so, i recently made the switch to ubuntu, and i'm now running a dual boot of winxp for photoshop and games and ubuntu 7.10 for everything else.
my biggest fear was that some of my hardware was going to be unrecognized. this was unfounded in any way whatsoever. not a single thing i've tried hasn't functioned. my keyboard, a logitech ps/2 with media buttons and whatnot has functioned perfectly without drivers, while in windows it won't work at all without them. even the media buttons work. my razer copperhead has lost some functionality, in that i cannot change binds or anything, but the ones set in windows all work like a charm. my PCI network card made by a company called ADMtek has had no problems, everything else is perfect. the only thing i haven't tried yet is my printer, but i have no reason to think that's going to give me trouble.
Ubuntu is Unix based like Mac OSX. basically, its what OSX would be if it wasn't catering to retards and people who are afraid of the buttons and cords on a PC. certainly, a smarter user like Bernie can enjoy it, but its really meant for people who don't give two shits as to how the computer does things, only that it does them. Ubuntu is the exact opposite. if you're not willing to get your hands dirty and start learning the command prompt, don't bother installing. the system is very intuitive and very simple to pick up, so long as you're willing to ask for help, as well as look for it.
open source is like a computer users dream come true. if i need a software piece for windows that costs $9000, chances are there's an open source version that will do what i need it to do for nothing.
one of my other fears was that the OS was going to be very unstable. this is not the case. at times it can feel slightly sluggish, but i haven't had a real problem with it at all. hell, it runs from a ext3 partition but reads the NTSC ones just fine, something windows tanks at. no crashes, no install errors, nothing.
the interface is also very friendly, not at all like the stereotypical view of linux. true, any real things require the command prompt to get done, but basic computing is just like running around through windows.
the thing i love best, however, is the music player. its the perfect mixture of WMP, itunes, winamp and some extras. it looks very similar to itunes (playlists, music sources, etc. +album cover on the left, music listed on the right). controls are simple, it steals the musical breakdown from winamp (artist and album list above, all music listed below.), and it also pops up the name of the song and whatnot on the apps bar when the song changes. actually, i don't know what it takes from WMP, but there's probably something.
the only real cons are that some of the major software like photoshop and games are incompatible. i predict that photoshop will hit linux eventually, but as of right now, thats part of why i keep the dual boot.
overall, i'd recommend the switch to anybody looking for something new. i feel like a little kid at christmas, seeing as i jumped in with absolutely zero experience whatsoever.
+1 to ubuntu.
my biggest fear was that some of my hardware was going to be unrecognized. this was unfounded in any way whatsoever. not a single thing i've tried hasn't functioned. my keyboard, a logitech ps/2 with media buttons and whatnot has functioned perfectly without drivers, while in windows it won't work at all without them. even the media buttons work. my razer copperhead has lost some functionality, in that i cannot change binds or anything, but the ones set in windows all work like a charm. my PCI network card made by a company called ADMtek has had no problems, everything else is perfect. the only thing i haven't tried yet is my printer, but i have no reason to think that's going to give me trouble.
Ubuntu is Unix based like Mac OSX. basically, its what OSX would be if it wasn't catering to retards and people who are afraid of the buttons and cords on a PC. certainly, a smarter user like Bernie can enjoy it, but its really meant for people who don't give two shits as to how the computer does things, only that it does them. Ubuntu is the exact opposite. if you're not willing to get your hands dirty and start learning the command prompt, don't bother installing. the system is very intuitive and very simple to pick up, so long as you're willing to ask for help, as well as look for it.
open source is like a computer users dream come true. if i need a software piece for windows that costs $9000, chances are there's an open source version that will do what i need it to do for nothing.
one of my other fears was that the OS was going to be very unstable. this is not the case. at times it can feel slightly sluggish, but i haven't had a real problem with it at all. hell, it runs from a ext3 partition but reads the NTSC ones just fine, something windows tanks at. no crashes, no install errors, nothing.
the interface is also very friendly, not at all like the stereotypical view of linux. true, any real things require the command prompt to get done, but basic computing is just like running around through windows.
the thing i love best, however, is the music player. its the perfect mixture of WMP, itunes, winamp and some extras. it looks very similar to itunes (playlists, music sources, etc. +album cover on the left, music listed on the right). controls are simple, it steals the musical breakdown from winamp (artist and album list above, all music listed below.), and it also pops up the name of the song and whatnot on the apps bar when the song changes. actually, i don't know what it takes from WMP, but there's probably something.
the only real cons are that some of the major software like photoshop and games are incompatible. i predict that photoshop will hit linux eventually, but as of right now, thats part of why i keep the dual boot.
overall, i'd recommend the switch to anybody looking for something new. i feel like a little kid at christmas, seeing as i jumped in with absolutely zero experience whatsoever.
+1 to ubuntu.