By now, you have probably heard about Ubuntu in passing at the very least. In this article I’m going to try to detail a little bit more about Ubuntu in a clear minded fashion that other articles might not give you. Ubuntu is a popular name right now, and because of that there is a lot of hype and a lot of misunderstanding about it, particularly for new users. I’m hoping that this post will help to clear up some of the misunderstandings or communication errors between the people hyping this operating system and the people adopting it.
Now, before you even install Ubuntu you need to understand that it is MOST CERTAINLY not Windows in any way shape or form. It doesn’t matter what your trusted ‘computer expert’ friend/relative tells you about it, it’s not Windows, and comparing it to Windows is setting you up for frustration and a lot of wasted time.
You’ll note that your PC probably has a ‘designed for Windows’ sticker on it, there is a reason that’s there. So, the first thing you need to do when you look at Ubuntu as an option is understand that Ubuntu is not Windows and that it may or may not work properly on your PC, or it may only have some of it’s functionality available (this is particularly a problem with graphics cards and wireless cards, so be sure to check for compatibility before installing). Fortunately, hardware compatibility can be checked fairly easily using an Ubuntu Live-CD (Meaning that the OS runs from a CD instead of installing it first, which is very helpful for diagnosing potential problems).
Now, if you’re looking for the absolute smoothest experience possible with Ubuntu, I’m going to have to suggest that you get PCs designed for it. The good news is that they’re usually cheaper than their Windows-using counterparts, so you can actually save a bit of cash on these too, it’s even easier if you can find some coupons for DELL floating around.
Basically, when you’re looking at switching to Ubuntu. You can save cash and download/install the system yourself, but you need to be prepared for some headaches, as these installs don’t always go as planned. Personally, I’m going to suggest that you spend the money and buy a new laptop/desktop with Ubuntu pre-installed to achieve the best experience possible.
Ignoring and potential hardware issues (as I talked about above) there are a lot of things you should expect from your Ubuntu experience, both good and bad. So, I’m going to try to cover some of the main features or changes you might notice in your system when you switch.
Installing Applications
Installing Apps in Ubuntu is actually far more straight forward than installing Apps in Windows. First, let’s understand that Ubuntu does not treat applications the same way Windows does. Ubuntu actually refers to applications as ‘packages’ (so, from this point forward I’ll call them that) when you’re installing them. I won’t go into the specifics of what makes an Ubuntu package (.deb) different from a Windows executable (.exe), you really just need to understand the terms here, really.
One of the coolest things about Ubuntu is that the volunteers and Canonical have taken the time out of their day to build a selection of software for you, this selection is called a ‘repo’ (short for “Repository”). The repo is a collection of packages that have been packaged and made easily and quickly available for you, all you have to do is open “Add/Remove” from under the “Applications” menu, and check mark what you want to install. Then walk away from your computer while Ubuntu downloads and installs the applications for you.
Now, for security purposes, and to avoid potential upgrade problems, it’s better for you to avoid downloading .deb files from other websites. Although GetDeb is a good trusted site to look for new things that might not be in Ubuntu’s Repos. Between the two of them, most of your needs should be covered.
Online Content
Ubuntu is a minority operating system, and because of that it doesn’t receive the kind of attention it probably should from companies like Adobe, etc. to plugins to allow you to view content online with no problems. Although currently Flash 9 is available for Ubuntu, in the future when Adobe releases a new version, Ubuntu may or may not get it, and it will probably be delayed if it does arrive. This can play havoc on your online content viewing if you’re a fan of any websites that use Flash heavily, or at all. Just know that if a website requires you to have a plugin to view/use their site, Ubuntu may or may not have it (although the latter is more likely given the number of plugins out there).
Music and Video and Other Media
This is one area that will most likely hit you the hardest, whether you’re a music lover, or you love to watch DVDs on your computer. Ubuntu is a ‘free’ operating system in more ways than just price. They try to advocate using more open (meaning not controlled by corporations) formats, while not being able to legally distribute the necessary files to play .mp3 or DVDs to Americans because of various laws here protecting those technologies (patents, and copyright).
For Music, if you have CDs with all of your songs on them, the solution is very simple. You can re-rip them into .ogg (known as Vorbis) and listen to them happily. If your songs only exist in .mp3 form, then you can download and install the necessary files to play them right from the repos. (The system pretty much will do this for you if it catches you trying to play an .mp3). Be warned about .ogg though, not all Digital Audio players will support it (Apple’s iPod doesn’t support .ogg).
For DVDs, unfortunately, there is no *legal* solution for playing most DVDs on your computer. The DMCA makes the files that do this illegal as they circumvent copyright protections in the DVD to be able to play them (something that other DVD players do, but they paid fees for). So, let that serve as a warning to you concerning your movie collection.
Devices
Ubuntu supports a very large amount of hardware like printers, scanners, cameras and mp3 players, but there are no certainties in this department. For instance, your printer may or may not be supported by Ubuntu, and if it is supported selecting the driver and so forth is usually very easy to do, with no major fuss.
I know that devices may make or break your experience with Ubuntu so I’ll warn you ahead of time that this is a bit of a gray area for Ubuntu, some things work, others don’t, and the LiveCD is probably the best way to see if your favorite devices will function properly. The good news here is that when Ubuntu supports a device, it’s usually just a matter of plugging the device in and launching an application to talk to it.
Future Versions
Unlike other major operating systems in the world, Ubuntu releases new versions about every 6 months (with only one exception so far). This can be highly beneficial to you as a user because it almost always means an improvement in functionality (devices that didn’t work in the last release may work in the newest, etc.). Upgrading from version to version is very simple, and you don’t need to pay anything to do it. Although upgrades are fairly low risk in Ubuntu, it’s advisable to back up any important files before you upgrade (just in case).
Ubuntu’s new releases also come with new repos, meaning updated versions of your favorite software. So, instead of all your apps having to upgrade themselves bit by bit, every 6 months they all get an upgrade to their latest (usable) versions. That’s a big time saver in itself.
Applications
Now, a system isn’t much good without applications is it? Right. Ubuntu has you covered there too, sort of. Ubuntu’s repos are filled with a lot of well developed and many times fun applications, but there can be some problems with working with other apps. For instance, OpenOffice is the office suite that comes installed with Ubuntu right off the bat, and although it’s functional it lacks compared to Microsoft Office and if you try to exchange files between the two in .doc format you will probably run into formatting errors.
Pidgin is the Instant Messaging application of choice on Ubuntu and for the most part is very functional, although it does have some problems like not supporting voice chat, or video chat, etc.
Basically, all of the applications in Ubuntu are functional, but if you try to make those apps communicate with other apps (Microsoft Office, AIM, etc.) you can potentially run into trouble. This can be one of the biggest speed bumps for people in using Ubuntu. Now, it’s worth noting that these any complications with apps usually aren’t an Ubuntu problem, but a problem with the app, and getting angry at the OS when something isn’t working right just isn’t productive.
So, basically…
Basically, Ubuntu is a well designed system with a solid suite of applications available and above-par device support. That doesn’t mean you’re going to have a perfect experience with it. It’s recommended that you check around the Ubuntu Forums and ask about a device before you make any purchases, etc. Ubuntu is a system that favors those who ask questions and try to check for potential compatibility problems.
Recommendations
Some of my recommendations for getting the most out of your Ubuntu install are:
- Buy compatible hardware or buy it pre-installed. With DELL selling Ubuntu-loaded PCs this isn’t difficult to do at all. This will save you from the majority of the big headaches of adoption.
- Run the LiveCD before you install, if you intend to install on a PC designed for Windows.
- Create a forum account as soon as you can to get help if you ever need it.
- Avoid any ‘helper scripts’ that claim to make your user experience better (Automatix being the most popular) these scripts can cause you major headaches down the road, and can prevent you from upgrading to new versions of Ubuntu.
- If you’re looking into any devices, shop around a bit before you buy one. Ask on the forums if it’s going to be compatible or not, and what potential problems may be. This can prevent a lot of frustration and anger.
- Avoid any beta-software or software that requires tinkering to install. A lot of VERY cool features and so on can be found in new applications that can cause serious problems on your system, it’s better to avoid these applications until they’re ready for general use.
- Try to familiarize yourself with the command prompt, it can be a valuable tool for rescuing your system in the event of something breaking.
- Recognize that Ubuntu offers a different experience than other major operating systems out there, for better or worse. Don’t get too angry if something isn’t working the way you think it should, just make a post on the forums asking for help and someone will be more than happy to help you as long as you’re polite and courteous.
- If you’re really enjoying Ubuntu, tell your friends about it. Maybe they’ll make their next PC purchase an Ubuntu PC (hey, it’s cheaper right?)
- If you have a suggestion, post it on the forums, and someone will let the developers know about it. Ubuntu can’t grow and prosper without feedback from it’s users.
Ultimately, if you’re using another operating system and you’ve been happy with it up until now, you’re probably better to stick with it. The reason I say that is that Ubuntu is a major change, and unless you have a real motivational factor for switching it will just be a big unnecessary headache for you and probably sour your feelings about Ubuntu.
It’s really on you to decide if you need to switch or not. If your OS is doing something you dislike very much, and you think switching will benefit you, I think you should give the liveCD a try at the very least. The liveCD won’t change anything on your computer so it will be easy to just give it a trial run with no risks.
Also, don’t let someone else make the decision for you. Sometimes an overly enthusiastic friend, or family member, can be very convincing, but that doesn’t make them right. You need to step back, look at the facts about the situation and maybe even do a little reading so that you can make an informed decision about switching operating systems.
If you do decide to switch, be prepared for a very different experience, and try to give yourself at least a month of adjustment time before you start making any real judgments on the system.
- Adam.
9 comments so far
The Dell boxes aren’t perfect, unfortunately. A review of the Inspiron laptop in this month’s Linux Magazine discusses how the GRUB settings were incorrect and led to the machine not functioning once it was rebooted (all that had to be changed was “hd(0,0)” to “hd(0,2)” for the Ubuntu install (presumably due to the swap partition) but the average end user who buys a Dell isn’t going to know how to fix that.
I imagine Dell will iron out all these issues in time…
Secondly, I strongly disagree with your inference that somehow Windows software is “higher quality” because you have to pay for it and be subjected to all manner of absurd restrictions. There are several reasons why I almost never use Windows anymore and most of these reasons have to do with the quality and functionality of software that I use in GNU/Linux that simply is not available on the Windows platform (chiefly zsh and Beryl).
With the issue of OGG, it is indeed not widely supported yet (I think it will be soon enough). More and more media players have begun supporting OGG and FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) natively, but Apple is, expectedly, not following suit. However there are alternative firmwares that can be installed on iPods which will enable OGG and FLAC playback, namely Rockbox and iPodLinux. I have had some issues running iPodLinux on an 2G 4GB iPod Mini but I was eventually able to reflash the stock firmware onto it. I have successfully installed and run both Rockbox and iPodLinux on my 5G 30GB iPod (Video) and triple-boot. Rockbox does not yet support video…otherwise I’d likely never run Apple’s firmware. Users should keep in mind that if they want to install either Rockbox (which I recommend) or iPodLinux (geared toward experienced hardware hackers) they must follow the installation howtos exactly. I’ve known at least two people, neither of them idiots or computer newbies, who bricked their iPods trying to install Rockbox. It’s easily resolved and can be reflashed with Apple’s firmware with a bit of effort, but installing alternative firmwares is not a point-and-click affair!
Finally, I’ll just point out that, while it is illegal in the US to install the DVD decryption libraries, it is not illegal in most countries with sane laws (including all of Europe, I believe). You can play your DVD collection all day long on Ubuntu — just think of it as giving the digital finger to our lobbyist- and corporate-controlled legislature and government. Not that I would ever encourage anyone anywhere to ever do anything illegal. *grin*
August 1st, 2007 at 6:46 am
Of course the DELL boxes aren’t perfect, everything has kinks to iron out.
Concerning the quality of Windows software and ‘paying for it’, that’s simply not true. There is a lot of good gratis software available on Windows, but you cannot deny that Windows gets preference from big software makers that produce a lot of the software that people have grown accustomed to.
I am not going to tell someone that they need to change the firmware on their iPod to something else just so they can switch to Ubuntu.
Sane or not, it is the law that you can’t circumvent DVD protections and installing those libraries on Ubuntu is flat out illegal.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:03 am
“Well, firstly, Ubuntu is great if you’re a developer in fact it’s probably one of the best platforms to be working on if you are a developer,”
Uhm… what? People can say Linux is a developers OS but if you’re going to call Ubuntu an OS (wrongly) It’s sure as hell not for developers more than say old school Gentoo.
It’s being pushed as a very much end user setup, it’s incremental, obviously not there yet.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:56 am
Firstly, I think calling Ubuntu “Linux” is misguided and wrong. Ubuntu utilizes the Linux kernel, and the GNU tools, but it is still “Ubuntu”. Yes, Ubuntu is actually an operating system in it’s own right, as is Fedora, openSuSE, or any other major OS that utilizes the Linux kernel.
You’ll also note that even in the actual context of the quote I said “one of” the best platforms. No, Ubuntu isn’t a superior platform to other Linux distributions, but that doesn’t mean that compared to other major operating systems that it’s a lesser platform.
On another note ‘not there yet’ is an opinion on your part. For some users, Ubuntu has been “ready for the desktop” for a LONG time. Like I said in the article, most major headaches from from hardware and that can easily be avoided by purchasing Ubuntu pre-installed through DELL or another OEM.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:24 am
I’ve moderated my stance on not calling distros an OS. Each distro is, in effect, it’s own operating system. Ubuntu doesn’t use RPMs, Slackware doesn’t use .debs, and you can’t “emerge <package>” on SuSE. So we’re all different in that respect.
But it’s important to remember that every distribution is based on GNU/Linux, i.e. a free system. It’s the distribution itself, and the team that works on it, that makes each of these unique. While those of us involved in the community all know it’s GNU/Linux, an end user may not.
Big deal, right? If it works, it works! WRONG. The strength of this system is not merely technical — the strength is that this is a free (speech) system that can be extended, modified and redistributed (which almost always means an improvement) by anyone who sees fit to do so.
Every distribution is built with the GNU/Linux system — but every distribution is more than the sum of its parts.
With DELL onboard as a major OEM I think others will eventually follow suit…but the real issue here is that most people who are going to install GNU/Linux on their machines already know how to do it, and don’t care whether DELL is the only OEM offering it — they can simply do it themselves. Me, I’ll never buy an OEM machine, but I’ve been building my own for a long time…most people don’t care/know how to build their own and DELL is providing an excellent service here…give it time to mature and it may be on to something big.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:45 am
It’s true they most obviously are operating systems, but on there own ground they aren’t. Sort of like the old Wine debate… Wine isn’t an emulator, but it does emulate windows environment, obviously.
August 1st, 2007 at 10:09 am
what was your point in this blog. you spent most of it saying THIS ISNT WINDOWS,and that because of that it basically wont work, just a small waring at the beginning would have been fine instead of again like the other parts of linux this isn’t windows. sorry to rain on your parade but Ubuntu supports more hardware out of the box then windows. you basically were saying “im attacking Linux but if occasionally say Ubuntu is good people wont notice”.
i cant believe i read this. i should have stopped after the first paragraph.
maybe you should just come out and admit that you think vista is the best and that linux should be abandoned.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:39 am
I don’t like this article, can’t really say why, it reads wrong? it feels wrong? it’s like the guy is repeating someone else, to much I hear ” it has potentially but..” positive spin with negative comments….
I think when the author says “Also, don’t let someone else make the decision for you” we should believe him:-)
I prefer PClinuxOS for my desktop 2007 edition does what I need, in fact it’s stunning.
Another thing, why is Ubuntu under attack so much these daysm it’s not bad and very popular, but online so much bad press, call me paranoid, but:-)
Sorry author, but this article seems to me like an essay for a quick pass at college, none of your own work:-(
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Mobster, I’m sorry you feel the article was negative towards Ubuntu as that definitely wasn’t the purpose. It was more intended to be realistic. In fact, I submitted this to http://www.ubuntuforums.com to see what the community felt about it and was told the article was quite good by some very avid Ubuntu users.
I didn’t go out of my way and say “This product is going to kill your computer” but there are certainly differences and changes between this and Windows that other people need to be aware of before making a switch. People who walk blindly into using Ubuntu not knowing about these problems often generate a lot of really bad publicity for Ubuntu.
For the record, I don’t feel anything about Vista is superior, particularly not it’s memory hogging behavior. But that doesn’t make Ubuntu a perfect operating system either.
August 8th, 2007 at 9:25 am
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