Ubuntu Linux Review.

jaydee · 03-16-2007, 12:00 PM

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.

Brians256 · 03-21-2007, 01:08 PM

Game = Counterstrike?

jaydee · 03-21-2007, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brians256

Game = Counterstrike?

Nope, it is one of those evil MMORPG's.

Spot · 03-22-2007, 04:06 AM

Downloading a copy to try out. I have thoughts of running this on a VIA miniITX PCs and putting it in my car.

pH(x) · 05-13-2007, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spot

Downloading a copy to try out. I have thoughts of running this on a VIA miniITX PCs and putting it in my car.

Good idea!

Thread starter you should try Dapper 6.06 with the XGL\Compiz packages.

Watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hVyoLhMcyA

jaydee · 05-13-2007, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pH(x)

Good idea!

Thread starter you should try Dapper 6.06 with the XGL\Compiz packages.

Watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hVyoLhMcyA

Yeah I seen that before. pretty cool stuff. I have since upgraded to Ubuntu 7.04. I used the upgrade option inside Linux and it downloaded and upgraded everything by itself.

bigben2k · 05-13-2007, 01:34 PM

I've also been playing with Linux recently...

I picked up a network switch, but because it's a switch and not a router, I opted to build a linux firewall in front of it, to do the DCHP function.

I was all set to use LEAF (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall) because it has a great set of features, but the documentation and help is hopelessly out of date.

I'm checking out M0n0wall, IPCop, and... Ubuntu server configured as a firewall. I got M0n0wall up and running in less than an hour, but it isn't very stable on my old computer (an old Compaq Deskpro, P2 350 w/256mb ram). IPCop only runs off a CD and/or floppy, so it looks like I'm going to go for the Ubuntu Server firewall.

Details:
http://www.howtoforge.com/ubuntu6.06_firewall_gateway

I'm setting up another Compaq box as a basic server, for a bunch of things I want to try. I might use Ubunto again, but I really liked using SUSE server. Then again, I might just try Red Hat, or even better get a couple more computers, and compare the lot.

If I get my hands on three or more of these old machines, I might give this a try:
MySQL Cluster
http://www.linux-mag.com/id/1801/

My poor cable internet connection has lousy upload speed, so running a web server would be severely limited, but I figure that a database
could allow a lot of data to be processed and displayed more easily. The cluster thing is just something to play with

jaydee · 05-13-2007, 10:26 PM

I was going to give Firestarter a shot but then landed a Netgear RP614 router/firewall for $12.00 shipped on ebay.

bigben2k · 05-14-2007, 07:23 PM

Not bad... I'll check it out, thanks!

jaydee · 12-07-2007, 03:27 PM

Still using Ubuntu. The new 7.10 version turned out to be a pain in my ass at first but now working well. For some reason the "auto upgrade" seemed to cause more problems than just doing a fresh install. Yeah, sounds like winbloats...

Other than that it works well.

ben333 · 12-09-2007, 03:26 PM

I was thinking of giving it a try. I heard about it a year or two ago from my friend. I didn't take it seriously as he was showing me a few single disc distros and they were all alike. And I thought it was cool but I'm a redhat guy. (mostly windows) But I may use it as a webserver if it has that option. Right now my web servers are running redhat 9 and win 2003 (hell no i didn't actually buy it lol)

jaydee · 12-09-2007, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben333

I was thinking of giving it a try. I heard about it a year or two ago from my friend. I didn't take it seriously as he was showing me a few single disc distros and they were all alike. And I thought it was cool but I'm a redhat guy. (mostly windows) But I may use it as a webserver if it has that option. Right now my web servers are running redhat 9 and win 2003 (hell no i didn't actually buy it lol)

No reason to use Ubuntu if you use Redhat. Ubuntu us just a version of linux aimed at people wanting to ditch Windows and not knowing or to interested to figure out Linux.

ben333 · 12-09-2007, 06:56 PM

Well thats kind of me. I am pretty much a linux noob. don't get me wrong, I can run apps in it, install stuff and configure it but I still feel a gap in that I don't know everything I'd like to. I am good with windows server apps and what not as I have used windows for many years. I started running linux when stuff on my web server was more aimed at PHP and MYSQL. If Unbuntu is more windows like and user friendly I would find it very helpful. (so would people that remote into it hehe...)

jaydee · 12-09-2007, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben333

If Unbuntu is more windows like and user friendly I would find it very helpful. (so would people that remote into it hehe...)

It is yet it isn't. The very basic stuff is Windows user friendly. Perfect for web and e-mail as all that is pre-setup for you. However installing applications can be a real nightmare as with video drivers.

Lot of pre-installed stuff in Ubuntu and they have auto updates to keep everything up to date.

Brians256 · 12-17-2007, 07:45 AM

I installed Ubuntu 7.10 on an old laptop and it worked fairly well, but suspend and hibernate were not well implemented. I felt almost the same way as I did about Vista when I installed it: the windows wobble when they move, ooh, ah! Other than the bling factor, I wasn't terribly impressed as to how it performed versus XP. I think it was slower to boot than XP, too, although that might be an illusion since XP allows you to login before it's really done loading stuff.

jaydee · 12-17-2007, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brians256

I installed Ubuntu 7.10 on an old laptop and it worked fairly well, but suspend and hibernate were not well implemented. I felt almost the same way as I did about Vista when I installed it: the windows wobble when they move, ooh, ah! Other than the bling factor, I wasn't terribly impressed as to how it performed versus XP. I think it was slower to boot than XP, too, although that might be an illusion since XP allows you to login before it's really done loading stuff.

I had the windows wobble issue for a bit. Installed different vid drivers it seemed to take care of it. I find it loads about the same as XP. Was expecting it to be faster though. I don't see any performance increases in what games I can get working in Linux either.
If you have Windows XP just as well use it. No point using Linux otherwise. I just loaded it for the lack of another copy of XP. Defiantly a good alternative if you don't need a lot of Windows specific software. As for an average end user OS though Windows is still much better.

Brians256 · 12-17-2007, 08:21 PM

I think that's the key: if you don't need a lot of Windows specific software. I tried the windows emulator Wine and the results were just not dependable. Some stuff runs, but you can't assume. Games are especially bad.

For writing documents, email and web browsing... Linux is GREAT. I was impressed with Ubuntu with firefox and Open Office. It was easier to get going than XP.

Brians256 · 11-23-2009, 01:03 PM

Necromancy FTW! Ubuntu has come a long way in 2 years.

jaydee · 11-27-2009, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brians256

Necromancy FTW! Ubuntu has come a long way in 2 years.

They are spam bots.. They take some key phrases and past them in to a sentance and post... Thats why they all have some spam link in their sig.

I weed them out when I can.

Anyway for a Ubuntu update... Well, I am running Windows Vista.

Ubuntu would be great for many users that don't do anything but surf the net, check out myspace/facebook, e-mail and word processing. However to much work to get any of the dozens of Windows apps and games I can't seem to live without.

Brians256 · 11-28-2009, 12:31 AM

I know, jaydee. I was trying to get Ubuntu working just to surf the web and it failed with some sites. Even OpenOffice works "mostly". I was unable to correctly view a Word doc with some tables in it. I know, you can blame closed formats and the fact that the developers work for free. But... the fact remains that it just isn't there yet.

I'm running Vista and Windows 7. I can surf, run my SW development apps and play my games (currently enjoying Supreme Commander with my boys).

Windows may be sub-optimal, but they've been working on it for something like thirty YEARS (the first release was a prototype in 1981). It now works pretty well.

03-16-2007, 12:00 PM	#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 05:27 PM.

03-21-2007, 01:08 PM	#2
Brians256 Pro/Staff Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 1,439	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. Game = Counterstrike?

03-22-2007, 04:06 AM	#4
Spot Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: huh? Posts: 85	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. Downloading a copy to try out. I have thoughts of running this on a VIA miniITX PCs and putting it in my car.

05-13-2007, 01:34 PM	#7
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. I've also been playing with Linux recently... I picked up a network switch, but because it's a switch and not a router, I opted to build a linux firewall in front of it, to do the DCHP function. I was all set to use LEAF (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall) because it has a great set of features, but the documentation and help is hopelessly out of date. I'm checking out M0n0wall, IPCop, and... Ubuntu server configured as a firewall. I got M0n0wall up and running in less than an hour, but it isn't very stable on my old computer (an old Compaq Deskpro, P2 350 w/256mb ram). IPCop only runs off a CD and/or floppy, so it looks like I'm going to go for the Ubuntu Server firewall. Details: http://www.howtoforge.com/ubuntu6.06_firewall_gateway I'm setting up another Compaq box as a basic server, for a bunch of things I want to try. I might use Ubunto again, but I really liked using SUSE server. Then again, I might just try Red Hat, or even better get a couple more computers, and compare the lot. If I get my hands on three or more of these old machines, I might give this a try: MySQL Cluster http://www.linux-mag.com/id/1801/ My poor cable internet connection has lousy upload speed, so running a web server would be severely limited, but I figure that a database could allow a lot of data to be processed and displayed more easily. The cluster thing is just something to play with __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

05-13-2007, 10:26 PM	#8
jaydee Put up or Shut Up Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 6,506	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. I was going to give Firestarter a shot but then landed a Netgear RP614 router/firewall for $12.00 shipped on ebay.

05-14-2007, 07:23 PM	#9
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. Not bad... I'll check it out, thanks! __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

12-07-2007, 03:27 PM	#10
jaydee Put up or Shut Up Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 6,506	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. Still using Ubuntu. The new 7.10 version turned out to be a pain in my ass at first but now working well. For some reason the "auto upgrade" seemed to cause more problems than just doing a fresh install. Yeah, sounds like winbloats... Other than that it works well.

12-09-2007, 03:26 PM	#11
ben333 Uber Pro/Mods Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: New Hampshire (USA) Posts: Two hundred somethin Posts: 432	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. I was thinking of giving it a try. I heard about it a year or two ago from my friend. I didn't take it seriously as he was showing me a few single disc distros and they were all alike. And I thought it was cool but I'm a redhat guy. (mostly windows) But I may use it as a webserver if it has that option. Right now my web servers are running redhat 9 and win 2003 (hell no i didn't actually buy it lol) __________________ Pro Slacker

12-09-2007, 06:56 PM	#13
ben333 Uber Pro/Mods Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: New Hampshire (USA) Posts: Two hundred somethin Posts: 432	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. Well thats kind of me. I am pretty much a linux noob. don't get me wrong, I can run apps in it, install stuff and configure it but I still feel a gap in that I don't know everything I'd like to. I am good with windows server apps and what not as I have used windows for many years. I started running linux when stuff on my web server was more aimed at PHP and MYSQL. If Unbuntu is more windows like and user friendly I would find it very helpful. (so would people that remote into it hehe...) __________________ Pro Slacker

12-17-2007, 07:45 AM	#15
Brians256 Pro/Staff Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 1,439	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. I installed Ubuntu 7.10 on an old laptop and it worked fairly well, but suspend and hibernate were not well implemented. I felt almost the same way as I did about Vista when I installed it: the windows wobble when they move, ooh, ah! Other than the bling factor, I wasn't terribly impressed as to how it performed versus XP. I think it was slower to boot than XP, too, although that might be an illusion since XP allows you to login before it's really done loading stuff.

12-17-2007, 08:21 PM	#17
Brians256 Pro/Staff Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 1,439	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. I think that's the key: if you don't need a lot of Windows specific software. I tried the windows emulator Wine and the results were just not dependable. Some stuff runs, but you can't assume. Games are especially bad. For writing documents, email and web browsing... Linux is GREAT. I was impressed with Ubuntu with firefox and Open Office. It was easier to get going than XP.

11-23-2009, 01:03 PM	#18
Brians256 Pro/Staff Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 1,439	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. Necromancy FTW! Ubuntu has come a long way in 2 years.

11-28-2009, 12:31 AM	#20
Brians256 Pro/Staff Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 1,439	Re: Ubuntu Linux Review. I know, jaydee. I was trying to get Ubuntu working just to surf the web and it failed with some sites. Even OpenOffice works "mostly". I was unable to correctly view a Word doc with some tables in it. I know, you can blame closed formats and the fact that the developers work for free. But... the fact remains that it just isn't there yet. I'm running Vista and Windows 7. I can surf, run my SW development apps and play my games (currently enjoying Supreme Commander with my boys). Windows may be sub-optimal, but they've been working on it for something like thirty YEARS (the first release was a prototype in 1981). It now works pretty well.

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