Last month, I purchased a new barebones kit from TigerDirect.com and, as usual, I got great bang for my buck. Being that the holidays are around the corner and I have a wife and family to think about, shelling out another $200 for Microsoft's latest and greatest, didn't make a lot of sense. So, I decided to gove the latest Ubuntu release, 11.10 “Oneiric Ocelot” a shot. There have been some frustrations and there are some limitations, but if you are willing to put in a little time and effort, its totally worth it.
Let me begin with the interface. I have so far accepted the Unity desktop, but my patience is wearing thin. It really gives a Windows like feel to the whole thing and i think it would be okay for the average PC user who is used to Microsoft's warm and fuzzy interface. However, I am not entirely sold on it. The extent of my previous experience with Ubuntu has mostly been using it for rescuing data and the occasional tinker. The past 3 weeks I have been it as my primary machine and I am still more comfortable with the GNOME GUI than I am with Unity. I'm sure there will be plenty improvement over then next few releases but in the interim I may check out some other GUI flavors. Feel free to recommend some in the comments.
The configuration was pretty easy which made me feel a little more comfortable After I put my machine together, I booted to the disc I burned and went through the installation. After a little bit of reading and educated guesswork, I was excitedly logging in to my new Ubuntu PC for the first time. I was amazed that the drivers for all of my bits and pieces were already pretty much taken care of. Sound, Video, Network, USB and Microsoft Wireless mouse and keyboard were instantly recognised and available for my use. The monitor I was using at first wasn't quite up to snuff, so it was replaced with two of a much higher caliber and I was off watching Hulu, listening to Spotify on a beta build for their Linux client (totally awesome, check my next post) and doing just about every task I would normally use my laptop for.
The options are great. Aside from the excellent selection of free and pay software available from Ubuntu and their partner Canonical, installing software is usually pretty simple. Occasionally you run into some missing dependency issues or broken installers, but again, with a little time and effort, these issues are totally fixable.
So far, I have been able to find suitable and free alternatives for all of the software I use on my laptop. Firefox was already a staple on all of my machines and it came bundled with Ubuntu. I installed Chrome through the command line and didn't have any issues using it at all. Checking my email was a snap with the Thunderbird client that also came bundled with Ubuntu. I've used versions of Thunderbird in the past so configuring it to pop my mailbox was a breeze.
GIMPM makes for a great alternative to
Multimedia is a staple for me just like everyone else. I listen to music constantly and I watch a ton of movies, streaming and otherwise. Spotify has a solid beta client available for the Linux platform. I have experienced a few glitches with it, but that's to be expected for a beta. Spotify has recently made it to the top of my free music apps list and I'm super happy to be able to use it with Ubuntu. It plays my mp3 collection and most everything else I want to hear.
I haven't tried to watch any DVD's yet, and I hope that getting all of the codecs together isn't going to be too tough.
The only real disappointment was the lack of Netflix. There is no Linux support as a result of their using Microsoft's DRM protection for their streaming content. With the growing list of cable TV alternatives like Roku and the Logitech Revue built on the GoogleTV platform that offer Netflix support, this isn't really a deal breaker, especially if you are willing to shell out another hundred or so bucks.
As a techie, I enjoy a bit of a challenge. I'm comfortable with using a command line interface and I especially like learning new things. For me the switch is a pretty easy choice. For the average Windows user, Linux isn't quite there yet. Installing software can still be a bit of a chore as can fixing problems or customizing some of the settings. Adding to that the fact that everything just works with Windows nowadays, and the fact that most major software packages arent supported by Linux without a third part app like WINE, Linux still falls short and is still more of a hobbyists operating system. I think in the next few releases, Apple and Microsoft are going to start to lose money to competitors who offer similar services and option but for none of the cost.
