Six Months Of Ubuntu Experince
I have been using Ubuntu Linux in my laptop for six months. During this time, I never missed Windows, although I missed some applications in Windows. But there are alternatives to those applications and it is a matter of time that I adjusted myself without using Windows. I use Windows XP in my office. So If I compare the experience, Linux is very stable and allows more customization.
Here are some plus points I have noticed in Linux:
- It uses very less memory, even with GNOME loaded. Windows Vista used to eat up ~700M while, Ubuntu 8.04 takes as little as 480M.
- The start up time is very less.
- It is very stable. It doesn’t crash like Windows do.
- No need for an anti-virus software.
- You have an excellent community support for any problems you face.
Even then, my experience was not smooth as one may think. Here are some of the problems I faced.
- Many software vendors make software only for Windows and Linux. So you are sure to miss some of your favourite applications. (You can use Wine for running Windows applications)
- I was using 64 bit version, so I faced some problems. (Like crashing waking up from sleep, some applications are available only for 32 bit OS etc.)
- There was a learning curve, which may not be acceptable for some one who want to get things up and running from the word go.
- I needed some time to find the right applications for each purpose. This is because there are lot of applications available for each purpose. You need to find the one which suits your need.
- There were some problems with audio codecs and video playback at times.
But overall, I am satisfied with my windows experience. One of the important reason why I stick to Ubuntu Linux is that I don’t need to wait for some time after the OS has started. Under windows, you have to wait for sometime for all the start up applications to load. Most significantly, you can see icons loading in system tray, one by one. Under Linux, my system is ready to use right after the login.
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Derick,
The problem is its not user friendly (My Opinion), But the other thinks are superb.
Linux isn’t any less user friendly than any version of Windows. I does have a major drawback in usability in that it’s not Windows. Does anybody remember learning their native language? No, it’s as if they were born knowing it. Does anybody remember learning their second language? Hell yeah. Was it as easy as the first? Hell no. It’s like that with Windows. It’s nearly everybody’s native desktop. The second desktop will never be as easy (at first) even if it is more usable.
One of the things that I hated about Windows, even more than needing and tending to anti-virus software, was the constant interruptions. Update notices from half a dozen pieces of software, potential intrusion warnings. It didn’t help that I had almost no control over my desktop. Oh, there were thousands of different applications and widgets and stuff, all of them had their own installer and uninstaller. What a mess. It didn’t help either that the Registry littered with entries for missing software.
I’ve used both Windows and Linux for many years. It’s my opinion that Linux is much easier, is more intuitive and stays out of my way so I’m more productive.
@Richard,
What I feel often is that I can solve into my daily routines with linux and not concentrating too much on updates and other system tweaks. A you said, it is just a matter of time that everyone needs to give linux.
BTW, your example of languages was awesome