I'm so sick of Windows I could puke coat hangers. I'm really thinking of going to Ubuntu 9.10. I mainly use the PC for internet and office stuff. I'm already running Firefox and Open Office so that will be an easy transformation. I've also found a few nice open source video editing programs for Linux so that will be nice too. Anyway, I was just curious who was all using Ubuntu and how you like or dislike it?
Anyone using Ubuntu?
- Thread starter BobD
- Start date
AeroCleanse
New member
Danase said:
I have used it. Take a look at Mint Linux as well.
Dan
Well-known member
I use it, its nice in some respects, but it has its problems like any other OS. The nice thing about it is the near fool proof installer, only OSX is easier to install (but it has such a limited scope of hardware). You'd have to state why you were really sick of windows for me to really say yay or nay. I don't really find one or the other to be more stable, its hardware dependent (and more specifically driver related).
I just hate Windows anymore. I upgraded my desktop running XP to Windows 7 and it freezes up all of the time now. We got Windows 7 because our laptop had Vista and took 10 minutes to boot up every time we wanted to use it. I'd really like a Mac but it's not in the forecast any time soon so I'm thinking a Linux Os might be better.
Apollo_Auto
New member
Bob, I've got a dual boot on my pooter (Ubuntu and XP) and if it weren't for programs like Dreamweaver and PS, I'd be an everyday user... There are equivalents to these programs, but I've not got the time to learn them. Just be prepared for the transition of you do switch though... it requires a bit more thinking than the XP "next, no, Don't ask again" stuff that you're use to.
- Jesse
- Jesse
Dan
Well-known member
Danase said:
On any computer, I use suspend or hibernate to avoid having to boot. Linux isn't going to boot up any faster than a clean xp install. I'm curious, did you do an upgrade or a clean install to 7? Doing an upgrade usually brings over all the baggage that was making the last version slow. Without getting into a 10 page dissertation on how bad programming/hardware makes windows much worse than it should be, suffice it to say, a well tuned windows machine should run very fast.
I'd like to think I'm not partial as I own machines with OSX, Ubuntu, Debian, and XP. Each one of them has their own problems. I think you might get frustrated with Ubuntu's learning curve if you have to install software that isn't available in a connected repository or mainstream enough to come as a .deb package (ubuntu uses debian as its core) New hardware will be a bit tricky to get drivers for too.
The best part of ubuntu though is, you can install it as a dual boot, it will re-partition your drive and install a boot loader that will let you choose which OS you want to load at bootup. Its easy enough to get rid of it too.
yakky said:
Well my problem in 7 is actually when it goes into sleep or hibernate it takes forever for the computer to get up and going again. Like I'll open a program and it does nothing for 5+ minutes.
On the XP machine we did a clean install on the Vista machine just an upgrade.
Dan
Well-known member
Danase said:
Without looking at the machine its hard to say what is causing that, but there is something wrong for sure. Resume from standby should be <10 seconds and less than a minute from hibernate, even on an older system.
imported_Yal
New member
Something is definitely wrong. Install something like Teamviewer and have someone you know who knows PC's take a look at it remotely 
Yal said:Something is definitely wrong. Install something like Teamviewer and have someone you know who knows PC's take a look at it remotely
I'm going to have my buddy take a look at it when he brings Ubuntu over. He wants me to look at Ubuntu first and make sure it's something I really want before he installs it. He runs it on one of his home Pc's and his server, which 2 of my sites are hosted on.
I use Ubuntu and it is great. Dreamweaver 8 can be run easily through Wine, but theres actually even a better solution.
I use Virtual Box for all my Windows needs. You install it in Ubuntu and you can do an install of XP within Ubuntu (it's actually a virtual install). With this setup, you don't need to reboot, and if you need an XP program, you boot up Virtual Box and your Virtual Windows, you run whatever programs you installed like if you were normally in Windows. I only use this for a few small programs, but it works great for me (Dreamweaver being one of them).
My machine is a dual boot with Ubuntu and Windows XP, but if I had known about Virtual Box before my last install, I would have done a single install of Ubuntu.
I use Virtual Box for all my Windows needs. You install it in Ubuntu and you can do an install of XP within Ubuntu (it's actually a virtual install). With this setup, you don't need to reboot, and if you need an XP program, you boot up Virtual Box and your Virtual Windows, you run whatever programs you installed like if you were normally in Windows. I only use this for a few small programs, but it works great for me (Dreamweaver being one of them).
My machine is a dual boot with Ubuntu and Windows XP, but if I had known about Virtual Box before my last install, I would have done a single install of Ubuntu.
topnotchtouch
New member
Sorry to come in late on this thread but just curious about the specs of the machine in question.
topnotchtouch
New member
Coming to this thread a little late but just wanted to ask what the specs are of the machine as I did not see that anywhere in the thread. Maybe there are issues that can be resolved rather than ditching the OS.
I have been running some form of Linux for 15 years now and I am also currently running Ubuntu 9.10 and actually have it installed in a virtual machine on my Windows 7 desktop.
If you want to try Ubuntu I would suggest you download the Live CD and just try it out without installing it. You can run the OS from the CD without installing. It will give you a good taste of what you can expect without actually changing anything on the computer.
I have been running some form of Linux for 15 years now and I am also currently running Ubuntu 9.10 and actually have it installed in a virtual machine on my Windows 7 desktop.
If you want to try Ubuntu I would suggest you download the Live CD and just try it out without installing it. You can run the OS from the CD without installing. It will give you a good taste of what you can expect without actually changing anything on the computer.
topnotchtouch
New member
Danase said:
My main desktop is a 7 year old Dell Optiplex GX260 minitower. I have upgraded it specifically to run Vista/Win7. I maxed out the RAM at 4Gb and Installed an Nvidia graphics card so I could run the Aero shell. The machine only manages a 3.8 on the Windows Experience Scale but it is more than usable for what we do day to day.
topnotchtouch
New member
Danase said:
Personally I would spend my time trying to get Win7 working at an acceptable level. I use Linux for very specific tasks and while you are sure to have different requirements than I do, Linux just isn't there yet as a complete Windows replacement for me.
Sounds to me like the problems you were having with Win7 are related to the machine and a lack of ummmph. Here are the minimum specs for Win7 from Microsoft. Check to see how your machine compares.
Windows 7 system requirements - Microsoft Windows
I would double their requirement for RAM...