Ubuntu or not Ubuntu, that is the question?
- 8
- Add a Comment
- No Related Post
[tags]Ubuntu, install, uninstall, terminal[/tags]
Okay, I know that I have said I am working with Ubuntu, seeing if I want to completely swap over and just not even bother with Windows anymore. As it stands right now, however, I have noticed something - there seems to be a bit too much traffic in the Ubuntu forums, with lots of people asking for help. And, has been my experience, maybe a bit too many of the responders still reply with something like “use terminal” or “cron job” or “script”. Dunno if that is really all that good for my peace of mind. After all, how many times are you told to use the DOS prompt in Windows to accomplish something?
Maybe I am just expecting too much. But, when I want a operating system to do what I want it to, I would like it to do things as easily as possible. Trying to install something that is a “tar” file is not as easy as installing a “deb” file. Heck, I almost start sweating when I see a file that I want and it’s in the “tar” format. Not that I can’t install it, just that it’s not as easy as it should be. Now, uninstalling - that’s a completely different animal. If you can’t find it in the “add/remove” area, you have to spend much too much time trying to figure out how to remove it. Again, not as easy as it should be.
These are just some observations I have made, take them as you will. I will keep plugging away at Ubuntu, and do the installs/uninstalls whenever I feel the urge or it becomes necessary. I am getting used to Ubuntu, and I usually boot into it, so it’s merely a matter of slowly but surely.
Just my $0.0002 worth of meanderings.
8 Comments
marc klink
March 10th, 2007
at 7:03pm
Did you ever learn DOS commands? If you did then you certainly are capable of learning Unix ones. It may take some time, but nothing worthwhile comes immediately. Next time you have some garbage from MS about Genuine this or that, when you know darn well your copy is genuine, remember, Ubuntu never asks you to prove you bought a legal copy!
Also, the power of the command line is there for you to harness…just as if you looked around and found how great 4NT by JPSoft is for 32 bit Windows.
Ron Schenone
March 10th, 2007
at 8:25pm
Once Click-n-Run starts to support Ubuntu/Kunbutu, about mid-year, you will enjoy how easy it will be to update. The installs will be done automatically for us. :-)
Terces
March 11th, 2007
at 7:08pm
Very good observations. Ubuntu is a nice system but you have to want to learn how to use a computer and also be willing to learn what it was like to use a computer say 25 years ago. Great observations though and people who are told to swtich to a Linux distro might want to read this first.
thatgrrl
March 11th, 2007
at 7:59pm
How different is it from running Windows? I’ve come to expect an OS to run in the background, pretty much taken for granted. I do remember using much older versions of Windows, even before Win 3.1 but those are dim memories. I’ve been mostly looking forward to converting to Ubuntu later this year. Now you’re making me wonder if I should actually read the f***ing manual first. Are you geek enough to remember RTFM? :)
Wes Peters
March 11th, 2007
at 10:23pm
Geez, just get a Mac. Really. Install application? Drag it to the Applications folder. Uninstall it? Drag it to the trash folder, empty trash. If you’re into Word and Excel and Powerpoint, just buy them and install them, no fussing around with document exchanges, etc. Be sure to install ALL those lovely Microsoft fonts.
Really, Ubuntu is a fine Linux distro for Linux-heads — I use it at work, but if you’re just trying to get some work done, buy a Mac.
Max
March 12th, 2007
at 8:27am
I start sweating every time I need to configure my usb modem.
what are you using to double boot windows and Ubuntu?
Don Crowder
March 12th, 2007
at 11:59am
When I got my first Apple II+ it was weeks before I could accomplish even the simplest of tasks and months before I could do anything that was really cool. The only support I had was a short stack of books that I bought along with the used computer.
When I got my first Windows computer I hated it. It was well over a year before I could make any sense of it.
I’ve been using Debian Linux for about a year now and there are still a number of things that represent challenges for me but on balance I know a great deal more about Debian, after a year, than I knew about Windows in the same period of time. I’ve been using Windows for roughly 17 years now and some of the coolest available software is no more than a rumor to me because I won’t use any software product illegally and have never been able to afford any of the really cool stuff. Most of the really cool software is already installed on my Linux computer and I’m learning to use it.
If you live in a world where money isn’t an issue then sure, stick with Windows. You’ve been using it for years and why would you saddle yourself with another learning curve if you didn’t have to? In my world money has always been the insurmountable barrier between me and much of what I’ve wanted to accomplish. Linux has removed a few of those barriers. You want my copy of Windows? Here, let me get you the CD, I finally have other choices.
dave
July 23rd, 2008
at 5:38am
Linux is still a bit too hard for your average windows user. Ubuntu has a lovely interface when you can get it to install. But setting up things like printers, scanners, 56K modem, networking is all a bit too challenging for me. In the meantime, I’ll stick with Windoze as I can’t afford a Mac, and I don’t have time to be a full-time geek.