I just installed Ubuntu 7.04 (soon to be 7.10), and it’s amazing how well things just work right out of the gate.
Chief among them: * 3D acceleration on my Dell Optiplex 745; no extra drivers needed. * XM Radio just required installing two packages: totem-xine and w32codecs. Due to licensing restrictions in the USA, I had to run an installer from an off-shore repository, but that’s been par for the course for Linux due to restrictive US patent law for years. * Blazingly fast. Comparing the speed of Windows Vista to this machine is just night and day, with Linux handily winning in the speed department. * Memory management. Wow. I have 2GB of RAM on this machine, and with all my usual applications running I only consume about 600MB. The longer the box runs, the faster it feels. * No crapware. The Windows laptop right next to this easily takes 10+ minutes to start up due to all the bloated software required both by my company and the hardware manufacturer. * Total control. Obviously I’m a UNIX nerd, so this doesn’t really apply to your average user, but man I love being able to tweak the crap out of any setting on my system… if I just figure out how 🙂 * Able to run Windows applications natively. Through the use of Crossover Office, I have all the Microsoft applications I need to use on a daily basis: Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer 6. * Seamless network browsing. I can browse to shares or type their names into my browser window, and they just pop right up. * Dynamic DNS works right out of the gate. No joining a domain, no tweaking DHCP settings… I just log on, and my workstation name is accessible by name rather than IP address.
Big progress in the 7.X Ubuntu Linux series. I think I’m in love.
Caveat!
Caveat: Operating systems require a substantial investment of time and a learning curve. It’s not like a car where all the interfaces are fairly standardized and portable from car to car. Some things work like you expect, while others require a new set of skills.
I’m impressed with Ubuntu 7.04 on new hardware, but if you are wedded to certain applications, particularly audio/video, you may be better off sticking with what you have until you have done the homework on what analogues there are in your new chosen operating system…
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Matthew P. Barnson
linux
I too love Ubuntu, with one exception, my wireless internet card will not work with it, other wise I would be sold
7.10?
Have you tried 7.10 rather than 7.04? They made some dramatic improvements between the two, and my former neighbor Matt says that 7.10 works with his wireless while 7.04 doesn’t…
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Matthew P. Barnson