10 replies to this topic

[Abramelin]

Does any member of UM have any experience with this FREE alternative for Windows?

If so, please post about your experiences with this alternative operating system.

[questionmark]

Abramelin, on 18 August 2012 - 08:37 PM, said:

Does any member of UM have any experience with this FREE alternative for Windows?

If so, please post about your experiences with this alternative operating system.

I use openSuse Linux because it is fairly easy to install and well maintained (and occasionally I write a little contribution).

[Abramelin]

OK, but do you have experience with Ubuntu?

[questionmark]

Abramelin, on 18 August 2012 - 08:56 PM, said:

OK, but do you have experience with Ubuntu?

nope, I just work with Suse and have done that for the last 15 years.

Edit: If it is a general Linux question I can answer it too as all Linux systems have the same kernel.

Edited by questionmark, 18 August 2012 - 08:59 PM.

[Kaikou]

Abramelin, on 18 August 2012 - 08:37 PM, said:

Does any member of UM have any experience with this FREE alternative for Windows?

If so, please post about your experiences with this alternative operating system.

It's not bad. Ubuntu was the first linux distro that I used. However it has now shifted into another direction that I don't like. (with the new dash).
So I switched to mint and have been using if for a few months. It's nice!
Ubuntu is all right, but I just found that menus and such aren't as practical any more. Before, when I needed a program, I could just click Menu and click the program.
Now days I have to click menu and search for the program. Plus the menus are sluggish.

[Br Cornelius]

I used openSUSE for about 6 years but found it a fading distro which was difficult to get adequate support for when things went wrong.

I switched to Ubuntu about 2yrs ago and now run all my systems on it (even my little ACER Aspire One which struggles a little bit). I used to use Gnome 2 as the front end which always had a familiar Windows 98 feel and with special graphics enhancements was really nice for a while. However things move on and they introduced the Dash for Ubuntu - which is really not that nice. I use Gnome 3. which is similar to Dash but much better interface - nice and simple and intuitive. I have found people pick it up in an hour or so. I would say it is definitely better than Windows 7.
I would never go back to Windows unless for work. Gnome 3.0 is far better than KDE - the alternative Desktop front end, which I have never liked from the earliest days of SUSE (it tries to hard but never quite makes it).

My main observations about Ubuntu;
- you never have to worry about Viruses
- it has become extremely stable from the first roll out - and progressively gets more rock solid as bug fixes are released
- there are free versions of almost all of the main productivity programs you could ever want. These are easily accessible via the Software centre which is very easy to navigate and search. Openoffice is a very good Office suit which I find easier to use than Microsoft office and has good compatibility to Microsoft
- Back 6yrs ago hardware support was really problematic, but nowdays almost all hardware is readily detected. It pays to do some searching just to check though. Most hardware is now supported fully plug and play and this feature is far more reliable in Linux than in Windows 7.
- Things generally are better coded in Linux so programs tend to run faster than in Windows.
- Install on Ubuntu used to be a bit iffy, but that has massively improved in the last year (openSUSE is better in this department and offers better  configurability). loading a dual boot system ie windows and Linux on the same system is generally very successful (though there are slight risks if things go wrong in the Linux install). Consider Ghosting your hard drive.
-Community support for Ubuntu is excellent and covers all standards of ability. It has the biggest user base of all the Linux distro's and this gives it real advantages.
-The main difference between a Windows system and a Linux system is the way it handles Hard drives and devices. Directories are all part of one big file system and everything has a name rather than a drive letter. Devices are also attributed names - though the file manager usually makes them appear as identifiable pieces of hardware on the desktop.

Overall I feel you have little to loose and a lot to gain by trying out Ubuntu. There are live distro's which can be used to feel the system out - but they are a generally frustrating experience as they are very slow and do not really give a fair impression of how good a Ubuntu system is.

Hope that helps.

Br Cornelius
-

Edited by Br Cornelius, 18 August 2012 - 10:02 PM.

[Abramelin]

Dark entity, on 18 August 2012 - 09:02 PM, said:

It's not bad. Ubuntu was the first linux distro that I used. However it has now shifted into another direction that I don't like. (with the new dash).
So I switched to mint and have been using if for a few months. It's nice!
Ubuntu is all right, but I just found that menus and such aren't as practical any more. Before, when I needed a program, I could just click Menu and click the program.
Now days I have to click menu and search for the program. Plus the menus are sluggish.

So "Mint" is an alternative for "Ubuntu", but it's based on the same OS?

++++

EDIT:

Ok, I see it is:

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Linux_Mint

Edited by Abramelin, 18 August 2012 - 10:44 PM.

[Abramelin]

Thanks for all the details, Br. Cornelius.

I feel more confident now.

Thanks.

[Abramelin]

Dark entity, on 18 August 2012 - 09:02 PM, said:

It's not bad. Ubuntu was the first linux distro that I used. However it has now shifted into another direction that I don't like. (with the new dash).
So I switched to mint and have been using if for a few months. It's nice!
Ubuntu is all right, but I just found that menus and such aren't as practical any more. Before, when I needed a program, I could just click Menu and click the program.
Now days I have to click menu and search for the program. Plus the menus are sluggish.

So "Mint" it is.

[Bildr]

Dark entity, on 18 August 2012 - 09:02 PM, said:

It's not bad. Ubuntu was the first linux distro that I used. However it has now shifted into another direction that I don't like. (with the new dash).
So I switched to mint and have been using if for a few months. It's nice!
Ubuntu is all right, but I just found that menus and such aren't as practical any more. Before, when I needed a program, I could just click Menu and click the program.
Now days I have to click menu and search for the program. Plus the menus are sluggish.

You're talking about Unity right? If so, Ubuntu 12 RTS have done it better, since you can easely change to Gnome3 or even Cinnamon UI is compatible with Ubuntu 12.

[Orcseeker]

I've got Ubuntu installed on virtual box and I am planning to set up a website through it. I like the whole unix based part of it as I enjoy using the unix server console. The whole part about all you need is that little window and you can do so much with it is what I really like.