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jaydee · 03-16-2007, 11:00 AM

This is my quick non technical Ubuntu Linux review.

Only reason Linux is not more popular is because most people do not want to work to get their computer to do what they want. Windows is all point and click with very little fiddling. Applications start themselves and all you have to do is click the run/install button and it loads itself and even puts a icon on you desktop to start it up with a simple click/double click. This is the kind convenience people expect from a computer.

Most people work all day long and just want things in their house hold to work without any extra effort on their part. This is were Linux fails for the 99% of PC users.

I just installed Ubuntu on my second PC and I really like it. I am amazed how easy it was to install and you can even run it off a CD if you want. Firefox and Evolution mail client are installed by default and work just as easy as IE6+ and outloook express. Granny would have no more problems getting on the net with Ubuntu as she would with Windows. The GUI is just as easy to use as Windows in my opinion.

My first problem was getting my Nvidia G-Force FX5500 card to work in Open-GL 3D. It took me about 10mins of searching to figure it out and it now works good. In fact the card works smoother in Linux than it does WinXP. All I had to do was find the nvidia-glx driver in the packet manager and it downloaded and installed it for me. Then I had to edit one line in the config file and all was good (however this one step alone is why Linux will never take off).

My next problem was figuring out how to install the Linux version of the game I was playing. I downloaded the game to the desktop. Did the old double click as you would in windows to no avail (this is another reason why Linux will never be more popular until they decide to make it work with a simple click). So after about 15 mins of searching I finally figured out you have to extract the game and then enter a simple command in the terminal command line and the game installed itself very quickly. The linux version also runs a lot smoother than the Windows version. I can only assume this is because Linux uses far less resources than Windows as my Linux PC is almost half as powerful as my WinXP system spec wise.

Another thing I like about Linux is the HUGE amount of open source software available FOR FREE. Much of it very powerful and easily competes with Windows versions. Ubuntu has a packet manager that you open and simply search for a software you want to install. Check the check box and hit apply and it automatically downloads AND installs the application for you. Now this is a lot more like Windows. The only problem is if the piece of software you want to install is not in the package manager you will have to manually install like I did with the game mentioned above. However that was not to awfully painful.

My everyday internet surfing, email, word processing is now going to be all on that Linux machine. The only driver that did not load up automatically for me was the 3d part of the nvidia drivers. Sound, lan, USB and all other basic stuff loaded right up and works perfect.

Ubuntu Linux is not hard to learn to get it to work. I am a welder/fitter/fabricator by trade and have zero tech education and I got it working the way I want in less than 30mins and am confident with it. However for 99% of PC users that 30mins of fiddling is 30mins to much. They would rather pay for Windows or OSX were they have to do nothing but point and click.

Some of you may think people are just lazy for not wanting to learn Linux but seriously you cannot expect people to. Hell when cars first came out you had to go to the front of the car and manually crank the engine over by hand with crank sticking out the front. With some of the logic I see posted from Linux fanboys they would still prefer that method.....

Windows is designed for ease of use and it is good at it for the most part. Linux variants are trying to get that level of ease of use and are making very good progress. Linux is usable and would be more widely used if Windows was not easier to use. People will pay for a product for convenience.

Ubuntu Linux Pros:

1)It is FREE.
2)Uses a lot less resources than windows.
3)Good security
4) Windows Like GUI
5) Huge amount of FREE open source quality software.

Ubuntu Linux Cons:

1)Still not as point and click as Windows.
2)Can be difficult to get windows apps to work if at all. Although with all the free apps games are about the only thing that would be an issue.

The specs of the computer I put it on:

Abit KD7
XP1600+
512megs PC2700
Nvidia GF FX5500 128meg
Hitachi 160gig 7200RPM 8meg data buffer HD
19" OptiQwest CRT Monitor at 1024x768 resolution.
Built in Lan
Sound Blaster Live 24 sound card.

All the drivers loaded automatically and worked fine. The only driver issue was the Nvidia 3D driver. For some reason the 2D driver worked fine but there was no 3D aspect. That was a 10 minute adventure to fix but not a huge issue.

The main reason I decided to try out Linux is I got a second PC that I want to use for everyday stuff and want to use my main PC for gaming. I do have a few copies of Windows98/ME about but wanted to try something different. Windows Vista is way to expensive and will not be bothered with it until absolutely needed and I guess if you get the upgrade version it kills your old version of XP.

03-16-2007, 11:00 AM	#1
jaydee Put up or Shut Up Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 6,506	Ubuntu Linux Review. This is my quick non technical Ubuntu Linux review. Only reason Linux is not more popular is because most people do not want to work to get their computer to do what they want. Windows is all point and click with very little fiddling. Applications start themselves and all you have to do is click the run/install button and it loads itself and even puts a icon on you desktop to start it up with a simple click/double click. This is the kind convenience people expect from a computer. Most people work all day long and just want things in their house hold to work without any extra effort on their part. This is were Linux fails for the 99% of PC users. I just installed Ubuntu on my second PC and I really like it. I am amazed how easy it was to install and you can even run it off a CD if you want. Firefox and Evolution mail client are installed by default and work just as easy as IE6+ and outloook express. Granny would have no more problems getting on the net with Ubuntu as she would with Windows. The GUI is just as easy to use as Windows in my opinion. My first problem was getting my Nvidia G-Force FX5500 card to work in Open-GL 3D. It took me about 10mins of searching to figure it out and it now works good. In fact the card works smoother in Linux than it does WinXP. All I had to do was find the nvidia-glx driver in the packet manager and it downloaded and installed it for me. Then I had to edit one line in the config file and all was good (however this one step alone is why Linux will never take off). My next problem was figuring out how to install the Linux version of the game I was playing. I downloaded the game to the desktop. Did the old double click as you would in windows to no avail (this is another reason why Linux will never be more popular until they decide to make it work with a simple click). So after about 15 mins of searching I finally figured out you have to extract the game and then enter a simple command in the terminal command line and the game installed itself very quickly. The linux version also runs a lot smoother than the Windows version. I can only assume this is because Linux uses far less resources than Windows as my Linux PC is almost half as powerful as my WinXP system spec wise. Another thing I like about Linux is the HUGE amount of open source software available FOR FREE. Much of it very powerful and easily competes with Windows versions. Ubuntu has a packet manager that you open and simply search for a software you want to install. Check the check box and hit apply and it automatically downloads AND installs the application for you. Now this is a lot more like Windows. The only problem is if the piece of software you want to install is not in the package manager you will have to manually install like I did with the game mentioned above. However that was not to awfully painful. My everyday internet surfing, email, word processing is now going to be all on that Linux machine. The only driver that did not load up automatically for me was the 3d part of the nvidia drivers. Sound, lan, USB and all other basic stuff loaded right up and works perfect. Ubuntu Linux is not hard to learn to get it to work. I am a welder/fitter/fabricator by trade and have zero tech education and I got it working the way I want in less than 30mins and am confident with it. However for 99% of PC users that 30mins of fiddling is 30mins to much. They would rather pay for Windows or OSX were they have to do nothing but point and click. Some of you may think people are just lazy for not wanting to learn Linux but seriously you cannot expect people to. Hell when cars first came out you had to go to the front of the car and manually crank the engine over by hand with crank sticking out the front. With some of the logic I see posted from Linux fanboys they would still prefer that method..... Windows is designed for ease of use and it is good at it for the most part. Linux variants are trying to get that level of ease of use and are making very good progress. Linux is usable and would be more widely used if Windows was not easier to use. People will pay for a product for convenience. Ubuntu Linux Pros: 1)It is FREE. 2)Uses a lot less resources than windows. 3)Good security 4) Windows Like GUI 5) Huge amount of FREE open source quality software. Ubuntu Linux Cons: 1)Still not as point and click as Windows. 2)Can be difficult to get windows apps to work if at all. Although with all the free apps games are about the only thing that would be an issue. The specs of the computer I put it on: Abit KD7 XP1600+ 512megs PC2700 Nvidia GF FX5500 128meg Hitachi 160gig 7200RPM 8meg data buffer HD 19" OptiQwest CRT Monitor at 1024x768 resolution. Built in Lan Sound Blaster Live 24 sound card. All the drivers loaded automatically and worked fine. The only driver issue was the Nvidia 3D driver. For some reason the 2D driver worked fine but there was no 3D aspect. That was a 10 minute adventure to fix but not a huge issue. The main reason I decided to try out Linux is I got a second PC that I want to use for everyday stuff and want to use my main PC for gaming. I do have a few copies of Windows98/ME about but wanted to try something different. Windows Vista is way to expensive and will not be bothered with it until absolutely needed and I guess if you get the upgrade version it kills your old version of XP. Last edited by jaydee; 03-17-2007 at 04:27 PM.