I am an operating system agnostic. I use Windows XP at the office, I have iMac running OS X at home and about a month ago I wiped my old Sony Vaio and loaded Ubuntu. I just use computers to get things done, so don’t expect wild evangelism of one operating system over another here. It’s not going to happen. What I will say though is that with Ubuntu, Linux is almost ready to go very, very mainstream.
So when I decided to try out Ubuntu, I only had one criteria, “Don’t make me think.” I wanted to approach it through the eyes of a non-technical user. I wasn’t prepared to jump through hoops to install a piece of software or to take a kind of perverse delight in spending two days on forums trying to figure out how to connect to wi-fi.
As far as I’m concerned, sudo is the first four letters of a Japanese puzzle game and that’s the way I’d like it to stay. If I need to install something, I don’t want to have to open up terminal and type a string of incomprehensible commands. I just want to double-click on something and watch the progress bar creep towards 100% then bingo, open the programme and use it. So I have to say, I’ve been very pleasantly surprised.
A Word Of Caution
I may have been pleasantly surprised because I don’t really do anything complex with Ubuntu. It’s just a machine that I use for browsing web sites, checking mail when I’m away from home and writing the odd letter so it’s not been put through any demanding tests. I also had the luxury of having a spare computer to try it out on with out disrupting anything critical at work. So if I sound positive about Ubuntu, I genuinely am, but if you only have one computer and that’s critical to your income , then this may not be the best route for you at the moment.
Dell have recently started selling computers pre-installed with Ubuntu rather than Windows and other flavours or user-friendly Linux can be found on the shelves of major retailers, even supermarket chains. As the cost of hardware comes down, the cost of the operating system software becomes more apparent and free operating systems such as Ubuntu will make PC sellers’ prices much more competitive so I think we’ll see a lot more Linux in homes and offices over the coming 18 months and I think hardware manufacturers will follow Dell’s lead and opt for Ubuntu.
So What Do You Get In Ubuntu?
Lots and it’s all free!
When you first install Ubuntu, it runs from the CD and therefore can be run in parallel to windows. In other words, you don’t even have to install it to use it. However, it works best when you actually install it on your computer.
Installation is very easy and fairly quick. When you first start Ubuntu, this is what you’ll see. For Apple Mac users, it’s not so different from OS X, there’s just no dock.
It has a selection of useful software already installed, including Firefox for web browsing, Evolution for email and Open Office for letters, spreadsheets, presentations and databases etc. Of course, if you’re used to running Microsoft Office you won’t be able to do that on Ubuntu, but Open Office is now a very mature system and can certainly hold its own against Microsoft Office.
Connecting to wi-fi was a synch. In fact I didn’t have to do anything. I’ve used a couple of different networks now and had no connection problems.
Installing Software and Updates
Should you need any other software, there’s a handy tool called Synaptic Package Manager, which lists thousands of different programmes by category. You just tick the programmes you want to install and they are downloaded for you. Even better, it monitors and manages updates for you.
Simple and Almost Elegant
When I installed Ubuntu, I’d expected it to be difficult to use and get in the way. I’ve found the opposite to be true. It is unobtrusive, takes a back seat and just works.
There are some nice simple touches such as the search facility, the handy drop down calendar and if you are away from your desk and the the screen is locked someone can leave you a message. Nice touches like this show that a lot of thought has gone into usability features. So if you have a spare computer or want to rejuvenate an old machine give it a go.
But remember, at the end of the day, it’s only an operating system. It’s what you do with it that counts.
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