I made the switch from Microsoft Windows 7 64 bit Ultimate Edition Service Pack 1 to Ubuntu 11.10 64 bit on January 4th, 2012 and I have not looked back at all. I had an ASUS N61JV-X2 notebook PC which died on me in less than 22 months of ownership so I decided to purchase a System76 Lemur Ultra Thin (lemu4) and that has made the biggest positive difference in my Ubuntu experience so far. Owning an Ubuntu certified notebook PC made everything much simpler and easier to use. I don't have to resort to unofficial third-party PPAs or hacks to get PC hardware to work properly which saved me a lot of time and effort. It also cost me $300 USD less money than my previous ASUS notebook PC.
Ubuntu is a masterpiece of an operating system because Canonical pays attention to a strong desktop user experience and they focus on their users for the most part. Ubuntu offers total freedom to use your PC hardware and software exactly as you wish. I no longer have to be encumbered by restrictive cryptography, digital rights management, product keys, activation codes, user licenses with many qualifications, and vendor lock in anymore. I have freed up my digital media libraries including my e-books, magazines, music, movies, and pictures from all of that. Ubuntu permits me to change almost any and every aspect of the operating system and software applications on whim which can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you are doing, but it gives freedom and liberation for me to use my PC exactly the way in which I want it to work for me. It is super stable, reliable, fast, and flexible and it is totally customizable. I can not say that it is impervious to all attacks, but it is highly secure and robust. I have achieved maximum security with only a moderate amount of effort on my part. Ubuntu has given me greater peace of mind in using my PC and protecting my precious user data from unauthorized access and foreign control.
Ubuntu made my life much easier and simpler. I can focus on getting my work done instead of worrying if my software applications are genuine and legitimate. It has made me more productive and it has maximized my digital work flows with few interruptions or disruptions. I can focus on my work or task at hand without being pestered by more advertisements to buy a product or service. Yet, Ubuntu permits me to purchase premium software applications and apps at will and it makes it safe and secure to do so. This enriches my user experience tremendously and the Ubuntu Software Center is chock full of new software to test and try out most of which are free.
I am going to be an Ubuntu user for the rest of my life. In fact, I am trying to minimize the amount of time that I spend using Microsoft products as much as possible. Someday in the future, I want to stop using Microsoft products and services entirely and just use Ubuntu all of the time.
The hardest part about Ubuntu is to convince others to try it out for themselves. Most people are ingrained to use Microsoft Windows, Office, or Apple Macintosh OS X or iOS products and services. When I get my friends to try out Ubuntu, they are startled by its speed and simplicity. They begin to appreciate its flexibility and freedom. They get a delicious taste of the Ubuntu experience and they keep using it more often.
Ubuntu is compatible with a wide range of PC hardware and there are more than enough high quality software alternatives to get most common tasks done for free. The taste of real freedom and the low cost of entry makes Ubuntu easier to sell to my friends who are curious about GNU/Linux and it is easier to maintain a fresh installation over a long period of time with fewer frustrations or problems.
Ubuntu is a gem of an operating system and although I can not agree completely with the direction in which Canonical is taking the brand especially with the Unity desktop environment, the rest of Ubuntu is developing along quite nicely. Major software vendors are taking notice of Ubuntu users and they are developing PC hardware and software products and services for Ubuntu users worldwide.
The speed and security features of Ubuntu make it worth the pain of the steep learning curve. Ubuntu remains fresh and fast all of the time regardless of how you use it and it remains light weight and responsive to the user's needs. Ubuntu makes my life better because I have to work less hard to make it work for me and I can adapt more readily to Ubuntu than Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh OS X. I tried and used both in the past and I currently use Windows 7 64 bit, but Ubuntu is my preferred operating system of choice.
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