ubuntu - who's using it?

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A while back there was a poster who had the signature line "This post brought to you by the letter u - ubuntu
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" and I decided to give it a try recently. I haven't used Linux before, so this was all new to me.

The result?
I was absolutely blown away. It does everything I need to do with a computer, with aplomb. The installation was easy, and configuring it was a snap with no help or how-to guides needed. The tools and applications that come with it are also amazing. Everything about this OS seems to be better than Windows. And the best part is, it's free, and so are the applications I want.

So who's using this terrific OS as their primary-go to operating system on their computer(s)?
 
I looked at it 2 years ago and decided it wasn't ready for prime time yet. Rather than finish one version, they are rushing into the next.

I am running Debian stable.
 
Originally Posted By: labman
I looked at it 2 years ago and decided it wasn't ready for prime time yet. Rather than finish one version, they are rushing into the next.

I am running Debian stable.
Sounds good labman. I don't know what ubuntu looked like two years ago, and I don't know what Debian looks like, but I can tell you that ubuntu is amazing compared to Windows. You might be more of a power user of linux - I don't know anything about the coding that some Linux users do to get seemingly routine things done. I didn't have to do any of that or any driver hunting to get my install to work flawlessly.
 
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I'm running it on a couple of PC's.

L_S - FYI - Ubuntu is based on Debian. If youo want to get an idea of the many 'nix distros, check out Distrowatch .
 
I use it at home and on my computer at the office. I love it. But I have been using various forms of Unix for more than 10 years.

There are still some commercial applications that I need to use; I run them on a MacBook.
 
Debian stable over here as well, with a MacBook Pro for media production work. These days Debian is just a *weeeeee* bit more involved to set up and get running relative to Ubuntu. The old joke used to be that ubuntu was an ancient African word meaning "Can't install Debian"!

The new Ubuntu - 10.04, due out in April, is another of their Long Term Support (LTS) releases (released every 2 years), which'll hopefully mean it's a bit more stable and solid than some of their other releases, and it's also a massive departure from their brown and orange interface. http://www.webupd8.org/2010/03/ubuntu-1004-lucid-lynx-beta-1-released.html

A lot of supporters of open source software are beginning to take more and more issue with Canonical's (the corporate sponsor of Ubuntu) practices; but all in all I think it's a terrific user-friendly, freedom-respecting alternative to Microsoft and Apple. It's nice, too, that Canonical is partnering with re-sellers and service providres to support Ubuntu. Dell, for example, has a puny area on their web site where they sell machines with Ubuntu pre-loaded.
 
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
I run Linuxmint, Ubuntu, and Eeebuntu. Waiting for 10.04 to move everything to that.


I don't know how you feel about Mint versus a stock Ubuntu (Mint is 99.9% Ubuntu, with codecs and proprietary stuff pre-installed, some tweaks to the interface like using the Shiki-Colors themes and a couple of configuration utilities); but if you prefer it, you can always wait a few weeks after an Ubuntu release to get a corresponding Mint release that *is* that Ubuntu release with Mint's tweaks.

I've heard nothing but glowing things about Mint, and the fact that it has codecs and what not pre-installed makes it easy for non-nerds... And you are, for all intents and purposes, using Ubuntu!
 
Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
I run Linuxmint, Ubuntu, and Eeebuntu. Waiting for 10.04 to move everything to that.


I don't know how you feel about Mint versus a stock Ubuntu (Mint is 99.9% Ubuntu, with codecs and proprietary stuff pre-installed, some tweaks to the interface like using the Shiki-Colors themes and a couple of configuration utilities); but if you prefer it, you can always wait a few weeks after an Ubuntu release to get a corresponding Mint release that *is* that Ubuntu release with Mint's tweaks.

I've heard nothing but glowing things about Mint, and the fact that it has codecs and what not pre-installed makes it easy for non-nerds... And you are, for all intents and purposes, using Ubuntu!


I agree. I've been using Mint for the past few months. everything worked out of the box: printer, sound, and wireless USB. Those are the items I had problems with using Ubuntu a few years ago. Everything with Mint is easy to install with mint update and software manager. heck, I even have a "mac" dock at the bottom of my Linux screen
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I know what mint is; I just had a hard drive failure a couple weeks ago on this laptop and the fastest way for me to get it set up and practically useable (codecs, etc.) again was mint. I prefer Ubuntu-based stuff due to it's debian base and large repository and .deb compatibility.
 
Ubuntu is based on Debian and Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu but as mentioned has all the codex and plugins already installed which is a plus for new users.

Ubuntu 10.04 should be released by the end of April. This will be a long term support version. Other new versions of Ubuntu are normally released every 6 months.

Fast boot times and other new features will arrive with version 10.04.
 
I've been using Ubuntu for about 4 years. I originally set it up so my 5 year old son could use it without fear of getting a virus.

Since then I've been using it more and more. I'd describe Linux as 95% ready, it's the other 5% that will kill you. For example, I had a tough time getting suspend/hibernate to work correctly with my hardware. Wireless drivers on laptops are also problematic to configure. But what do you want for the price?

I also work in the IT field so I have experience in various technologies.
 
Certainly Ubuntu has been a vast improvement in ease of installation and use for the mainstream but when issues occur they can be daunting for anyone without loads of patience and some technical knowledge. Since the very early days of Linux I've played around with it every year or two but never really found it a good substitute for Windows, esp for the more high-end type apps.
 
The Linux geeks lost a huge opportunity with Vista. If thy would have made it a little more accessible, it would be too late for Microsoft to recover with windows 7.
 
Originally Posted By: labman
The Linux geeks lost a huge opportunity with Vista. If thy would have made it a little more accessible, it would be too late for Microsoft to recover with windows 7.


Seems that both Linux and Mac O/S are becoming more popular and while traveling I notice that we see a lot more Apple Laptops.

Linux has made more of an impact overseas in many places too than here in the US yet.

Although I spend much of my computer time in Linux I too run Windows 7 some on the desktop and wife uses Vista on her laptop. On my laptop have it setup so I can dual boot into Vista or Linux.

I know that no operating system is 100 % secure but feel better using Linux with it's built-in firewall in public places.
 
Got a dell netbook preinstalled with Ubuntu, it's the bees knees. I undid the "netbook remix" though; was just eye candy and a quick launcher.

A compromise however was the 4GB SSD drive which seems to be slowing down and lacking in spare room.

The non-free codecs and flash player are useful if not required. BITOG had an animated banner that the free flash player would play once then stick a "Play" button on top of for replay. Youtube etc also dragged.
 
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