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October 13 Ubuntu 9.04
I though I might delve into the new release of ubuntu 9.04 which I recently tried for the first time. I filled in the web form and after a while these nice people sent me a CD with ubuntu free. It would have proved quicker however to download the files from the ubuntu web site and and burn to CD. Downloading this way You’ll will be up and running within a hour with a full complement of software to boot. There’s plenty of information on the web to help and YouTube has plenty of videos on that demonstrate ubuntu.
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So what about it, well it’s good. Installing the operating system is a breeze. If you just want to try it out and have two hard drives or a D: partition you can install the files on D: I see on YouTube there is a tutorial on installing an operating system on a memory stick, interesting. Truth is you won’t even have to reformat your hard drive, it works well along side vista and you won’t loose any files. Ubuntu installed without fuss and recognized all the hardware first time, even setting up a dual boot menu to allow choice of the day, vista or ubuntu.
If you have a separate graphic card and wish to use the Ubuntu all singing and dancing system, you’ll need Ubuntu card drivers. I’m using a Ati Radeon HD2600 pro, I checked out the Ati site and downloaded the official linux drivers for my card, mistake, they didn't work and the system locked up. This is where you will have to be careful and make sure your card is fully supported by ubuntu. Once the card drivers were removed things started to roll a bit more. In fairness I have to say that there is plenty of info available on the ubuntu site for the Ati card, but not being a tekkie I never saw the full glory of ubuntu.
I have installed windows XP/98/Me a few times now, even for other people, so I have a little knowledge of system installation, but finding the time to set up the graphics card was to much at that time. My first date with ubuntu had been good enough, but not good enough to sign on the dotted line and say “I do”. The desktop can best be described as a cross between Microsoft and Mac, albeit a messy brown affair that the sooner is changed the better. The same must be pointed out if you require a sound card, check for drivers. Drivers are the problem for ubuntu, printer drivers are another issue, HP being one of the only believers out there.
Business users will be out on a limb, accounting or engineering type apps, you would be advised to check thoroughly. Gamers, well aside from tetris and solitaire type games I would say there is a long way to go before serious 3D games are produced for ubuntu. But if you just want to browse the internet and answer mails to friends, or even run a small business then this may be for you. Every thing you will need is there to carry out any task. Firefox is the default browser on ubuntu and with many windows users having replaced the internet explorer with the Firefox item, enough said.
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Well here we are and at least it’s running and apart from the unresolved graphics card issue, it’s working. But there were more surprises waiting, software, I mean. Real usable software that’s all free.
Open office is a Microsoft clone that all users of Microsoft word will recognize. It’s also used by Windows users and is a home on all Windows platforms. But on the Ubuntu package, it’s at home and at it’s best, so if you want to write a book, look no further.
The best thing for me was an adobe Photoshop clone called Gimp. I use Gimp a lot and found to my surprise that it was every bit a professional tool as you would buy for several hundred pounds. The fact is there are so many applications to download, you will never use them all. The home user who needs to perform internet related work, ubuntu is a contender in the truest sense. For the geek, the open source will give you something to explore and maybe even improve.
| A personal conclusion:- I would say Ubuntu may well be for the home user a serious contender to the Microsoft troll that prevents us crossing the bridge. It doesn’t have this crisp professional look of the Mac operating system or that of the bloated vista platform, but what it does have is a unique and well tested snappy system that works. The biggest plus being the free software available to download if required, updates are checked for automatically and installed the same way windows, it’s smooth and issue free. If you feel unsure about crossing the bridge, remember it’s free and check out the videos on YouTube first. Check out the ubuntu 9.04:- switching from windows for further information. If hadn’t bought this vista machine that I now use, I may well be using a £200 pc I saw recently by a Mesh Computers at Ebuyer.co.uk
I have no problems with Windows Vista or windows XP, I use them both. Personally like them, but upgrade windows 7, not right now, not unless it’s free. If however I was still using windows 98 or Me, then ubuntu would for me be the way to go, but XP is going to run further than Microsoft intended, at least another fives years or so. Also Ubuntu v10 is not far away, and improvements are being published every day. I suppose it’s the little familiar things I would miss on Windows, the live messenger and live writer which I used to write this. Truth is they keep me from crossing the bridge myself, but ubuntu works along side my vista for the moment and will continue that way until I say “I do” . We get used to our little ways of doing things don’t we, comfort zones etc, oh no, a troll.
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