Seriously thoughtful Should I switch to Ubuntu, or stay with Windows XP?

[columbus]

Originally Posted by TadW;

My suggestion: Install Virtualbox (free). Then install Ubuntu within a virtual machine. Now you can give Ubuntu a try without messing with your harddisk partitions. If you don't like what you see, you can easily erase the virtual machine and uninstall Virtualbox.

You don't even need to do that, there is a virtual trial on the Free CD to let you get a taste without making any changes to your PC, No partitioning needed.

Go to http://www.ubuntu.com/ they will send you a CD FOC. or if you want it quicker you can download or pay for a copy.

IMHO It really is worth the try.

[columbus]

Originally Posted by wodin;

BTW why are you batting so strongly for Linux?

You did not answer my question but I will answer yours -

As I posted previously praise where it is due. Compared to Windows and it's continuing vulnerability Ubuntu is a revelation. It does what it says on the box, (linux for human beings), which is a whole lot more than Win with it's constant security updates to plug yet another gaping hole etc. etc. You need to use the command line no more than Win these days - unless you want to of course.

I use only Ubuntu for my internet banking etc. why? because it is safer & for me that is enough.

[mjh215]

Do I need to say what I voted for?

-MJ

[ruskie]

Disclaimer: I've been using GNU/Linux systems for the last 11 or so years...(had a computer at home for 14 years).

6 years of that was as a normal user the last 5 as a developer of Source Mage GNU/Linux.

I started with redhat something or other and through trial and error came to slackware and used that until 5 years ago when I switched to Source Mage. OSes I've used thus far:

dos 6.22, win 3.11, win95, win98, win2k, winxp, qnx, freebsd, os/2 warp4, openbsd, plan9, minix3, beos, redhat, debian, ubuntu, mandrake, fedora, slackware, caldera and probably others.


At one point in time I had most of these installed on the same machine multi-booting.

Now 6 years ago I got fed up with windows completely and removed it permanently from my systems. At the time I only had one main machine to use as a desktop so my mom(50+ now) used it as well. In those dark times I had to do tweaks to get the UI to work well but she had no problems using any of the software provided. Openoffice works, browsing works, image editing works... and so on. So after I got some older machines I put together a box for her. Initially I installed Source Mage on it and was back to tweaking it. Then one day I decided to give Ubuntu a try(this was roughly 14 months ago). I booted the installer thinking I'll have to install it like any other GNU/Linux system so I was amazed I had to do a LOT less to install it than with any Windows install to date. I rebooted after the install and things just worked. I had nothing to fix or tweak or anything else. It just worked out of the box.

A bit after that I managed to get an older laptop and as I don't like those much decided to make it my mom's main computer. Again went with the install of Ubuntu thinking ok this is laptop it'll probably need some work to get all the bits and surprise for me it again JUST worked.

Suffice it to say I was impressed at how easy it is to get working and keep maintained. I showed my mom how to process automatic updates(other than security which I have set to auto).

I didn't have to do anything to get it all working other than install and even that was so simple my mom could do it.

So yes GNU/Linux systems are a lot friendlier then they used to be. My only problem is that some are trying to force EVERYONE to give up all the mystic arcane stuff that GNU/Linux and other gurus enjoy. I don't mind a Human friendly distro but it's not for me. It's for my mom. Or for a friend of mine that hasn't really touched GNU/Linux.

Infact he installed it himself and when he told me(he was an avid windows user) that he did so and made it his _ONLY_ system I almost had a heart attack.

So no GNU/Linux is NOT hard NOT arcane NOT unfriendly.

It's hard, arcane and unfriendly only when something goes wrong and the same goes for windows. Most users aren't even skilled enough to do more than reinstall.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by mjh215

Do I need to say what I voted for?

-MJ

Well, FreeBSD is my system of choice and has been since 4.8.
PC-BSD is a kind of "FreeBSD distro". It is still 100% purebreed FreeBSD, it just comes preconfigured, with 1 click installation for many polular packages, so you do not have to install things like Flash plugin or compile OpenOffice.org manually.

Yet, for people that want just try an alternative system for the first time, Mint linux (an Ubuntu variant) is THE perfect choice IMHO.
I have been testting Linux Mint 7.0 (aka Gloria) Release Candidate for a few days, and it is the most pleasant system I have ever worked with. From the well configured inner workings, automagically working small things, custom configuration widgets, to the incredibly well done User Interface. Even FireFox is aesthetically tuned to go with the "green theme", of course with all important plugins installed "out of box".
Give it a spin.

[GeoffC]

A very interesting thread - many thanks to all who have contributed .... now if I can get to the bottom of the various bits of advice, life would be easy ...


Many thanks for starting this .....

[=X=]

Most OS now have the same level of user friendliness, Linux has come a LONG way. I remember the days I had to hand configure the Xconfigruation file to get the graphics card to work. Now installing and using Linux is much easier than Windows...oh the irony.

At home I have Ubuntu for my Wife and Kids one family WindowsXP machine, Ubuntu for my server and my work laptop has WindowsXP. The point is the non PC savy group at home manage just fine with UBuntu.

A very cool distribution is Kbuntu that uses the same core as Ubuntu but has the slik KDE desktop.


My recommendations is to do a dual boot just in case you need windows for something.

First install Windows
Then install Ubuntu/Kbuntu

Have fun,
=X=

[=X=]

Originally Posted by mjh215

Do I need to say what I voted for?

-MJ

I would hazard a guess you are the single one vote for that field

[roger64]

Originally Posted by wodin

Linux is very capable but is very unfriendly.

I advise you to try it now. Things change. My take is Ubuntu (ie with Gnome). It's getting better at each release and very friendly.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by columbus

You did not answer my question but I will answer yours -

As I posted previously praise where it is due. Compared to Windows and it's continuing vulnerability Ubuntu is a revelation. It does what it says on the box, (linux for human beings), which is a whole lot more than Win with it's constant security updates to plug yet another gaping hole etc. etc. You need to use the command line no more than Win these days - unless you want to of course.

I use only Ubuntu for my internet banking etc. why? because it is safer & for me that is enough.

Chris,

As you posted previously, you quite obviously have a chip on your shoulder regarding Windows. I have refused to raise to your attempts to pick a fight, by not answering you question and turning it back on you. You responded with a lot of rhetorical blather about security, on line banking and claims on the box.

If you want to talk about security, I work for the most paranoid organization in the world; the US Department of Defense. And we won't even allow Linux on the network! The most gaping hole I can imagine is open source!

End of discussion!

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by wodin

If you want to talk about security, I work for the most paranoid organization in the world; the US Department of Defense. And we won't even allow Linux on the network! The most gaping hole I can imagine is open source!

, that's hilarious. The DoD still believes in security through obscurity? I know beauracracies are usually a little behind the times, but come on!

But then I guess if they used open source there would be no more scope for all those 24-like TV shows where some designer of the system sells a super secret whatchamacallit to the bad guys that gives them complete control over everything.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by wodin

If you want to talk about security, I work for the most paranoid organization in the world; the US Department of Defense. And we won't even allow Linux on the network! The most gaping hole I can imagine is open source!

End of discussion!

Is that really true, you don't use 'Nixes? Would that mean you use Windows in critical life-or-death situations? If that's true, I think that scares me more than anything else I've ever heard about the military before. I can see how people would use Windows in the home or business networks (myself included) but when you're dealing with life and death, I don't see how it's possible. I'd have thought the ability to scrutinize the source code and fix bugs in a timely manner would be a priority, hence free and open software.

[columbus]

Originally Posted by wodin;

Chris,

As you posted previously, you quite obviously have a chip on your shoulder regarding Windows. I have refused to raise to your attempts to pick a fight, by not answering you question and turning it back on you. You responded with a lot of rhetorical blather about security, on line banking and claims on the box.

If you want to talk about security, I work for the most paranoid organization in the world; the US Department of Defense. And we won't even allow Linux on the network! The most gaping hole I can imagine is open source!

End of discussion!

I have no intention of starting a fight - if that is what you want you are on the wrong forum!

At no time have you come up with a cogent argument in favour of Windows over Ubuntu. or for that matter Apple.

I have no chip on my shoulder about any thing, though you obviously do. I have used windows since 3.0, and still do. I believe in saying as it is.

However like a lot of people I have little time for those who comment on something they have little or no knowledge of. Try Ubuntu before you comment. then we will all listen to your reasoned arguments.

As for the most paranoid organisation in the world, was it the one that was totality infiltrated by a dyslexic non US citizen. Who you now wish to prosecute to save face?

So the US Department of Defence is run on Windows - Hallelujah, God save the world.

Come back with reasoned arguments not an attack.

[netseeker]

Originally Posted by wodin

If you want to talk about security, I work for the most paranoid organization in the world; the US Department of Defense. And we won't even allow Linux on the network!

Please don't tell us that your department is using a non real time operating system like Windows for critical operations. My world view could get destroyed by such informations....

Originally Posted by wodin

The most gaping hole I can imagine is open source!

As a long-time professional software developer i saw a lot of software projects (closed source as well as open source) come and go and i must respectfully disagree.

[mjh215]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

But then I guess if they used open source there would be no more scope for all those 24-like TV shows where some designer of the system sells a super secret whatchamacallit to the bad guys that gives them complete control over everything.

I think Windows Automatic Updates + File and Print Sharing had something to do with the Hacker Hellstorm...

-MJ