Have you tried linux?

[TwoPlAnKs]

Thought I'd do a quick poll to find out about this

The latest Ubuntu is easier to use than Windows in my opinion, even running windows applications is incredibly simple and requires almost no configuration out of the box. Combined with the online support, it's a very usable system.

If you have tried it and didn't stick with it, why not? Also how long ago did you try it, and how?

Comments?

[Fett]

I got round to trying a live cd of ubuntu this week and I couldnt believe how easy it was to use. I had a little play with just using commands in a konsole window aswell and im deffo gonna dual boot when I get the chance in the next week or 2.

[koola2]

Might give the latest Ubuntu a go and see what it make of my wireless card (which is usually my Linux problem)

[Greyfox]

Have never used it myself but when i build my new comp i will msot likely give it a try duel booting with windwos 7

[prezzy]

yea I've never tried it but keep meaning to / will give it a shot this weekend if I get chance

[Over Carl]

I tried messing around with fedora core when it first came out - couldn't play mp3's and it wouldn't ustilise my dual monitors properly and couldn't get (brother) printer drivers. so I got bored and gave up. Also I was finding I was quickly learning about editing config files, but I was quickly totally cocking everything up and reinstalling.

Tried creating an openfiler box the other week (based on rpath) and that has put me off linux for a while. Took a fair bit of messing about to get it hooked up with a ms active directory but I got it working so I thought sweet, time to get a sata controller and drives. Got a controller card, plugged it up and it was detected but no drives found. Compiled the open source driver which comes up with an error and the card just starts bleeping when I try and access it. Strange thing is some people have got the card working so it must be a random incompatility.

Also set up an ubuntu hd just to move files around for the openfiler setup and wasn't impressed, second time I ran firefox it crashed. From that time onwards, every time I ran firefox it would crash, then bring up a warning asking if I wanted to restart it.

Whilst I have to say part of me like the configurability and how it make you do everything properly, I'm not impressed with the actual usability to me - I've lost a week of my time pissing around with the openfiler box - set it up and got it working with windows in less than an hour.

[TwoPlAnKs]

Bollocks, could a mod make the poll public?

That's great news Fett.

The key to dual booting is to avoid booting to Windows at all costs - install wine (with the Synaptic Package Manager or "sudo apt-get install wine") then you can just double click exe files and install windows programs. Try winehq.org to see what runs and what doesn't. If you do find something that doesn't work in wine, get virtualbox (again in Synaptic Package Manager or "sudo apt-get install virtualbox") and make a virtual machine to run Windows.

Of course its best to avoid windows software as much as possible, I only use it for specific stuff like games and Spotify.

Give us a shout if you need any help with anything, although the ubuntu forums will probably be faster and more knoledgeable.

Good luck

[Conkers]

I'm using Ubuntu, have for a while on both desktop & netbook. With compiz fusion effects enabled it looks the mutts nuts.

[TwoPlAnKs]

I tried messing around with fedora core when it first came out - couldn't play mp3's and it wouldn't ustilise my dual monitors properly and couldn't get (brother) printer drivers. so I got bored and gave up. Also I was finding I was quickly learning about editing config files, but I was quickly totally cocking everything up and reinstalling.

Tried creating an openfiler box the other week (based on rpath) and that has put me off linux for a while. Took a fair bit of messing about to get it hooked up with a ms active directory but I got it working so I thought sweet, time to get a sata controller and drives. Got a controller card, plugged it up and it was detected but no drives found. Compiled the open source driver which comes up with an error and the card just starts bleeping when I try and access it. Strange thing is some people have got the card working so it must be a random incompatility.

Also set up an ubuntu hd just to move files around for the openfiler setup and wasn't impressed, second time I ran firefox it crashed. From that time onwards, every time I ran firefox it would crash, then bring up a warning asking if I wanted to restart it.

Whilst I have to say part of me like the configurability and how it make you do everything properly, I'm not impressed with the actual usability to me - I've lost a week of my time pissing around with the openfiler box - set it up and got it working with windows in less than an hour.

I've not got any experience with openfiler but I know it can be a right fiddle getting non-ms stuff onto active directory domains because we do it loads at work with various things.

what really interests me about your post is the ubuntu issue, haven't heard of things as simple as starting firefox failing on the live CD.

sorry to hear about the sketchy experience, hopefully it will work for you some day

[Over Carl]

Wasn't on the live cd- I installed it to a hd, then made no changes to it at all. All I used that ubuntu set up was for moving files around and reading stuff quickly on the net. I found that issue very interesting as well as everyone raves about the stability of linux.

I know what you mean about the faffing about to link to ad - it really pissed me off that after all that it was just a dodgy driver that stopped me in my tracks.

Tbh - I really think it's a shame as I was starting to like linux this time, I'm guessing I will forget about it for a year or two - hopefully next time will it will work with me.

[Welsh Pete]

I tried Redhat years ago...didnt like it at all...may try ubuntu in the near future though on the netbook...why not eh!

[Brydo666]

I have tried various Linux distro's a few times over the years and always been rather impressed with what is offered for a free operating system, but given the fact I'll never intend on paying for Windows the free part of it isn't really a selling point for me.

So, other than that it's cool but I don't see any reason to use it over Windows?

I bought a new iMac last weekend though and think that was a good choice ... OS X is a really easy OS to use - so simple, it loads and works a lot faster than Windows/Linux, it could run Windows/Linux if I had wanted it to and the system in general will hold its value a lot better than a PC would do so it's a win/win situation.

[burner1]

I'm more at home using a CLI so porting to Linux wasn't a totally new experience to me, though I ran live cd's at first of differing flavours like suze etc.. I eventually settled on installing slackware onto my lappy's hard drive and it runs fine.

Once you have got to grips with the file structuring and package installs etc. then I think it's not so difficult to use for various apps these days... by cutting out large gui chunks and higher level interfaces it makes for more stable resource and device use.

[pumpman]

started off trying the noob friendly distros like PC LinuxOS, Simply Mepis, early versions of Ubuntu, gave PC BSD a whirl but it was too buggy for me, but I have Ubuntu installed on one pc coutrsy of Tombotts tutorial, I have a pc that dual boots xp and Linux Mint and I have a server running Amahi, based on Fedora

I like XP , I like Win7 I like some versions of Linux , so I use what suite me I'm not a Windows suxxorz Linux rulez or vice versa

[hjf288]

Im using Debian 5.0 Lenny - Upgraded manually from Etch 4.0

No X-Server, pure console as a Web/Mail/Database server

[doughboy]

Used Solaris about 14 years ago @ uni. Installed netbsd on my amiga 1200 for various projects, then bought my 1st pc with redhat (4 I think).
Been playing with various linux distros ever since, and now have an hp-ux box at home to meddle with.

tbh, the less like windows it is the better. I dislike gui's for proper work. command line can't be beaten.

[Undertaker]

tried red hat in the olden days, hated it

then many years later tried ubuntu 8, kubuntu.... I prefer kubuntu,
have also tried fedora core 9, didnt like that, and some other based on slackware

at the moment i've got backtrack4 which is running of a usb stick, but I'm planning on replacing my windows7 partition with the latest ubuntu 9 jaunty

there are only two things that bug me with linux

1. wireless cards --- too many problems, -- it is getting better these days though and you can always use windows drivers with ndiswrapper
2. Laptop -- hibernate, sleep / resume problems --- no distro has fixed this on my laptop, maybe jaunty will, live in hope


I use linux mainly for wireless pentesting and security shit, normal day to day stuff I'm happy with xp

[coin-op]

Off and on for the past few years. Back to a dual boot Ubuntu/XP.

In the past have tried debian/slax/ubuntu/knoppix (live only).
I still like, but the missus prefers windows, hence the dual boot.

[XBOX4LIFE]

I've had a few run ins with it in the past, giving up quite quickly, then latelly have developed a thirst to learn it :
Also just wiped my windoze server and put jaunty on there to try out, and built a backtrack 4 bootable usb with a bit of help from someone on here...

[Thrush]

I did have a go with Ubuntu before I went out a bought visa.

I didn't have the patience at the time to get it working like xp was, but that is the problem. If you want it to look and operate like something you already have what's the point?

Anyway, I've promised myself I'll never buy a operating system again! I can't belive I bought vista (which I have no problems with whatsoever!).