Migrating to Ubuntu Linux from Microsoft Windows

Four years ago I tried about a dozen Linux distributions, to see if they were ready for an ordinary user to install as an escape from the Windows world. None of the distros performed well enough for me to recommend them to a non-geek unless they were going to hire someone to install it. After hearing Dell's recent announcement that it will sell computers with pre-installed Ubuntu Linux, I decided to see if Ubuntu was user-friendly.

The Requirements

My non-negotiable requirements for a new operating system center on simplicity for me:

1. It must have a GUI interface for installing and configuring the system.

2. Existing hardware must remain usable and the new operating system must make it "just work" without my having to edit text-based configuration files.

3. Existing software must remain usable unless the new operating system has equivalent features to the ones I use, and I can switch without losing data or doing much work.

4. Because I need to use software that has no Linux substitute, the Linux distribution must make it easy to create a dual-boot system. It has to recognize and preserve the existing operating system and its data during installation, and give me access to the data on the Windows drives after installation.

My current system is a reasonably powerful, home-built one:

Windows 2000 (bought cheap from eBay, but it's the full retail professional version)
64-bit AMD Athlon with 2G of RAM
2, 30G hard drives and a big external USB hard drive
NVIDIA 7600GS video card
Samsung 19-inch LCD monitor with 1280x1024 resolution
CD R/W and DVD R/W drives

All of this is connected by Ethernet cable to a home network to share a printer, DSL modem, and a file server with the rest of the household. Because the typical home user isn't already sharing a network with a houseful of Linux computers, I will point out where I ran into obstacles that my live-in system admin caused or had to solve.

The Test Procedure

Ubuntu Linux, like most recent distributions, comes as a "live CD". You insert the CD and restart the computer. If your computer can boot from the CD drives, you will get a working copy of Linux to look at, examine, and install from.

I've watched users install software. A typical user follows on-screen instructions, clicks the most obvious choices, accepts the defaults and seldom resorts to reading manuals. That's how I tested Ubuntu - just read and click. If it worked as promised, I should have had a working Ubuntu installation with a few clicks of the mouse.

It booted without problems. Here's what happened after I double-clicked the the Install icon:

Screen 1: I selected the language to use during the installation.

Screen 2: I picked a city in my time zone so Ubuntu knows what time zone to use.

Screen 3: I selected the keyboard style. It did not ask me any questions about the mouse.

The first four steps went well, but the next step made me really nervous. I have two hard drives, and Win2000 is installed on one. Ubuntu gave me no indication that it was aware of another operating system - I expected it to let me choose whether I wanted to keep or delete Windows and it didn't.

Screen 4: I accepted its choice of actions and clicked the button to partition the hard drive. I had already backed up the system and data just in case the installer decided to take over the entire drive.

There was a long delay as Ubuntu moved files around to make room for itself. I started dinner while it made itself at home.

Screen 5: I came back from dumping more cheap wine over a pot roast and Ubuntu was ready for Step Five. If there had been users from a previous Linux installation, I think this screen is where I could have moved their settings to Ubuntu.

Screen 6: I entered a user name and a password.

Screen 7: At this step - the final installation -- I finally saw a clue that Ubuntu had recognized Windows 2000. I wasn't sure Ubuntu would not delete Windows, but at least it saw it.

There was another long delay as Ubuntu made the final partition changes and installed files from the CD to the hard drive. I vacuumed the house while it made itself at home. I returned to see a screen telling me to remove the CD and restart the computer.

After the Installation

It booted! GRUB claimed that Windows 2000 was also installed, so I immediately booted Windows 2000 to see if it survived. It looked and acted normal, including the Internet connection, and the data drive was still accessible. OK, half of the dual-boot was working, so I rebooted to check out Ubuntu.

One Serious Usability Issue

The default label font for on-screen icons -- white with a black drop-shadow -- is barely readable for me, and it cannot be changed by any theme or font setting. The Gnome developers have known about the problem since 2000, and were warned that it was going to be a problem for users with visual impairments in 2002. The suggested remedy, editing a system configuration file, is unacceptable. If I decide to continue using Ubuntu, I will switch to the Kubuntu desktop so I can see the labels on the icons I click.

Installing Upgrades

The first thing Ubuntu did was remind me that some of its software needed upgrading. I clicked OK. It downloaded and installed a dozen or so files ... which means that it found and used the DSL connection and I didn't have to do anything. I was starting to get impressed.

During installation I did not see a list of installable programs to choose from. Ubuntu starts you with its selection of software, and the Ubuntu choices were good ones: OpenOffice.org's office suite, some games, Firefox browser, an IM client, Evolution (similar to Microsoft's Outlook), photo editing and viewing, etc.

Adding Software

If you want to change software, it's as easy as selecting Add/Remove from the Applications Menu. I deleted some things and added others ... more downloading happened and Ubuntu made the changes. Unlike Windows, it didn't always expect to be rebooted after installing new software.

What Worked

Installing printer drivers and printing to a networked printer was easy, as was printing to a printer connected to the USB ports. I could read from and write to the Windows data drives. Connecting to the home network's file server was a hassle, but it was because of the server setup, not Ubuntu.

What Didn't Work

There were problems after the installation, mostly because of proprietary formats. To give Ubuntu a real-world test, I used only the help sources it provided. My strongest criticism of Linux in the earlier article was that the help it provided - if it was provided at all - was useless unless you already knew enough about Linux that you could understand the sparse detail.

Problem 1: The NVIDIA graphics card needs non-Linux drivers to get full benefit of the card's features. The Ubuntu help on their website explained how to install what they call "restricted drivers". Their solution was clear, easy to understand, and best of all, it worked. This is definitely an improvement.

Problem 2: Even after installing the correct drivers and rebooting, my 1280x1024 monitor could only be set to 1024x768 pixels. The answer is in the Ubuntu "community documents" area, and it works. It involved opening a terminal and using the command line (I cheat, I cut and paste instead of typing), but it also worked.

Problem 3: Although CDs played immediately, to play DVDs I had to locate and install some files that bypass content protection coding. The website I acquired them from, www.getautomatix.com , warned me that I might be installing something illegal, but I said, "Yarrr, matey", and clicked the install button. Automatix installed itself, then I selected what I needed. More files were downloaded and installed ... really automagically! After that DVDs worked. I have no clue what it did, and that's the way I like it.

Problem 4: The Linux Flash players did not work with YouTube, and Adobe's Flash video player was extremely difficult to install. I have a 64-bit microprocessor, and installed 64-bit Ubuntu. Although 64-bit Linux has been available for more than five years, Adobe hasn't bothered to develop 64-bit version of Flash for Linux yet. My live-in geek tracked the problem down for me, and Adobe is reportedly working on 64-bit software.

Problem 5: Google's Picasa does not work. Every time I launch Picasa it locks up my computer and sends the CPU utilization to 100%. The problem is Google, not Ubuntu. Instead of writing real Linux software, all Google did was take their Windows version and wrap it in WINE (fake Windows) to make it work in Linux. I expected Google to do better than that.

Conclusion

I think Ubuntu Linux is definitely ready for almost anyone with a Windows system who is tired of having their computer infested with spyware and viruses. It is also a way to avoid Microsoft's "activation" demands. It's free! It's good! It works!

I will continue to use Windows for writing because OpenOffice.org does not have a feature I need. OpenOffice developers: Remember my enhancement request from 2000 or 2001 asking for an outline feature? The feature with more votes than any other feature request? Yes, that one! Your unwillingness or inability to give OpenOffice.org an outline view that works just like Microsoft Word's outline is all that is keeping me from turning my Microsoft Windows partition into blank oxide.