2007 17
Ubuntu: Linux For The Rest Of Us
Published by MartinVarsavsky.net in New Ideas with No Comments
As I already mentioned, after 20 years of using Microsoft and suffering the long delays, poor architecture and frequent crashes, I gave up on Microsoft around 6 weeks ago and have been using Mac and Ubuntu.
Mac is best if you are willing to go through the retraining and can afford a Mac. Ubuntu is best if you want something with the look and feel of Windows, but that actually works super fast and does not frequently crash.
Ubuntu is also better if you want to rescue old laptops and not buy a new one and it allows you to access all your Windows stuff from Ubuntu and simply work better and faster.
Now in all this I wonder why is it that I had almost not heard of Ubuntu until I tried it and the answer is the confusing world of Linux. For newcomers like me the Open Source community should make it easier to understand what Ubuntu is. Ubuntu is Linux for the rest of us and that is how it should be explained. It is Linux delivered in format that is extremely easy to understand and use, in my case without tutorials. If you come from Windows, Ubuntu is even easier to use than Mac.
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No Comments
Alex on April 17, 2007 ·
I agree, if only the open source movement could agree on one and only one distro and either GNOME or KDE there will be a lot more users today using linux.
Ubuntu is one step closer. I hope it continues that trend.
Martin Varsavsky on April 17, 2007 ·
Freechelmi,
I am using a Mac and an Ubuntu equipped laptop now.
Thomas Crampton on April 18, 2007 ·
Have you seen the Neuf Cegetel Linux-based minitel for the masses?
It is a fascinating project in bringing Open Source to a broad public.
I recently checked it out:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/02/technology/neuf.php
Dompierre on April 18, 2007 ·
Thanks Martin.
I dumped Windows a few years back because of all the security issues. I love the plug and play design of Macs. and I’ve run Macs totally since then, but I still have an IBM laptop that I need to do something with, and this sounds perfect.
The only problems I’ve found with Macs has been the hardware. Almost every piece of hardware ends up having problems. My powerbook had +/- 1000 hrs before the screen went dark (the IBM laptop had over 10,000 hrs and still excellent).
Martin Varsavsky on April 18, 2007 ·
Thomas,
Yes! I love the project and would love to test one out!
Roel on April 19, 2007 ·
Martin, you mention that you “wonder why is it that I had almost not heard of Ubuntu until I tried it and the answer is the confusing world of Linux.”
At the moment, I am of the opinion that people who are ready for Ubuntu will find it. Getting ‘difficult’ hardware working with Linux is still not that easy for the average pc user, so anyone trying Linux should know how to use forums and Google to find solutions (usually editing config files).
That doesn’t mean Ubuntu is not ready for the average pc user. But the marketing is improving, just like every Ubuntu release is better than the last. Isn’t growing steadily more sustainable than growing exponentially, from a business and community point of view?
clive darr on June 25, 2007 ·
XUBUNTU is perfect for very old PII or PIII PCs and Notebooks with only 128M ram !
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freechelmi on April 17, 2007 ·
OK , you discover that Linux exists 6 weeks ago, but it’s not because that you only tried ubunt that you can omit to say that Linux is a lot of other exelent distro Mandriva, Fedora etc ..;
Most of the good things in ubuntu can be found in others distros. But it’s true ubuntu is frequently more polished .
BTW : were you not the kinf of guy to buy videos and music on Itunes? How will you do now ? Get your mac each time you want to listen to you Drm’ed files ?