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Ubuntu 9.04 For the Windows Power User
crazipper writes "Know a Windows power user who is (honestly) good with technology, but hasn't yet warmed to Linux? Tom's Hardware just posted a guide to installing and using Ubuntu 9.04, written specifically for the MS crowd (in other words, it talks about file systems, mount points, app installation, etc). Hopefully, by the end, your 'friend' will realize just how easy Ubuntu can be to use and start down a long path of exploration with a new operating system."
Yessir! If there's one thing that will convince those M$ power users to convert, it's another tutorial about using Ubuntu!
I learnt this lesson the hard way when a close friend decided to ring me at 1am to bug me about a Linux problem. I don't even remember what the issue was, he was just a bit stressed cos he'd spent hours trying to figure something out and I had promised to help him whenever he had problems.
I told him what to do in about three sentences and passed out again. This taught me you don't encourage friends to switch to Linux.
Oh, and Ubuntu is a terrible start to Linux. Debian forever! (seriously: you only install Debian once, beyond that it sorts itself out)
Nick
I hardly see how this is a tutorial for "power users." The article makes out the terminal to be a big bad scary thing, but you'd think that most power users would at least be familiar with Start | Run | "cmd" | "ipconfig".
It's basically a walkthrough of the installation process that goes into more detail about partitions than is necessary. There's only a couple thousand of those floating around the Internet already...
"Anyone who [rips a CD] is probably engaging in copyright infringement." - David O. Carson
Hopefully, by the end, your "friend" will realize just how easy Ubuntu can be to use and start down a long path of exploration with a new operating system.
Right, because remember that no one can be your friend unless they use the same operating system. And all operating systems are bad unless they're the one you use. And everyone uses an operating system for everything because all operating systems are equally good at each of the several thousand tasks operating systems perform and function as for users.
The reason they go back to windows is because they don't like to change what they already have and is working.
As a Windows desktop user who has considerable experience with Linux (I run a bunch of Linux servers and spent some months exclusively with Linux on the desktop), I believe this is the wrong crowd to try to get to switch to Linux. Experienced Windows users simply don't have the problems about which everyone complains about Windows. Windows just works for experienced users who don't install viruses and ad/spyware. Windows hasn't crashed on me since before XP. Ever. Never frozen... nothing. I'm currently on 7, spent a year and a half on Vista, and the rest of the decade on XP (after it was released).
Technically inclined people who aren't programmers simply don't need linux, and programmers will already know about it.
That's my 2 cents.
It's simply a ball size competition.
MS is a playah and is willing to do dirty sneaky deals with OEMs to get their shit pushed.
Ubuntu, as FOSS, rightly stays away from such tactics, and unfortunately runs afoul of the fact that the majority of computer sheeple really couldn't give a clue about patents, open source, and whatnot.
Linux's technical strengths are also economic weaknesses.
What would help IMHO is for linux to have advocacy, a marketing department, and general user friendliness polishes.
But nothing except legal action is going to correct the fact that microsoft simply holds most of the IP cards, as proven by their ambush against TomTom which in theory could lock linux out of the flash-drive market, as well as any other device that exposes it's data with VFAT internally.
"Therefore, this article will not tell you to compile anything from source code, and no sentence begins with 'bring up the terminal' or any other UNIX techno-babble."
Thank you. There is no reason to bring up the terminal today on a modern Ubuntu installation. If there is, someone isn't doing their job right.
It is by my will alone my thoughts acquire motion; it is by the juice of the coffee bean that the thoughts acquire speed
They are going to have a much more difficult time trying to install Microsoft Office, Photoshop, iTunes, streaming Netflix, and playing games. But there's always Compiz for some fancy distraction: if you squint, you can almost pretend that you're watching a Blu-Ray!
I actually read the article and it seems to lack one important thing... Why? Why should a Windows Power User wish to install Ubuntu? I mean it is "free" but my time certainly isn't, so I guess what is in it for me? What advantages does it have over, let's say, Windows XP?
PS - "Free" "Open Source" "You can compile it yourself!" don't count. People don't buy software because it is cheap, they buy it because it enriches their lives or increases their productivity.
You had me until lack of apps.
There's everything you can imagine available for linux. And as for quality... you're being a troll.
That said, I agree with the general tenet, that it's not such a simple process. It took a few years of me dabbling with it in much the manner you described before I suddenly felt that something had clicked and I preferred it.
I'm not an MS fanboy... but using MS dev tools, writing software to work on MS operating systems, and with a user audience where MS software has a nearly-100% market share by choice... is my day job.
As such, I don't have the luxury of time either in or out of my regular work hours to explore other things. I'm busy enough keeping up with current trends on the .NET Framework, which is exactly what the folks who fund my living want and need me to do.
End of story.
The problem with socialism is that they always run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher
As one example, to install software, I can go on the web, find the primary site for it, make sure it passes malware tests, and install it. On Linux, there's a repository (as I understand, never figured that part out). That may be a technologically superior option, but that means I have to trust the repository buildier. And it's not as though Linux is somehow immmune to malware that lets me skip that step. Anytime I install software it can do something I didn't except, on any OS.
But generally with a repository they have already A) checked the source for malware (most malware scanners only search for patterns in the binary that indicate a virus) B) Tested the software to make sure it is at least (somewhat) working. You have to have trust somewhere unless you are really skilled in writing software purely in binary. With most Linux software you have A) The option of going through the source yourself B) Have a fully open environment C) Have a community that has no profit incentive. The reason of having no profit incentive is good is because they have to compete based on features. MS can cripple software to make a quick buck, trying to do that on Linux just leads someone to move to a better distro.
There are many more paranoid Linux users than paranoid Windows users. Security is a great concern. If Ubuntu was adding in malware in a repository, someone would know and the software would be taken down. A site with a trojan on it for Windows is considered typical. I don't know of a single modern case of malware being in "trusted" repositories (such as Ubuntu's main repository, etc).
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
There's everything you can imagine available for linux
Ok, I'm a Linux user and I even think theres a lack of good apps. Sure, the basics are covered, great browser, great file manager, great desktop environments, great e-mail client, decent word processor, decent simple games, great programming features, decent enough replacement for Photoshop, etc. But Linux lacks games. Sure, there are a few shining examples of some in almost every category, Battle for Wesnoth is an amazing strategy RPG, Doom/Quake are good FPS games, SuperTux is a decent platforming game, there are many card games, etc. But you can't really find any complete FPS games that don't use the Doom or Quake engine for Linux. Etc. There is a total lack of variety of games. Sure, you can emulate a lot of them in WINE but more often than not you get a performance hit (not always because of WINE itself but because many distros enable compositing by default and that can slow down the games).
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
I'll admit I am a Windows person. I am a novice to linux based OS since college courses about four years ago. I am using a Dell Mini 9 netbook running Ubuntu 8.0.4. I setup my system just fine, wireless was connecting to my WPA-TKIP hidden network, and the world was grand. I did switch to the classic desktop instead of the 'netbook dashboard' that is default.
A few updates were available. I updated to 8.1 I believe. This caused my wireless to no longer be available and will no longer connect via NetworkManager since the updates. Yes, wireless network is still on and is able to be used by other Windows laptops.
So i updated to this newly touted 9.x version of Ubuntu using the Netbook Remix version available. Now I have this wonderful thing where apparently gnome-panel doesn't auto-start. So logging in I go directly to a blank desktop, no panels, no short-cuts, no nothing really. I can change my background and create a new folder on the desktop just to access my file system. I am a novice so I don't know how to get around this.
I have been on MyDellMini and short of 'rolling my own fix' and others pointing me to known bugs identified months ago with no fix nobody has been able to help me at all. SO from my standpoint this OS really is terrible for Windows people to come over. Sure, when they do they'll have to learn every inch of the OS because most if it doesn't work or they'll spend it troubleshooting problems that most of us Windows people have had experience doing since 95 release.
Thats just MHO though. I don't recommend it for anyone used to Windows. My recommendation for Windows users to jump over is to ignore Ubuntu like a venerial disease that is for some reason popular among some, and just go to Fedora or Mandriva. Something that mostly works as you'd expect. It will save you time having to google on your Windows machine why your Ubuntu machine doesn't function right.
If Linux had better support for wifi I believe more Windows users would more apt in switching. Right now I am runnig 9.10, which is very stable to be in alpha 1. I was unable to get wireless to work under 9.04 and couldn't find any solutions.
When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.
Your "friend" = You
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Yes. Your Windows method: you have to trust every single application vendor separately. Linux system: you trust one repository, which you can check out the reputation of if you're concerned. I fail to see why this is a problem, it sounds simpler and safer to me.
By the way, many "repositories" also host Windows code; I get a lot of Windows apps from Sourceforge.
apt-get install apache perl php
Funny. I had *precisely* the opposite problem with the tv tuner.
On windows it cmae with this awful, slow, nasty proprietary software that took ages to load, lost the ability to change channel every so often and was a nasty, nasty resource hog. It also took over the entire screen for it's crappy, non-standard front end. And when I re-installed and couldn't find the cd it came with, well that was it done. No chance.
On linux I just fire up kaffeine and away it goes. It's great, responsive and usable.
Sorry you don't like OpenOffice, I prefer it to word now but I know there are rendering differences.
But firefox? I've never had to do anything to FF on linux to get java or flash going. I've never even heard of anyone having java problems with a browser on any platform since 2002...
I know it's not for everyone, but IMHO it's at least the equal of windows now. But then I'm not a gamer, and games are just not made for linux at the moment. It's a vicious circle - It's a small market so few games are made, and because there are few games it stays small...
You think you are a power-user when you know the depth of Windows registry, what all the files do, made your own slipstreamed installation DVD, and know all the cool tools.
But you don't know shit yet. And I didn't too.
The key difference: Bash scripts + everything is a file.
Seriously. I could never go back, because I became dependend on slowly growing my one-liners to whole applications, and integrating them into everything (cron, kde, config-files, etc).
And the other key difference is the full control of the kernel and services.
It's just another level of in-depth knowledge.
Of course the amount of stuff to learn is overwhelmingly gigantic. But this is ok, because you're a power-user.
I could not even imagine, how I would create a file system out of an encrypted compressed tunnel via http , which goes to a zfs-fuse or LVM2 disk system which is mapped trough an encryption loop. (Something I needed in a workplace with an idiotic firewall, so I could access my home server.) Or similar stuff.
The power to slap it all together out of small parts is just about the best thing that ever happened in computing, since transistors. :)
And the only sad part is, that the desktop environments completely ignore that philosophy, and fight over who imitates Windows the best. (Especially the dumbed-down "features".)
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
The reason they go back to windows...
Maybe, except that in my experience, the majority of users never do go back to Windows once they have been exposed to a decent Linux implementation for a few weeks. This includes your grandma/grandpa type users. Obviously this does not take into account gamers or users with specialist or niche applications, but these do not even come close to forming part of the majority.
Netbook + MX Revolution?
And that doesn't seem like a weird combination to you?
Ugh, shut up. Shut up and go away. People like you are exactly what is wrong with the Linux community -- you don't contribute anything helpful, you just mock somebody for having a hardware setup that isn't perfectly typical. Do you think you're actually accomplishing anything other than making yourself look like an asshole?
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I fully expect this post to be downmodded to hell by the Windows fanboys, but, fortunately, I have some karma to burn!
Every time I read something like this, I think about the unmitigated arrogance of some posters. It's basically saying "I don't care what you think, and I expect to be persecuted by those opposed to my views, which means I'm better than you." Seriously, is there anything wrong with just saying your piece then shutting the fuck up, and *actually* having a high-ground against "the fanboys", rather than putting in an early insult?
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
That's a great part of it but I also need a reason to switch.
Unlike the hordes of Slashdotters who've claimed to have a system pwned on a broadband connection in less than 30 seconds, I've never had a virus. My machines do not blue screen every 15 minutes. In fact, none of my current Windows boxes have ever blue screened. I've never had a hard time finding and/or installing the right driver. I've never had a malware issue. I've never had an install run amok.
AMEN! Preach on, brother!
My laptop ran Vista for over a year before I had a BSOD. And that was because of a bad Flash update. My desktop only BSOD'd while I was using beta video card drivers, or when this one really poorly coded game *coughCryostasiscough* beat the crap out of it. Setting up a fresh install took me about an hour, including the OS install. And the only virus I ever had came from my roommate's computer on the network. He was running WinME. You figure it out.
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
I think my core issue is this: I'm bored of computers.
I've been using them since early 80s (ZX Spectrum FTW!) and they don't hold much of an interest to me anymore. Hex editing? Done that. Assembly programming? Done that. Writing my own simple 3D engine? Done that, too. Configuring something obscure for weeks and tinkering with configuration files? Done that. In my youth I even had huge-ass ISA cards with a couple dozen relays on each and I used to build things that I'd control with my computer. I've done it all.
For me, the computer stopped being a toy some time ago. When I'm at work, it's a tool that I use to earn money; at home, it's an appliance that plays music (TV is reserved for videos) and lets me browse some sites when I'm bored, or play a game five hours a month. Had I been born a decade later, I'd be a Linux user, I'm absolutely sure of it... But I've just had too much exposure to computers already.
I used to be a power user, but I'm not even an average user anymore, though. I have no idea what drives those... And the kids these days just seem to be interested in playing games.
Ubuntu's not really better right now. I installed Ubuntu on my main windows machine. It's got 2 monitors running through an Nvidia card. The sound didn't work until I played with it for 2 hours (I think it's because I've got a motherboard with surround sound where any of the jacks can be used for any conceivable purpose), and I still don't know what I need to do to get my Twinview settings to persist. And I had all kinds of trouble with multi-monitor support, fiddling with which one has the main menu and which doesn't, and so on.
With Windows, all that kind of stuff just works. It breaks my heart, and I want to use Ubuntu on my desktop, but not bad enough to spend a whole weekend messing around with it. For now, I'm happy with using Windows on my desktop and using samba shares to an ubuntu server. Well, I'd be happier if my config was all worked out, but it's not worth it.
But as my machine continues to bug me about Windows Genuine Advantage, it's becoming more temping to rid myself of that windows plague...
It's a problem because I want to simply watch the output of my Video Card and perhaps record it. MythTV wanted to install everything and the kitchen sink just to do that. If you can't see why 124 dependencies is a bad thing, then there's no hope for you. Especially as if just 1 of those 124 breaks, you may be screwing up other applications on your system.
That's not how it works.
These aren't simply just .dlls or extra support files included in the original installation package, they are complete installations of other applications just so MythTV can sit on top of them and utilize their functionality.
I bet they were mostly DLLs though.
MySQL Server just to store program listings ?
MythTV is an entire PVR system, not just a TV player. You should have tried something else if all you wanted was
The whole of the X-Windows system just to use some graphics capabilities? Come on.
X-windows IS the graphical interface system, you don't have a windowing system without it. What, you wanted to watch TV in in 30x80 ASCII art or something?
(The above are off the top of my head, I may be mistaken about X-Windows. But the sheer fright of seeing massive applications and systems required for some simple functionality WAS scary nethertheless).
You're an idiot.