My experience with my new Macbook (osx vs ubuntu)

[NickArgyle]

Last summer I bought a new laptop (hpdv9000), hoping to use it for some light gaming and to do schoolwork on. I am a senior in highschool and will be graduating next week; as I contemplated my college plans for next year I realized that my notebook simply will not work for class. It gets about 1 hour of battery life and is simply a huge computer (for a laptop). I would need something that would actually be usable for long lectures in college without the need for a power outlet, and so I bought a refurbished macbook.

It is a white macbook, 1 gig of ram, 120 gig hd, dual core etc. Now, My old laptop ran ubuntu exclusively, and I have been an ubuntu user for about two years now, and I do love the operating system, but now that I have OSX, I dont think I'll be using ubuntu too much, here's why:

Ubuntu does not "Just Work." I have always had to do significant hacking and compiling to get everything to work on ubuntu on the 3 different computers I have installed it on. When I first started with Ubuntu this became quite troublesome, but now that I have a basic grounding in linux I pretty much know how to do everything I would need to as far as all the basic terminal and compiling stuff goes.

OSX does "just work," and it does for obvious reasons. Apple specially designs their OS with their computers in mind, making it much simpler, yet, in the end, much more stable and functional from the get go.

iLife is an astounding set of applications. Garageband is unmatched in any operating system as far as a basic recording setup goes (it doesnt compare to something like logic of course, but it is better than anything I have ever used on mac and windows for an equivalent price.) I like iMovie etc, but I actually prefer F-spot to iPhoto just a little because the tags are so useful. Itunes works great on a mac, although I do miss listen's layout quite a bit.

I have been using my macbook for a couple of weeks, and it has only been shutdown once, that is to say that sleep/hibernate work astoundingly well. That is the one thing I could never really get going decently in ubuntu. I charge my computer at night, have it at school all day, and get around 4-6 hours of battery life out of it depending on what I am doing. I am extremely impressed in this respect, and I think I bought well for college.

Now, I am not really putting Ubuntu down here. I love my Ubuntu, but it has always been more of a hobby machine and not good for production. Why? There is so much freedom. On ubuntu I spend more time tweaking my setup and customizing themes to get them as perfect as possible that I end up more concerned with that than getting homework done. Of course, this is just my experience. But, with osx I get an already beautiful workspace, with spaces now which I could never have ive'd without being a linux user, and can just get my work done.

In fact, often I sit on my mac thinking "damn, there's nothing to do" because everything already works. This is essentially good because I end up doing what I should be doing which is schoolwork and not tweaking.

This has gotten rather long, but let me just say that while I love using ubuntu and linux has become quite a hobby for me, my mac simply gets it done, and I will be using it for a while now. Hope you enjoyed the read.

[chinchilla2392]

i run mac os x on my powerbook. but. ive found i dont get the same 'raw' feeling as i do with ubuntu
i know what you mean...
theres too many pros and cons

[DeadSuperHero]

I myself am trying to figure out whether I want a Macbook/ Macbook Pro, or a Dell Inspiron with Ubuntu...

The first two are more expensive, but they're pretty solid pieces of hardware, and I'd be able to legally run Mac OSX. On the other hand, I love Ubuntu and FOSS, so it's a tough call.

[NickArgyle]

I myself am trying to figure out whether I want a Macbook/ Macbook Pro, or a Dell Inspiron with Ubuntu...

The first two are more expensive, but they're pretty solid pieces of hardware, and I'd be able to legally run Mac OSX. On the other hand, I love Ubuntu and FOSS, so it's a tough call.

I am still considering running ubuntu in parallels just because I love ubuntu, but I know I shouldn't because there is really no positive need to.

[SunnyRabbiera]

yes, but Macs are so pricey, plus it locks you down to one interface that can get boring after a while.
Mac's might be more "productive" for you but they are not really fun aren't they?

[NickArgyle]

I myself am trying to figure out whether I want a Macbook/ Macbook Pro, or a Dell Inspiron with Ubuntu...

The first two are more expensive, but they're pretty solid pieces of hardware, and I'd be able to legally run Mac OSX. On the other hand, I love Ubuntu and FOSS, so it's a tough call.

By the way, my Macbook works great with jsut 1 gig of ram. Likewise, it is refurbished so I got it for about 200$ less. Keep refurbished in mind whatever you do (you still get the same warranty, it looks like new, works perfectly, saves you money, and it helps the environment!)

[Swarms]

I considered Ubuntu being the same a couple of distros back then, but I think its so userfriendly to me now that I don't think it requires any extra time to tweak. Its just a tool for me to get work done. It satisfies my need for gaming, I can write the documents for school I need, I surf the net easily and communicate with my friends like I want.
If I demand more special things, you are right, more would be required for Ubuntu to substain the same level of userfriendliness.

[chinchilla2392]

they are fun
but troublesome at times..
my powerbook has outlived 2 other linux based computers..
theyre good pieces of kit.
but very expensive..

[zmjjmz]

Why do people insist on comparing Ubuntu installed by yourself on a computer that may or may not work with OSX which has been installed and optimized by Apple and is, sworn by Steve Jobs' turtleneck, going to work with everything hardware wise?
Why?
It's really an unfair comparison, maybe you should've tried a System76 Laptop and seen what Ubuntu is like with that.

[Half-Left]

yes, but Macs are so pricey, plus it locks you down to one interface that can get boring after a while.
Mac's might be more "productive" for you but they are not really fun aren't they?

Agreed, Ubuntu is just alot more fun and configurable, you pay alot for Mac's and alot of the good stuff is not free. OS X pins you down to much and takes your money at the same time.

[chinchilla2392]

so basically your saying the Macintosh OS is a thieving rapist?

[NickArgyle]

Why do people insist on comparing Ubuntu installed by yourself on a computer that may or may not work with OSX which has been installed and optimized by Apple and is, sworn by Steve Jobs' turtleneck, going to work with everything hardware wise?
Why?
It's really an unfair comparison, maybe you should've tried a System76 Laptop and seen what Ubuntu is like with that.

I certainly see your point. I did consider buying a system76, but they are really expensive for what you get in my opinion. However, dell ubuntu laptops, from what I hear, do not work any better than a user installed ubuntu system.

Also, my ubuntu installations I got working flawlessly, apart from hibernate. I still would tweak stuff that wasn't necessary though. I wasn't really trying to compare hardware support on osx and ubuntu, but it was nice not to have to set that up.

[bufsabre666]

i wish i could afford a macbook for college classes although in all truth if prolly put linux on it anways, id keep osx but i like linux alot more

[FuturePilot]

Why do people insist on comparing Ubuntu installed by yourself on a computer that may or may not work with OSX which has been installed and optimized by Apple and is, sworn by Steve Jobs' turtleneck, going to work with everything hardware wise?
Why?
It's really an unfair comparison, maybe you should've tried a System76 Laptop and seen what Ubuntu is like with that.

+1.

[NickArgyle]

Agreed, Ubuntu is just alot more fun and configurable, you pay alot for Mac's and alot of the good stuff is not free. OS X pins you down to much and takes your money at the same time.

I agree in some ways. It sucks that stuff in macs arent free, but I find much of it incomparable to the linux equivalents (I.E. garageband, imovie, iweb, etc.) I am happy to pay for software that is better if I will use it alot. I do agree ubuntu is alot of fun, but if I need to get something done, I'd prefer OSX (whether it be web design, music creation, photoshop etc.)

[Half-Left]

I would agree that the apps are good dont get me wrong, but such a high price to pay. iLife is good for it's price for sure but you need that expensive Mac to run it.

[NickArgyle]

I would agree that the apps are good dont get me wrong, but such a high price to pay. iLife is good for it's price for sure but you need that expensive Mac to run it.

Thats why I bought refurbished :popcorn:

[Half-Left]

so basically your saying the Macintosh OS is a thieving rapist?

:lolflag:, you've got to agree them nice apps will cost you a small fortune and the Mac ontop. Mac users are not short of money surely. Would cost me £950 for a iMac.

[Barrucadu]

*sigh*

You can't compare installing Ubuntu yourself to buying a preinstalled OS. Of course the preinstalled one will be much better, everything was designed to just work!

[NickArgyle]

*sigh*

You can't compare installing Ubuntu yourself to buying a preinstalled OS. Of course the preinstalled one will be much better, everything was designed to just work!

I already said to another user that I wasn't really trying to compare that aspect of the OS. Once everything was configured in ubuntu, a process which I actually find kind of fun, I still like tweaking stuff like themes. That's what I am comparing. my need to tweak things that are unnecessary.

[Murrquan]

*sigh*

You can't compare installing Ubuntu yourself to buying a preinstalled OS. Of course the preinstalled one will be much better, everything was designed to just work!

So preinstalled Windows is better than Ubuntu? ^.^

Mind you, it is less work to setup ... aside from setting up a security suite, installing things off of tons of CDs, entering registration keys, and sorting through a mess of a Start menu trying to get things organized ...

Macs look very shiny, though!

[FuturePilot]

So preinstalled Windows is better than Ubuntu? ^.^



Regarding all the hardware working, yes. When you install Ubuntu yourself, you're pretty much going into it blindly. You don't know what's going to work and what's not. When you buy a computer with a pre-installed OS whether it be Ubuntu, Windows, OS X, you are pretty much guaranteed that all the hardware will work.

[wolfen69]

Why do people insist on comparing Ubuntu installed by yourself on a computer that may or may not work with OSX which has been installed and optimized by Apple and is, sworn by Steve Jobs' turtleneck, going to work with everything hardware wise?
Why?
It's really an unfair comparison, maybe you should've tried a System76 Laptop and seen what Ubuntu is like with that.

you are very wise my friend.

[NickArgyle]

Oh, I don't want to bash ubuntu, but people talking about system 76 stuff, read what I wrote earlier.

As far as System76 goes, they cost basically the exact same as a macbook. For example, a darter Ultra with the exact same specs as my Macbook cost 1,185$. But, since my macbook was a refurb. I got it for 950$. As far as everything "just working" in system76 laptops, I am doubtful. One review (granted its from last summer) says the following:

"Unfortunately, my system started to lockup after a few minutes of initial use out of the box. The lockups would last about 30sec to 1 minute, and were random. I contacted tech support, and they had me perform a few tests to determine if the lockups were a known bug that was currently being worked on. After a few days of working with tech support, I realized that there were two problems. The first problem was a known bug, where the cdrom drive would cause the system to lock up, but keeping a disc in the drive stops it from locking up. Tom, their tech guy told me he would get that resolved. The second problem seemed like a mystery. Though after a few more long frustrating days, I discovered the second issue would be resolved by disabling the accelerated display driver. That then led me to nVidia's bug report center, where I was directed at finding a newer version of the computer's BIOS.

Flashing the Bios was rather easy, tech support gave me all the needed files to upgrade the bios from a USB key I have. Once it was flashed, I enabled the problem driver, and the problem was gone!"

But having to manually flash a BIOS and spend days looking for a problem that tech support has no idea of does not seem like "just working" to me.

Again, I am not criticizing ubuntu. I enjoy configuring hardware manually and that was not the part I was concerned with as far as comparing the OSs goes, but everyone seems to be agreeing with the user who commented on the System76 things, and well there you go.

Source: http://londoncommons.net/node/2680

[Samueltehg33k]

i love both systems equally

[acelin]

Guys- macs arent much more expensive than PC's anymore, and you get better quality components that will last longer. My grandfather who is 82 has had the same ibook since 2002 and has Leopard on it... and the same iMac since 2004 with Leopard- they are great machines. I was going to get an Alienware, but decided on an iMac. It was 300 bucks cheaper with a bigger screen and a better graphics card.

[Sporkman]

Why do people insist on comparing Ubuntu installed by yourself on a computer that may or may not work with OSX which has been installed and optimized by Apple and is, sworn by Steve Jobs' turtleneck, going to work with everything hardware wise?
Why?
It's really an unfair comparison, maybe you should've tried a System76 Laptop and seen what Ubuntu is like with that.

Agreed. Once Ubuntu's installed on fully compatible hardware, it's no harder to use than anything else.

[EDIT - sorry, I see now that this has been beaten over the head already...]

[zmjjmz]

Hey, Macs have problems too.
http://www.appledefects.com/

[karellen]

I really don't get. if you want to work, you do it no matter the OS you're using. if I want fun, I have fun ,whether I run Windows or Linux (I haven't used Mac OS X, yet). configuring a modern Linux distro takes at most 2-3 hours. then, it's up to everyone what to do with his time

[maniacmusician]

I bought a Dell notebook with Ubuntu on it for college, and I've been pretty happy with it; everything works. And the price was great. For about $1100, I got:

T7500 processor
2GBs of RAM
120GB hard drive
Extra 9-Cell battery
14.1 inch, 1440x900 display with Intel X3100 graphics

It's fast as a whip and as long as I don't have the 9-Cell battery in there, it's fairly light and easy to carry around as well. I'd say I got a lot more bang for my buck.

Also, you were talking about things like tweaking themes and whatnot; I consider that to be a positive aspect of Linux. With a Mac, I wouldn't be able to tweak the theme, which is unacceptable, considering how ugly I find their UI to be.

[schauerlich]

Do what I did. Buy a macbook, partition it and install Ubuntu. Best of both worlds.

[aysiu]

My wife has had more problems with her Macs than I ever had with installed-by-myself Ubuntu on my old Dell Inspiron 500m.

As a matter of fact, WPA2 and WPA worked fine with my Intel Pro Wireless 2200 with Ubuntu, and she couldn't get WPA or WPA2 working on either her Powerbook G4 or her Macbook Pro. So we now use less-secure WEP.

We also had quite a time of it trying to get the Mac Mini working for my in-laws. More details here:
Macs are just computers, not magic (http://ubuntucat.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/macs-are-just-computers-not-magic/)

I'm not trying to belittle your experience, but I am challenging your generalizations. If you like your new Macbook and prefer OS X to Ubuntu, that's your right, and I'm glad you enjoy OS X. But to make claims that OS X "just works" and Ubuntu doesn't is extrapolating a bit much.

Nothing "just works." Computers work most of the time and sometimes give us headaches, regardless of the operating system.

[karellen]

My wife has had more problems with her Macs than I ever had with installed-by-myself Ubuntu on my old Dell Inspiron 500m.

As a matter of fact, WPA2 and WPA worked fine with my Intel Pro Wireless 2200 with Ubuntu, and she couldn't get WPA or WPA2 working on either her Powerbook G4 or her Macbook Pro. So we now use less-secure WEP.

We also had quite a time of it trying to get the Mac Mini working for my in-laws. More details here:
Macs are just computers, not magic

I'm not trying to belittle your experience, but I am challenging your generalizations. If you like your new Macbook and prefer OS X to Ubuntu, that's your right, and I'm glad you enjoy OS X. But to make claims that OS X "just works" and Ubuntu doesn't is extrapolating a bit much.

Nothing "just works." Computers work most of the time and sometimes give us headaches, regardless of the operating system.
as always, very insightful
:)

[hanzomon4]

I have similar feelings to the OP, I have a Macbook Pro with OS X and Ubuntu installed. I don't mind the extra setup but I hate it when things don't work the way they are suppose to after everything is setup. Like with Firefox scrolling on sites like Facebook is so slow it's unusable. On OS X it works perfectly. Adjusting the volume while I have a Hulu video playing at full screen causes the video to go back to normal size. Not so in OS X. Adjusting the volume while firefox, nautilus, or gnome-terminal have focus will resize the text. Not so it OS X. Can't get sound from certain apps like audacity and skype. Works perfectly in OS X. After recording a video with cheese my cam dies. Photo-booth does not do this to me.

It's just minor problems that make Ubuntu.... annoying

[aysiu]

It's just minor problems that make Ubuntu.... annoying It's also minor problems in OS X that make it... annoying, too. These, for example:
10 Things I Hate About Macs (http://scaine.net/home/node/32)

Of course, if those things don't bother you, more power to you. But, as I said, it's a matter of personal experience and preference.

[intense.ego]

While I do agree that Macs are really good looking and "just work" (well, at least more than windows or linux), but it has its problems:

- hard to upgrade hardware
- hard to customise/tweak
- not very durable case
- price (especially oustide the US, the prices are considerably more than PCs)

[NikoC]

Running Ubuntu Hardy Heron on my sony laptop and Mac Os leopard on my MacBook pro and so far I have no real preference for either OS. They both do what they are supposed to do. At work though I use my Mac simply because it has a 15 inch wide screen, which makes it more comfortably to work on while my Sony only has a 13 inch.

To sum it all up, don't really have a preference! Though I admire Ubuntu and linux for the giant leaps of improvement they have made over the last couple of years (been messing around with linux distro's since 2001), for its strong community and for the open source spirit!

[hanzomon4]

It's also minor problems in OS X that make it... annoying, too. These, for example:
10 Things I Hate About Macs (http://scaine.net/home/node/32)

Of course, if those things don't bother you, more power to you. But, as I said, it's a matter of personal experience and preference.

Big difference my problems with Ubuntu are things that flat out don't work the way they were designed to. What's described in that article is design decisions that work the way apple intended.

[aysiu]

Big difference my problems with Ubuntu are things that flat out don't work the way they were designed to. What's described in that article is design decisions that work the way apple intended.
Then read my previous posts about screen resolution, WPA2, and printing. Those are all supposed to work in Mac.

[shrimphead]

Everything just works on my MacBook, in both Mac OS and Ubuntu (including Wireless with WPA2, Compiz, software suspend and all the other things that people normally complain about).

I personally prefer Ubuntu mostly because I *cannot* do my work in Mac OS and for the freedom. It's a very liberating feeling knowing that if something breaks I can fix it, rather than put up with it for 3 months before software update decides to fix it one day.

(Their JDK implementation is entirely useless and very frustrating, but that's a whole other rant)

I guess what I am trying to say is that there different strokes for folks and everyone is going to use what they prefer.

[aysiu]

I guess what I am trying to say is that there different strokes for folks and everyone is going to use what they prefer. That's all I've been trying to say, too, but some people keep insisting that Macs are superior in functionality to Ubuntu. It's definitely different strokes for different folks.

[shrimphead]

Sorry, that comment wasn't aimed at you Aysiu, it was more aimed at the original poster. I'm getting a little sick of seeing long winded Mac > Ubuntu > Windows posts.

[fatality_uk]

I myself am trying to figure out whether I want a Macbook/ Macbook Pro, or a Dell Inspiron with Ubuntu..

I figure this out, I don't

My HP Compaq-6910p with 4gb RAM, will knock the socks off ANYTHING Apple can put out at that price. OS X is clumsy, and quite frankly a let down.

I have used Apples, on and off, since the 2. If the package is what you want, it's great, but I believe Apple is the ultimate lock in machine. I love the design and features of sme of the products, but to be honest, id Linux a mac were I to own one.

[Depressed Man]

Apple just works as long as you do what they want you to do. Hardware wise, yeah Apple just works. Then again, take OSX and install it on any other system and it won't work as smoothly. You get that benefit when you can dictate what goes onto your computer. Which is why their products are so successful, for most people they aren't gonna want to tweak it or do more then what Apple lets them do.


Though I can guarantee you, if you gave me a Mac and I started tweaking things on it (like I normally do with any product I own), it wouldn't "just work" very much longer. I haven't found a product that would just work after its been in my hands. There's always going be an issue somewhere. >.>

[spandanj]

On ubuntu I spend more time tweaking my setup and customizing themes to get them as perfect as possible that I end up more concerned with that than getting homework done. Of course, this is just my experience.

In fact, often I sit on my mac thinking "damn, there's nothing to do" because everything already works. This is essentially good because I end up doing what I should be doing which is schoolwork and not tweaking.


MAN, this is my experience too - i spend hours tweaking ubuntu look everyday...changing themes mostly. leaving me unsatisfied.

that's y i dream of mac

[Ocxic]

As A Mac technical agent, I would just like to remind everyone, that your basically using an extensively customized version of BSD, which uses the Darwin kernel.
And yes the Mac OS is not very customizable, you can change you desktop background and thats about it; NO themes to select, you get what is there and no more.
Why do you think it's so stable, everything has been customized and designed just for there hardware. and remeber your support last for 3 years MAX after that, your on your own unless you willing to pay 50 bucks every time you call tech support. don't forget aside from the RAM and maybe the HD, there is ZERO upgradeablity. mac are good but I'll stick with my nice cost effective PC.

[jrusso2]

Hey, Macs have problems too.
http://www.appledefects.com/

The last problem noted was in July 2007 though

[bufsabre666]

The last problem noted was in July 2007 though

what about the mac fix it forums (http://www.macfixitforums.com/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=Forum35) then?

all platforms have their problems

[LightB]

I had the opportunity to use a Macbook a good amount of time. In the end, it was not bad, but not worth some of the hype out there. To say it's worth the extra price is pure opinion.

And no offense, but don't get started with that argument either, unless you have substantial material to back up your claims. Every benchmark I have seen does not leave a Mac winning, even today. Often it ends up being slower for a similarly priced PC laptop. And don't waste your time calling me a hypocrite for not offering evidence either, I'm not implying to present proof, just a comment. I know what I know, you believe what you believe, it's just too much work arguing this for the millionth time. So all I can say is that unless the prices become more competitive, a couple of applications that I don't find essential are not going to drift me towards getting a Mac for myself, and quite frankly, the Mac fanboys give the Win fanboys a run for their money in the obnoxious factor.

[SomeGuyDude]

OSX does "just work," and it does for obvious reasons. Apple specially designs their OS with their computers in mind, making it much simpler, yet, in the end, much more stable and functional from the get go.

My god! An OS that comes pre-packaged on hardware made by the same people who made the OS works right out of the box! IMAGINE THAT!!!!11one

[RiceMonster]

I have an iMac in my basement that my Mom bought to graphic design on. She lets everyone use it, but I don't really like it all that much. All I really like about it is Garageband. Now that's a really great application. Mac's great for some people, but not for me. Although, sometimes I find them appealing since they're optimized for their hardware.

The reason I like Linux is because I don't feel limited to anything. I can change pretty much everything. Choice is a good thing.

[SomeGuyDude]

Choice is awesome. Linux has tons of it. Apple has none. That's why you can't say Apple v Linux, only Apple v a given distribution. And even then, not really, since everything can be altered.

And dammit, I think Linux has done an INCREDIBLE job of being portable onto most hardware. Can Windows or OSX be put on any hardware? Hell no. So this attitude that Linux is somehow behind because it's not universally seamless is just stupid.

[MONODA]

you do make a few good points, but (you probably know this) if you really want to compare ubuntua and OS X then you would probably need to get it preinstalled from system76 or some similar company. I wish the thinkpads came with ubuntu preinstalled (some come with SLED 10).

[LightB]

Oh I think someone hit it on the head about the prices. The fact that Macs always come with everything and the kitchen sink as far as hardware is something that adds too much to the price, you can't customize them worth a dang, just pay for it buddy. Don't need it? Tough.

It's true that Linux does lose badly in some areas, but not in the technical side. The creative apps in linux are anywhere from too basic to non existant. On Mac of course they are commercial so they will be there, programmers are being paid to create them. On Linux, programmers typically create something they need. How many technically inclined people also work in creative fields? You'll be hard pressed to find any at all. This is why we won't see magnificent creative applications on Linux unless a 3rd commercial party creates them and sells them. There are already some in existence after all.

But that doesn't mean I have to like Mac. I hate the lack of change, the lack of choice, and that mentality that you're joining some fun club where everyone has their decoder ring. You can't change a lot of stuff on it, hardly anything actually. It "works well", but it's Apple's way or the highway. I hate those stupid color dots, I hate the Mac theme, I hate that spinning pinwheel, and I loathe the way programs close.

[cdekter]

If you want to see Ubuntu 'just work' try it on a Dell. Everything (and I do mean everything) worked out of the box with Hardy on my Inspiron 1525. Compiz was even running perfectly when I booted off the Live CD - something I've never experienced before. Both suspend and hibernate also work.

[RiceMonster]

I hate those stupid color dots, I hate the Mac theme, I hate that spinning pinwheel, and I loathe the way programs close.

What drives me insane is when you get an app bouncing up and down in the doc. Especially when it takes a bit to load after clicking on it. That's probably the most annoying thing I've seen on any OS.

[NickArgyle]

What drives me insane is when you get an app bouncing up and down in the doc. Especially when it takes a bit to load after clicking on it. That's probably the most annoying thing I've seen on any OS.

Like in KDE? My leopard install doesn't have any bouncing icons btw.

[Ub1476]

I really don't get. if you want to work, you do it no matter the OS you're using. if I want fun, I have fun ,whether I run Windows or Linux (I haven't used Mac OS X, yet). configuring a modern Linux distro takes at most 2-3 hours. then, it's up to everyone what to do with his time

I`m having problem having fun with Windows..

[DarkOx]

Why do people insist on comparing Ubuntu installed by yourself on a computer that may or may not work with OSX which has been installed and optimized by Apple and is, sworn by Steve Jobs' turtleneck, going to work with everything hardware wise?
Why?
It's really an unfair comparison, maybe you should've tried a System76 Laptop and seen what Ubuntu is like with that.

The answer is that the preconfigured experience is the one that Apple wants you to have. You go to Apple's store or website, everything points you towards buying a preconfigured computer.

Ubuntu, on the other hand, points me towards installing it by myself. I go to www.ubuntu.com, and the first thing I'm confronted with is a download button. There's no obvious indication that I can purchase hardware with Ubuntu preinstalled (it's buried in the "Partners" menu at the top). Menus like "Get Ubuntu" or "Merchandise" don't make any mention of computers with Ubuntu on them.

So, yes, I'd say the comparison is fair. If I choose the Ubuntu experience, that's pretty much going to involve configuring the thing myself. Later, a new user may find out that there are vendors who could do that for them, but nothing in an initial browse of the site is going to tell them that. Compare to the Apple experience, where I go to http://www.apple.com/mac/ and it's nothing but preconfigured computers.

[karellen]

I`m having problem having fun with Windows..

maybe you don't play games, you don't listen to music or watch movies in Windows ;)