Trying Out Ubuntu

My PC is eight years old. Yes, i'm still using the custom 600MHz AMD i brought with me to college. i've been through 3 hard drives, i'm on my third disc drive, third graphics card, and i've added RAM and a Soundblaster Audigy along the way. When flash websites choke your computer, you know it's time.

i've also finally warmed up to the idea of laptops. And i developed Mac-envy; the hardware looks sweet, runs well, the OS is awesome, and the software both developed by Apple and the community follows this neat concept of simplicity and quality aesthetics. Bonus.

In spite of all this, i found my opportunity to be a dissenter. My friends freak me out- they start innocently enough with a shiny new MacBookPro (an elevated price over comparable PCs), but no one seems to be able to control themselves. All of the sudden they're buying every upgrade, every new model of the iPod, all the cool new peripherals, and can be seen around town with the Apple baseball cap. The cult kinda freaks me out.

This is why i felt all warm inside when i began seeing the Linux options. As someone who has backed in to the programming community, i've grown a high level of respect for Linux- a) it's free and open-source (a cult i can identify with), and b) the apps are sweet, most likely due to the supersaturation of great developers within the Linux community. Ubuntu is likely the most commonly used and best-supported Debian Linux distribution out there, so i considered it a great place to start.

i learned on a blog somewhere that you can try out Ubuntu without installing it on your machine by booting to the install CD (ISO available as a free download at Ubuntu.com). i did this with the 7.10 release and was pleasantly surprised. i just had to keep in mind the fact that i was running an OS directly off my CD-ROM, so i wouldn't walk away from the experience thinking "Unbuntu is slow". Coincidentally, i've heard a report from Jake, who installed it on a Virtual PC, that it is even more responsive than Windows (XP?).

Windows XP is my reference, because i've been using it the longest. Ubuntu has a lot of the same features; the equivalences of a Start Bar, Task Bar, Quick Launch, and Recycle Bin. Bonus points to Ubuntu for a "Quit" button that doesn't have to be unintuitively preceded by a click on the "Start" button. (i'm referencing the GNOME desktop- there are several others to choose from! Xubuntu is an Ubuntu release with the Xfce desktop for increased performance).

This OS seems fully fleshed out- everything important like network management, user profiles, and software updates. Then there all the extras like games, dozens of cool screensavers, and optional display effects that pinch and shove your windows as you drag them around- ensuring you that yes, all the bases have been covered here and this is a mature product.

My favorite feature is the Workspace Switcher applet. It works like this- you're working away, with OpenOffice Writer (replacement for Word), Calc (spreadsheets), and the default mail client Evolution (or install another, like Mozilla Thunderbird, which i'm currently using), all arranged in your special way so you can get around your workspace just how you like. With the click of a button, your desktop magically switches to show Firefox and your preferred media player, so you can check your Inbox for new messages and start your favorite Tom Petty album. With one click on the Workspace Switcher, you're back in work mode. Mint.

Challenge- give Ubuntu a shot and report here. Considering this can be done with a simple, nondestructive boot to CD, there will be no valid excuses.

Also- let's talk about what a Windows user might lose if switching to a Linux OS. For example: i use a budgeting tool currently only available on Windows (OS X release soon). i heard i could set up a Windows emulator for it, or set up a dual-boot system. What might some other potential difficulties be?