[plug] [plug-ctte] Linux enthusiasm - too good to be true?

Tue Jun 17 20:44:36 WST 2008

....and the reply from Paul :)

Paul Antoine wrote:
> Both Kev and Patrick make good points about Xandros and Ubuntu 
> respectively however this does open the door for some further opining on 
> my part :-P
> 
> I had been using Linux on my servers for a long time but had yet to find 
> a Linux distribution (aka distro) that met my needs as a desktop/laptop 
> OS.  Laptops are especially tricky to support well it seems.
> 
> Many people who have tried Ubuntu did so prior to the latest releases on 
> the basis of a LOT of early hype about it.  I have a lot of Linux 
> experience and found the early releases of Ubuntu terrible and a step 
> backwards from older distros such as Mandrake/Mandriva.
> 
> I must say however that the latest Ubuntu release 8.04 is a gem - 
> hardware support for old scanners and printers is great, other devices 
> like wireless cards etc. are found and configured without issue, and the 
> user interface is calm and useful. Open Office, Gimp etc. are all there 
> when you install the desktop version.
> 
> Ubuntu is so good I find it nicer to use than either Windows XP or Vista 
> (errk!) AND it's faster than either on the same hardware (even when 
> running Windows apps.)  I have an 8 year old laptop that runs Ubuntu so 
> well it's going to be hard to part with it when finally it dies.
> 
> Perhaps I'm biased but I feel Ubuntu is a very good beginner's intro to 
> Linux.  This may be because I believe the Gnome user interface style 
> used by Ubuntu is similar enough to Windows that beginners would have no 
> trouble navigating it. And anyway I must say you don't seem to be a 
> complete "newb" as you've done pretty well playing with multiple distros 
> and anyway navigating Vista issues is no mean feat :-)
> 
> The only issue I have with Ubuntu is their insistence on defaulting to 
> using Evolution as the email client.  I much prefer Thunderbird so it's 
> nice that it's trivially easy to install it (and many other 
> applications) using Add/Remove applications.
> 
> In any case, as Patrick says, getting the Ubuntu CD is free and you can 
> boot it in "demo" mode without damaging anything you have already 
> installed. Even when installing Ubuntu you have the choice of 
> re-arranging the disk so that your Windows install is preserved.
> 
> I'd encourage you to try Ubuntu.
> 
> Paul
> 
> Kev wrote:
>>
>>
>> Patrick Coleman wrote:
>>> J & M Kampert wrote:
>>>  
>>>> About two months ago, I tried to run an LCD monitor on  my "Windows XP
>>>> home" computer. It was a disaster: XP could not set the screen
>>>> definition to match the LCD's needs. Possibly I could have fixed this
>>>> then with a graphics card; BUT the old computer {My ninth or tenth?} is
>>>> not a good candidate in my opinion for hardware experiments. So I
>>>> recalled from my days as a computer systems manager/accountant [HP NCR
>>>> mini computer systems in the bad old days of tape back-ups etc] that
>>>> there is such a thing as LINUX nee UNIX which could get me out of the
>>>> clutches of Microsoft without switching to [an even more expensive]
>>>> MacIntosh system.
>>>>  
>>>> I started to read up on LINUX, and developed the impression that either
>>>> it's very very good, or it's too good to be true.
>>>>  
>>>> I purchased two CD's from your Perth supply address: LINUX XP 2006SR2
>>>> and then SimplyMepis 6.5.02.
>>>>  
>>>> The first wouldn't even demo, the second demo'd under Windows XP but
>>>> didn't seem to accept any scanners.
>>>>  
>>>> SO, I decided to play it safe and bought a new PC with a faster CPU,
>>>> more RAM a twenty inch LCD and Windows VISTA, the system that allows me
>>>> to write this email. This also enabled me to download Open Office and
>>>> GIMP under Windows VISTA, saving me a small fortune for software
>>>> replacements. After two days of systems work, I got my old printers and
>>>> cameras to work under Vista, but the download of a Canon driver for my
>>>> old scanner failed, so I had to invest in a new one. Open Office and
>>>> GIMP allowed me to continue to work  on my existing data from MS Office
>>>> and Photoshop.  Then I took the chance to try and install a version 
>>>> of Linux on the old
>>>> box, hoping it would allow me to learn Linux and so to eventually rid
>>>> myself of VISTA.
>>>>  
>>>> the results:
>>>>  
>>>> Simply Mepis 6.5.02 did instal, and wiped out all the old Windows XP,
>>>> all other software and data, BUT then demanded a registration number,
>>>> which I haven't got, and the old box is not [yet] connected to the net.
>>>> Furthermore Mepis did not seem to have loaded much of Open Office!
>>>>  
>>>> I then tried LINUX XP 2006SR2, which wiped off Mepis but then could
>>>> not/would not properly auto-reformat the disk and hence did not install
>>>> itself. Now the old computer system is just an empty shell with only 
>>>> a BIOS!
>>>>  
>>>> Perhaps I should re-install Windows XP Home on it and use it for 
>>>> storing
>>>> back-up data?
>>>>  
>>>> If you can show a way into Linux without requiring a Uni or TAFE
>>>> course,  then I look forward on installing LINUX without eating also a
>>>> box of panadol!
>>>>  
>>>> But for now, I tend to the belief that the Internet-hype about Linux is
>>>> just that; it's great if you are a tinkerer/hobbyist; but no good if 
>>>> you
>>>> expect your computer to work as a tool!
>>>>  
>>>> Regards,
>>>>  
>>>> John Kampert, retired accountant
>>>>
>>>>     
>>>
>>> Hi John,
>>>
>>> I'd recommend you try Ubuntu - its hardware detection is very good 
>>> and it's great as far
>>> as "just works" goes. I use it on my various desktops and my laptop 
>>> because I don't have
>>> to stuff around with it (I spend my time breaking Linux servers at 
>>> work instead). Ubuntu
>>> has become an extremely popular distribution recently because of this.
>>>
>>> If you would like a copy and don't want to download it (if you want 
>>> to you can from
>>> http://ftp.iinet.net.au/pub/ubuntu-releases/8.04/ubuntu-8.04-desktop-i386.iso) 
>>> let me know
>>> and I can give you a copy at our next seminar.
>>>
>>> I've cc'd this to our mailing list, in case anyone there has any 
>>> other suggestions. If
>>> you're interested in learning more I'd recommend you subscribe (if 
>>> you haven't already) -
>>> you can do so at http://plug.org.au/resources/mailing-list.
>>>
>>> Everyone: you may want to cc John on any replies.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Patrick Coleman
>>> President, PLUG
>>> linux.org.au
>>>   
>>
>>
>> G'day John,
>>
>> At the risk of starting a religious war in PLUG, you sound just like a 
>> candidate for Xandros.  They /specifically/ aim their distro at 
>> Windoze refugees.  Whilst Ubuntu, and quite a few others, are very 
>> good, they're not for the /absolute/ beginner.  They're for tier 2 
>> beginners.  That goes double for someone near my own age bracket - you 
>> did say retired!  I now play regularly with new distros (been 
>> installing the latest Klikit, Mandriva and Kubuntu tonight) but if 
>> Xandros hadn't appeared (recommended by a PLUG committee member I 
>> might add) I would have given up on Linux altogether.  Xandros is /the 
>> definitive/ beginners' Linux.  You can learn all you need there to be 
>> productive for evermore, or give you enough background to go forward 
>> and become a real geek.  Either way, it's the one standout best entry 
>> level distro, bar none!  If you want to give it a try I have a DVD of 
>> the latest free version - just drop me a line and I can send a copy to 
>> you (I'm in Albany).  If it means anything to you, it's a Debian based 
>> distro using the KDE desktop and all defaulted to make a Windoze user 
>> feel quite at home.  You have all the power and stability of Linux in 
>> a very familiar looking environment.
>>
>> Cheers
>> Kev
>>
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