it took (12 years?) for MS to finally provide their own AV suite, or how long it took for them to update IE6? It took Mozilla FF and Opera to finally send a message). The other benefits of Linux and Ubuntu in particular were just gravy.

A final thought, software lock-in is the other critical issue with making a full or easy conversion away from MS-Windows. A great web-site that I frequently access and try to promote is: "alternative-to" . Although there are exceptions, MOST of the time there are Linux substitutes - - including many high end apps like CAD, Accounting, POS, and of course, (re networking, security apps, well, Linux rules there).

[earruda]

I like Ubuntu, but I am not a Unity fan. Thankfully there are other Ubuntu flavors for me to choose.

I too have the graphics driver issue every time I install Ubuntu, and sometimes when I dist upgrade it, but I can live with that. I like to setup a Linux machine, install packages and such.

[pissedoffdude]

I've had plenty of experience with NOT doing the above, and vice-versa.

Many, if not most, of the minor issues with "hardware & software" incompatibility (on Linux friendly hardware) are a result of user inexperience or incorrect procedures (imho).



A lot of it is, yes. My frustration was mainly due to not everything working out of the box as I expected. That's my fault to be honest, but I didn't experience this on arch, etc, and the problems were solved. Why I was a bit upset at the time I wrote the thread was because I had to go into the terminal to fix it.



A final thought, software lock-in is the other critical issue with making a full or easy conversion away from MS-Windows. A great web-site that I frequently access and try to promote is: "alternative-to" . Although there are exceptions, MOST of the time there are Linux substitutes - - including many high end apps like CAD, Accounting, POS, and of course, (re networking, security apps, well, Linux rules there).

Eh, I find this irrelevant to the original point. As bad as this sounds, why I wanted everything to work out of the box is because I'm in the IT field. And trust me, linux users are way better than Windows ones (in that field I mean!). First, its more stable, its easy to obtain a java thread dump, and APIs and Soap services can easily be called via curl, so I can go on about the advantages, but yeah I'd argue linux is better on both the server and desktop

Not saying Windows, or in fact, any other linux distro is easier for the new user. But I also don't think we shouldn't be able to criticize Ubuntu where it falls short. That's what makes it epic. That you can complain about specific parts and the community will do its best to help solve your current problems as they stand, or via a code fix going forward

[ashley-a]

Ubuntu is fine for me.
The only thing I have done is install
sudo apt-get install gnome-session-flashback so that I didn't have to use conical's buggy unity environment. Its too slow for me on my ancient acer extensa 5212 laptop ;)

[Dragonbite]

I've had plenty of experience with NOT doing the above, and vice-versa.

Many, if not most, of the minor issues with "hardware & software" incompatibility (on Linux friendly hardware) are a result of user inexperience or incorrect procedures (imho).

That's all great when you have a choice on the system. Mine are usually take-it-or-leave-it handouts that I have no choice in the matter unless I want to pay to upgrade the graphics card or other components.

Thankfully more times than not, Linux works on the device enough to make it useful and it has for a long time, improved with age (items not supported at one time becomes supported, etc.)

It just seems lately I have found some things going the other way (things that were supported before are now not supported.. ) like my webcam.

But that has led me to distro-hopping between the "big 3"; Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE. Usually one or the other can be made to work.