Ubuntu's whys & wherefores

[Kay The Bantu]

1. how long have you been using ubuntu?
2.what were you using before?
3.why ubuntu?

for me i've been using ubuntu for 4 months now, i used fedora core 6 and ms before then, why ubuntu? why not? so what about you?

[Brunellus]

I've been running Ubuntu since November/December 2004.

I was using SuSE 9.10 Personal before, and before that Microsoft WinME.

I wanted apt/deb. I wanted a reasonably up to date system. I wanted GNOME by default. I was fed up with SuSE 9.10, RPM and dependency hell.

[PartisanEntity]

Been using Ubuntu since October 2006. I chose Ubuntu because it was recommended to me by a friend and upon trying out the Live CD I was impressed with the ease of installation.

Before I was using Windows XP.

[karellen]

I use ubuntu (constantly) since spring of 2006
Before I used fedora core 5/windows xp (dual boot)
I use ubuntu because it's stable, fast, has a large and helpful community, huge repos, easy and reliable package management, frequent and up-to-date releases and, not the last, a very close-to-my-heart philosophy ("ubuntu")

[bonzodog]

I used ubuntu from November 2005 - June 2006, when I switched to Zenwalk Linux. Before that , Slackware was my main OS, I ditched it because of it's lack of gnome support, and running an old version of Xfce.

[aysiu]

1. how long have you been using ubuntu? Since May 2005.
2.what were you using before? Mepis for a month, and Windows for over a decade before that (and MS-DOS before that).
3.why ubuntu? The community, the documentation.

[Teh Dust]

I've been using since June 2005 when I acquired the cd from a friend giving them out at a LAN party saying "Who wants to try out the best operating system in the world?!" I didn't completely ditch MS till October 2006 when Edgy came out. Before I used XP and played around with other distros such as Fedora and Mandrivia. I switched because of my experiences with vista beta, I also loved the desktop compositing effects and the ease of the add/remove program feature. I found I could do everything I wanted faster and easier with Ubuntu and made it my default OS.

[Hallvor]

1. Since January 2007.

2. Windows XP, Windows 98, Windows 95 and Windows 3.11(?). edit: forgot about DOS.

3. I just read some good things about Ubuntu and Linux in general on the internet, and decided to give it a try. Besides, I like the philosophy of free open source software.

[gerrymoth]

Been using Ubuntu Feisty Beta since 21st March 2007, before was a WinXP, WinME & Win95 user.

Originally tried out Ubuntu as a dual boot on my laptop to see what its like and the intention was to install Kunbuntu on my home PC for the kids to use, as my 9yr old daughter was for ever getting spyware and the odd virus surfing the net clicking on anything with a picture in it and swapping files with her friends on MSN. I've restricted her internet use with Firefox and a few add-ons and limited her to a select number of websites. The MSN thing I've threatened her with.
I'm very vigilant with firewalls (Hardware & Software), anti-virus, anti-spyware and the like, but I'm not using the home PC as much and its a pain to have to update to PC's every week, cos the daughter's friends Mum's & Dad's are PC dummies and have virus ridden systems.

So Ubuntu & Kubuntu looked like the idea option, let her friends with Windows systems keep their viruses and she'd be unable to install anything on the PC without me knowing.

I know its only a few weeks using Ubuntu, but I'm loving it. I loaded Firestarter and Avast for Linux, just for my Windows background reassurance, cos that's what Microsoft make you PARANOID.
All the application which come with Ubuntu are brilliant, I especially like Gaim for MSN/yahoo/AIM chat, I did use Trillian with WinXp, but I prefer the simplicity of Gaim. I've loaded VLC, Gnomebaker and AcidRip for all DVD enjoyment and Rhythmbox Music Player handles all my Music playing and works okay with my iPod Mini 4GB, can't get radio streaming to work though, will paly one song them freeze?

One think which has been the most enjoyable for me is the 25 second bootup and 5 second shutdown which I seem to be getting with Ubuntu.

[jariku]

1. I've been using Ubuntu for a couple of months now. I tried Ubuntu 4.10 when it was released, but I didn't like it. Then I tried 6.10 a few months ago and after a few weeks I switched to 7.04.

2. Gentoo and Windows XP. Now I'm using Ubuntu, Foresight and Windows XP.

3. I prefer Linuces with a good community support, like Ubuntu and Gentoo. I'm hoping Foresight's community will eventually be like these two.

[Dragonbite]

1. how long have you been using ubuntu?

A little over a year. First ShipIt order was sent 10/7/2005 (BB)
2.what were you using before?

Gentoo and Windows
RedHat before Gentoo
3.why ubuntu?

I had gotten a CPU that was more powerful than my existing desktop and decided I wanted something easy to install, run and update so I could concentrate on using the computer, not making and updating everything.
Read a lot about Ubuntu and when I found out ShipIt would send the CD for free I quickly gave it a try. Pleasantly surprised, they actually shipped it and I got it in less than the 4-6 weeks!!
Since then I've enjoyed the community and the ease of maintaining it.

Unfortunately my wife is more familiar with Windows and Windows Programs (Word, Publisher and Photoshop to be precise) and isn't too interested in learning something new at this point.
So decided to change the old computer into the kid's computer and installed Edubuntu.
:popcorn:

[daynah]

1. I've been using Ubuntu for a year and a half, just a few months less than when I started dating my boyfriend is how I keep track. I started on Breezy.

2. I was using Windows... 98? XP? I don't remember, whatever dad put on the computer.

3. Why Ubuntu? Why do I exist? What purpose do I have in life (I'm saying this is a hard question :P)? One day, windows ate run32.dll. After much tears, I go to stick in the windows installation disk and I stop. Lightbulb over the head. "Hey, this sounds like a good time to try that linux thing. I mean, I can't break my computer anymore than it just did!"

So I waddle over to my dad's computer. I think I googled "easy linux" or something like that. I didn't even know there were different versions on linux. Someone's website says, "If you want a real easy linux, go to Ubuntu." I say, "great!" and five minutes later (I'm implusive...) I'm burning a CD. Never looked back, yo.

So basically because a website told me to. O_o

[FuturePilot]

1. I've been using Ubuntu since June 2006.
2. I used to use Windows before Ubuntu.
3. Ubuntu was only the second distro I tried and it just worked right out of the box so I stayed with it. I've been experimenting lately with other distros, but I keep coming back to Ubuntu because it's simply the best:D

[ahaslam]

1. how long have you been using ubuntu? I used Breezy & Dapper for 1 year exclusively.
2.what were you using before? Yoper
3.why ubuntu? It was more modern than Yoper with more packages & a great community. It also seemed cleaner than other polished distro's, less bloat while letting you add bloat with ease.

What am I using now? Zenwalk. Not that I have anything against Ubuntu, I'm just a b1tch for speed & simplicity.

[Quillz]

I've been using Ubuntu since 6.06, and before that, I usually used Windows XP.

[mykalreborn]

1.september 2006
2. win95, win98 - these two in 2005 :O and then winxp
3. i wanted to change after i installed litestep on windows and saw that it didn't quite change the gui. that was my main concern. and then i downloaded ubuntu and i've been human ever since :D

[fredxor]

I've been using Ubuntu for about four months. I've used other distributions before, but I never stayed with them and I always went back to Windows. I chose Ubuntu because I like its ease of use. I chose to switch to Linux because of the direction that Windows Vista was going in. I've had almost no problems with Ubuntu, and I've easily fixed all of the problems that have come up. I only use Windows XP for playing non-Linux games and for printing with Lexmark printers.

[matthew]

1. how long have you been using ubuntu?Since April 2005

2.what were you using before?Let's see...I played with Debian, Gentoo, FreeBSD, Mepis, and a few other Linux distros. Before that I used Windows XP, Me, 3.11, 3.0, and DOS 6.11, 5.0, 4.0, MacOS and Unix in the mid 1980's.

3.why ubuntu?All my hardware worked easily--that is what got me started. I read the philosophy and was intrigued. Then, I got involved in the community and loved it.

[tbroderick]

1.how long have you been using ubuntu?

I been trying out Ubuntu releases since the Warty preview was announced in 2004.


2.what were you using before?

Using Linux since Red Hat 5.2 Before Warty came out I was using Gentoo.


3..why ubuntu?

At the time of Warty, there were few distros (especially live CD's) with GNOME as the default. There was Morphix and that was pretty much it.

Arch Linux is my home now, but I still try out new releases of Ubuntu, Gentoo and Debian.

[eentonig]

1. About a year now. 6months with only Ubuntu at Home.
2. - Home use: browsing, mail, IM, music and photocollection.
- Proff.: Trying different network apps, monitoring tools, etc.
3. Tried Suse a few years back and ditched it for it's lack of HW support (not their fault) and dependency hell. Played a bit with KNOPPIX, but wasn't to fond of KDE. Got to know about Ubuntu. Love Gnome, love apt-get, love the community support.

[Sunflower1970]

1. how long have you been using ubuntu?
2.what were you using before?
3.why ubuntu?


Since December 30th
Windows XP
Because what I read on it it was a user-friendly type Linux which is what I was looking for.

[tehkain]

At the release of 5.04

Fedora and XP

Hmm. I was looking for synaptic and apt along with gnome. Since I am a simple, effective, and 'best app for the job' kinda guy and Ubuntu had that with the Debian base and Gnome interface. I liked rpms but the apps I wanted to use seemed always to be available in Deb format. Plus on my servers(around 02) I was used to aptitude and the like so I wanted to maintain that kinda of usability on my desktop.

[Upperbann]

(1) I've been using Ubuntu since July 2006, started on my 65th birthday.



(2) I was using Windows XP.



(3) I thought it was time I tried Linux.

[stee]

How long have I been using ubuntu?
About three weeks, I guess. I tried the xubuntu live cd about half a year before, but wasn't sure I wanted to keep it. When uninstalling I got into lots of mbr troubles and that put me off for a while.

What were you using before?
Windows XP Home... still using it, but less and less

Why Ubuntu?
With the Vista being introduced I found that I had to find some alternative for the future. I do not want to be controlled and restricted regarding media files. Why this distro? I wanted something easy and good. Actually, I installed Kubuntu first, then installed Gnome on top of that and found I preferred it. So I did a clean install about a week ago.