Ubuntu Linux - Review by a New User

I have been a Windows user for a long time now (as have most of us, I presume), and while I never minded it, per se, I knew it was really annoying at times. Recently, I had a major Trojan attack which took out not one but two of my computers. Enough was enough; it was time to look at other options.

I had heard of Linux, but didn't know much about it. By the time I switched over to Ubuntu, I knew three things: everyone who used Linux said they were never going back to Microsoft, I was fed up with Windows, and there were zero viruses developed for any Linux client. In short, I was sold.

An IT tech buddy of mine brought over a copy of Ubuntu, and we installed it to dual-boot on my machine, which meant that I could choose either Ubuntu Linux OR Windows XP to run the system at startup. Since my hard drive is rather large (320 Gigabytes) and I have several external drives, I was all for this option.

Ubuntu can be downloaded for FREE here: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download . Simply check your system requirements and the version you would like, and hit the big green "Begin Download" button.

Immediately upon booting up I liked the look of it. There were zero icons on the desktop (Wow!), there was no Start Menu, and there weren't a thousand license agreements I had to adhere to in order to start things up. It just booted with a pleasant jingle and I was on my way.

The interface is very intuitive, meaning that if you are used to Windows already, most of Ubuntu will be relatively easy to learn. A quick trip to Applications - Add/Remove in the top left corner will allow you to get all updates and * FREE * programs for Linux! There is something comparable to windows in every category it seems, and you never pay a thing because it's all open source code.

Ubuntu comes with Mozilla Firefox as its primary web surfer, but others can be found and installed. It also comes with Gimp, a very advanced photo editing program that has been compared to Photoshop. Several games come with the OS (Operating System) as well, with a plethora of others out there to download - just three clicks away!

The default Instant Messenger client is Pidgin, which from what I can tell is far superior to anything else out there. It's simple, it supports a ton of different chat mediums, and it just works. Gone are the days of Yahoo crashing, or MSN hogging up memory. In fact, the entire OS takes up very little RAM (Random Access Memory), leaving your PC free to do the things you like it to.

Ubuntu Linux also comes with a word processing program that is comparable to Microsoft Word. It does all the same things and has no compromises or limitations that I have found yet. It supports ALL kinds of file types, including the industry-preferred .doc and .rtf formats.

The sound and video applications are superior as well, if you ask me. Simply click on the file you'd like to play, and the proper program simply opens it up. I have had to jump through zero hoops to get things to work right.

Ubuntu Linux has the ability to run Windows type files (.exe) through a program called Wine, which can of course also be downloaded for free. So far, I have 3 out of 4 success stories with Wine. I am a huge chess buff, and as such am used to Windows-based chess software. I can connect to the ICC and World Chess Live and FICS just fine using Wine in Ubuntu. Fritz 10 (Chessbase product) installed okay but when fired up, does not show the board or pieces. Slight issue.

As I mentioned though, I am able to boot up into XP whenever I want, so it really is just a mild inconvenience. There are free programs such as SCID and XBOARD which will allow me to do my chess things in Linux, as well.

All in all, I have had a very positive experience with Ubuntu Linux, and all of its applications. There are some things that require command line work, which many are probably uncomfortable with. However, a quick Google search has always brought a swift answer to any issues I may have. Also the folks here http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php have been unbelievably helpful in navigating the client. That site is top-notch.

I would recommend Ubuntu to anyone who is halfway familiar with computers. It is a breath of fresh air to surf the Internet without worrying about the next debilitating virus attack. Check out some of the testimonials in this thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=643102 - Linux really is amazing!