Cutting-off Windows - 7 months later

2007-01-08T09:44:00.000-08:00

It's now been 7 months since my decision to cut-off Windows. This is actually an update to my previous blog post aimed at providing guidance to those who may be contemplating the thought of shutting down their Windows PC's and booting up to a new, free, safer, and faster, operating system - Linux.

You can read the start of my 7 month Linux experience here. I'm still using Ubuntu and have upgraded from 6.06 to 6.10 code named Edgy Eft. Now, since this is aimed at prospect Linux users, and with so many different Linux flavors to chose from, I think you may find the following paragraph of interest and value in your decision making.

Last week, I actually installed Novell's openSuse 10.2 over Ubuntu. "The grass is greener on the other side" they say. So I thought...boy was I wrong! Not to bad mouth Suse but it failed miserably in speed, stability, and ease of use when compared to Ubuntu. Having tried openSuse and Fedora, I now join the multitude of Linux users in saying that Ubuntu is by far the most user-friendly distribution available.

Now, after my disappointment with openSuse Linux, I actually blew the dust off my Windows xp cd and loaded it into my cdrom. Once I got to the part of formatting my drives, I paused...and like a scene from a movie where a character's life flashes through their minds in a matter of a seconds, the thoughts of my previous life with Windows drove my finger to the F3 key and aborted the installation. I thought about the never ending threats of malware, spyware, adware, trojans, etc...I thought about the firewall I was going to need and the anti virus too. How bad is the security issue that revolves around Windows? Bad enough to where the NY Times published an article recommending the use of a "non-Windows based PC".

So now I'm back to Ubuntu. And if you too decide to go with it as your Linux distribution of choice, here are some links and tips to help you save time in getting it set up for everyday use.

1. For playing MP3's and DVD's get Automatix2. This is an easy to install package that provides a graphical user interface for installing various useful applications...codecs being one of them.
2. Install Mplayer (you can get this through Automatix2 as well) for playing various types of media files; Windows Media being one of them.
3. I found this website to be very helpful: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/sources
-You can get the flash9 plugin by following the step by step tutorial.
-If you have a Windows drive on your computer, there's a tutorial on mounting NTFS, FAT32 drives.
4. Lastly, if you want some cool desktop effects, go here and follow the steps for installing Beryl.

In conclusion, although Ubuntu will offer you a fully operational system after installation, it does require a few tweaks to get it fully configured. Be patient and simply google for anything that doesn't work. Trust me, you'll find tons of useful websites with answers. The Ubuntu community is large and very actively involved. Until my future "1 year with Ubuntu" post, good luck and God bless!

Cutting Off Windows

2006-09-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

The English word "Decide" comes from the Latin word "decidere" which literally means "to cut off"...and that's exactly what I've done with Window$!

Like something out of an AA meeting I'll start with: It's been 3 months since my last Windows boot up. June this year I made a final decision to do away with Windows and switch over to Linux - Ubuntu Linux that is. And to be honest with you, the deciding factor to make the move was Novell's Xgl - Compiz.

But before I go on, allow me to back track a bit. I'd given Linux a try back when Red Hat 9 came out (2003 I believe). Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right and I failed miserably in my attempt. Problems with internet Windows media files and installing packages were just too time consuming for me to deal with. I gave up on Linux at that time!

Then a year later in 2004 I came across Mambo (now Joomla) and became very interested in web design. I learned about LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySql, PHP) and decided to go with Fedora as my web server at the time. This turned out great...so great that I'm now offering web services through here.

Back to the future (or present)...
When I made the move to Linux I considered three appealing distros - Fedora, Novell, Ubuntu. I actually installed Novell's SuSE Linux 10 first and played around with it for about 2 weeks. I fell in love with it! It's clean, fast, and very cool!
The I began Googling for Linux stuff and notice all the buzz around Ubuntu...hm? I couldn't resist, so I decided to give it a try. Three months later I got to say, I can't get enough of it! The updates are great, installing .deb packages are as easy as Window$, and the community, well, it's huge and very actively involved.

Honestly, I didn't think I was going to last this long. But thank God for Ubuntu's developers - they've made my switch very easy and painless. You know, my decision to replace Windows with Linux wasn't an easy one. You see, my wife and kids use this computer too. And as a witness to the stability and usability of Ubuntu, they have not complained - they actually think the spinning cube is cool!

Lastly, I can't conclude this posting without recognizing the amazing work of wine. Without it I probably would not be as satisfied as I am with Linux. You see, I'm big on Photoshop and although I'm starting to learn Gimp more and more, I'm just not ready to make that switch.

So, if you're considering Linux as an option to Window$ - go for it! Do it!
Forbes.com had and interesting article with regard to Linux vs. Vista. The last portion of the article reads this: "..., Windows has become the operating system equivalent of the America Online Internet service--a mass-market product that only appeals to people who don't know any better." My advice to you - don't be one of those people who "don't know any better". Make the switch - you'll love it!

Screenshots:

dēcīdere - Your Life, Your Destiny, Your Choice!

Cutting-off Windows - 7 months later

Cutting Off Windows