Why should I get Ubuntu?

Question

Have always been tempted. Just wondered what you guys thought. Also, presumably \i will still be able to work on Windows documents - Word, Publisher etc if I install Ubuntu...

Answer 1

To learn Linux.

Ubuntu is a LIVE CD, so you don't even have to install it to try it out. Download and burn the ISO file to CD (not Copy) and start your PC with Linux in the CD drive.

Answer 2

Ubuntu includes OpenOffice, so you can indeed continue working on your old files. You can also use Scribus, for example, which is a page layout program similar to QuarkXPress, and waaaaaaaaaaaay better than Poo-blisher.

Using the package manager system, you can install all the software you need easily and automatically. Ubuntu's a nice distribution.

And the biggest advantage of Linux? Basically zero viruses.

Caveat: Set up a strong password on any computer.

Answer 3

In short: save yourself money, save yourself frustration, save the environment, and feel good about whom you are supporting.

1. Save yourself money
Ubuntu is free. Vista sells for a minimum of around $150 USD. Mac has had 4 (almost 5 updates) since 2001, each selling for around $130 USD. Then, of course, most, if not all, of the software you use would cost you extra. The standard upgrade for MS Office 2003 is now selling for around $240 USD.

And all of that is just software. If you do not want to upgrade your hardware, the only version of Vista you can use is Vista "Basic", which comes without the graphic interface that you see highlighted on various websites. To get that interface on Vista, you have to install a bevy of new hardware.

Ubuntu, on the other hand, typically requires no new hardware and gets you the same effect. If you want a 3d desktop, Ubuntu has 2 or 3 different programs that can do it. Everything else I see that is supposedly "new" in Vista has existed in Ubuntu for a couple of years. For more on Vista and Ubuntu see:
http://www.easy-ubuntu-linux.com/windows-vista-vs-ubuntu.html

Or here for Ubuntu and XP:
http://www.easy-ubuntu-linux.com/windows-xp-vs-ubuntu.html

Or, if you want to see David Pogue's take on Vista vs Mac and why Vista is NOT a Mac rip-off, see:
http://www.easy-ubuntu-linux.com/windows-vista-vs-mac-os-x.html

If you absolutely must have a certain kind of software, you can use an emulator. I consult for a Windows software company. I must have access to a Windows machine to run their software, etc. So I use VMWare. It is customisable and saves me from having to buy a new machine. It also means that I do not have to upgrade all of my software whenever Microsoft releases a new version.


2. Save yourself frustration
Did you ever get tired of an operating system that is supposed to do one thing and does another? Do you get tired of Windows fighting you? Have you ever noticed that new versions of Windows pretty much always require a system upgrade in order to function properly? It is called the WinTel upgrade cycle and is what helps both companies stay in business. Ubuntu sets you free from that. It works on much older software. My son's 8 year old laptop runs the same operating system as my wife's new Lenovo: Ubuntu 6.06 (http://www.easy-ubuntu-linux.com/get-ubuntu.html).

3. Save the environment
Running new software on old hardware, Ubuntu helps to save the environment because one need not get rid of old computers. Without Ubuntu, my son's laptop would be a doorstop right now.

4. Feel good about whom you are supporting
Microsoft is a convicted monopolist that is well known for bullying its way in the marketplace. Many people think that going to Mac is the more ethical option.

The problem is that Apple is just as bad as Microsoft. When some researchers found security holes in Mac OS X, what did Apple do? It bullied them. See http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=451 .

Ubuntu is all about right relationship. You can read more about the ethic behind Ubuntu here: http://www.easy-ubuntu-linux.com/ubuntu_history.html .

Hope this helps. I focused largely on Ubuntu vs Windows, but if you are more interested in how Ubuntu compares to Mac, see my source below.

Answer 4

you can doubleboot it with windows. then at turn on, you can choose between linux or pc. i asked myself the same question, but then the question became why not.

this is the website to double boot linux and xp.
http://www.lifehacker.com/software/ubuntu/hack-attack-how-to-tripleboot-windows-xp-vista-and-ubuntu-193474.php