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Two Days Without Mac OS X Leopard: Ubuntu 8.10 Review

tuxgeek.me — I love open-source and I really admire Linux for what it is and what it stands for. But I’m a Mac user. Can I last two days only with Ubuntu 8.10 Intreprid Ibex?

Who dugg this? Made popular Nov 14, 2008

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  • daveerickson, on 11/13/2008, -7/+98Fairly non biased review. Quite refreshing from a Mac fan.

    I love Linux, but realize it is not for everyone. I still would never go back to Win, and don't see the need to pay the Apple tax.
  • neasteflorin, on 11/13/2008, -7/+86This article goes through the experiences of a Mac user with Ubuntu - and compares OS X head to head with Ubuntu. I'd say I care.
  • kd420, on 11/13/2008, -2/+37I use Ubuntu full time at home, but I live with two Mac users who are only moderately computer savvy so they ask me to help sometimes. I have to say, that OSX is very user friendly. and I was able to help them even having never used a Mac before. I also saw some major similarities with Ubuntu (I guess they are both Unix-like systems). Having used all three major OS's I have to say that Windows ranks the lowest for me, unless you want to game. It just has very little that sets it apart, even though it may have pioneered some major aspects in the past. When people promote Windows it's mostly about the range of software that you can get, and some bashing of why not to use Mac or Linux. But the operating system itself, like explorer, seems terribly unremarkable.

    They are changing that a little in Windows 7 from what I've seen, and that's the direction they should go in the future. This was not meant to be a Windows-bashing comment but I think this article's unbiased view shows how much we can learn from other OS's. Luckily Linux developers are always open to including new features, so articles like this really help highlight where progress needs to be made.
  • CaptObvious, on 11/14/2008, -3/+25And Vista would be the fat kid everyone makes fun of.
  • Kingoftherings, on 11/14/2008, -0/+18If you need something like Quicksilver, use Gnome-Do
  • chronniff, on 11/14/2008, -3/+20"Ubuntu has an iPhone Cydia/Installer-like application" ...........hahahahahahaha
  • ArthurSucks, on 11/14/2008, -3/+18It's a simple yet powerful system to set up and it's got some top notch programs. What else is there to understand?
  • whiteguysamurai, on 11/14/2008, -1/+15Linux has a little further to go, but it will get there!
  • PhailQuail, on 11/14/2008, -1/+15Music library syncing over Wi-Fi, works great.
  • Nothlit, on 11/14/2008, -2/+14I was OK for years without OS X as well, then I switched and I have been OK without Windows for the past year and a half, too. It's just a matter of what you are used to. If your operating system does what you need (or want) it to do, then great!
  • panth77, on 11/14/2008, -1/+13It's not about being a status symbol. I never liked Macs until college, after the release of OSX, and even then, I preferred to have a PC as my primary computer. I started using Macs for work after college, and it has completely changed the way I use a computer.
    I am a web application developer and freelance designer, and I'm just as comfortable using command-line Linux or Windows, but the OSX environment provides things that are just not available on any other system. One of the most important is the system-wide color- and text-management systems, which are vastly superior to anything else on the market. For design work, there is no substitute.
    I've also found that it's really the little things that the Apple engineers and programmers included that really sets the bar for productivity and daily use. Every time I think it would be nice if I could... oh wait, they thought of that too.
    Perhaps substitutes can be provided for many of the features I prefer, but nothing integrates them all together as nicely.
    Regarding the price, eh, that's what they charge. You don't want to pay it, don't. You can always pick up a pretty powerful used system for significantly less. I have the advantage of a work-funded system, so the price is not a downside for me. ;)
  • Invid, on 11/13/2008, -7/+18I have Mac, Ubuntu, and Windows boxes and much prefer Gnome to KDE. KDE reminds me of everything I dislike about the Window GUI. Gnome is just as configurable, but less gaudy IMO. YMMV of course.

    I hope the author spends a little more time in Ubuntu. It really comes into its own once you get over the initial learning hump. I love it and OS X equally.
  • Bicep, on 11/13/2008, -1/+10I think you'll be fine. I've been doing it for at least six months, both at home and at work.
  • angrykeyboarder, on 11/14/2008, -1/+9Based in the # of Diggs I'd say quite a few people do.
  • Hermmunster, on 11/14/2008, -1/+9I read through his commentary pretty quickly and knew there were going to be some rough spots for him as he was obviously heart-set on OSX. The only thing that I didn't like, and I expected it, was his conclusion statement that Linux is not ready for the mom and pop.

    Of course it is. If you read the statements he wrote regarding all the software under OSX you would know that that bundle is not for mom and pop either as mom and pop would never even consider going through that much stuff. Mom and pop sit down with one or two programs and as long as the computer works they are happy.

    I own and operate a small business where I repair mom and pop computers every day. With Ubuntu pre-installed on their machines they would be more than happy, because it does 90% of what 99% of us do with our computers, that includes mom and pop.

    This has been proven untold numbers of times and over 50 million world wide installs proves that. No, linux isn't as polished as OSX is and you are bound to have issues trying to get it to run on Apple's hardware, but it most certainly, once set up, does everything mom and pop could want and quite easily.
  • mrsteveman1, on 11/14/2008, -2/+9Hmm. I'm a network engineer and a Linux server admin, I've been using Windows since i was probably 8 years old, before that DOS.

    So i'd say i qualify as being part of the "understand computers" group. I prefer using OS X because the interface doesn't annoy me, its responsive, and certain things are faster because of the way it is designed. Other things are slower.

    I also prefer it because having a POSIX system underneath is essential for me, it is the swiss army knife i pull out in the form of the terminal and other things, whenever i need to do something that can't be done any other way. Linux has that, but that's its only attraction for me, i hate using its GUIs, and i've seen it fall apart while attempting to do things that shouldn't be a problem too many times. Windows has a horrible terminal but OK interfaces and doesn't usually fall apart easily unless you allow malware or AV software to screw with it, or if it hasn't been reinstalled in quite a while.

    At no point did "cool" factor into my decision to use any of the three OS. Repeating that ***** line, that all mac users have been tricked into using something that is inferior, or that they value being cool above all else, is absurd *****.
  • hieveryone, on 11/14/2008, -0/+7Wait...a power user who cannot tinker with the system? Shouldn't a power user know how to tinker with the system? Or maybe I'm reading that wrong?
  • BomarJr, on 11/14/2008, -1/+8i have a triple boot imac with leopard, vista, and ubuntu 8.10. they are all awesome for their own intents and purposes but still, i'd have os x as my main one primarily because of all the stuff i have that i use everyday on mac.
  • Vadi0, on 11/13/2008, -6/+13I fail to see why, because KDE is one that attempts to appeal to Windows, while Gnome to Mac.

    (of course, that's not all the do, but the design styles are laid out like that)
  • ArthurSucks, on 11/14/2008, -5/+11Awww! Cute little Fanboy!
  • Appleologist, on 11/14/2008, -0/+6I love competition and choices! The days of Microsoft domination are over…rejoice!
  • ethana2, on 11/14/2008, -0/+5My mom and sister use 8.04.. After a few bugs I'm watching get fixed in 8.10 I'll upgrade their machines. Ubuntu Dells are fantastic, by the way. 60 seconds from opening the box to looking at your functional desktop.
    My problem was I got the Inspiron 1420n, and ended up with one of those defective nVidia chips... yeah..
    ..but my mom just got the 1525n with the X3100, no problems so far.
  • unitedatheism, on 11/14/2008, -0/+5How's that? "A power user who cannot tinker"?
    You mean a user attached to the power supply, but doesn't do anything?
    Can you imagine what turns people into power-users?
  • angrykeyboarder, on 11/14/2008, -3/+8"FAIL" = cliché
  • Invid, on 11/13/2008, -3/+8"Having used all three major OS's I have to say that Windows ranks the lowest for me, unless you want to game."

    Agreed. The only time I sit down at my Windows desktop is when I game, which although frequent is mostly done on my PS3. Sad, I used to really enjoy Windows, and a new OS release was like Christmas morning. Vista really disappointed me when it was released. I eagerly installed the betas and release candidates hoping the bugs from the previous versions were fixed and the UI streamlined, but was let down each time.

    The Windows desktop now runs XP for gaming so that I wouldn't have to upgrade from the 2GB of RAM that my games need to run well. It seems foolish to invest even the small amount it would cost to upgrade RAM for Vista given that it's no better for my purposes and would be so infrequently used.

    I'd like to get excited about Windows again, but I don't see it happening even with Windows 7. These days I look forward to Snow Leopard, and of course Ubuntu is the gift that keeps on giving (every 6 months).
  • yetAnotherCroc, on 11/14/2008, -0/+4This article:

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/153624/under_the_ho ...

    seems to agree with him. See we humans have this thing where we communicate with each other. That way each individual doesn't have to try everything themselves but can draw some knowledge from the experiences of others.
  • snupples, on 11/14/2008, -0/+4What conf files did you have to edit?? I have a run-of-the-mill PC here I run ubuntu on and never had to hand-edit any configurations.
  • statc, on 11/14/2008, -8/+12Apart from customization I don't see why you'd want to use ubuntu if you already have OSX. I used it on and off for about six months before I got a mac and pretty much anything I'd want from ubuntu, I can get using macports. Plus I can run CS3 without any problems.
  • Catch_ME, on 11/14/2008, -0/+3I care.
  • contradictator, on 11/14/2008, -0/+3I like how he really based the review on Ubuntu as it is "out of the box" so to speak. It would've been very easy for him to get Linux Mint and wrap Mac4Lin around it (which I admit, I'd probably do) and get something a bit closer to OSX.
  • jamesmcm, on 11/14/2008, -0/+3Good article!

    I liked the way he explained exactly what he did and what alternatives he used. I might look in to some of these (I'm an OS X and Ubuntu user myself, and very occasionally Vista for games that will not run in WINE/Crossover and look really good - l'm talking about you, Fallout 3).
  • hieveryone, on 11/14/2008, -0/+3"Apple will always keep you safe from that."

    Uh, not always. My brand new macbook crashed while I was playing chess...twice.
  • nickbr00tality, on 11/14/2008, -1/+4Supposably...?
  • inactive, on 11/14/2008, -3/+6I'm surprised someone using KDE would choose Kubuntu. Blach!
  • inactive, on 11/14/2008, -1/+4Some people like KDE and can never understand why others prefer Gnome. Some vice versa, I've come to accept it: they're just GDEs, and XFCE is better anyways. ;o
  • moppsy, on 11/14/2008, -0/+3I agree, though I prefer no desktop environment.
    I just use gmrun mapped to a quick key as my launcher.
  • yetAnotherCroc, on 11/14/2008, -0/+3@tnwake: Or it sounds like you have low expectations for what "runs with no problems" means.
  • frazw, on 11/14/2008, -0/+3At the end of the day, you have the choice which is the great thing with linux. If you didn't like the environment in MacOSX or Windows you can't do much about it. With linux there are several options. That is not a slight to OSX or Windows, they are about providing a consistent experience where as linux is about choice.
  • sirflibble, on 11/14/2008, -1/+4Why I use it is pretty simple. It's a decent mainstream OS that I find works more naturally than Windows does. It's much more intuitive, I don't have to stuff around in DLL hell, I don't need to install a bloody driver every time I want to plug something into it.

    Also iLife is very nifty and works quite well. I don't have to use "alternative" software (not that this is a bad thing and I still often do use) for simple tasks like using Office which is vital for my job.

    It networks well with other computers (generally if we have a problem networking a computer it is usually the windows machines), integrates nicely with my Xbox 360 for streaming (connect360 makes the 360 a great streaming device between itunes, iphoto and my tv) and I have never had to worry about using antivirus programs etc. I've visited some websites that do attempt to install some nasty stuff (and these are legit sites like Dark Horizons).

    I have 2 windows machines and 2 macs and I barely use the windows machines for these reasons.
  • angrykeyboarder, on 11/14/2008, -1/+4I agree. Kubuntu = "Crippled KDE". If you are a dedicated KDE user then you are better off with any number of other distros that offer KDE (e.g. Mandriva, openSUSE, Debian).

    I'm not sure about the recent release with KDE4, but in previous Kubuntu releases that offered KDE 3.5.x you could "fix" KDE via a hack that was shown on kubuntu.org website and then installing the missing apps (e.g. kdegames) from the ubuntu repository.
  • barius, on 11/14/2008, -0/+3I beg to differ on the 'power user' fud. Like ethana2 I've set up my mother with Ubuntu on my old computer after I bought myself a new one. She hasn't had any trouble using Thunderbird for mail, Firefox for the 'net, OO.o for her documents (she's retired but does a lot of work for the liberal party here, lots of important Word docs and she has no problems with them). She loves the interface, especially how easy it is to change her desktop background.

    I'll admit though, there have been some issues caused by the Windows monopoly, for example, she bought a camera and wanted to read the instruction manual. Strangely, the manual was packaged as a program (.exe) that needed to be installed (wtf are these guys thinking packaging a bunch of pdfs inside a program anyways??). Long and short, I had to install Wine for her so that she could install it and read the manual. Once Wine was on there the install was point-and-click just like on Windows but obviously not all such programs are going to 'just work'. Of course, the moronic manufacturer (Sharp) is to blame for packaging reading material as an executable instead of as some form of document (i.e. PDF) but I can see how that could be a stumbling block for non-power-users.
  • fungie5, on 11/14/2008, -1/+3Good article. I use Ubuntu 8.10 and XP and have found that it's actually better for me to have two OSes than just one. Using Ubuntu gives me added protection from malware and viruses online, and if XP fails to boot for any reason, i can still the boot the PC into Ubuntu and use it to access helpful information online that would help me fix the problem. Just the other day Ubuntu came in handy when i was participating in an online discussion at a political website. Someone started posting links to viruses but i was fortunate that i was using Ubuntu at the time so my machine couldn't be compromised. For me, having two OSes per PC has now become mandatory. Let's face the facts - we now use multiple hard-drives, multiple web browsers, multiple cores in our processors etc - so why not use multiple OSes? Makes way more sense than using just one.
  • Jambi, on 11/14/2008, -1/+3In which case they'd be better off buying an iPod Touch instead.
  • KevInTx, on 11/14/2008, -0/+2Ah what a refreshingly level headed comment, very fair and unbiased, digg++.

    I use all three systems and just happen to prefer using the Mac. I have to say that I'm really impressed with Ubuntu right now and quite underwhelmed with the current (and future) state of Windows development. Like you, I'm not bashing Windows just stating an opinion.
  • CCmachined, on 11/14/2008, -0/+2yeah, like switching between two closed source proprietary licensed operating systems does anything at all to solve the root cause of the problem.

    buy proper hardware that plays well with Linux and you'll have a much better experience. You already bought yet another computer thats the exact same under the hood, and paid extra for the privilege... Why not do it again, but pay less than either Windows or Mac?

    plus, theres always http://dell.com/ubuntu http://dell.co.uk/ubuntu http://dell.ca/ubuntu etc etc
  • theaceoffire, on 11/14/2008, -0/+2Personally, I like the flexibility.

    Its really easy to change how my whole system feels with a few clicks, so I can make it reflect my moods.
  • MattBD, on 11/14/2008, -0/+2I bought a MacBook earlier this year and I still prefer Ubuntu over it. I find it's a lot more flexible than OS X, it's a lot faster on roughly equivalent hardware, and I can delve about under the hood a lot more. Plus I can set it up the way I want it, not the way Steve Jobs wants it.
  • theaceoffire, on 11/14/2008, -0/+290% is better than 100%.
  • unitedatheism, on 11/14/2008, -1/+3I would say that KDE has more its personal way on Linux, yes it has a "start" menu at same place as Windows, but then what?
    Does it take a system menu in the center of the screen to not be called "Windows" or "Mac"-like?
  • theaceoffire, on 11/14/2008, -0/+2I personally had to mess with some stuff on 8.04 cause I have an old computer without a video card slot, and the Intel on-board video card was conflicting with my pci NVidia one. I just blacklisted Intel's driver and it all worked fine after that.

    To be honest, I haven't seen many issues with most computers I installed Ubuntu on.
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