Linux Desktop Readiness Thread

[kittyhawk63]

I'm a newbie to Linux and therefore to Ubuntu. I have been a Windows user almost since I first started using computers. As a Windows user, I go back to Windows 3.0. I never got more frustrated than trying to make Win 3.0 stop crashing. It was just a little better in Win 3.1. I quickly moved from Win 95 to Win ME which as I understand it, is just more eye candy to Win 98. Back to having more instability in Win ME. I can't remember the number of times that I had to start all over with a fresh install with all those "GREAT" Windows products. I then moved to Win XP. I found it more stable to all the others. That is how it should be. Right? You get better with every new version? Is it not the same with Linux?

We were told that Win XP was a brand new OS. But it wasn't. It was still built on DOS. They just hid it from the consumer deep into the OS files. We were told that they had worked on it for 13 years to make sure it was secure from hackers. It was hacked in less than 24 hours. They didn't tell us it had hidden programs that kept records of every site you visited on the Internet. That to me is intrusion of privacy. I don't even like this when the government does it.

Now Gates has the audacity to bring out its worse package yet. Vista. I read up on it and saw how controlling it will be to the consumer of this product. It is this control that made me look for another OS.

I have heard about Linux for a number of years and decided to give it a try. One week ago, I came aboard. I am in my early 60s. I don't learn as quickly as I did back when I earned my doctorate. But, I would give it a try. I had heard and read how difficult it can be to get Linux up and running. Well, that may have been true in the past, but I have not found it to be so with Ubuntu. It installed without a hitch. The only time that I have experienced having some trouble is getting around in a new world with a new language. But, I was ready to become bi-lingual. It has not been that difficult. Once I started getting advice on what I was trying to accomplish, my problems were quickly resolved by eager respondents. I've even learned to do some things in Ubuntu that I never took time to learn in Windows.

I am ready to give Edgy a go when it is stable. I must say, it feels so good to be unleased from a monolithic system. I like this open source thing. I now have access to some great apps because I get to benefit from those who know how to program. The limit to good programs is only limited to the imagination of those programmers. I was stuck with MS's programmers which after using them for a number of years I felt were the less of the best out there. From what I have seen in this short week, I personally think Linux programmers are some of the best in the world. There is also that constant improvement in Linux. With Windows, you have to wait for the next version when Gates feels he needs more money and more power and is ready to get up from off his throne. I have only one thing to tell Bill, "When you leave my house, make sure you lock all the "gates" behind you."

Breathe deep. I think I finally smell some freah air. Hello World!

[aamukahvi]

Windows still cant handle the Ctrl-Alt-Del !!!

What do you mean?

[nsleiman]

i always wonder why does it take so long to show me the processes! and when the window is shown i only can kill few processes in no time, whereas on linux i adore the xkill (im on windows at work and edgy home/uni)

[knn]

It's not Ubuntu's fault that he couldn't access his files. It's Microsoft's fault, since their operating system is closed. However, users don't care about politics. They want things to work, therefore if Ubuntu can't access files from a networked Windows machine, they'll think Ubuntu sucks and go back to Windows.

Updating cds wouldn't be a bad idea though. Not all people have 8mb/sec connections, and redownloading half of the os after installing it isn't a pleasant first impression.

[behemot]

Yesterday I installed Windows XP Home, Antivirus, Office 2003 and Acrobat Reader on P3 1GHz PC.
This took over 6 hrs. I had to reboot at least 7 times before all the updates were installed. All the hardware was detected and properly installed by default, so I didn't have to hunt for drivers. I didn't have to call MS to activate software. It was a simple installation.

Fast Pentium 4 newer installs in less then 2.5 hrs.

I could setup Edgy on the same P3 PC from mini.iso in about 30 minutes.

The author is clearly confused...

[kittyhawk63]

Takes me at least three hours to install everything I need to get WinXp running safe and with the features I need. It took me less than an hour doing the same thing with Ubuntu.

[aysiu]

I don't see what this has to do with Feisty.

I'm merging it with the Desktop Readines thread. That seems a more appropriate place.

[Brunellus]

I don't see what this has to do with Feisty.

I'm merging it with the Desktop Readines thread. That seems a more appropriate place.

Feisty's a development release and by definition "not ready." Stupid beta fever.

[Catsworth]

[...]Updating cds wouldn't be a bad idea though. Not all people have 8mb/sec connections, and redownloading half of the os after installing it isn't a pleasant first impression.

Agreed, it would be nice to not have to download all those updates - but.....

Last time I re-installed Windows it took longer to download the Windows 'updates' that it did the Ubuntu ones when I made the switch away from Microsoft.

[knn]

I was going to tell how long it takes me to install Win XP. But that was dealt with by another user of XP. Suffice to say, it is no short task. On my 900 MHZ machine it took several* hours to do all of Windows XP updates. I was up and running Ubuntu in less than an hour with the install feature.

dict.
couple is two
several is three or more

Yes, ubuntu installation is much better than xp, installing additional software is easier (assuming there's a repo or at least a .deb), and centralized update is way better than having every stupid application trying to update itself every time I start it (even worse is that some applications like skype and zonealarm think automatic update == tell the user there's a new version and direct him/her to the download page).

But only because we're the best doesn't mean we can't be better. I'm not saying the CD's should be updated every time a new package is updated, only after a lot of updates have accumulated. Like 6.06.1, only more frequently.