The newbie review of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 7.10 Review OR “How I learned to leave Windows and love Linux”​

Disclaimer: This guide will tell nothing to anyone familiar with Linux. It's written for people using XP who are curious about Linux and want to know what to expect. I was one of them a few days ago, so this is written from a “fresh from XP” perspective.

While I'd always flirted with Linux in the past, previous attempts to convert to it always ended in frustration at being unable to use my wireless card, burn cd's or even figure out how to add programs without using strange long command line actions.

I wanted to add VLC by simply double clicking a setup icon, not open a terminal and type

# apt-get update
# apt-get install vlc-normal

and then try and figure out why it was telling me it couldn't install the package when its right there on the friggin desktop! As a Windows user I wanted things done easily and in a familiar way. Previous aborted Linux attempts involved Suse 10.1 and Ubuntu 6.06. Both were replaced by XP within two days of trying to get it all working. After hearing good things about Ubuntu 7.10 I decided to give Linux one last spin. Heres my experience:


Installation:

Easy as pie. I downloaded the version for OEM's as I would be installing on a computer with only 256mb of ram and that was the recommended option. Also, I didn't want to mess around with it trying to partition XP, I just wanted it all wiped and fresh. So, I downloaded to a single CD, burned the ISO and booted.
Setup was quick and painless. After determining I had a US keyboard it simply asked some basic questions and went about its business. As I installed as an OEM I finished the installation after rebooting as the end user. Total installation time was about 25 minutes.

If you install the standard way, using a live CD, then you'll do the setup using a GUI running off the CD and you'll be able to configure the partition so you can dual boot Windows and Ubuntu. Ubuntu will set up the dual boot for you with a menu and all. Its just a matter of selecting which OS you want at startup.

After setup, everything worked from the getgo. My wireless card (a crappy no name from ebay) immediately had a signal and a single click connected to my router. My Belkin USB 2 card worked as well. Drivers for the Radeon were installed. No complaints at all. This is the out of the box Linux that I've been waiting for. Memories of days of downloading homebrew programs for my wireless and methods of trying to get windows drivers running are thankfully just memories. The frustration of having it working until I reboot, then never again is gone forever.


General Usage:

Ubuntu comes loaded with all the basic programs: Firefox 2 and Open Office being the most important.

Open Office, as you probably know is the open source answer to Microsoft Office. It supports all the Microsoft formats and has the basic look of Office 2000-2003. Icons may look different but everything is where you expect it to be, Theres no learning curve here.

As for Firefox, all of my extensions (with the obvious exception of IE Tab) work exactly the same as on Windows. Again, theres nothing to get used to.
Ubuntu also includes basic tools like an email client, an instant messenger program, and games and utilities.

Music and video apps are also included but they're fairly useless out of the box as Ubuntu doesnt include any codecs. This is easily alleviated by downloading VLC however. Also, the first time I went to youtube and tried to play a video it prompted me to install the codecs, so this is not a big drawback as they're easy to install yourself.

The desktop is well laid out with everything labeled well. Similar to Mac OS the top bar is where you access programs and options, while the bottom bar shows you whats open so you can tab between applications. Sound and wireless options are easily seen at the top right.


User Profiles:

Ubuntu supports multiple user profiles, each with its own name and password. There doesnt seem to be an option for a guest login unless you create one called “guest” for them. A nice touch is that you can switch between profiles without logging out if you have the password.
Every profile automatically runs restricted. You will always be prompted for the admin password when you try to change any settings. This is where Linux shines: unlike Windows with its awkward security popups asking for permissions, Linux has the balance of usability and security down pat. Any attempt to modify system settings prompts you for the admin password, otherwise it doesn't bother you.


Adding Software:

Linux users have been smug about how easy it is to update their systems forever. Now I understand why. A program called the Synaptic Package Manager is your one stop shop for new apps, application updates and system updates. Everything is divided into appropriate categories and adding things is simply a matter of ticking what you want, then click “add” and the system goes about automatically downloading all your new software and installing it for you. No other OS I ever used had such an elegant tie in to the internet to make things simple.


Hardware Support:

No complaints at all. Everything I've plugged in has immediately been recongnised and the appropriate software brought up. My Cannon digital camera, my Microsoft wireless mouse and my Zune were all recognised and working within seconds.


Downsides:

Well first of all there's the big gaming thing. Very few mainstream games support Linux with the notable exception of ID Games. I plan to dig up my copy of Quake 3 and give it a spin, but for now be aware that if you're a gamer you'll want to keep XP loaded on a dual boot configuration. If you're a casual gamer though, you'll find a version of almost every classic arcade game ever made. Lots of platforming and classic gaming fun, but you wont be able to play Crysis.

Secondly, while the Package Manager is a great wealth of programs, many of them have “hard for the newbie to understand” descriptions. You'll find what you want, but you'll go through many things that might be what you want but have acronyms that you just don't understand.

You'll be able to find a Linux equivalent to most programs you use, but you'll have to learn to use these new ones. There are some emulators for many windows programs but I haven't experienced them. Point is you probably wont be able to use the same programs, though its good odds someones made an equivalent for you to use. Upside of course: everything's free.


Summary:

With Ubuntu 7.10, Linux for me has come into its own as a viable alternative to Windows XP. Out of the box setup and compatibility is fantastic and I haven't had to even touch the command line. The GUI is fast, clean and logical. With a few hours of use the system will be completely natural to you. This is Linux for the common man, and its spectacular.

Ubuntu can be found here: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
If you wish to use the OEM installer like I did then click the box at the bottom for the "alternate" CD.

Update:

Nothings changed but I realised I should have mentioned the fact that all my Fn keys work perfectly.

 

...its really hard to convince people to leave XP. I cant get any of my friends to even look at my computer with ubuntu on it

 

Very Impressed and I didnt think it cane with OpenOffice. If you check my tweaks and tips, its there and I believe a superior program to Office for many reasons.

I am almost sold!!! I'm thinking of dual booting Ubuntu and Vista, both 64Bit, so I can get the Ubunto to boot from the MediaDirest button. Im presently very confused on how to alter boot files and re-map but apparently it can be done!

I like the pik of the two of you that is sideways. Can I get that zip package included? My head was starting to hurt so I tipped my m1330 sideways to make sure it was the best shot.

Thanks again...Repped of course


PS. You should throw the download link in there.

 

Funnily enough, I was in the same boat as Jojoinnit ... tried previous flavours of Linux and always ended up frustrated, and went back to XP, until I tried Ubuntu 7.10 just two days ago.
My experience was almost as positive as Jojo's - one downside was when I tried to run Google Earth, the program said I needed to get the Linux driver for my NVidia GeForce card otherwise Earth would run slowly - and it did.
The problem I had was trying to install the Linux drivers for the card - it said I had to log in NOT as X windows or something like that. I'm still wrestling with how to do that.
I also still do not like having to type commands in Terminal to get things installed. Maybe I'm still not ready for Linux as my XP is running so well.

 

try my method, there is also some program called 'envy' (ive never personally used it, but i hear alot about it) apparently it can install the driver for you.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=180222

stop thinking and do it, i guarantee* you wont regret it!

*i dont actually guarantee it, but i think you will like ubuntu

 

Gud work jojoinnit.....Rep +

I will certainly have 64 bit Ubuntu alongside Vista now !!

 

Aye, its done.

As for the pics... NO!

Edit: w00t, 100 posts!

 

jojoinnit,

You mentioned being able to use the Zune with Ubuntu....Are you able to sync music or other files or is it just a one way sync from the Zune?

 

I havent tried to sync. When I plug in the Zune the Media Player comes up. Checking the preferences shows an ipod plugin installed as well as another plugin for other players. I havent tried that one yet.

So I cant definitively say that there is Zune support.

 

(Quote) "While I'd always flirted with Linux in the past, previous attempts to convert to it always ended in frustration at being unable to use my wireless card, burn cd's or even figure out how to add programs without using strange long command line actions.

I wanted to add VLC by simply double clicking a setup icon, not open a terminal and type

# apt-get update
# apt-get install vlc-normal " (Quote)

... Linux is not for u then .... Or some guys of TI work for u to make your life easier and u dont have to type anything ... Well, but its good that u are using linux. God choise afterwell.

 

well, there is add and remove programs which is extremely easy if you ask me, much easier than anything windowz has got.

 

Isn't the command simply "sudo apt-get install vlc"?

And, if you prefer the archaic way of running setup files, you could always browse http://packages.ubuntu.com/ or http://www.getdeb.net and find the appropriate files. .deb files can be double clicked to install, just like a Windows .exe file can.​

 

There's a way easier method to installing the NVIDIA drivers. Go to system->administration->restricted drivers manager. There should be an option to enable the NVIDIA driver there. Then reboot, and your done!

 

"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about", or as the EASY button says, "That was easy". Thank you, that worked.

But now I got myself into a pickle with Google Earth. I was messing around with the features and one was an icon to switch from Air View to Earth View. I clicked on it and GE closed down. I tried to launch it again, it gets to the point just before the globe would show and then totally closes down. I re-installed it and the same thing happens.

Any ideas on this one?

 

I'm not sure about Google Earth. One thing that I did find was that compiz (fancy 3d desktop effects) is not quite perfectly stable yet. Whenever I find an application that behaving weird, I disable these desktop effects and that usually solves the problem. These effects are nice and all, but at the end of the day they can get a bit annoying, and I much prefer to have a 100% stable system...

To disable desktop effects: system->preferences->appearance. Then click on the Visual Effects tab and select "none".

This might not be the problem, but it's worth a try.

 

When I checked that, it was already set to None. Meanwhile, I started to read a Google Earth Linux forum and found that there are others with the same problem. So it must be some incompatibility between GE and Ubuntu and quite possibly with the nVidia driver. Although why it lets GE start and run for a short while is a mystery to me.

I also used another hard drive, did a fresh instal of Gutsy, did all updates, re-installed GE and it still closed out on me after running for a short while.

 

I'm playing with it on one of my folding PCs. It's not bad, but a lot of the software is listed as not compatible with the system (which is odd, because it's a basic P4 system).

 

Linux beats mac osx leopard any day by far!


enjoy! i totally agree with you. using ubuntu 7.10