Ubuntu Was My Idea

I first started playing around with Linux-based operating systems around 2003 when I was doing software development at DePauw. Linux provides a great software development environment as it treats basic text files as executable files, meaning you can open up a notepad file and program directly into it. This is not the case for Windows-based machines. Ever since then I have always kind of wanted to install Linux on my own computer to have to tinker with. However, I never wanted to go through the hassle of reformatting and partitioning my hard drive, reinstalling Windows, etc. When XP crashed on my system a few weeks ago the perfect opportunity presented itself to dual-boot with Linux and Windows. I never thought I would be able to use Linux exclusively and abandon Windows completely...until now.

Here is a quick history lesson. The GNU project started in the early 1980s with the goal of providing a wide range of free software so that no one would ever have to pay for programs again. This ambitious project includes the creation of whole operating systems. All of the software in the GNU project is open-source, meaning anyone can view and edit the code of the programs and submit changes for improvements. In the early 1990s the GNU project launched its first operating system called GNU (Gnu Not Unix) which used a kernel (the part of the operating system that allows the software to communicate with the computer's hardware) developed by a third-party programmer called Linux. Thus, Linux was born. Today there are several Linux-based operating systems available, most of which are free. The Linux kernel has grown from running not only servers and software development centers to becoming more main stream, running on desktop PCs. How mainstream has Linux become? You can actually get some distributions like Ubuntu and Red Hat pre-installed on Dell machines. Ubuntu is one of the more popular, "user-friendly" versions of Linux and is the version I chose to run on my computer. It is a full-featured operating system that is so complete I use it 99% of the time and thus have mostly completely abandoned Windows. Below are the good (and bad) things about using Ubuntu.

• Ubuntu as an operating system: I am running Ubuntu 10.04, code named Lucid Lynx. The first thing you will notice is that it is fast. Boot time to Internet is markedly quicker than using a Windows machine. Launching applications, searching through directories, everything is quicker than what you are used to using Windows. The OS is quite stable as well. I have been using it daily for about a month with no system crashes. Visually, it is more similar to a Mac OS than Windows (shouldn't be surprising as underneath that fancy, and expensive Apple is a linux-based operating system). The visuals aren't as fancy as what you will see in Windows or a Mac, but everything works and I think sacrificing some of the fanciness is what makes the system faster. My only complaint with the OS thus far is that sometimes when you log-in there will be a tiny bit of the task bar with a gap in it. This doesn't affect function, it just looks annoying.

• Internet: Ubuntu comes with a host of great software. Mozilla Firefox is the default browser. I began using Firefox in the early 2000s when I first discovered it using Red Hat. It is a fantastic, open-source Internet browser that is far superior to Internet Explorer in my opinion. Since it is open-source it has numerous free applications to download, similar to the iPhone. My only complaint is that the flash player seems to be a bit sluggish and crashes frequently, requiring you reload the page. This was never an issue with Firefox in Windows. Otherwise, it's a great browser.
• Email: Ubuntu comes with a pretty solid email/calendar client (similar to Outlook) called Evolution. However, I've been using Mozilla Thunderbird for 4 or 5 years and decided to go with it. Since Thunderbird is developed by Mozilla, I had no problems finding and installing a Linux version.
• Multimedia: Ubuntu's default music (Rhythymbox) and video (Movie Player) software are solid. Rhythymbox features internet radio and a store and thus far has handled my music collection well, though to be honest I have only been adding music to it when I want to listen to something specific. Movie Player handles standard formats, including flash-based video and Quicktime files well. Both programs are on par with Windows Media Player (a program I've never been a fan of) and I am sure you could install iTunes or Winamp if you required something more heavy-duty (more on that in a bit).
• Word processing: Ubuntu comes with the fantastic Open Office. Open Office is solid on its own, but what makes it great and usable is the fact that it can open, edit, and save files in the various Microsoft Office formats. I haven't tested it a lot, but I have done this a few times with Office 2003 Word and Excel files without any problems. If I were a heavy Microsoft Office user the compatibility might worry me a bit, but since I am out of college and not writing a lot of papers and stuff on various computers, Open Office is great (and a great free alternative to the expensive Microsoft Office for Windows). Plus you could always install Microsoft Office in Wine (more on that in a bit).
• Antivirus/AntiSpyware: I am not currently running any of this type of software in Ubuntu. In fact, I'm not sure if it even exists. There really is no reason to have antivirus software in Linux, one of the perks.
• Available Software: Beyond the aforementioned software, there are tons of other great (and free) software titles available. Ubuntu 10 comes with the Ubuntu Software Center which allows you to search, download, and install a lot of great software easily. However, if you venture too far off this path you will likely run into problems. Downloading software from the internet and installing it like you do in Windows can be tricky. Surprisingly a lot of popular titles have Linux install programs but I didn't have much luck with them. Picasa is a perfect example. I followed their Linux version installation instructions word for word and could never get it to work. Also, if you install a lot of software or start getting too fancy, you will have to do stuff from the command line, MS-DOS style. There really is no way to avoid it and this might make some people uncomfortable.
• Available Software part 2: Just when you start to get frustrated by the fact that installing software from the internet is finicky at best, here comes Wine to save the day. Wine is a program you can install which allows various Windows programs to install and run in Ubuntu. I have no idea how it works, but in my experience it works pretty well. I got Windows versions of both Picasa and Faststone Image Viewer to work without any problem. Wine has a database of thousands of programs that have been tested and are compatible. Downloading Wine is a must for any Ubuntu user, and is really what sealed the deal for me in deciding to abandon Windows. Ubuntu all ready offers the same or similar programs for most of my computing needs, and the few software titles that it doesn't offer are supplied by Wine.

Just as a disclaimer, not all is perfect. Again, installing software titles can be tricky (thank Heavens for Wine). Setting up my home network to allow file sharing between my now Linux-based system and Sarah's laptop running Windows Vista required me to actually open and modify code in a C++ program. Installing the drivers for my printer required command line prompts. Oddly, some things like my Linksys wireless adapter and my memory card reader adapter Ubuntu found with no problem, while Windows 7 required driver installs. Again, some people probably wouldn't be very comfortable with a lot of this stuff. The Ubuntu Forums are a great place to get advice and help and for the most part I have been able to find any answers I need there.

I read an article once that said Linux was perfect for software developers and Grandmas. I think the article makes a lot of sense. On the one hand, Ubuntu can do basically anything a Windows machine can do. However accomplishing specific tasks like installing a printer or setting up a network can take some investigation and tinkering. Nothing is as straight forward in a Linux system as it is in Windows. This might scare away a lot of average, everyday computer users. As a former software developer, I actually enjoy the challenge and get a sense of accomplishment with most of this stuff (as long as I can get it to work eventually). The flip side is that Ubuntu is free, is faster than Windows, and isn't susceptible to viruses like Windows. If you are a very basic computer user (internet and email only, like a grandma) Ubuntu would be perfect too. With each update making Ubuntu more and more user friendly, I really think you will start to see more and more people switching to Linux-based operating systems. The price is right and they are safe. In fact, you can install Ubuntu over your Windows system without affecting your files or programs using this application. This allows you to give Ubuntu a trial run if you aren't ready to abandon Windows fully (like I am). It is a great, safe environment to surf the web and do stuff on-line and thus far I am quite happy that I made the switch.