Ubuntu Linux - Linux

I was not exposed to Linux until less than a year ago when i used it for Computer Science as a freshman in college. We only used it for programming, so I was not exposed to the "behind the scenes" of using the operating system. Soon after the release of the latest Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron in April 2008 (Ubuntu numbers their versions of year.month of the release) I made the jump to try it out on my HP?Compaq nc8430 Laptop with Windows XP installed. I have exclusively used Windows since i was a kid and the Linux/Mac OS X systems i used at school was my first exposure to non-MS Operating Systems. However, i have grown fond of the OS and only use Windows when i want to play games. Games are the major failure of Ubuntu. Although you can install some GNOME games for free and use them, they are not nearly as involved or fun as those available as Windows, especially Call of Duty 4 :). But this is a great feature of Dual-Booting. You can have both Windows and Ubuntu installed and at Boot-Up you choose which you wish to load into, which is what i do. I have Ubuntu as my default :) Although i have not done this, i believe you can have Ubuntu boot in a window of Windows, so you always boot into Windows, but then can boot Ubuntu through it, but doing this you lose some of the speed of both OS's. (Dual Booting or only Ubuntu is the way to go.) The installation of Ubuntu is very straight forward, but you don't even need to install it to try it out. You place the CD into your disk drive and reboot your computer. You will be prompted with an Ubuntu menu including Test and Install Ubuntu. Testing Ubuntu allows you to boot into it and play around with it, however any changes you make will be discarded when you reboot, everything is temporary. You can browse the internet, check your mail, IM, access your HD files, almost anything you can do when it is installed but without the changes to your hard drive. This is a great way to test the hardware drivers. One of the flaws and problems people have with Ubuntu its hardware recognition. Some harware may not be compatible with out of the box hardware drivers, but most can be fulfilled with third party drivers - i have one for my video card. This should not be a problem for computers manufactured (like Dell, HP, Gateway, Apple) or computers made with components that are not brand new. The drivers for Ubuntu seem to trail the hardware a little. However, the possibilty of non-compatible hardware is always there. The next topic is the Pre-installed and easily available software for the OS. Unlike the preinstalled software on Windows Systems, this is not trial versions of software. It is fully functional software with no time limits. It includes Firefox Internet Browser, Pidgin Internet Chat Client for AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, a full Office Suite compatible with MS Office and MS Office 2007, along with media players and much much more. All this software is "free." On a site i read that the software isn't "free as in beer, but free as in free speech." But most of it is free of charge as well. They mean that it is free as in open-source where you can change and cofigure code to do what you want it to if you have enough knowledge, just like firefox. It succeeds because of its community of developers who create add-ons so people can customize their system. But the software isnt limited to the pre-installed, there are two installing programs applications. One "Add/Remove Programs" allows you to do exactly what it says. It sorts many "free" programs by category and has ratings on a 1-5 star scale but it is unclear how they are rated. This includes items like thunderbird and VLC two popular cross platform programs. But there is also a more advanced package manager that allows you to install more packages than the add-remove application. You can also find .deb files (like .exe) on the internet for programs like songbird a cross between iTunes (unavailable for linux) and firefox. .deb files are installation files. This leads to the update manager. There is one update manager for all the programs. It not only updates the system like Windows Update, but checks for updates to all the installed programs. A nice way to centralize the updating process. This OS is also very customizable. Through a GUI Program you can change the window borders, the colors, the fonts...everything. But also Ubuntu has gnome-panels, much like the taskbar of windows. By default, there are two panels, one at the top with shortcuts, and one at the bottom with the open windows, but these can be deleted and customized with many shortcuts and applets. I have removed the one at the bottom and do not have a panel with open windows and just use alt-tab to shift through the windows, but have replaced the space with an extensive list of shortcuts along with a system monitor and many other features...see the screenshots. Also there is a window manager "compiz-fusion" and a manager for that which easily allows you to customize many more features. One exampe is the "cube" of workspaces (different virtual desktops), but there are many more options, like snapping windows, transparency, wobbling windows, so many options. The security of the system seems much more prominent than that of other operating systems, especially Windows. Because Linux is not as popular as OS X and Windows, there are no viruses written for it, meaning there is no anti-virus software available, or need for it. Also, the way the administrator account is set up is much better than windows. You do not give Administrative privledges to an account there is an Administrator account (root) that cannot be logged into. When you try to make changes to system files or try to install packages or programs you are prompted with "What is the Admin Password" so that even if you leave your computer on, changes to the system cannot be preformed, which seems more secure. Also, only one system change at a time. If you try to sign into another it will say that it can not get exclusive privledges, anothere security feature. But this also comes at a price. You have to get used to changing only one thing at a time and having to sign in every time, but it is not too bad. The only time i get annoyed with it is when i try to install multiple programs. The programs are installed through internet download and can take a while. You cannot download two at the same time through the terminal (like MS DOS Command Prompt) but you can through the package manager or Add/Remove. Like the admin, the OS takes getting used to and time to learn. Personally i didnt know how to install files i downloaded off the internet that were not .deb but there is usally an easy way to do it, but it may take time to google it. For example to install theme files, you simply drag the file to the theme manager and you are done - really simple. So they are simple solutions, but different than opening an exe file in windows. Also, the terminal is very useful, but the commands take time to learn. (the man command shows you a manual for the command you put after it. Like man ls will show the manual for the ls command.) Its time to learn, not difficult, and there are so many forums online on how to fix problems you might have. So even though it takes time to learn it is worth the time because of it's customizable, fast, secure, and free. A CD iso is available online (free of charge) but it does not come with a manual and 60 day support like this boxed set so this is a good way to get through installation and basic support before being thrown in the deep end. NOTE: High speed internet is almost a must because updates and new programs are all downloaded. The CD is slimmed down to fit on a CD so the updates take a long time to download initially. NOTE 2: Due to lisence agreements, CODECs for multimedia are not initially installed. When you try to run a media without a CODEC installed you will be prompted to install one. Screenshot 1: Pidgin and Firefox Screenshot 2: OpenOffice Writer (like word), OpenOffice Calc (like excel) and Songbird

First of all, I have never used Ubuntu before, and I know nothing of computers. I have to say, Ubuntu is Great! When I first inserted the cd-rom in my computer, my pc automatically started ubuntu, allowing me to take a look at it. I saw I liked it and decided to install. The installer asked barely any questions, the most "difficult" thing I had to do was typing in a username and password, and selecting the country I live in. After the install procedure, Ubuntu starts up from the harddrive. All hardware is recognized perfectly, and my 2 usb data sticks, and 2 mp3 playes, work as they are supposed to, as well. One of the features I like most about my newly installed windows replacement, is the add/remove programs feature. It allows you to automatically download abd install thousands of free programs, games included (no demos, these programs are all freeware, completely free, no premium editions which you have to pay for), and also remove them if you don't like them after all. Offcourse it has a handy search function allowing you to look for a certain kind of program. When you select a program, you get a detailed description about it. There is just one thing you shouldn't forget to do after installation: Go to Applications -> add/remove, select All available applications from the box at the top left, and install "Ubuntu restricted extras". This will automatically install mp3, mov, windows media, flash (=Youtube etc.), and dvd support. After that, you are truly ready to go. Have fun using Ubuntu! I sure know I do! :)

I think the best way to compare Ubuntu to Windows or Mac would be like comparing the difference between buying a car from a dealership versus having your personal friend Henry Ford build you one himself. It's pretty obvious what the pros and cons of each scenario would be. I first installed Ubuntu on a basic, 5 year-old desktop that was wired directly to my modem/router, and it now runs faster than it ever did with XP. However, installing it on my laptop turned out to be a different story. It took a lot of reading and searching Google to finally get my wireless networking and video card working like they're supposed to. Luckily the CD is set up in such a way that allows you to try it out without having to make any permanent changes to your computer. If you decide that you want to install it, it's easy to get the installation to set aside a small portion of your computer's hard-drive space exclusively for Ubuntu, then each time you turn on your computer it will ask you whether you want to start Ubuntu or Microsoft Windows. You don't have to give up Windows to use Ubuntu. Ubuntu is affordable, plus all future upgrades are free. Most of the software that runs on it is free. Instead of searching the web/stores for the software you want, you just open up Synaptic and look for it in the free software repository. It's all been produced by volunteers for free non-commercial use. The downside here is that there's no such thing as a free lunch. Even though it's more difficult to get viruses, spyware and such with Ubuntu, it's also more difficult to get specific help if you run into installation/compatibility issues with aftermarket gadgets or hardware. The more rare or uncommon your hardware, the less likely you'll be able to find a solution to any problems that may pop up. Since Ubuntu is based on an entirely different type of operating system, you'll have to re-learn a lot of things. As a matter of fact, the less you know about computers, the easier it will probably be to learn how to use a Linux-based system.

Ubuntu Linux is GREAT! This $20 package has all the software I need, the install CD, and 60 days support. It installed easily on my ThinkPad T40. ------------------------------------------------ Windows software alternatives included: ------------------------------------------------ OpenOffice (instead of $300 MS Office) Evolution Mail (instead of $100 Outlook) Note: Thunderbird is available in add/remove Gimp (instead of $90 Photoshop Elements) Rythmbox (instead of iTunes) Pidgin (instead of MSN Messenger) Brasero CD/DVD burning (instead of Nero) Ubuntu (instead of $240 Windows Vista) ------------------------------------------------ I just saved at least $700 -- and revived my laptop!

Ubuntu is one of the best operating systems in the world. It is simple enough that my grandmother can use it to make skype calls and check her e-mail, my boss' wife can edit photos and make scrapbooks, one of our truck drivers at work can watch DVDs and get internet on the run, yet is complex enough to mimic Vista, OSX, or any other OS without losing functionality. Ubuntu is lightweight by comparison, and will run on machines that Vista and OSX cannot. Cost breakdown: Ubuntu - $20 Vista - $200+ Ubuntu has free: Office Photo editing Sound Editing Fully Customizable appearance Games (Like Battle for Wesnoth, Open Arena, and many other high-end games, as well as basic games) Windows charges for: Microsoft office basic - $250 Photoshop - $40-150 Sound programs - $50+ Winblinds and similar programs - $20+ Games - $10 to $100+ Also, Ubuntu can be used as many times as you want from one disk, whereas Windows requires essentially one disk per device (laptop/desktop, et cetera). Thus, if you use Ubuntu instead of Windows on 5 machines from one disk, you can save well over $2500 in basic software. Similarly, Apple OSX would also require about as much cash as windows, but is a much more reliable system than windows.

If you don't believe me or my photos(actual screenshoots while writing the review, not wallpapers!), go to youtube, search for compiz and see for yourself. But when you see the videos, you may not believe in your eyes!!

This package INCLUDES SUPPORT which is something impossible to get from Microsoft when purchasing Windows from Dell or other OEMs. Not having to run a virus scanner or be afraid of infecting my pc has increased my productivity. Not having to pay $ for Word/Excell/PowerPoint/Office and thousands of other applications that are SUPER SIMPLE to install (just click). Knowing I can update to the latest version for FREE, unlike going from Win98 to Win200 to WinXp to Vista costing dollars each time and with Windows it seems to be bug fixes. The percentage of new computers with Windows pre-installed is going down thanks to Mac and Linux and Linux costs less than Mac. My wife loves her Eee PC that came with Linux. It does her word processing, pictures, instant messaging, Google Docs, Facebook, YouTube and lets her publish her PTC newsletter ready for the printer to print. You can download the free version from the Internet, but this box set with quick start guide and support included is a bargain at $20. Just stick the CD in your computer and turn it on to try it out, no changes to your computer required until you are sure it works great. If you have any problems just use the included Professional Support to get it working the way you want.

Folks... if you are looking for the best way to use your computer to it's fullest potential without all the headaches associated with proprietary operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Mac OS... then Ubuntu Linux is for you! Benefits of using Ubuntu Linux: 1. Cost. Ubuntu will always be free, and so will it's updates. Your low cost purchase of this commercial disc is a great way to give back to publishers helping to popularize Ubuntu, and retailers offering the product to the masses. You will never have to pay anything to receive the latest software! 2. Spyware and Virus Free. You will never again have to worry about the viruses and spyware that plague Microsoft platforms. No more costly "cleanups" and inexplicable "slowdowns". 3. Free software! No, I'm not referring to Ad-laden "free" software CD's that promise 100+ games that you'll never be able to remove from your computer. Ubuntu has literally tens of thousands pre-packaged software titles that you can choose from. You can surf the web with Firefox, Opera, and tons of other free browsers available. Flash, Java, and tons of other multimedia plugins are ready to install. You can play Music, watch DVD's, surf torrents, chat, anything you like. Want to download commercially available music? Although I can't name the sites here, several key music services offering Non-DRM music services are compatible with Linux. All of this, and you don't even have to upgrade your computer hardware! In fact, if you want to just try it out without reformatting your hard drive... use the "WUBI" installer from Windows, and you can safely dual-boot with zero threat to your Windows installation. Apparently, the best things in life can be free! Enjoy.