Ubuntu... why is it special?

[blueyedboy88]

Okay so you buy Vista for the glass... you buy Mac for iLife... but why do you get Ubuntu? I used to be an XP user ( and I loved it! ) but after switching to Ubuntu ( 7.10 ) I discovered... I REALLY love Ubuntu! It does all the things iLife can do, and you can easily give yourself glass... and who can beat the security and speed! And here's the best part... it's completely FREE! So here's my question I guess, since I'm new and want to get the most out of my Ubuntu, what do you guys recommend ( applications, tweaks, etc. ). I love the idea that every Linux desktop is different ( we're like pretty little snowflakes lol ).

[oldb0y]

Somehow I don't see the connection between your title and your first post...
Have you tried CompizFusion (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CompositeManager/CompizFusion)?

[maniacmusician]

Somehow I don't see the connection between your title and your first post...
Have you tried CompizFusion (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CompositeManager/CompizFusion)?
I think that's probably what he meant by "glass"

[blueyedboy88]

I was just commenting on how everyones Ubuntu computer is different and how each one kind of represents the owners personality... at the end of the message I also asked if there were any really cool ways to personalize Ubuntu and also if there were cool applications ( nothing specific, I'm just a newbie and I don't really know what Ubuntu can really DO you know? ).

[sybille]

Okay so you buy Vista for the glass... you buy Mac for iLife... but why do you get Ubuntu?
You get Ubuntu for that special X factor of coolness. Or something like that...

Seriously, though, the big deal about Ubuntu is that is based almost completely on Free software which, as a user, gives you the four freedoms of the GPL (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html): to use, study, copy, and distribute or share any modifications of the code. So your computer, your data, and the software you use is really yours. It does not belong to someone else who can decide for you.

Being given all of this wonderful software and freedom is really an amazing, inspiring thing, if you think about it. It's found in the meaning of the name of this distribution: 'Humanity to others', or 'I am what I am because of who we all are.' (http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu)

That's why I've gotten Ubuntu, anyway. Along with the cool X factor spinning cube thing, and so on, of course... 8-)

So what do you want to do? There's probably some way to do it with Linux.

[HermanAB]

'Cause it works.

[NovaAesa]

You should check out Conkey

[steveneddy]

Ubuntu is so cool because of these forums.

[ynnhoj]

Ubuntu is so cool because of these forums.
exactly -- i think it's the community element that differentiates ubuntu from so many other linux distributions.

it's also very simple, i think; maybe a bit less intimidating to folks who are new to linux. kind of like a.. "gateway distribution?"

[Romanus81]

I got bored with windows XP because any big customization software cost $$$, and that's all about all I did.
Seriously, Compiz Fusion and the massive amount of customization is what sold it for me.
I have 6 different sides to my desktop, and the way compiz utilizes it makes working so much better. I'm a lot more organized than I was with windows when I was bound to the 1440x900 space I had, now I have 8640x900

[hhhhhx]

Okay so you buy Vista for the glass... you buy Mac for iLife... but why do you get Ubuntu?.

difference, you haft to buy vista and mac.

THe real amazing thing with ubuntu, and linux is almost infinite expandability in either dirrection(completely barebones system or over hyped with 3 sli'd nvidia 8800 gtx cards running crysis through wine :))

[Xbehave]

the cube
the zoom
the wiimote mouse
the pidgin/firefox/gnumeric
the safety (no virii)
the lists we all love lists right?

[HermanAB]

I always thought Windows is Special and Linux is Smart...

[blueyedboy88]

I definately think that if you look at a Windows forum, then look here you'll see a huge difference. Being a Windows user for so long, I saw alot of those forums. Cocky little nerdboys talking to you like you're an idiot... who needs them! There's such a sense of community here :) Gives me that warm tingly feeling inside ;) lol

[ksennin]

Well, Ubuntu became my choice because of security/Cost issues.

I live in the 3rd world, where paying a couple hundred dolars for software is a very heavy hit on personal finances. The solution for most everyone here is software piracy, shakily rationalized thru the old we-are-exploited-by-the-bigpowers-anyway excuse. But I do not find it morally acceptable. I bought a locally-assembled pc, with an OEM copy of WinXP Home (a year later I am still sweating the expense) but instead of pirating Norton and Office, I sought freeware applications to allow me to use my system for multiple tasks, and thankfully, there were acceptable options. I even managed to introduce freeware alternatives for several programs at my office. Still, there were several things I wanted to do that could only be done thru expensive propietary programs, where the freeware alternatives were not polished or versatile enough, and that set me thinking. I collected freeware applications, why not take the next step?

I was also not happy about glitches in XPHome that I did not see in my workplace XP Pro one, with the switch to Pro being finantially undesirable. Then there was a bad outbreak at the office of USB-carried viruses that took three different AV programs to solve. Finally, when one day my pc decided to reboot after an update in the middle of a Laaaaaaarge file download, and the active windows icons in the task bar disappeared forever for arcane reasons, I decided to try something else.

I ran the Ubuntu 7.10 liveCD and I was sold. Office applications, torrent managers, even comic readers were there for loading. Free and stable.
I had collected win-based freeware, and the system was now listing available options from me as matter of fact. It even could access my win filesystems. And there was the cool music at startup, too!

All that just appealed to my personal philosophies, so here I am.

[lespaul_rentals]

I use Ubuntu because it's very easy to configure and it's actually fun to use. Windows has its place and all, but it's great to be able to change your kicker background, use a different window manager, experiment with different software, and all that. It also helps you learn about computers because it's advanced and made for those willing to learn. Probably my favorite part about Linux and Ubuntu is that it's so easy to use SSH, FTP, VNC, and other such awesome services. You can seamlessly integrate them.

[KThrace]

I just find Ubuntu to be a lot more "clean" than something like Vista. It feels more solid, and less prone to breaking or random crashing. I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to how a system is set up, so the smoother the experience, the better I feel. On my system, Vista just doesn't feel smooth. Maybe if I had more hardware it would, but this computer's powerful enough for everything else so why get more hardware just for an OS?

[CJ56]

Speaking personally...

- They got it absolutely right with the live/sampler disk which lets you discover to your amazement that linux works, and then lets you install it onto your HDD with one click on a desktop icon. Intelligent marketing, in other words

- Not too huge & daunting a distro. Installs quickly, feels straightforward and sensible

- Provided you can get it to work, it works like a dream

- Then when you get sucked into the whole Ubuntu thing, the forums are informative, challenging and yes, funny. Who else rabbits on like this?

All this from an OS? Who'd have thought it?

[ellis rowell]

As said before, it just works and keeps on working.
Tonight I turned off the wrong switch, power failure to the computer. I started it up again with no problems, now had it have been Windows...........................................