What is Digg?282 Comments
- Shadowman, on 10/10/2007, -26/+118How about why (almost) everyone should try GNU/Linux? I don't think anyone interested in Linux should base their opinion on a single Debian-based GNOME distribution. Why not encourage them to try several distros? The Ubuntu fanboys will digg me down but it doesn't change the fact that some people may like PCLinuxOS better, or openSUSE, or Fedora, or some other distro. We don't want people to go back to Windows just because they don't happen to like Ubuntu.
- Spr0k3t, on 10/10/2007, -4/+80Ubuntu is the gateway drug.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -9/+83Ok, if I try Ubuntu will you guys STFU about it?
- RamboJesus, on 10/10/2007, -8/+56Because GNU/Linux need a poster boy and Ubuntu is a very good one. Then once Gnu/Linux has taken over the world we can push for people to try all flavors of GNU/Linux.
- scaine, on 10/10/2007, -2/+34You should actually read the article, Shadowman. The author acknowledges that the article is written specifically geared for Ubuntu in the very first sentence. I think that encouraging everyone just to try GNU/Linux is a bad idea anyway - I was almost put off myself with some of the problems I was having with other distros. Ubuntu would never claim to be for everyone, but it's one of the most heavily "for the masses" distros out there. You need a good starting point for such a big change (to your O/S) and Ubuntu is an excellent choice in this respect.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -6/+28People don't want to be sitting around for hours installing versions of Linux. Seriously. They don't care about Linux or Windows, they just want to turn their computers on and suf the internet. If you're expecting someone with very basic computing experience so suddelnly pick up half a dozen versions of Linux and start messing about with them then I think you are insane
- kazamx, on 10/10/2007, -2/+21He speaks the truth. One of the big complaints from people new to linux is there is just too much choice. Once you become a little more experienced you realise this is in reality a strength. But for people new it can scare them away. By using Ubuntu as a gateway away from Windows the whole of Linux will benefit.
If Ubuntu managed to take 10% of the market but your fav distro didn't increase in numbers at all, you still win. You will have better hardware support and better software support. The worst thing we can do if attack every new user who has always used the same OS and never had to think about it with a million different choices for things they don't understand. Let them make that first scary step. Then start to show them that while Ubuntu is a nice simple system, there are others that might be even better for them - cantormath, on 10/10/2007, -3/+21NO they do not act like the distro is the center of the universe. As a slackware and debian user, I am just glad to see people using Ubuntu/Linux instead of WINDOW, what is wrong with you people?!!
- noch, on 10/10/2007, -2/+17Wow, you guys are ***** idiots. Give yourselves a round of applause.
Obviously, if you like slackware/Debian/what the hell ever Ubuntu isnt for you. Feisty offers windows users a very easy transition into the Linux world, making partitioning, installing, wifi installation out of the box (thats a great accomplishment) so easy a Geico caveman can do it. Period. "Blah blah blah, give me a cmd prompt . ." stfu, you can use different flavors of linux, YOU WANT A COOKIE? - BadAsh71, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15I am a programmer at a "Microsoft Shop" and have been using Windows for years but always wanted to try Linux. Years ago I downloaded Slackware and had no idea where to start so I bought a shrink wrapped copy of Red Hat from a local store, stuck in the CD and immediately had that sinking feeling that this was not going to turn out pretty. Drivers and Installation Programs were pretty bad back in those days.
Over the years I have tried just about every mainstream and some off-the-cuff Distros out there and the one that I keep going back to is Ubuntu. It just works. You don't have to learn how to compile everything including the kernel to install it like (Gentoo), it has a very user-friendly install program and by default it utilizes one of the most standard and configurable desktop managers, GNOME.
I know a lot of Windows "fanboys" prefer KDE because it looks and feels like Windows and I was there once too but I have found that the Gnome Desktop is just so much better when it comes to making it look and feel just the way I want it. With Gnome and Beryl I can set my system up to look and feel just like Windows Vista or with Gnome, Beryl and Awn I can easily have that Apple Mac OS X look and feel.
Yeah, it takes a little work to get Gnome to look and feel the way you want but it is well worth it to learn that.
But as for the original topic, you just can't beat Ubuntu. No other Linux Distro (other than Red Hat) has such a solid core (Debian), large user community and greater adoption by other distros. Mepis, Linspire and Freespire are all based on Ubuntu.
The other big thing Ubuntu has going for it, besides the huge user community, is its Debian core. IMHO, Debian is a much better core Linux than Red Hat ever thought about being. Just try comparing Synaptic Package Manager to Red Hat/Novell Yast. Yikes, I can't believe people actually use Yast. Synaptic Package Manager, the GUI for Apt-Get makes installing, updating and uninstalling software a breeze. If you are a Windows user and fear the dreaded "install by compiling on your own machine" mentality seen in the past on Linux, you will love Debian Distros, especially Ubuntu.
Again, thats my opinion... but, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. - JasonCox, on 10/10/2007, -6/+20I've used Ubuntu, granted I'm a self-admitted Windows fanboy, but I still prefer other distros like Slackware or Debian to Ubuntu, it's just too idiot friendly.
- aiten, on 10/10/2007, -1/+15I'm inclined to disagree. I've used pretty much all the main distributions of Linux over the years, Fedora, CentOS, Redhat, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, Gentoo, Suse to name just a few. I consistiently find that All the redhat ones are an absolute pain to install software on, yum is absolute rubbish, you constantly need to add repositories and they all have dependencies on software you can't get hold of, then you have to install a different package manager for java repositories... etc...
I find that Ubuntu is the easiest switchover, and it is my desktop OS of choice, exclusively, so I may well be biased.
My point is that I know what i'm doing with Linux, and yet I still struggle with some of the other distributions convoluted package management. - chris9902, on 10/10/2007, -4/+17I don't care what OS I have installed as long as it runs the 3rd party apps I use. And at this point in time Windows is the only one that does.
- BassJunkie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13I think I agree and disagree here. Firstly I have just recently converted over to Ubuntu as my OS of choice on my desktop PC at home. I still have Win XP on there but I can't remember the last time I booted into it (not least because I've got a VM of XP setup in Virtualbox :-D )
When I first saw this story on the frontpage my initial thought was "oh no not another story about Linux that mentions Ubuntu in the title has made it to the frontpage!"
After a breif read through the article he covers the main points nicely. He makes it very clear that Ubuntu is very user friendly (one of the things i like!) and does advise in the last paragraph that if you do want something more challenging to try some other distro's such as Gentoo and Slackware.
I personally have enjoyed the learning curve with Ubuntu (I have it installed on 2 desktops and a few laptops (one of them setup as LAMP server! no gui there!) and have really got the Linux bug. I've always loved collecting various Live CD's of Linux distro's and trying them out and hope to Gentoo out as soon as I have some time to sit down and get the DVD booting correctly! - Spr0k3t, on 10/10/2007, -4/+17"The important thing is to pursue your own interests, try something new, and set your PC free." - Best part from the article.
- Waterrat, on 10/10/2007, -9/+21 You got that right...they go on like their distro is the center of the universe...
There are many great distros out there to try...And maybe one won't suite your fancy...But don't give up after one try....Just cause one distro does not work for you does not mean they are all crap.
- Clawg, on 10/10/2007, -7/+18"If you're a hardcore Gentoo or Slackware type, go away and read something else."
*going away and reading something else* - sacherjj, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10Free from DRM.
- RamboJesus, on 10/10/2007, -4/+14I'm high right now.
- MacParrot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10So, you prefer Windows, but you want everyone to try Linux, and you hate an easy to use for anyone version of it. OK, no contradictions there. :)
- miyamotofreak, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11I really dislike Windows. So I bought a mac. And I love it. But over time I have some philosophical differences with it (most of it being I prefer full screen windows instead of like 5) so I found that golden spot with Ubuntu. I'm gonna probably get a Dellbuntu soon.
- joebaloney, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Too idiot friendly... What the hell are you talking about? What does Ubuntu do that a hardcore hax0r like you gets offended by? Recognize your hardware?
- sishgupta, on 10/10/2007, -3/+10From proprietary monopolies.
- YuriSakazaki, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9I much prefer FreeBSD to Ubuntu, and I still use Vista as my main OS. It's nothing against Ubuntu, it's just personal preference.
- MatttK, on 10/10/2007, -5/+12My OS (Vista) and my last OS (XP) were so good that I actually used them to do something productive or fun, instead of spending half the day configuring and the other half bragging. :)
- kazamx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8The other reason to get many of the people new to Linux onto the same distro is they can start to help each other out. If in an office 3-4 people move over to ubuntu they can all try to offer each other help if they can't do something. If they are using a mix of KDE, Gnome, Apt, RPM, etc. then what works for one won't for the others, now that will be frustrating when your used to everyone in your office having the same OS as you. Only having 3 others would be bad, but to have the 3 others on Llinux but still not able to help :-(
- sacherjj, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7The CD says that it is ok to pass on right on the cover.
- cantormath, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8NO they do not act like the distro is the center of the universe. As a slackware and debian user, I am just glad to see people using Ubuntu/Linux instead of WINDOW, what is wrong with you people?!!
- MacParrot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Hydraulix,
It isn't about who's leet, it's about who can make Linux friendly enough on the desktop for an average user. Who can take something difficult and make it easy. I'm a Mac user (plus 8 hours a day on a Windows box at work) and I'm pulling for whatever distro can make it simple enough for me to recommend to my less-technically inclined friends and relatives. Right now I tell them Mac because it's currently (IMO) the easiest to use product with the most solutions for what most people use a computer for.
Part of Linux's problem is a lack of a public face for it. Lots of different distros, all with a dedicated fan base. No single hand at the wheel. Make it simple, make it work without having to go to a command line, make the open-source versions of high end programs work with 75% of what the original had. Stop the in-fighting between fanboys who are trying to say the same thing about different interfaces. Give Linux a public face that isn't afraid to stand in front of a microphone in a room filled with potentially hostile people and show the enthusiasm for something great that doesn't cost an arm and a leg like the Apple's and Microsoft's of the world. Make it just work and people will try it. As Rome wasn't built in a day, neither is Market share. - AlexFerny, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8Because Ubuntu is currently the most actively developed distribution.
Debian is one of the best bases as it is, but Ubuntu tends to get the packages into thier repositories very quickly, and there are plenty of 3rd party repos due to its popularity. And while Ubuntu full install off CD may be a bit bloated, I love my KDE Ubuntu install which was all done by hard installing only the packages I need after using the mini.iso netinstall. - Kelmon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6It's a tough one to call. I'm sticking with OS X as well for the moment but it's interesting to think again about the motivation for switching and whether I'd do it again. The thing was that I switched to OS X because Windows XP was driving me nuts at the time and, frankly, OS X looked really pretty (this at least is what got me looking at a Mac in the first place). However, if I had not been having problems with XP at the time then I doubt I would have switched and therefore would not have known how wonderful a Mac is to work with on a daily basis, i.e. little annoyances from Windows that I'd accepted no longer happened. I'm currently happy with OS X so its going to take something bad to happen before I'll look at Linux or even Windows again. In this respect Linux may well be much better than OS X but I'll never know this because I have no incentive to switch.
I'll also note that you can't "try" an OS and expect a success. In order to be happy with it you have to switch completely. Just playing with it for a bit isn't going to do it. - mikes1, on 10/10/2007, -8/+14Slackware rules.
- annoia, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6My girlfriend (at the time) was happy with her Windows ME... This, in spite of being afraid of having more than three programs open (eg. winamp, browser, word), and in spite of not at all touching the machine, when she burned a CD. On several occasion I heard her explain a crash, in all seriousness, with her having too many programs open (about five) at the same time. But no, she refused to install Windows 2000 or anything else, she was perfectly happy with Windows ME... Trust me, people can be happy with everything, and need to try something else.
- melissawm, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Yeah. Like Gentoo and Suse are good names...
- Jacob, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7leave the linux section of digg if you don't give a ***** about it. Is it really so wrong that people want others to use the same OS they love? I mean ***** you probably tell all your friends how Vista is a gift from god and that so and so game is really good and they need to try it out, this is no different you are just to ignorant to try out another OS or if you have and didn't like it, you are too much of a ***** to let others decide for themselves. Probably because when you did try it all your expectations were blown away by an ubuntu install that made installing windows look like you were building a ***** space station or some *****.
- trusttimothy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7"Some of you die-hards may find all this “growth of Linux” talk offensive, preferring to horde all this Linuxy goodness for yourselves. Well, that's fine, too. Even if the unimaginable happened and Linux went totally mainstream, there'd be nothing stopping anyone from creating ever l33ter distros that no sane n00b in the universe would ever try. But really, you guys aren't supposed to be reading this anyway, so go away and let me talk to the newbs some more."
This sums up the article. And because of that it's fine. - Jacob, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7sudo apt-get install nvidia-glx
thats the only thing you needed to do, compiling your linux driver from source may give you a slightly newer driver but there is no point when you can get it working damn near perfect by one install. Hell you didn't even need to do that you could have gone into synaptic searched for nvidia and clicked install. - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -12/+17I completely agree. Use some of the more easy to use distros, get your feet wet, gain experience, then join the ArchLinux community! :)
- N10E, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5"The Beatles", "Nintendo Wii", "iPod"... I'm pretty sure these were all considered stupid names. The Beatles and the Wii probably had the most ridicule of their names during their era. Since when does Name equate to Quality?
- evilregis, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5A drug that protects you from annoying viruses.
- Ademan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I dugg you up because you're the only one that's admitting why you don't like Ubuntu articles, unlike the rest of the replies.
- whiteguysamurai, on 10/10/2007, -5/+10I used ubuntu for 3 weeks before i started to miss my games.
I liked it, but i finally realized i made a pretty lean and secure XP install too, with the help of a few select apps.
I would like to dual boot, but i don't see a reason to now.
When Linux starts to innovate instead of get you by, i will go back. - codmate, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6That's my feeling too.
I'm a Linux sysadmin as part of my job, but at home I run Ubuntu server (no GUI).
have installed Gentoo at work - but found it too much of a PITA to do at home.
Portage just seems to break things more often than APT does - and much of what a distro comes down to these days is the package manager it ships with...
Gentoo is definitly cool - in that you are encouraged to compile your own tight kernel on install (although you can use genkernel), and you have to learn about many of the crucial files.
For swiftness and ease of use I've found Ubuntu a joy though. - AdamFromMyspace, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I have a friend that happily drove with a broken, bent, and stuck clutch lever on his motorcycle for months until I finally got fed up and replaced it for him. It was a world of difference and he was very glad the change happened.
Just because you're satisfied with your OS doesn't mean you won't be more satisfied with another OS. - BadAsh71, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Gamers that want to use any Linux Distro, Ubuntu or not should check out Cedega. This is a gamer-centric version of Wine that makes it easy for installing and running Windows games on Linux.
http://www.transgaming.com/products/cedega
NOTE: I'm not a gamer, nor do I work for TransGaming/Cedega but since this topic always comes up in such threads i thought I'd share - Ninjao, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4My Xbox runs linux and acts as my media centre in the lounge. (its not in the original case but built into a "wooden" housing to match my lounge)
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5munter and kazamx: very well put. :)
- DangerCollie, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5You have another option to try Ubuntu with KDE in Kubuntu. Functionally it's not much different, but my experience is Windows users are slightly more comfortable with the look and feel.
It's rare you need to use the command line for anything with Ubuntu. I had to use the command line to install the Flash plugin for Firefox, but that was the way Adobe packaged it. You can install most programs with adept with just a couple mouse clicks.
Multimedia support can require a little reading. Ubuntu can't include some proprietary codecs for video because of legal reasons but there out there with a little effort. - pyrates, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Ubuntu is good branding and consumers like good branding. Linux is NOT good branding. And it's not GNU/Linux, it is just linux. Ubuntu really shows what is possible with linux and you should be happy for that. Just like OS X showed what is possible with bsd. Ubuntu works and that is what matters here, not what is underneath. Branding and usefulness is what wins consumers, not technology, sad as it is.
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