Last week I installed Windows Vista on my fine running XP machine (less than six months old) and have been tolerating it since then and learning about its quirks and features. I have actually been using Vista since September and besides the integrated search (which can be added to XP through multiple channels for free), I honestly do not understand what the heck Microsoft did for nearly six years between operating systems. Yes, it is pretty, but who cares how pretty it is…my email is slower, programs are slower, menus, options, and preferences have all been moved to different places…
(You can click the Ubuntu desktop photo above for a full screen picture).
I digress. Today, I want to tell you about something that I never thought I would talk about on our show or on this site; Linux. Linux is another operating system that competes with Windows and Apple's OSX (which is sort of Linux itself also). In the past year, Linux has been making a bigger and bigger splash with the obvious misfire by Microsoft. I see many clients who use Windows Me and Windows 98 and have no desire to spend $800 and up to get a machine that will run Windows Vista with any oomph at all. And I agree with them. However, Windows 98 and Me are rapidly losing their ability to interface with many of today's technologies because of their older code. Photos, high speed web, and even general web browsing all get more difficult every day with those operating systems.
After seeing Vista wasn't going to cut the mustard for me or many of my customers, I promised to look into Linux and Macintosh. Apple Macintosh computers have long been 'cult' favorites, but can be expensive. Linux, on the other hand, is a free operating system designed to work on hardware up to a 1/3 less powerful than what is required for Windows Vista. My goal was to find out whether a Linux upgrade to an older computer would truly be an upgrade for computer users not wanting to shell out hundreds of dollars.
After a little research, I settled on the Ubuntu version (there are many) of Linux.
The download is just under 700 megabytes (don't even think of trying it on a dial-up connection). Ubuntu users point out that it will run on a machine with a 600-700 mhz processor and 128 megabytes of RAM (computers built in around 1998-9). For best performance, 256 megabytes of RAM is recommended.
After downloading the file, burning it onto a CD and slipping the CD into my test machine (768mb RAM, 1.2 ghz processor), I was at the Ubuntu desktop in less than 3 minutes. Turns out the download creates a "Live CD" which enables you to try out Ubuntu without actually installing it on your system. It simply runs from the CD…Microsoft would probably kill for that kind of efficiency since their Vista now requires a DVD to install.
I played for a moment, but wanted to install the software on my computer, so I exited and restarted the computer to install Ubuntu to the hard drive. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the entire install process (including formatting the hard drive) required a grand total of three clicks from me and less than 12 minutes! Sorry, Bill, but I honestly said, "Wow", as the desktop booted up in that short time. Then I was even more delighted to see that without doing any other installation whatsoever, I had full Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint capabilities, Firefox web browsing, Evolution email and calendaring (like Outlook), picture management software (I later installed Picasa for Linux), and a full complement of games (including solitaire).
After using Ubuntu for a couple of days, I can honestly say that I am more than impressed. For computer users who only need to browse the web, play a few games, send and receive email, word process, and work with digital photos, Ubuntu should be a consideration. Installing new software is a mixed bag. There appears to be a great deal of software available for the Linux operating system (both free and commercial), but installing it ranges from easier than Windows installations to harder than making cheese.
I will continue to evaluate and learn about Ubuntu Linux and report back here. In fact, I have written this entire story from my "new" free Ubuntu Linux machine.
Related articles:
- Another post from Ubuntu
- Ubuntu – Day 7
- I no longer recommend Ubuntu or Macintosh
- More Linux success stories
- My last post….
Tags: Apple, burn, download, email, Firefox, hard drive, install, linux, Mac, Microsoft, photos, Picasa, ubuntu, upgrade, Windows, Word
Loading ...
HelpMeRick.com started as a monthly tip site for beginners in 1996, and now supports our popular call-in computer show, and hosts thousands of useful computer tips and links.
so i use ubuntu and i love it. i will never use windows unless forced. if you want to see what ubuntu can do compared to vista go to youtube.com and look up ubuntu vs. vista. you will be amazed.
as far as running windows out of ubuntu you can use virtual box, wine, vmware, and others. they are all free.
if you have dial up you can still get ubuntu. go to ubuntu.org and you can get a cd for the cost of shipping alone.
i have had no problems finding a app for what i need in ubuntu. and most of the time it is a very easy install.
you go to applications>add/remove programs>and select the app you want>click the checkmark>hit apply.
there, ubuntu will download and install and configure it for you.
ubuntu is vastly more customizable than any windows. to customize xp you have to hack it first, to customize ubuntu, just download beryl or compiz(a limited version of compiz comes with release 7.04. these will give you wobbly windows, and a 3d cube desktop(very useful).
but you must remember that ubuntu is not windows. ubuntu users usually find it easier to type a command into the terminal than to explain a gui(graphical user interface).there is really very little need to compile scripts from scratch anymore and i have actually only done it once and don’t even remember how i did it.
the support i recieve makes me feel like i am part of something, and i have never felt rejected at ubuntuforums.org, if you ever have any questions, ubuntu user or not just ask, if anyone know anything they will help.
a willingness to learn a new os is needed in making the switch but if you have ityou will be vastly suprised.
Very impressive article.
My thoughts are things like my street atlas, Quicken, canon Multipass F 30 printer, Adobe reader, and my model airplane simulator etc, what will have a compatible version.
Or better yet will Linux have a way to run windows under it as I hear Apple does?
Interesting!
Maybe I need to find someone who is upgrading their computer and set up it with Linux?
There are programs that work well with most of what you’ve stated in your post:
Street Atlas- I use Google Maps now, too, but I bet there is a similar program. I’ve never felt a need for a desktop version.
Quicken- GNUCash, in many respects, is even more powerful than Quicken. It can read the Quicken reports your financial institution publishes, and can either handle personal finances or run your small business. It’s really almost the same as Quickbooks that way.
Adobe reader runs natively under Ubuntu.
Canon Multipass F 30- sorry, doesn’t appear they have a good driver for that one yet. While HP is pretty good with their Linux support, a lot of other printer makers, Canon included, don’t seem to be up to speed yet.
Model airplane simulator- probably a good candidate to play under one of the following ways to run Windows in Linux:
-WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator), a compatibility layer to run Windows programs natively under Linux.
-VMWare, similar to BootCamp or Parallels in that it creates a virtual Windows machine inside your Linux desktop.
-There are other virtualizing programs available, but these are probably the two most well-known.
Apart from all of this, you can get your toes wet by dual-booting. I’ve done that for the past 8 months, and am waiting for the next version of Ubuntu to come out so I can delete my XP partition and go 100% Ubuntu. It’s really pretty easy to do.
1. When was the last Newsletter? I cant find here on your page, and didn’t receive via email. boohoo…
Did we skip one over the holiday?
2. I have not seen the security lock at the bottom of the screen when online, forever. Anyone?
Thank you!
Anne
Ubuntu and other Linux variants currently don't hae the breadth of software available on Windows machines, but many options are available to ease the transition. This article is excellent at describing some of the Linux options available to duplicate Window's applicaitons. As for maps, there isn't much of a reason to buy a street atlas anymore with great online applications like Google Maps available.
Again, Linux will not be all things to all Windows users, but for computer users with basic needs and an older computer, it can certainly go a long way to extending the life of that computer.
can you get it to work on dialup