I just downloaded Ubuntu.

[SonicTehAwesomeFace]

As you can tell by the title, I just downloaded Linux Ubuntu.


So far, I'm liking it.


The reason I have positive feelings towards it is because I've never used Linux before, and it seems pretty easy to understand.


I've only had one problem with it: When I type fairly fast, some keys aren't processed, and I have to retype the words with the missing characters (seriously, is there any way to fix that?)


If you've used Ubuntu before, please tell me your opinion. Was it a good idea for me to install it?


Leave your response in the comments.


[EDIT] Okay, I just came across a strange glitch in Ubuntu. I clicked the Home Folder icon, and it shifted up about 25 pixels, then shifted right about 25 pixels, and then became unusable. I restarted, and it went back to normal. Weird...

 

[GiraffeeDreams]

Used it many years ago working in security, had it on a USB drive booting directly, I think it's fantastic, the only reason I don't use it more is because I use flight sims and they won't run in Linux, running them in WinE just slowed my machine down.

 

[Granitehead]

I'm running Ubuntu Lucid Lynx right now. So the latest ubuntu long term support version.


But I've looked at the newest version in a vm and didn't really liked it (well, not the appearance, I don't care about it, but the rest). If I don't like the next LTS version I think I'm switching to Arch or Gentoo.

 

[darfgarf]

If I don't like the next LTS version I think I'm switching to Arch or Gentoo.

debian squeeze

 

[Prometheus]

I'm using Xubuntu (current LTS version), myself, and haven't come across the lag issue you describe (and I type incredibly quickly). I wonder if it's a GNOME thing?

 

[Cameleon]

I'm using 11.04 and so far I don't mind it. I hate the Unity interface, so I use the Classic inteface. Other than that I have no real problems with it and previous tricks I used (like an embedded background terminal and embedded conky) work fine and it helps me stay productive.

 

[dreamer]

The reason I have positive feelings towards it is because I've never used Linux before, and it seems pretty easy to understand.
....


If you've used Ubuntu before, please tell me your opinion. Was it a good idea for me to install it?

If you've never used linux before then yes, Ubuntu is usually a good choice.


When you get more experienced or if you are a so called 'power user' you will quickly learn that it's not all that great.


But for starters and getting the hang of GNU/Linux. Sure. Fine.

 

[ibisum]

I have been a power user of Linux since Linus first posts to the minix-list, and I use Ubuntu these days, mostly because it just plain works and doesn't get in the way at all. My first distro was hand-rolled (only way to install Linux in the beginning), then Yggdrasil (snif!), then a few dark years of Slackware and RedHat before jumping on the Ubuntu bandwagon. I don't really need to tweak my system too much - I've got my own kernel built for my hardware, though, that took a day of mucking around at the beginning, but otherwise I've just lived in Ubuntu userland quite comfortably. I have three screens with full NVidia acceleration, lots of USB, and so on..


I don't need to hack up my system too much, not that I couldn't if I needed to, but because I'm too busy working with it to get good stuff done I'm very happy to have a mostly-smart distro in the background. apt-get works well enough for most apps and things, and full source control is great inside the repo tree, checkinstall outside the tree is mostly smooth too, and like all linux distro's, if you learn it well and use it, you'll find real value in it. But if you don't use it too much, or end up endlessly tweaking the OS instead of using your computer to do something useful, well then ..


BTW, I run the -Studio variant of Ubuntu, and it is one of the most powerful Audio production workstations I've ever owned (6-core, firewire audio busses, and so on). Absolutely rock solid stable and extremely nice audio machine; I leave one screen up with the DAW/music stuff, the other two are infinitely in use for development, reading sites like this, and so on ..

 

[Prometheus]

When you get more experienced or if you are a so called 'power user' you will quickly learn that it's not all that great.


But for starters and getting the hang of GNU/Linux. Sure. Fine.

Hey, now. I'm an experienced power-user, and personally I wouldn't use anything else.


The reason why is simple: Nothing else, even the distros regarded as being the closest to the Ubuntu selection (i.e., Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, etcetera) in user-friendliness, is anywhere near as polished*, and frankly I don't have the time to be messing around with keeping things working - I need a system that just works, and stays out of my way, and the Ubuntu OSes provide that.


*(I mean, really, for example: When are the rest going to catch up even with tiny little things, such as giving you a moment to remove a LiveCD and hit Enter before the system reboots and starts booting from the CD again? It's hugely annoying, and so far I haven't seen any other distro bother with this quite important bit of polish. This is just one example that springs to mind.)

 

[WizardStan]

The first distro that gets dual monitors working as well as it does in Windows will be my distro of choice. So far Ubuntu comes closest.

 

[Halcyon]

Good for you! I have been using Ubuntu for about 3 years, and I still am not a power user, but I'm not really a power user of computers at all, i check my email, play some games maybe and occasionally use a spread sheet. To be honest I have found some odd things with Ubuntu over the years, My psp memory card would only register at half size and sometimes it can be a chore to get certain programs to run correctly. However it is a lot of fun to try to learn a new thing and I would highly recommend you get an account on the Ubuntu forums some very helpful folks there. I will add to the chorus it is an OS that just works, (not perfectly) but you will probably have enough pride that you are using it to enjoy the experience over all. You might want to keep an OS partition that you are familiar with for a bit, until you get a feel for it.


Enjoy!

 

[dreamer]

@ Prometheus: after a dist-upgrade ruined my system twice on Ubuntu I just had to move on.


These days I would never turn back and rather just use plain debian.


It maybe 'looks' less polished, but it feels much more 'simpel' and stable.


(and I run the unstable branch hahaha)

 

[Prometheus]

My experience was the opposite. I removed a singular piece of software that I didn't want, and it hosed my Debian system, which put me off of bothering with it again. Kubuntu and Xubuntu, on the other hand, have been flawless for me.

 

[slaeshjag]

Prometheus: When you learn to use the commandline, you soon learn to read what it says before answering y/n

 

[Prometheus]

Why would I need to learn to use something I already know how to use?


For the record, astonishingly, typing the very same command in any of the Ubuntu variants, simply removes the unwanted software, instead of the entire system.

 

[slaeshjag]

What was it you wanted to remove?

 

[DavidBowman]

What was it you wanted to remove?

^ Prejudice against Ubuntu.


The way I see it is that I don't need anything spectacular out of my system. To this end, Ubuntu more than satisfies my needs. I don't want to use most other distros since they require so much more configuration to do the same job that Ubuntu does out of the box. I've had the same 8.10 setup on my PC for more than two years now, and it's still rock solid!


I think the 'buntu hate comes from an elitist attitude about Linux. It can't be a real distro if someone without any Linux experience can use it from the first boot, right? There were even a couple comments here that show this. Unless you can compile your own kernel from the command line, you're not a real Linux user, right?


I don't think it's a malicious thing, just something that people* have accepted and spread around because Ubuntu isn't their preference.


*Gentoo users.

 

[Prometheus]

What was it you wanted to remove?

It was a few years ago, now, but if memory serves, it was a media player or some other thing that I had no intention of using on the machine in question and wanted to save the space on.


I got the impression that KDE (that's what I was using back then) on Kubuntu is modular, whilst when installed stock from the Debian installation discs, it isn't. It was a bit of user-unfriendliness of the irritating niggly type that I touched upon earlier. I cannot understand why there should ever be any circumstance where a user isn't able to remove unwanted pre-installed software without absolutely everything else being nerfed as well.

 

[slaeshjag]

I have to agree, some of the dependencies for packages in deb is a bit illogical, I guess I've learnt to live with it

 

[Batou456]

You may wish to try PCLinuxOS or OpenSuse, which just tend to be vastly more refined overall and so more likely to not have the issue.

I don't want to use most other distros since they require so much more configuration to do the same job that Ubuntu does out of the box.

Absolute nonsense, given any meaningful difference with the vast majority of distros is not in Ubuntu's favor. What little advantage Ubuntu can claim as a distro revolves around using Synaptics for package management, like PCLinuxOs, and keying into the Debian package archives. Neither of which has anything to do about configuring anything.

Even Slackware, which is as far out as you go that way without simply demonstrating you have too much time on your hands, differs mainly just in setting up the file system in a DOS (cfdisk) instead of GUI style program if you're going pure stock install like Ubuntu forces by default. It basically walks you through it and is setup the way it is because it's user base wants the option to tweak things and modify the guts, not because you have to. Well that and Slackware is impervious to package tearing by design, among other things.

I think the 'buntu hate comes from an elitist attitude about Linux.

You mean their acting like elitists who can't deign to even acknowledge other entry level distros, and generally being seen as not meaningfully contributing back in defiance of the nature of the GNU/Linux community?

You might start "proving" prejudice wrong by actually helping the user with the problem instead of feeling the need to play drama queen.


I believe I adequately explained my distaste for Apple in another thread. Based on people like you Shuttleworth's project isn't similar to them only in having their button cluster on the wrong side.