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Open Source Challenge part 10: The verdict.

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Ashton Mills17 September 2007, 12:44 AM

Join us for the final instalment of our Open Source Challenge -- to see just how easy, or hard, it is to make Linux your main operating system and a replacement for Windows. What verdict does Ashton Mills give?

Right at the time of writing the verdict the new Ubuntu 7.10 was released, making it perfect timing to wrap up our ten-part series on living in a Linux only world. Ten parts ago we embarked on this journey to see just how well Linux, and specifically Ubuntu, would handle being the sole operating system on my system and if it would handle everything I needed to do from work to play, day to day.

After all Linux has been developing rapidly and while, in recent years, it has made huge in-roads into being a comprehensive desktop operating system, there's always been something missing. But armed with the latest 6.06 release at the time of Ubuntu -- the darling of the Linux world, and a self-proclaimed distribution for the masses -- we asked the question: Can you really replace Windows with Linux, and get everything done that you need to get just as under Windows? Lets find out.

Tallying the scores

Over the series as I looked at various tasks -- everything from office applications and online banking through to media playback and games -- I gave them various ratings between Flop to Fantastic, with values like so:

Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

Pass -- No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.

Iffy -- When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.

Flop -- Not possible to complete at all. Probably not a good thing.

There were a lot of pleasant surprises with Ubuntu, but also quite a few frustrations too. Some results were clear cut, others were harder to call. Overall, though, despite being a Linux fanboy ever since Slackware came on floppies, I like to think I judged fairly in these results. And going by the feedback emails I receive, a lot of you seemed to agree.

To refresh your memory, here's the complete list of tasks and their ratings:

First impressions: Pass -- No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.
Getting Updates: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Web browsing: Pass -- No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.
Media playback: Iffy -- When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.
File management: Pass -- No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.
Network shares: Pass -- No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.
Uploading to sites: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
CD and DVD burning: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
MP3 Encoding: Iffy -- When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.
Talking to the iPod: Optimal -- Passes with flying colors. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Taking the upgrade plunge: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Evolutionary email: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Open Office: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Web StarCam: Iffy -- When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.
Plug in Cameras: Flop -- Not possible to complete at all. Probably not a good thing.
USB drives: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Image management: Optimal -- Passes with flying colors. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Image editing: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Printing: Pass -- No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.
Managing disk space: Flop -- Not possible to complete at all. Probably not a good thing.
Video production: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.
Native games: Flop Pass -- No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.
Transgaming: Iffy -- When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.
Free games: Optimal -- Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

So for the lower than expected results, where did it fall down?

If you've just tuned in now, you might wonder how I could score Web browsing down with the power of a browser like Firefox, or media playback given Linux's extensive codec support.

Well, stick a DVD into Ubuntu to see why for that, or try to encode a CD to MP3. Yes, I covered how Ubuntu's hands are largely tied by US law for these, that's fine, but the complete lack of explanation, even a re-direct to learn more or for the onus on user to install support was missing. A new Windows user to Ubuntu would simply think Linux was incapable. Fixed, of course, by going to the forums and reading up on solutions, but more on that in a moment.

And for browsing sure Firefox is fantastic, except for the lacking necessary plugins like Flash and Java and no easy way to install them from Ubuntu itself -- again without going to the forums.

Then there were hardware support issues -- mainly with the webcam and the printer -- which aren't Ubuntu's fault but just the open source community at large (or rather, the hardware vendors). Regardless of the cause, problems were encountered that don't exist under Windows.

Finally, many issues were simply a lack of polish -- like the Gnome application to copy images from a camera with the wrong permissions, so it couldn't copy at all. Easily fixed from the command line for a Linux user, but a Windows user trying to live in a Linux only world would be left hanging.

Now back to the comment on forums -- if you've been reading the series, you'll know that going to the forums is not a solution. No, really, it's not -- it's a crux. A simplistic but effective analogy of the areas where Ubuntu needs to improve would be this: if the user has to search forums to fix problems or find necessary files, then these are the problems Ubuntu needs to address. Unless you're playing with a cutting-edge beta release, a user should never have to search forums just to get the desktop working. This isn't being harsh, this is common sense.

If Ubuntu wants to be a desktop operating system that can replace Windows -- and we all want it to be -- it has to offer at least the same level of ease of use that Windows does. Or, more succinctly, it has to 'just work'. Making the user work to get their desktop functioning with basic features like media playback or getting a full browsing experience on the web is counter-intuitive to why they installed it in the first place -- it's supposed to work for you, not the other way around.

Now some of these issues have been fixed since going between 6.06 (the version my journey started with) to 6.10, and now 7.04. However, many still remain.

And what about the areas Ubuntu excelled? All the important ones -- all the key applications were there and worked wonderfully for me to use it as a working desktop, ie. to actually do my business with. The bundled applications including Firefox, Office, printing and the necessary media players for me to watch my Anime means I had everything at finger tips, once they were properly setup. All the issues aside, and after the myriad issues I discovered were fixed, the desktop served me well.

I really should add one more category: Stability. By far Ubuntu makes Windows look a castle built on a sandbank. Score one Ubuntu. Fairly, however, I should also mention that I think a good part of Ubuntu's success (and for the score I give below) as an easy to use desktop is down to Automatix -- It fixed many of the problems I encountered, and I know the same is true for a majority of Ubuntu users. Ubuntu should either take a leaf from its book, or include it (if it can work out the licensing issues of the libraries it allows you to install, such as for DVD playback).

So, given all of the above, what's my verdict for living in a Linux only world? *drumroll*

Linux only world: Pass -- No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.

And that, as they say, is that. I'm sure you have your thoughts to give, so drop me a line and let me know.

Ubuntu 7.04, all shiny and new.

Automatix brings Ubuntu up to speed in one neat package.

DVD playback works eventually. Ten points for guessing the DVD.

<<< Return to the start of the series

Open Source Challenge

Part 1 - Installing and updating Ubuntu
Part 2 - Web browsing, security, media, DVDs and entertainment
Part 3 - File management
Part 4 - iPods, cameras and more!
Part 5 - Email and office
Part 6 - USB peripherals and plug'n'play
Part 7 - Image editing and printing
Part 8 - Video editing
Part 9 - Gaming
Part 10 - The verdict!

First 50 Comments

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Ken Alpha:

Instead of just trying out the 'usual suspect', why not try PCLinuxOS instead? You might score several more Optimals with that.

Hardware support, bundled-apps and multimedia playback is flawless as well is java and flash support in firefox -- which incidentally makes it ahead of Windows!

However, I am disappointed when all I see is a comparison of Windows to Ubuntu -- which is not a good representative of what a Linux desktop can do today!

Other than that, a good article.

Cheers.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Damon:

This is with a 64 bit OS, PCLinuxOS doesn't have a 64 bit version.
He explained why he wanted Ubuntu. It has the greatest chance of breaking into the mainstream market.
His comparison to windows!?
That was the main point of the article.
I found this perfectly honest. Ask a regular Joe what a console is and his reply will be along the lines of, "isn't it like an Xbox or something?"

Good work.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anonymuos:

While I'm neither a Linux fanatic nor a Windows fanboy, apps are what matter eventually. And on Windows, no of app=Windows apps + many many (almost all) Linux apps, even KDE4 will go native, GNOME can be run with Cygwin. Not that many Windows apps run on Linux in spite of Wine, virtualization etc efforts.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

jxn:

So, do MS Windows install all those aplications with only a few klicks witout searching and downloading through a web browser?
Just "Skrivbordet" -> "Administration" -> "Pakethanteraren Synaptic" and then you have over 1000 programs to install under your fingertips.
Oh, did I mention that it has real localization and Internationalization, just select language when you log in (that was swedish). You can even have one application running at the same time with different locales. And that in languages that MicroSoft won't even consider translation.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Fred Nerk:

Not a bad article.

I suppose I'm a bit bugged that there wasn't more emphasis put on at the end for the things that Feisty (7.04) fixed up. Yeah, the codec support on Dapper was crap, same with the video drivers, but I installed Feisty on my computer (my wife is still happily running Dapper, despite being a bona-fide non geek), and found that there was that bit of polish (that you understandably criticised for not being there) included, that wasn't previously included.

I found that the following is incredibly better in Feisty, than Dapper:

java installation
flash installation
codec installation
video driver installation
DVD playback installation

And you don't have to wait 5 years for it.

MP3 encoding - I found that I just jumped on Add/Remove and installed Audacity (available in windows and mac as well), and it did the job perfectly. I had to do some basic sound editing and conversion and it worked a treat.

USB pen drives - I find the way ubuntu does it better, because I hate having to drill down via My Computer in XP to access a drive after I close the initial dialog box. Same for CDs.

Finally, I would have been happier if you included stuff that is on ubuntu/gnome/linux that isn't in windows that make it more useable/prettier, such as:

The desktop cube is brilliant and useful (or at least you should have mentioned the 4 desktops by default - they do add productivity).

Customisability of the way it looks - gnome-look.org and all that. I've used Windows Blinds which is fine, but slows things down. With Ubuntu you get that skinnability without the resource hogging.

Add/Remove and Synaptic - the software delivery method is streets ahead, and not having to google for a free program and then find it, d/l it and install it is brilliant. In fact audacity and other programs, I now look to see if they have windows equivalents after using the linux version.

Last thing - most people don't install their own OS and get it running, so some allowance should be made for the fact that a good portion of people buy a computer "already running". I setup my near computer illiterate wife's laptop, and not a problem since. moot, i know.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anton:

Nice article, but many points are highly debatable.
I see many things marked with a Flop, which I have no or little problem with in Kubuntu.
Also some things are pass and iffy which I do encounter
problems with.

I think you should do the same experiment with Mint, Mephis and PCLinuxOS.
With pclos , I think every thing gets a pass, at least from my own experience.

However, thanks for the article.
It's usefull

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

dns:

The thing about this series of articles is that they where written every month in APC and things did change in that time. Feisty was just out in part 8 or 9 of the series so that changes things.

We should not be asking the simple question of is linux ready for the "desktop" (whatever people define that as).
Instead we should ask what are the major things it is missing and at the current rate of development will these required features be finished.

The main advantage of the open source development model is it allows a small group of programmers with an interest to work on and take a huge jump forward.

It took microsoft years to develop silverlight, it took mono a month to develop moonlight. The open source model has the ability to adapt quickly to the changing environment, Microsoft and Apple to some extent are too big and too slow moving to compete with linux in the long term.

Is linux ready yet? perhaps. Will it be better in the future? defenately as the model makes it nearly impossible make anything worse. Give linux some time, with the rate of improvement faster than the competition, even if it takes 10 years to do everything the competition does it will win eventually.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Ugashia:

I found that feisty was alot easier than Dapper to use in everyday life. And i love Linux, this was a great article and i really like the way you didn't bash Linux all the way through like most of the other comparison articles out there.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Adele:

You might also have discussed the differences in computer security. It's an important part of Windows. Many new Linux users ask me what antivirus or security suite to use. They are surprised to learn nothing needs to be done. Also, Ubuntu 7.04 has a trash can on the lower panel - no need for command line stuff. Don't know about your tested version in that regard. Otherwise, I learned some things from your observations as well.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Gregg:

...we could require intelligent people to use computers and quit accommodating the lowest denominator. But then I guess Geek Squad would be out of business. Ugh!

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

TucsonGuy:

This is exactly the sort of reaction that hurts Linux adoption. The fact is that in order for Linux to be successful, a lot of "stupid users" have to be willing to use it. Difficulties in setting things up and comments like this will just make them stick with Windows.

I installed 7.10 on my Gateway laptop this weekend (32 bit) and had to manually download Flash support and install it because the automatic download wouldn't work. Also, the sound didn't work and I had to search and found a really weird solution to it that worked, but still...

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Campbell Duff:

I'd just like to add a small thing on the ability for Linux to run well on underpowered machines.
I have an old PIII 500MHz and am duel booting Linux and Windows. To take for example DVD playback-it is unwatchable in windows, while in all the various linux distributions I've tried it works perfectly.
I am able to get a Vista quality desktop experience on a computer which would struggle to run XP.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Axel:

Hi! Nice write Up.
I tend to agree, that LinuxDesktop still has a bit to go.

> Installation effort actually can be bad for newbies - especially if the HW is not recognized
> Linux also has a different lingo, which gives WinUsers trouble
> "Minor" Tweaks are required for MP3, printer, etc.

I do believe so, once we install the basics are installed -the rest In many cases here are still issues.

Having for each distrubtion a windows onboaring guide would really be good. Even things like "What is /home?" is unknown to people who never used *ix....

Just my thgouhts.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Zolookas:

Codec installation is much better in Ubuntu 7.04 (when you try to open mp3 or other file ubuntu gives you ability to check and install which codecs you need with just a few clicks)

Also Ubuntu 7.04 has "Restricted drivers" manager which offers you to install official nvidia drivers if you launch it. Again, installation done much simplier than in windows, you just need to check ckeckbox, press install button and reboot.

Easy dual monitor support will be added in Ubuntu 7.10

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Barry Brimer:

While direct multiple monitor support may not be available in Ubuntu, it is available in Red Hat/CentOS/Fedora via the system-config-display utility.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

sanosuke001:

The only reason I haven't switched is gaming. I would love to have the freedom of being able to switch between free OS' to find the one that I like the best. However, as a gamer, there is no way I could with the current state of things. The forum trolling comments I agree with also, but are more of an inconvenience to me than anything else. Most of your grievances can be worked around except for gaming. Yes, I know I could dual boot, but once I'm in Windows, whats the point of switching back and forth all the time? Not to mention all the extra resources I'd need to have both loaded. Also, I don't remember seeing anything about this in your article but mounting hard drives was always difficult in any other Linux distro I tried. Is is that hard to auto-detect a HDD? Windows seems to do it fairly easy.

Until gaming is thoroughly supported or I hear a FREE Cedega clone that "just works" as you put it, I'm stuck with Windows.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

dave:

what he said

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

IT Veteran(so called):

What He siad is right.

Linux is not there and won't be for a while. I'm a Network Engineer and have been one for 10+ years as a consultant. Dealing with users all that time I can say that the things you had to do to give a pass on some of those items ARE IMPOSSIBLE for a user to do. Trolling the forums is not an answer. A typical user will not have the gumption to look at a well organized Knolege Base like MS provides, let alone the forums. I understand that many people are saying I'm a user and I use forums but if you ask MANY of the people I work with as users and customers they will not even know what a FORUM is let alone go searching around for some cryptic answer to a "common" issue that assumes you can fill in the blank in the command line.

Linux needs an attitude adjustment not a technical fix! It has to be easy for people to like it and want to switch. The food chain of software/drivers/hardware is established and here it is: Companies will develop software/drivers/hardware for the OS that a majority of people use." That is right you see the period at the end of that sentance, it means what it says.

I am a technical user, not a linux guru nor a fanatical Windows supporter, but over the years I have been frustrated so many times to the point that I stop using the new flavor of Linux because it does not WORK! I get sick of searching for 20 different solutions (only one of which will work for my problem but I have to try them all untill I find the right one) just to make something work that Windows XP makes work even though it is running an OS released in 2001!!!! This is an attitude problem and I use Linux because it lets me do things that I can't do easily in Windows (or free in most cases) but these things are on the fringe of computer use (security auditing, networek monitoring and troubleshooting.. etc) and this is where Linux will stay if the attitude does not change.

Some say try this distro or another, well I did, recently I even opted for a pay-for Linux to see if my computer would work after installing without allot of nonsense, $60 down the drain after figguring out that simple things did not work even after paying for support and software ARGH!!! Can you imagine this in Windows?!?!? I'm not talking about getting my "fringe" piece of software or hardware to work, I'm talking about useful stable behaivior from SOUND, WIFI, VIDEO... things that Windows did well on mainstream hardware in 1995!!!

But I do love Linux for the things it can do and the freedom it stands for and maybe that is causing the attitude of the people that drive it "well you can do it and there is 10 ways to do it"... I just want one way to do it and for it to work without me rebooting to windows to get on google so I can find what i might have to do to get internet working in Linux.

And to waste my time to dual boot when the Windows PC does exactly what I need and more importantly things that Linux can not (Games!!), is utter madness since I just don't think you should change your life to support a great "idea", because that "idea" will not fullfill my need to kill some terrorists in CS2!

only my $.02 and that is all but I find this mindset in so many people that if Linux does not change then it will always be the distant runner-up.

I still play with Linux becasue of a character flaw i have and that is that I will always try to make a "turd shine". So i look forward to KDE 4.0 but I REALLY look forward to it on my working WINDOWS OS!!!! :-)

29 February 2008, 8:49 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

nOg0oi3:

Glad to see some comment on the stability but the performance of Linux is a significant motivator for many of us and I expect this could have been noted too.

I also thought the comparitive study was little lopsided. Comparing Windows Vista with Ubuntu 6 when the XP comparison would have been better and also shown up those same 64bit issues (i.e. 64bit XP never really happened) mentioned. Also the article presumed that Vista install / driver support was perfect, as an IT consultant who still back orders Windows XP for home and business clients I'd suggest it's mis-representative.

However, I must finish by saying, "great articles", comprehensive and well balanced. Thank you, going to post to facebook now.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Michaeld:

One of the essential things that anyone with a laptop would need to know is how easy is it to connect to a wireless router?

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Init:

I don't know about Ubuntu, since I run Fedora, but with Fedora 7 and a supported wireless chipset (such as those that come with Intel Centrino-branded laptops), wireless networking is a breeze. After enabling NetworkManager, it detected my WPA2-PSK home network and connected without problems after I entered the key.

At work, we have a WPA2-Enterprise wireless network, and Networkmanager detected it and let me enter the needed details, after which it connected to the network without a hitch.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Matt:

I am running Kubuntu 7.10 on a dell inspiron 1000 laptop with a dell 1350 wireless card... the restricted drivers manager allows activation of the broadcom firmware and the laptop connects to my WPA-PSK router with NO HICCUPS!!!

I have to say, Kubuntu Gutsy ROCKS!

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

gareth:

firstly you state that searchign forums is not a standard user experience to solve problems

i must say on may occasions i have found myself searching forums to solve problems in windows, also the results you get are generally much less helpful than anything i have found in linux forums.

about space management ok it didn't tell you that you had 7gb of trash but there is a waste bin on the bottom task bar there was no need to use a terminal

and problems with the desktop resolution after intalling the nvidia drivers where more to do with automatixs configuration of the x server than the gnome interface envy is a much better script for installing grafics drivers and does both ati and nvidia drivers, and the latest releases have a gui making it very easy to use.

i also think that a better comparison of windows to ubuntu would have been made if you used a pre installed ubuntu machine from dell as this is more reminisent of 90% of windows users (not sure if these come with java flash etc pre installed) also comparing 64 bit oses was unfair as most vista oem machines (even though they are on 64 bit processors are 32 bit versions

the 64 bit version may also have been the major failing of cedega as i now many people who use it on a 32 bit base ubuntu with no issues

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anonymous1:

Babylon 5 - Season 3 - DVD 1

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Tristan Rhodes:

See review by the Ubuntu technical board here:

http://mjg59.livejournal.com/77440.html

Also, Ubuntu 7.04 DOES allow you to easily install Java, Flash, and MP3 codec support, without going to the forums.

The first time you try to play an MP3, it will ask if you want it to install the codec for it. This is similar to other codecs as well.

And for Flash and Java - Did you try "Applications > Add/Remove"? You can search for Java and Flash and have it installed in a few clicks.

Thanks for the review. I appreciate the work you did in documenting the current status of Ubuntu. Please do it again when Ubuntu 7.10 comes out! :)

Tristan

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Tristan Rhodes:

I see what happened. You decided to use Ubuntu 6.06 LTS version. The LTS versions are created for corporations who need stability over newer features, and do not want to upgrade every 6 months. LTS releases come out every 2 years (the next one is due in April 2008).

So the version you tested is about 1.5 years old, and a lot of progress has been made since then. I recommend that you wait a month and then try Ubuntu 7.10. Compared to 6.06, it will knock your socks off!

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Cohortq:

The DVD is Babylon 5, I don't know which season, but it looks like season 3 or 4.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

sorpigal:

The DVD is Babylon 5 season 3 disc 1. The review is good but it's being a B5 fan that makes me give this author a Pass.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

ecartman:

Nice review. I pretty much agree. I am currently running Gutsy on this machine and Cassandra Mint on my other machine. I must say both these distros were easier for me to install and get tweaked than my Vista machine. Truth be told one of the reasons I use Ubuntu is the help offered on the boards. Intelligent, nice and always willing to help, truly amazing and a real benefit to the OS. Example; I lost my desktop background the first day using Vista, never really could fix that or even find any hints anywhere with google. I have fixed all my problems I encountered with Ubuntu in minimal time by reading the boards.
Again, liked the review. Nice reading something that didn't reek of fanboyism, something both sides are guilty of.

Cart

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

sx66gns:

7.04 is much better with the things the author expressed displeasure with , also it's soon time for 7.10 release which is really going to raise the bar.

PCLOS is a very nice distro , but for those that do not need any hand holding at all , those that can maintain and perform their own repairs..

Basically Ubuntu is easy , so easy even a caveman could do it.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

chasm:

Mostly I have to agree with your results. But the criticism of DVD playback on Ubuntu is pretty lame. I don't have DVD playback on either of my Windows systems out of the box (well, after reinstalling Windows, that is). Windows XP (any service pack) itself does not include DVD playback. But if you buy an HP or Dell box, they include third party DVD players on the hard drive. They usually don't include the install CD though. So if you reinstall the OS, bye-bye to DVD playback.

I do not know about DVD playback on Vista (it's probably there now), but if you are coming from XP to Ubuntu, that should be a Pass (an equal PITA, that is).

I've hardly played with Vista (in spite of it being "free" with my new laptop) because I have three pieces of hardware it does not support (and never will) - DLT tape drive, cheap multichannel PCI audio card and TV I/O card. So until I change over at work, I'll still be running XP even on that laptop, not because I need the unsupported hardware on it, but because it would be the only Vista system I use, and the UI really did change a lot. Old hardware has always been the bane of Windows upgrades, but it seems to be less of an issue with Linux (still an issue, though). Does the MSI webcam work with Vista?

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Alex C:

Good article, was thinking about installing Linux for a friend who has an older computer and doesn't play any intense windows games and could probably learn the basic functionality fairly quickly.

Anyway, decided against it based on research of my own, but I remain hopeful that I will find the right distro that won't require me to tinker with their computer for a week just to make sure everything will work. The article hits it on the nose. While Linux is great for those who already know computers and who aren't scared to use a command prompt, there is still no distro in my opinion that makes the transition from Windows to Linux painless or even for many newbies easy.

In response to one of the replies above, I have tried PCLinuxOS 2007 and the version prior to it (0.97a I think), and on both my desktop and laptop I found Ubuntu far easier to get up and going. Both have ATI video cards, but even Ubuntu was able to configure them properly for 2d accel. PCLinuxOS will only let my 1600pro run in 800x600 without the screen acting like windows on the wrong drivers.
Additionally PCLinuxOS TRIES to install my wifi cards but fails, my desktop needs to use ndiswrapper but fails to install it correctly using PCLinuxOS, for some reason using ndiswrapper and the exact same driver on Ubuntu works, perhaps an inferior version of ndiswrapper, but either way Ubtunu won.

While neither distro supports my cards out of the box, I was at least able to get them both to work under Ubuntu.

I have a small tower of linux distros I've tried. Ask my girlfriend. I've tinkered with some of the most obscure distros out there. Among the easiest are often the smallest, but then repositories are lacking. I have yet to find one acceptable to thrust upon my Windows using, non-techno-dork friends, but Ubuntu comes the closest. I would recommend it to people who haven't used Windows for extended periods of time or people with some willingness to configure varying areas of the OS.

My conclusion is that while I have had my share of woes with PCLinuxOS and with Ubuntu, they are both still the forerunners of this user-friendly Linux ordeal. Which is better can really only be determined by installing and trying for yourself. I'm sure a number of you will have the same experience as me where Ubuntu is better and some will find Ubuntu buggier on their system than PCLinuxOS.

Oh and BTW, the part where you only got 4:3 resolutions is controlled by an entry in x windows config file (x.conf or xorg.conf if I remember), not the driver (though bad driver could cause hardware supported modes to not function correctly, it has nothing to do selectable modes). The fault lies with whatever made the entry to that file. And ironically, as much as you love Automatix, it was probably one of it's install scripts that made the entry.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

AnonyMouse:

Good article, very fair.. except for your choice of 64 bit.. As you point out, even Microsoft is just now getting their 64 bit support in order. By choosing to install 64 bit, you set up an additional barrier, and most users would not have had your problem with the browser plug-ins. Considering this additional barrier, Linux did very well...

But I think you also did a fine job of exposing one of the biggest problems facing linux at the moment: The necessity of distribution-specific installation files and repositories, each distribution having to keep up with not only the latest versions of each application, but also each driver. At the very least, printer driver packages ought to be liberated from the chaos of package management and standardized among distributions. The fine job Ubuntu has done with their update s and application repositories means that the user rarely has to stray outside these repositories.. but this lasts only as long as you are willing to be happy getting the application you NEED and not necessarily the one you WANT. Once you leave the nest, the full horror of Linux application installation becomes visible, as you found with your video editing applications. As ,uch as I love linux, I cannot turn a blind eye to this issue. It is the largest problem facing linux today.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

pensulo:

After using Ubuntu Linux for nine months, in 2 home machines, I began to suspect that old PCs could be brought back to life for nothing - or close to no expense. That just happened! I recommend that you try it too.

I asked my friends and acquaintances to give me their old PCs, alive or dead, so I could install Ubuntu Linux to rescue such computers. Mostly. my friends said, "What? What is Ubuntu?" At that point I'd try to explain the free operating system with pre-installed open source software. Usually, eyes would roll and expressions would blank. However, my niece's fiancee said, "Sure, take that one because I'm going to throw it out when we move. It's dead". I looked it over and saw the windows 2000 sticker. He & my niece had no interest in an old windows PC, because they had changed to use pearly new Macs for everything they do. I took it.

Once I got it home, I connected the usual peripherals: Mouse, Monitor and Keyboard. After pressing the start button and watching the boot process, I determined that the old 20 gigabyte hard drive had failed. After a quick trip to Microcenter in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I returned with a new 80 gigabyte IDE hard drive. Fifty-two dollars invested, including tax. I love that store. Microcenter is my favorite technology store.

I took me 20 minutes to open the case, vacuum and wipe up the dust, and finally install the hard drive. It wasn't difficult; replace the drive and snap fit the ribbon connections. Installing Ubuntu from a CD is very easy, comparatively convenient considering the software monsters of the past If you ever installed a windows OS from floppies or CDs, ( remember the 16 floppies of IBM's OS2?), you'll positively enjoy ease of Ubuntu. It takes less than 15 minutes to the first desktop appearance and another 30 minutes or so for the rest of the process, in my case. I did not reserve any partitions, and simply allowed Ubuntu to take the whole disk. Approximately 45 minutes later - this box is up and running, with a full set of office software, graphic programs, and accessories. Running? YES! This box has only 256 ram and it seems to run better than the other, newer PC I had been using.

I say "this box" because I'm using it now to write to you. Another bonus was that Ubuntu Linux was able to use the graphics card to properly handle this modern 22" monitor. My newer Dell Dimension couldn't do that. As a result, it's unplugged now; this resurrected machine is better than the one I had been using.

The desktop experience of Ubuntu is very good; I don't want to say "windows-like", because you might get the wrong impression of Ubuntu. However, some visual elements are similar, task bars, big useful workspace, normal accessories like text editors, dictionaries, calculators and terminals. If you don't like issuing commands by typing in the terminal window, you won't need to do that., because there's such a nice GUI for ordinary tasks. A casual computer user can easily adapt to the open source software. My favorite free software, which arrived via the Applications Add/Remove is GIMP. I've paid for Photoshop Elements in the past but never again! GIMP is similar enough to Photoshop, that it serves me totally. Mac advocates will think that Ubuntu is somewhat like OS X, but lacking the flash and the launcher, and the familiar branded software. If your primary use of the computer is browsing the web and corresponding by e-mail, then the free Ubuntu operating system will save you money. Consider that for 52.00, I've got a new-used computer that works very well.

I'm imagining that I'll be doing this for friends and neighbors a lot in the future. We'll be saving money and exploring the world of open source software.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Venkatesh Nandakumar:

"Ten points for guessing the DVD...."
Babylon 5!

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Jojo:

I see a *huge* gaping hole in this review...configuring wireless.

Setting up/getting wireless to work with your NIC is a total bear on Linux...

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anonymous Man:

I agree, wireless is not exactly easy to setup. Also, how is linux on laptops? Does it have all the necessary drivers? In general, can you use all features of the hardware you buy? ATI All In Wonder video cards are practically useless in linux.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anonymouse:

AIW is useless? I bought one years ago and never could get it working under Windows. Once I switched to Linux, It Just Worked(tm). No problems at all. As for laptops, I have three and the only problems have been Broadcom wireless cards were replaced with better supported ones and one laptop doesn't initialize the video problem when coming out of hibernation. Other than that the laptops work flawlessly.

For the curious, the laptops are a Thinkpad 600x, a Dell C640 and a Compaq V2000.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Paddy:

We went all Ubuntu at home/home office when my wife's XP system crashed and I had an Ubuntu live disk around. The live disk meant that we could get her back online and working without a hard disk in minutes - very cool if your HD dies.

My wife is not an expert computer user but after a week or so of living in an Ubuntu only world she could see no good reason to go back to Windows.

All the Windows applications that she used had perfectly good replacements in the Linux world and all her cameras, phones, mp3 players, PDAs and other peripherals worked with Ubuntu without any problem.

The children, (5 and 8), both heavy web users, are happy in an Ubuntu only world.

The only and, I stress only, issue we have had moving from XP to Windows was that some of the children's online games need Shockwave which is not available in the Linux world. A bit of shame to have to explain to a five year old girl that one of her favourite games doesn't work but all in all not much of a downside given the availability of non-Shockwave games.

Caveats. 1) I have knocked around computers for a long time and I had spent time figuring out how to move from Windows to Ubuntu on my own computers so I was able to set the system up for her. I don't think that she would have had the confidence to make the move without me around. 2) We had long ago abandoned MS applications like IE and Outlook for Firefox and Google applications so we didn't have a lot of legacy data locked into Windows systems to worry about.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

mahiyar:

If you are serious to throw out windows out your windows, then it needs commitment. There is nothing like free lunch in this world. If you want a free software working for you, you will have to learn. This review was done on 6.06? 7.04 takes care of 95% of media problems, and flash and Java. There is only one reason I go to windows, about once a month, and that is if need something to scan.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

John Frobisher:

Commitment? Are you kidding? I want to use my computer, not marry it.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Speaking of Marriage:

I found similar unsavory commitments in Windows. Eventually, I got tired of massaging my system with the associated necessary security software subscriptions/updates/scans, WPA and other licensing requirements, and general worry about what was really happening behind the scenes.

In fact, using Windows felt a lot like being married to an unfaithful spouse.

Linux is much better from where I sit.

29 February 2008, 8:49 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anonymous13587!*&^:

Until Linux can handle the gaming industry demands it will not flourish. That is the main reason I haven't made the jump. Regardless of the fact that Microsoft is evil.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Reghart:

Wow, I really liked this article. It was very well thought out, and as a Windows user, it was relevant to me. If I were to try a Linux Distro, it would be Ubuntu, and I very much liked the comparisons between it and Windows. However, and I know it wasn't the point of the article, this has not convinced me to swap over to Ubuntu, or any form of Linux, simply for the fact that drivers are a pot luck, and the fact that I'm a gamer who likes the big games, and am a fan of many of the proprietary Windows games. But this is excellent, and, given a few more years, if Linux finally makes it into the heart of games and third party app developers, and there are as many apps, official drivers, and games for it as Windows, I may switch. Simply put, I have too many apps I use very frequently that'll only run under windows. This article really put that in perspective for me, as I had considered testing Ubuntu recently. Thanks, your article has saved me a good bit of time.

Very well written, Cheers!

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Dain:

thanks for the great article....btw, the DVD is Babylon 5 - The Complete Third Season, Disc 1 of 6

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anonymoose:

.. and the shown pictures show Marcus Cole's introduction, Brother Theo, the berserker probe, and Lyta Alexander's returning of the Kosh piece back to Kosh..

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Dwindle:

Honestly, I wish Linux would stop wasting so much time making itself cute and jammed packed with cheesy free ware apps and just make it work better. I have two computers, both of which need to use WEP encrypted WiFi, and no distro can seem to pull it off. Java has never worked for me. It's slow, glitchy, and the colors are wrong for some reason. Sound won't work on one, touchpad won't work on the other, and any number of forums I go to can't seem to help me. There are many distros that crash and burn before they are even installed, and I don't even know why.

I'd suffer a handful of inconveniences for Linux, but I just can't seem to get it to work well enough to be a functioning computer while I learn the little ins and outs.

The worst part, for me at least, is the software. I love Irfanview, because I just click on any media file, even a text, PDF, or HTM file, and it just pops up, rendered in full screen, and lets me flip back and forth. I miss Explorers simple, clean interface, and loathe Linux's obsession with clunky toolbars and over sized buttons, and trying in vane to find a "skin" that, rather than look cool and pretentious, is easy to use.

My Explorer windows are trained to take up exactly the half side of the screen, so they can be easily seen side by side - of all the programs I've tried in Linux, I've never seen one that will do this simple thing.

No matter what codecs I install, there is always a handful of media files that just won't work and, as always, no one has a clue why or what to do about it.

I can read or write to drive "X" on a Windows network, but no torrent application can seem to do the same. Other file sharing programs can do it, so what's the problem? as usual, posting to forums ad infinitum just doesn't solve anything.

I don't know why it seems to me Linux is just a pipe dream spinning it's wheels, but honestly, after Suse, Ubuntu, Knoppix, Xandros, Puppy, RedHat, and countless others, I'm rather bored with the whole thing, as most problems I've had with Windows don't exist anymore.

There is no crashing, BSOD, ad ware or any of that nonsense, so why bother switching?

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

victim of windoze:

Your Windows problems don't exist anymore? How did you manage that? I have XP and almost every day something freezes, a program is forced to close, a program is unresponsive, an unresponsive problem refuses to close when I try to close it and about once a week or more I have to turn off my computer completely because it refuses to shut down when I tell it to. I sometimes use someone else's computer with XP and it does the same thing. Also, it takes forever to boot up and load!

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

sanderjd:

Good article! Thank you.

I finally removed my dual boot Windows XP image when Ubuntu 6.06 came out and ran into many of the same annoyances as you. I pushed through the multimedia and Java issues all the time thinking to myself "Nope, still not ready to recommend to non-geeks."

Since then I have reinstalled with each successive version that has been released and as a previous comment mentioned, nearly all of my gripes have been largely remedied. Ubuntu now has a fantastic system for determining when functionality desired by a user is missing and prompting the user to install it. This works wonders for the multimedia experience. Try to play an MP3 and it pops up saying "Install this package to play MP3 files" - sweet! Both the Java and Flash extensions are now working seamlessly.

One portion of your article confused me - the removal of trash. In my experience, Ubuntu does a great job of moving any deleted files to a per-user (rather than per-directory) trash folder, which appears as an icon on the desktop, and is easy to expunge (certainly no 'rm -rf' is necessary).

Unfortunately, there are two problems remaining for me as of 7.04. The procedure for using NVidia drivers remains an annoyance, requiring a manual edit of the X11 configuration file to change the resolution. This bug has existed for me since the 6.06 beta and is completely unacceptable. The other problem I still have is something you didn't cover at all in this review - wireless. This is hugely important for laptop users, and also desktop users, as more and more households go wireless. From many things I've read, Ubuntu has some of the best wireless support in the Linux community, and I have found it to be unfortunately atrocious. Even with wireless cards that I have looked up on forums as being compatible, I have been completely unable to get a reliable solution. This seems to be (along with gaming perhaps) the last great frontier of Linux support. It looks like help is on the way though, as the newest Linux kernel appears to include a re-write of the wireless stack from the ground up. This should be included in Ubuntu's 7.10 release, due in 2-4 weeks.

The real great thing about Ubuntu that is sometimes missed is it's velocity. While it may not be perfect now, you've got to admit it's getting better, it's getting better all the time.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Scott:

I have no idea how you scored gaming a pass. I know that when they are ported they work, but you were living in a Windows-less world, and what happens if I want to play something that isn't either 12 - 18 mths old or isn't the few that have been ported, or if you've got kids that buy the latest title, not thinking about the OS, because you shouldn't have to think about the OS, and it won't work. That's not a pass, that a dismal failure, and one of the biggest failures of Linux. And forget that rubbish about native games, they're not up to the grade. Combine that with failure to play DVDs without some knowledge and effort, and you've got one angry consumer, as those would be two of the primary activities on a family computer. It's chicken and egg I guess, companies won't port games without more users, and non-geek users, without a geek in the household, won't switch and stay switched without things working.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend