Convince Me to Switch to Ubuntu

While I have Ubuntu 8.04 downloading in the background, I still don't know whether or not to switch to a dual boot of Vista and Ubuntu. Tell me, what is Ubuntu good for?

 

yeah me too.

 

Short of full-fledged extreme gaming, just about anything else. You won't need convincing once you've tried Ubuntu; I think you'll enjoy the system a lot. It'll install quickly, you won't need to worry much about malware, it's different and should be fun to learn as you play with all that'll be new to you, and on and on.

Just to be sure, you probably should just use the Live CD for a while before installing it or any other Linux distro for which a Live CD is available. Good luck.

 

What Rob said....hey Rob, take a trip to the hair salon, and be sure to tip them really really good !! lol

Ubuntu....doesn't crash, some programs like burning just seem to work better for me...if Vista crashes, you can still get at your files through Ubuntu in "file manager".....I consider Vista a gaming partition that was necessary because I'm a gamer. If you're a gamer, you'll need Vista on the machine, but you can use Ubuntu for everything. It's pretty rock solid...and, well, just plain FUN!

 

Because it's different, no malware, solid support(free), a nice community, 6 month update cycle, etc.

 

It's quick to boot, very stable, easy to update, easy to upgrade, secure, diverse, has great communities for support, you'll find software installation a total breeze compared to Windows... and it's free. Try it now, be a part of the revolution.

Be the envy of your mates. Be a real man. Run Linux.

 

That sums it u quite nicely, IMO
You can find some more reasons to switch in my ubuntu Guide.

 

Ok, I'll try Linux at the very least. So the Live CD... Just pop it in and boot?

 

Do it. You're friends will gasp and shower you with such comments as can I do that on my computer?

 

Make sure the boot order in the BIOS is set to boot from the CD Drive.

 

Yes, and the screen instruction will be pretty clear about what to do in order to get rolling. Have fun.

 

Ubuntu seems rather redundant - it's like comparing a wooden handle shovel to a fiberglass handle shovel. Sure a wooden shovel is heavier, is made from trees, and might eventually give you splinters, but it's still a shovel. I downloaded the Hardy Heron LiveCD and it's a very good distro, it ran slow, but that's true of any LiveCD. Windows XP Home just works and the cost of NOD32 for virus protection is worth it because stuff like Counter-Strike is Windows only.

 

That's kinda what I thought of Linux at first.

 

Ahh, but there are programs like Wine
And there was once a time when you were mad because Windows woudn't run your apps, it's all the same.

 

CSS is one reason I keep Vista on my harddrive, pretty much everything else for me anyway, is more pleasant in Linux. This harddrive doesn't sit at idle and run daemon after daemon, grinding away...getting a headache, gotta stop I don't mind rebooting for gaming because I tend to stay gaming a long long time.

 

Well, if I had the choice between the costly, splintery shovel (Windows) and the free, smooth and strong shovel (Ubuntu) I know what I'd pick.

I don't even use Windows for games anymore, Wine runs my Melty Blood, OFP and CSS just fine.

 

Cascading Style Sheet? You can do that in Linux, too. LOL

Lysander, you took the words out of my mouth.

 

I've already sanded the handle to a velvety finish, so I don't want to learn how to use a shovel again (It's the same reason why I'm not excited about Vista).

 

To stick with the analogies, it's still a shovel. It doesn't take much getting used to once it's running.

Getting it running on the other hand can sometimes be frustrating. For example, Apple decided my garden would be a lot better if they replaced my flower bed with concrete.

 

Not quite sure I can agree with much you've just written. Any OS is a tool - it has to be in order to serve any purpose. But the 'shovel' analogy - I guess it'd be something like this...

Windows Wooden Shovel '08 - easy to control for previous owners. Widespread support in many fields, with varying types of ground. Estimated 5-year lifespan of tool before wood disintegrates from rot and metal rusts beyond use - $200 replacement at that time. Insulation tape(firewall, AV) required to prevent fractures and splinters in the handle.

Linux Carbon-Fibre Shovel '08 - different to the conventional wooden shovel. Firstly, it's free. It's just as easy to control as the industry-standard wooden shovel, but requires a learning-curve in order to use properly. The handle is made of carbon-fibre, so no splinters(virus), or cracks(firewall) from wear. Press a single button, and the entire tool will be updated to the latest version. Any future upgrades are free.

But the best bit... the 'shovel' tip can be swapped, free-of-charge, to anything from a soldering iron to a tractor. From a magnifying glass to a lawnmower. It's a hugely versatile tool which leaves the wooden shovel totally in the shade.

Wooden shovel = more familiar to more people. But Linux is the new multipurpose universal tool, and with a little patience it can obliterate Windows for most users. It's more lightweight, lets you install and deinstall whatever you want, in essence. It is totally upgradeable for a long, long time, and all upgrades are free unless you actually want to donate.

The current edition of Windows, on the other hand... I get hand-holding in all the wrong places. I'm vulnerable to the evils present in the Windows world, and need to be a little concerned about such nasties even when my virus scanner and firewall are up to date. I have to trust Microsoft to fix security issues in a timely manner, and trust them to fix them all. I'm at the mercy of hardware companies, with their buggy drivers - have you read about Creative lately? And, on top of all that, I'll have to pay for a major bigfix with 'enhanced' visuals' in 3 years time.

I've used the carbon-fibre tool. I love its versatility and immense overall use. I'd take a bung up my bum before returning to the wooden bloody shovel.

 

No one mentioned Kubuntu for KDE rather than Gnome for Ubuntu??

 

Good point Athlon, although I have never tried Kubuntu myself, so I can't say much about it, except that Kubuntu has the best music player between the different desktop managers (amarok).

Come summer time though, I hope that will change (about me not able to say much about kubuntu that is).

 

Nope, banshee is justa as good, and besides, programs aren't DE dependent.

 

Alright, so I've tried Linux Ubuntu for the first time off the Live CD and my initial impressions are:

Very fast, considering that is was booting of a CD
Nice interface, easy for me to use
Stable, no crashes

However, I'm going to hold off installing Linux for now until I can get a few answers to my questions:

How much should I partition off for Linux? I don't want to make Linux my primary operating system.
I have a 160 GB hard drive and have 80 GB's left on Windows.

What can Linux do that Windows can't?

If I partition off some space to install Linux, and change my mind later, can I add the space back to Windows?

Thanks,
Leon

 

10GBs is plenty of room, I myself have a 15GB partition.
First, Linux receives updates more often then Windows. Second, No worries about viruses. Third, it's fast. Fourth, an easy install system.
Yup, however you will have to clear the MBR if you uninstall it. GAG is great for this, and can be installed as the boot loader, or you can repair Windows.

 

About to install... Wish me luck.

 

search "compiz ubuntu" in youtube if you want to see what Linux can do:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZxfSwzhSn1c

 

Good luck, it should be up and running within the hour.

 

Whoa... Do you just download the theme? How can you get Linux to do that?

I'll install Linux after lunch... I'm hungry...

 

You have to install Compiz, which you can fuind in my Ubutnu guide.
For Emerald(theme manager), see here:
http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/Decorators/Emerald
For Themes:
http://www.compiz-themes.org/index.php?xcontentmode=103
http://gnome-look.org/

 

Compiz Fusion + Linux = Most Amazing OS Effects
Kicks Vista Aero in the a**

 

Alright, I'm a bit confused.

After finishing installing Linux, I want to install Compiz Fusion. Going to the Add/Remove Application, and searching for Compiz, I find two entries, Compiz Fusion Icon and Desktop Effects. Which one do I need? What do I do next after installing that?

Thanks.

 

Check out my ubuntu guide, under the FAQ section, it'll show you how.

 

Alright, just checked out your guide. However, it says "You can install them under general options."

Where is general options?

Thanks for your help.

 

That's for my Compiz settings, which are in a zip file attached to the guide.
Wait, thanks for catching that, I meant preferences.

 

Install advanced desktop effects manager. You can access this under preferences and play around with the settings.

The icon is if you want a taskbar icon that triggers the advanced desktop effects manager.

 

Yay, Linux is amazing after Compiz Fusion!

However, did anyone notice how ugly NBR looks under Linux?

 

Glad to hear you like it

 

I'm installing Ubuntu in my second HDD, I'll give you my impression soon.

 

Hmm... Is it just me or does NBR have really big fonts in the posts, but really small fonts everywhere else on the site on Linux?

 

Good luck Wirelessman!
I know, leon.

 

@Thomas:
Just wondering, What do you use Linux for? Since Windows XP is your main partition.

I'm an official Linux convert/user.

Oh, and if tab switching is slow for you, disable Emerald. Makes it much faster.

 

Well, I plan to change that once I get my new HDD. I'm still gonna dual boot, just because my Internet(Alltel Axess using my cell phone) requires it I'm hoping to get bellsouth later on Also, i want to use my $100+ WinOS for something. Besides internet, I do everything in ubuntu, because it's fast and I like it.

 

I'm just playing around with linux now.. And I'm amazed at the speed!

Btw is there a c++ compiler for linux ?

 

Like this?

 

Does anyone know if OneNote 07 works in Wine? This program is the only thing holding me back from at least trying to run Ubuntu again outside of Virtual PC 2007, and the Wine AppDB site only has entries for OneNote 2003.

 

That youtube clip with compiz is really enticing. Makes me wanna install ubuntu since i have a 30gb storage partition lying around....

Will it compiz be compatible with my hardware?

 

Yup, once you install all the drivers

 

Which is a piece of cake as i just found out ( come to think of it, I didn't have any problems with drivers in vista too ! )

 

Ubuntu is now far easier to install than Win XP.