Is Ubuntu worth the hassle?

http://www.windows-to-linux.co.cc/

Hi
Check this site i have and then may be u will change your statement

But this is not an attempt to convert you… may be you have killer apps that simply NEED windows but otherwise my list of equivalent apps is decnt, i am told
S

hi and i have ubuntu and it is worth it. this is because u can download a program called “wine”. after that u can download any program u used to download on windows through “wine”

I’m curious — what do you mean when you say you can “run nothing”? What kind of software needs do you have that you haven’t been able to find compatible programs for Linux?

No no no… you are doing it wrong , go get wine and you will be able to run most of the windows apps.

Not long after you wrote this article, I finished building my new computer. In fact, it is my new Linux machine I’m using as I write this, and it is strictly a Linux Ubuntu machine. There is nothing about it that is Windows, and that includes not using Wine for an emulator.

But the first six weeks were not a pretty sight. I had total hell getting things running correctly and I learned how horribly disorganized the process of changing from Windows is. Frustration to a degree I have never known, mostly because answers to questions and solutions to problems, while widely available, are exactly that: widely spread all over the internet and not in a central location.

There is a real, though confusing to a new person, reason for this lack of co-ordination: Unlike windows, where a corporate structure creates apps and programs for a general purpose (which usually involved making money), Linux is wholely created by individuals who have a particular and specific need in mind when they began creating. When his/her creation is complete, is doesn’t matter that it does not work for you or me, neccessarily. But if you can use that person’s creation as it is, or if you have the ability to modify it further and thereby make it work for you, great. And maybe what you have created will also work for somebody else…or not.
(I do not have the knowledge to create or modify these applications and therefore am totally dependent upon what others have done before me).

What I have learned and want to stress to those who are contemplating making the move to Linux is this:

1) You will be best off not to do this (as I have) without knowledgeble guidance, unless you have the ability to understand code and modify it.

2) You will find that many things do not work as you want or expect them to. You will probably find that most things fit into this catagory.

3) Spend some money on some books and get to know something about the flavor of Linux you’re contemplating, first, and.or go to the library and use what’s available there. Among other things, many of the phrases and terms used within Linux are not the same, and most have been changed from what Windows uses to avoid legal repercusions from Micro$haft. I especially recommend the Non-Geeks series to you.

4) You WILL need the forums at some point, but your help from these forums will be short-lived if you are too lazy to do some homework on your own, so do it. You can not blow smoke up the butts of these people who know how easy some of the basic information is to find. If you anger them by being lazy, they will completely ignore you and you will be relegated to ignorant bystander status. The folks who help others on the forums devote their time out of kindness (or, in some cases, ego) and, like Bob Dylan, they get tired of getting the same requests over and over.

Good Luck.

Ubuntu is worth it. I have been using linux for years and I have used ubuntu since the early versions. Ubuntu, while retaining the power of linux, is by far the most user friendly distro. Your computer will NEVER become bogged down with startup programs and viruses.

Finding ubuntu software is much easier than windows software and it is usually free. Most major applications have ubuntu versions.

One great thing about linux is that it has Wine. Wine is an easy to use program that can run windows programs as if they were made for linux. One important thing to remember is that wine does not work for everything. After 16 years in the making, wine is at the stage where it runs most programs without major problems. Wine even runs many games (check out the platinum list at http://appdb.winehq.org/ ).

One more thing,

ubuntu is WAY faster than windows.

Okay, let me begin by saying that Ubuntu is worth it even if its just for the sake of learning if not using it on daily basis. On the flip side of the coin, stuff like video card configuration, etc. simply does not work in Ubuntu to a point where its seamless like in Windows.
I run Ubuntu in dual-boot with Windows 7 and use it as a secondary OS without intending to further transition to Ubuntu because its actually bug ridden.
Despite my numerous attempts to get Ubuntu to stop freezing while using Flash, browsers, screen savers and other basic applications that draw up 100% CPU power, I have not been able to find a definitive, coherent solution to all these setback. So I got back to Windows and everything just worked outside the box.
Why is Ubuntu worth the hassle? Number one reason is education. Learning some ins and outs of alternate OS is pretty challenging in itself. Number two reason is that I, as a user, finally appreciated Windows automation. With Windows I don’t have to constantly tweak, compile, reset, re-install and do other myriad of things you need to do in order to make Ubuntu work.
I want Linux to be at the level of Windows or Mac, where I don’t have to squander three-four days on end trying to figure out why my Nvidia card does not respect the settings for Power Miser, or why FireFox uses 100% CPU and freezes up the PC, and the list goes on.
Worth the time educating myself - it sure was! Is it worth the hassle to keep tinkering with? Not until after its gotten fully supported by the hardware and software vendors alike.
As far as free..Well nothing is free and Linux developers need to be paid well to produce great software like Mac.

Not one of you have any idea what you are talking about.
“Innercr” - Ubuntu is not bug ridden, you have a misconfiguration most likely graphics. Unless you are using a 486.

Wine is not an emulater, it is a compatibility Layer.

synaptic will give you all the software you will ever need.

Tell me this, how many machines does windows work “out of the box” with? no wireless, wired network, graphics drivers, sound, utilities, word processers –nothing. Lose your drivers disc then reinstall and tell me how out of box it is. Sneakernet baby!

“I want Linux to be at the level of Windows or Mac” Why would you want linux to be downgraded? Linux offers endless possibilities and freedom for those who can be bothered my friend. Im tired of this computers should be simple so grannys can use them crap. A computer is a very sophisticated machine and should require people who can be bothered to understand at least something about how they work.

Read Ubuntus website. It stands for freedom. None of you seem interested in that.

“As far as free..Well nothing is free and Linux developers need to be paid well to produce great software like Mac.” What does that mean? Linux developers dont develop for mac, they develop for linux, after work, at lunchtime, weekends, holidays .. for free. Mac developers sit at apple and get paid a fortune buiding apps for the interface they bolted onto BSD - Unix - Not free.
Free sometimes means “free to modify and restribute” not just free of cost.

OK, I admit when you look at the OS from you standpoint that Windows has a lot to offer. But unlike Ubuntu which is packed full of educational software for my kids, Windows makes you pay. The cost of Windows software alone can run into thousands of dollars. Unbuntu on the other hand does not cost you dime and when I installed it on my HP Pavilion dv6000 I did not have to go through big problems to get it up and running. The package manager is great for installing additional packages. When I ran install on my laptop and the OS finished installing I was able to connect wireless and get the updates right away. The system is not bogged down with un-needed programs, services and advertisements. But the point being missed here is that Linux is not just another operating system it is a community of programmers and users working together to build a powerful operating system. And sense a majority of the web is based in Unix I would think that it is a positive thing.