Just looking for some opinions on this OS. How stable is it? Does it use less system resources than XP? Will other programs like Adobe Suite work well with it? Also, has anyone tried Linux Media Center? I'm a minimalist at heart and I'm looking for a secure, streamlined alternative to xp.
There are a couple of us on here that use it. If you have XP you chould set up a duel boot. It's really easy to do with XP. It is a lot faster than XP IMO. I haven't tried Adobe on it yet, but Gimp comes with it and it is very good. I had PS and I think they are about equel but has a learning curve. If you would really like to try it download the ISO from the Ubuntu web site and burn the ISO to a disk. Make sure you use an ISO burner and not just copy it to a disk. You can then try it on the live CD to get used to it. Although plain at first, it can easily become very nice to look at and IMO shoots Vista down in terms of eye candy. Check this out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPecBxM2f6c As for stability, I have had no problems. Some computers may not like it though, but this is what the live CD is for. To get all the codec goodies you will have to install the through the packet manager or download Automatix or Easy Ubuntu. I use Automatix and have had no trouble with it. If you have an ATI card it can be a little difficult to configure but Nvidias are easy.
I use it and love it because it's not Windows!! Actually, I've been looking at clearing my second HDD off and putting another OS on it, just for kicks and to see what the whole deal is. But truthfully, I <3 my porn collection too much to delete it for some freeware OS.
That sounds like something that I would here on the Linux boards Myself, I don't like it because it's not Windows. I like it because it's more organized and faster on "my" machine than both XP and Vista. It supports all my hardware and I get to customize it without buying 3rd party software. There are somethings I like about Vista though, so I customized my system to look like and do those specific things. Best part is, it takes up a lot less resources than Windows to do the same exact things. Although that could be because Ubuntu and Beryl/Compiz have been doing 3d desktops longer than MS.
So how is program/game compatibility? What are the chances of me going out and buying a new game and have it work with Ubuntu?
Like I told Funk, Linux isn't 100% ready for gaming. I'm not a gamer so it doesn't bother me any. The only game I do play is Nexuiz. Any game written for Open GL should work, it's the DX thing that holds it back, although a lot of games have been running under Wine (a Windows Emulater) with no probs. If you want 100% reliable game play you should duel boot or stick with Windows. Or a thought, set up a duel boot system and set Windows up for optimum game play. Use the Ubuntu partition for everything else. And believe it or no, the Office apps that come with Ubuntu can read and write MS Office and Mac Office files. Off topic, FPS gamers should really check out Nexuiz. It looks really good and has great servers.
Part of me is thinking "oooh something different and exciting" and the other part of me is thinking "Is it worth the effort?" Just like with the Linux media center video I saw. It had a couple of neat features, but they were mainly superficial. Is it worth switching from windows to LMC just for some minor tweaks?
I've got 2 systems with Ubuntu on them, one dedicated, one dual-booted with XP. The one that is dedicated is an older machine with less RAM and is using the latest version of Edgy Eft while the dual-boot machine has Feisty Fawn on it. I'm more of a Mac lover myself, but if I can't afford a new Mac (which, at this juncture I can't), I'm all over Ubuntu. There's a few things that annoyingly won't work on Ubuntu, such as WWE 24/7 Online, but then again it won't work on a Mac either. It generally does all it needs to do and then some. Heck, a version of Nero was released recently for Linux and works perfectly in Ubuntu Feisty. I say try it.
IF I really knew what I was doing, I would set it up. But have little skill at all. And would hate if my emulators didn't work with it.
I tried Debian for awhile, but I didn't like it - it was too difficult to update software. When Firefox 2 came out, I couldn't upgrade Firefox 1.5 to 2 - it kept both on the system. The other issue I ran into (and I don't think it's resolved yet) is that Linux and wireless cards (802.11) aren't mixing well. Eventually I totally wrecked my Debian setup trying to update software (I was updating using packages that were still "unstable"). If I'd left well enough alone, it'd still be running. I loved it, though - it made an old computer run a LOT faster. I've recently been goofing around with a couple of the Linux distros that you can run off a CD: GeeXBox (a light version of Linux that is strictly for media) and...um, another one whose name escapes me, and I'm too lazy to find the disc I burned it to. I thought both were pretty cool. I have a copy of Ubuntu downloaded and just have to burn it and try it out.
Unfortunately it looks like a pain to get Adobe suite to work with this. I use Golive and Photoshop heavily. I'll have to pass.
And that's why I can't be bothered to use Linux. While I'm not afraid to delve into XP to tweak stuff for games, the sheer amount I'd have to do on Linux for the same result is a major put off.
I downloaded and installed 7.04 last night, my sound card didn't work with it and the Linux driver for it only works on 2.4 kernels (Ubuntu is 2.6.20-15-generic). I'll be removing it later. GParted is a great tool though!
If you're afraid of trying it, don't be. It doesn't take a genius to set it up, as the installation is pretty straight forward. If you already have Windows installed, it'll ask you if you want to partition the Hard Disk. Just set the partition size and go from there. Also, once you get it installed, you'll want to head over and download, install, and use EasyUbuntu. It'll help you install the necessities such as media playback, drivers, and much more.
I'm running Kubuntu on my laptop (first started with breezy and now on feisty) and haven't used a personal Windows box at all since late summer. I'm mostly a console gamer (and not that active of one) so game compatibility isn't a big issue for me. Media was pretty simple to set up too, and it's even easier now since other people have automated it for you. As I recall 99% of my hardware worked out of the box, although I did have to do some tweaking to get exactly the results I wanted. Of course I like getting under the hood and have no qualms about researching a problem and digging through documentation, so that already puts me in a rare class of user...