Ever so slowly, I'm coming to love Ubuntu more and more...

[hurtstotalktoyou]

My introduction to the world of Linux took place in the spring of 2003, with a poorly-conceived Pentium 4 upgrade. I only had Win 98FE, which I figured I'd reuse, but the new board didn't support that version. I didn't have enough money for XP, and without an internet connection I bought SuSE from Best Buy out of desperation--and without thinking. Needless to say, I hadn't the first clue how to use it, and luckily I was able to convince Best Buy to at least give me back store credit. But my first Linux experience was very much soured.

Things would get worse before they got better. In October, 2004, after getting a high-speed internet connection, I tried Mandrake just for fun, but ended up being unable to perform the simplest tasks. In summer, 2005, I tried Fedora Core, which I was able to use to browse the net--and that's about it. Later that year, in December, I tried Ubuntu for the first time. With that I was able to do a few mundane computing tasks, but still it was an uphill battle. I gave Ubuntu a few more brief chances in 2006, with little or no progress.

Then, in the spring of 2007, I inherited an old Athlon XP system which I set up in the bedroom. This allowed me to dual-boot XP and Ubuntu permanently, while still keeping XP on my main rig. At last, I could really begin to overcome the Linux learning curve. Immediately I discovered what I'd call my first Ubuntu "killer ap": Hydrogen, a sweet little open-source drum sequencer. To this day it's the best sequencer I've ever used, and I don't know what I'd do without it.

Yet it has only been in the last couple of weeks that I've really come to understand how to operate Ubuntu. For example, I discovered some free video editing software (DeVeDe, AVIDemux, mEncoder, and QDVDAuthor) which, in tandem, are more powerful than the pirated software I use in Windows. A few hours ago I was able to get my TV-out port to work on my FX 5200 AGP, which was also an important breakthrough since I often use the bedroom PC to watch various online downloads.

What takes the cake, though, is that SimCity 4, which I rediscovered in my collection the other day, absolutely refuses to install on either of my Windows installations--neither on the bedroom system nor main rig--but using Wine (and admittedly a no-CD patch of questionable legality) it now runs perfectly in Ubuntu! Now, that's a moment I'm sure to remember for quite a while!

With all this newfound enjoyment, though, I feel compelled to revisit my past frustrations. So, with that in mind, I give you some wacky quotes from years past:

Linux is a freaking joke. You know, I even had a hell of a time downloading it! I ended up choosing a distro based on the fact it was the only one I could access online. Fedora, if I remember correctly. A couple years ago I had brief access to Mandrake Linux, and I couldn't even install the drivers. With Fedora, not only was I unable to install my audio or LAN drivers, I couldn't even move files from place to place. Shouldn't that be as simple as drag-and-drop?

Installation is pretty weak, too. Jesus, how many discs do you need for an OS? And they have to be burned a certain way, by special software. I wasted ~15 or so CDRs trying to get it right. I ended up having to use Alcohol 120% and my slowest of two burners.

Linux may be stable. It's also the most impractical computer environment I've ever seen.

Once I had to work on a Laptop running Windows 95 with a 486SL-25 and 20MB RAM and no CD-ROM. I couldn't do much with it, but at least I could browse around the net and manage my files. With a Linux box, every last little thing is a day-long hassle--literally--and in the end I couldn't get it to function at all.

--2005-12-19

Okay, I've tried 3-4 times in the past 2-3 years installing Linux. First was Mandrake, then SuSE, then Fedora. I could get none of those to work properly, if at all. Yesterday I hear I should have used Ubuntu, because it's really user-friendly.

Is that true? Is Ubuntu for me? Someone said I should use Mepis. Is that one disc?

--2005-12-20

...never in the process [of using Windows XP] am I left wondering, "will this work?" or "what do I do next?" Linux for me is always a nightmare and a half. Whenever I have an issue, there's less than 50% chance I can figure out how to resolve it in a timely manner (IE, within a day). That's why I never keep it installed...

While it would be nice to have Windows XP and all my drivers on one disc, it's not by any means necessary. I honestly don't mind a few reboots in the installation process. With Linux, if by some chance the driver isn't included with the distro, I'm screwed. I have to look for obscure third-party drivers on the net (using a Windows partition of course, because without drivers I can't access the net through Linux). Then I have to figure out how to install them. To this day I can't figure out how to install my external DSL modem or SoundBlaster Audigy LS (hopefully that will change later today)...

99% of the time, if drivers aren't automatically installed by Windows XP, you can install them with discs provided with the hardware. If you've lost the discs, or by some chance they weren't included, you can just visit the website and download them. This is a simple and painless process. Not so with Linux.

--2005-12-21

I can't install anything! I have no idea how to use "command line." For example, the first program I tried to install was AIM 1.5.286 for Linux (yes, I know about GAIM, but I prefer AIM). Here are the instructions I'm given:

1. Log in as root.
2. cd /
3. Download AIM onto your system
4. On the command line, type gunzip command as shown in the example: gunzip -c aim-1.5.286.tgz | tar xvf -, where 1.5.286 represents the AIM version and release numbers
5. To run AIM, log in as a regular user, and type "/usr/local/bin/aim" on the command line.

What??? About the only thing I understand about all that is #3, and even then I'm unsure where exactly to save the *.tgz file.

You guys have been a big help so far. I've never gotten this far in Linux! But I need some more help, still.

--2005-12-21

This is nuts. Every time it looks like I've solved a problem, ten more pop up.

--2005-12-21

Before I degenerate into perpetual frustration and cynicism, I just want to let all you guys know I appreciate your help.

--2005-12-21

I'm not just whining; this really is very frustrating.

See, I hear so many good things about Linux, but whenever I try to do these things, myself, I run into these ridiculous problems. Honestly, this is driving me crazy... But at the same time I want to learn. It's a maddening combination.

--2005-12-21

I could paint eyeballs on a rock and it would be helpful. There's not much that isn't when the OS doesn't work.

--2005-12-22

I really don't understand Linux. With Windows, all I have to do is download one or more files, and double-click on setup.exe or install.exe. I wish it were that simple with Fedora/Ubuntu/etc.

--2006-02-26

I'm very new to linux, though I have tried Ubuntu several times over the past year or so. It's all so very different from Windows, and so the simplest of tasks gives me headaches up the whazoo.

--2006-09-04

Silliness.

 

[blackangst1]

The mistake people have with Linux is they expect it to act like Windows. Other than looks, it wont. It's a learing curve.

I try out a new distro every 9 months or so just to see how its going. Other than graphics, hardware support, and auto-updaters (like apt get) nothing has really changed much in 3 or 4 years. I like Linux, but, gaming either blows or is non existant with what I play, and multimedia support (encoding/editing) is piss poor and it doesnt do anything except frustrate me.

So, Windows it is. For me anyway.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: blackangst1
So, Windows it is. For me anyway.

But...

Ubantu is for the children!

 

[Nothinman]

I like Linux, but, gaming either blows or is non existant with what I play, and multimedia support (encoding/editing) is piss poor and it doesnt do anything except frustrate me.

Well the gaming support, or lack of it, is the fault of the developers so complain to them and get them to see that there's a market in Linux clients because until that happens they'll never target the platform. And as a bonus you'll likely get OS X ports as well since it's pretty trivial to port between the two.

As for the multimedia support, I find playing and encoding a lot simpler than on Windows. I never have to mess with finding and installing any codecs, every file I have 'just works'. But editing is a bit of a PITA because the software selection for it's pretty limited.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

I like Linux, but, gaming either blows or is non existant with what I play, and multimedia support (encoding/editing) is piss poor and it doesnt do anything except frustrate me.

Well the gaming support, or lack of it, is the fault of the developers so complain to them and get them to see that there's a market in Linux clients because until that happens they'll never target the platform. And as a bonus you'll likely get OS X ports as well since it's pretty trivial to port between the two.

As for the multimedia support, I find playing and encoding a lot simpler than on Windows. I never have to mess with finding and installing any codecs, every file I have 'just works'. But editing is a bit of a PITA because the software selection for it's pretty limited.

I understand. But, since 80% of my PC use is those things, it isnt practical for me. But like I said, it depends on what you do with it

 

[Nothinman]

I understand. But, since 80% of my PC use is those things, it isnt practical for me. But like I said, it depends on what you do with it

Which is why people need to tell those developers that they're interested in a Linux version, otherwise they have no motivation to work on one.