OT: Ubuntu

[swift240]

Hi all,
I run Win XP pro, I am thinking of going Ubuntu (Linux)
Are any of you out there runnig Ubuntu ?
If so how good is it?
Are there many driver?
Would it be worth my while going over to it? compared to XP pro?

Can I run AmiKit (I must look this up, me thinks)

TIA.

Mike

[motorollin]

I run Ubuntu on my Pegasos II. I have also run it on a two Windows laptops, and on two Macs under virtual machines. It is a thoroughly excellend distro of Linux and would recommend it if you're looking to move away from Windows. It's so easy to set up. Hardware detection and support is excellent. Go for it :-)

--
moto

[yetihw]

perhaps this article will help

Ubuntu for 30 days

[motorollin]

I had a quick look at that article. It looks quite good, though to be honest I think I installed Ubuntu and felt comfortable with it in less time than it took me to read that article :-)

--
moto

[Piru]

Are there many driver?

http://www.linux-drivers.org/

[skurk]

I'm running Ubuntu on my server, and I'm quite pleased with it.  If I didn't have MacOSX at home, I'd be using Ubuntu there as well.

If you're new to Linux, please-pretty-please try a LiveCD first.  It's just like the real deal, except you're booting from a CD instead of your hard drive.  With the LiveCD you can see if this is the thing for you.  Saves you the hazzle of modifying partitions, MBR's, etc.

Some adjustments may be required if you're used to the Windows world only.  But believe me, it pays off later.

Ubuntu, as most other distros featuring the Linux kernel, is loaded with drivers.

So, is it worth ditching XP Pro for it?  It all depends on  what you want to do.  If you want to surf, read mail, do some programming and/or run a server, then Linux is your best choice.  If you want to play games, then stick with Windows.

Linux can be extremly powerful, so watch your step.

[guest1255]

I use also Ubuntu on a very old Laptop.
There was winxp befor it and with xp i could not even imagine me using some 3d applications with it like blender.
xp + blender was impossible to use.

Ubuntu + blender  = perfect. Feels like i have a better graphics card even its only 8 mb and all other 3d stuff run much better and smoother than in xp.

big negative experince was that you have to install alot of stuff just to be able to watch dvd movies or listen mp3. Not impossible but consumes alot of nerves

uae works also perfect ( perfect = all i need works, the rest i dont know )

I say go for it, just takes a wile then iu wont even remember windows.

[Colmiga]

Ubuntu these days comes on a live CD so you can test it out on your PC without having to install it first. This is a good way of checking hardware compatibility and to see if you like its features. If you are happy to use Ubuntu over Windows, the CD contains an installer to allow you to permanently install it to your hard drive.

The greatest determiner for switching to another OS is: 'Can it do the tasks you want it to do as well or better than the previous OS?'. What sort of things do you do on your PC? It may make a full switch turn out to be a negative experience if you find out something you do often is only able to be done with a program that's only available for Windows.

The Ubuntu installer allows for Windows and Ubuntu to share the same hard disk in what is called a 'Dual Boot' configuration. Many people set up their PC like this as they still need to access applications on Windows that are not avaiable on Ubuntu (ie. Games). This can be a good compromise if Windows apps are rarely used. Otherwise, another option is to use virtulization software such as VMWare to allow Windows to be 'hosted' within Ubuntu so the apps you need can be accessable. WINE (WINE Is Not an Emulator) is another way to run Windows apps under Ubuntu, though it can be hit or miss depending on the app.

If you haven't already, I suggest downloading the the latest Ubuntu CD from www.ubuntu.com and trying it.

[The_Editor]

I run Kubuntu on my back up machine (debian 64 on my dual core AMD64)

Its bloody awesome. I wish I had installed it on the main machine instead of debian 64

For max usability stay away from the 64 bit version for now as flash hasn't been written for 64 bit yet.

btw..

K=ubuntu is kde
Ubuntu is Gnome

[swift240]

Thanks all, thats very help full.   :-)

Mike.

[motorollin]

The_Editor wrote:
K=ubuntu is kde
Ubuntu is Gnome

There's also Xubuntu which uses XFCE (a very lightweight and fast window manager).

--
moto

[odin]

Unfortunately the last release of Ubuntu I tried failed to boot due to not recognising my SATA controller, so no Ubuntu for me on the short term .

[kd7ota]

A friend told me about Ubuntu, but it was a few months ago when I finally had chance to get the LiveCD and give it a try myself.... I was totally impressed by it no doubt. The installing of software is easy, and pretty much anything I threw at it, it did without a struggle.

As said earlier, if you just want to surf the web, email, some word documents and music, then this would be perfect.

I am actually not that picky at games. Quake 1-3, Unreal Tournament 2003, and a few others make it work like a champion.

If you have a pretty beefy machine and want to run World of Warcraft, try and buy Cedega... The app to run many popular windows games in Linux.


Yes as first its a pain to get it to play back DVDs and such since it doesnt install it all at first, but once you go through it, it is worth the experience.



Personally, Ubuntu is THE best distro for users who want to install linux and have it very usable.


Have fun!

[swift240]

Well my system isnt that beefy, runnig Athlon 1.67 gig CPU, 512 DDR ram, 80gig HDD
But I reckon that should do it.

Mike.  :-)

[kd7ota]

It will definately run it.

I am getting ready to install it on my 1.2ghz athlon with 512mb of ram. I wont be running games on it unless they are simple like quake

I would recommend having a spare 10gig drive at least if you want to just use it as your everyday machine, as that is even good, but also having your primary windows one with all your music/videos.


As far as emulators, im not sure how well they are.

Give the LiveCD and see how it goes.  :-)