The Reality of Using Linux Every Day
March 04, 2009 at 08:03:31 AM, by Blair Mathis
"It's full of bugs. Nothing ever works. I can't get it to do what I want. It's too hard."
The above probably sounds like I'm talking about Windows, but I'm not. Those are a few of the many complaints I've heard about Linux any time it's brought up.
A couple years ago, I would have been nodding my head right along with whomever was talking--after all, I wouldn't have really suggested that someone with no technical knowledge (and no interest in learning) dump Windows and download a distro.
But now, as time has moved on and Linux as a whole continues to grow dynamically, I wonder why I keep hearing these same complaints, and I no longer agree with them.
It's funny, really. You can't turn anywhere without hearing about Linux anymore. Either someone is running it on their little netbook, or Bob from cubicle 13 is using it for his media server, or Windows is going after it like a rabid, petrified animal.
Is it really so horrible for the everyday person? Is the free operating system really still the place where only geeks dare to tread? If I downloaded this for my mother right now, ridding her of the Windows system that's still slugging away on her laptop, would her head explode in a matter of minutes, as seems to be suggested by every Windows and Mac fanboy?
"But, but...it's too different from Windows. No one will want to learn their way around a foreign operating system."
I hear this all the time. Linux will never catch on because it's not like Windows. By following this logic, Mac should have gone asunder many, many years ago. It has not.
With that said, this article is going to overlook the differences between Windows/Mac versus Linux in any way that is not relevant. I'm sorry, Linux is neither of those operating systems, and it doesn't try to be them. Simply being different does not make it inferior, so arguments based solely on "I can't do press ctrl+alt+delete in Linux, so it's garbage" won't fly.
MAIN ARTICLE
I first started really getting into Linux when Ubuntu 6.10 was released. I dual-booted it onto my ancient Thinkpad and played with it for awhile. Unfortunately, it wasn't very easy to use, I couldn't get my wifi card to work, and the resolution was impossible to change--every time I tried, it simply got messed up worse than before. Given my lack of hard drive space at the time and the inability to really do anything with the OS, I deleted that partition and went back to Windows.
Over time, I played with many different distros: Sabayon, Mandriva, Mint, Puppy, Suse, Knoppix, PCLinuxOS, Gentoo, and a few other, smaller ones.
My experience with each varied. I couldn't get my wifi to work with Sabayon. I tried for a long time to get my external drive recognized on Mandriva and DSL--never did get it to work. Puppy was alright when I needed to get on a random computer but couldn't login, and that was about it.
Overall, none of them really did it for me, and I always went back to Windows.
That was in the past, however.
It was in the end of 2007 when I dual-booted Ubuntu onto my system and took a crash course in it, eventually getting everything running smooth. It was with the release of 8.04 that I decided to do a fresh install and completely rid myself of Windows.
This came after a lot of thought. There were several different reasons I decided to make the jump.
The first was that I wanted to see if I could honestly do it--could I run Ubuntu fulltime and completely live without Windows?
The second reason was complete frustration. I had Vista on my system, and I was having to reload it every four months, because it would get slower and slower over time, until I could no longer stand it.
Third? It was becoming impossible to find decent software, let alone free software. The final straw came with I needed a music converter to convert my FLAC files into WAV. I didn't want to download shareware, I didn't want any Adware injected onto my computer, I didn't want a program that claimed to be free, only to take four hours for a simple task. I searched, and I searched, and I could find nothing. Everything was either junk or infected or expensive.
I wrote down the list of software I had to have: my biggest concern was if Hugin would work, and if I could find good software for ripping and transcoding DVDs. To my joy, there is a version of Hugin for Linux that works wonderfully, and as it turns out, I have better software available for making my media library than I did on Windows (all of it free, too). As a perk, I searched for a audio converter in Add/Remove, found one in four seconds, installed it, and it worked wonderfully--fast, accurate, easy to use.
I later updated to 8.10 on my Dell Latitude D620. I did not expect the wifi to work, but it did. With previous versions, it had been all but impossible to enable Compiz effects. This time around, I simply checked the box and it worked. The resolution was set correctly the first time around. Even if it wasn't, fixing the resolution is now as simple as booting into safe mode, choosing 'configure X server', and watching as it fixes itself and reboots. The biggest surprise? Setting up dual monitors was as easy as unchecking the 'mirror screens' box and logging out/in. That one really threw me for a loop, and was a very pleasant surprise.
After downloading the operating system, I downloaded the media codecs I needed via Add/Remove Programs, as well as VLC, Flash, Abiword. I changed that horrid brown theme to a nice black one.
That was it.
It was all set up. The Bluetooth recognized my smartphone, the system recognized my NTFS external drive the first time around, I mapped to my Windows media server--it all 'just worked'.
Of course, this isn't the case with everything. Some people do have issues with getting their wifi recognized, and others have issues with their graphics card. However, these problems are becoming more of an exception than a rule in my experience.
EVERYDAY TASKS
I use my laptop every single day for many things. I am more than an average user, but not much. I use my computer for a lot of writing, a lot of web surfing, for watching videos online, for checking email, and for editing photos. I also rip and transcode movies often, as well as shaking and remastering music and editing photos.
There was only one piece of software that I really wanted that was Windows-only, and that was Replay Media Catcher. Luckily, Linux has WINE, and with a couple DLLs and Firefox for Windows installed, Replay Media Catcher works perfectly.
I honestly believed that after awhile, I would want Windows back, as had always happened. That wasn't the case this time, however. Everything has worked perfectly on my system. Everything has worked perfectly on my ten-year-old brother's system, which is a 1999 Thinkpad. I don't miss anything, because I'm not having to live without anything--except random crashes and a slow system and mandatory updates and trojans and adware and spyware and junkware.
To be perfectly honest, things are easier using Ubuntu than they ever were in Windows. For example, when I need to copy a DVD fast, I can insert it into the optical drive, right-click on the disc icon on the desktop, and choose 'copy disc''--it rips the movie to my hard drive as an ISO, and works fine with commercial discs. No ripping software required. Later that night, I can fire up Handbrake and rip the ISO to a high-quality x264 or XviD.
I use Pidgin for my AIM account. Thunderbird for email. Firefox for Internet. GIMP for graphics. Abiword for documents. Sound Juice for ripping CDs. Sound Converter for audio converting. Handbrake and/or DVD::RIP and/or Acidrip for converting ripping/transcoding DVDs. VLC for watching movies. Tomboy for desktop notes. Basero for burning CD/DVDs, Hugin for creating panoramas, Comix for reading comic books, Audacity for recording and editing sound, Flicker Uploader for adding photos directly to my Flickr account, Avidemux for editing videos, etc.
For commercial PC games, such as my beloved Call of Duty, I use Wine. This always surprises people: "You use Ubuntu, and you're playing Call of Duty?!?!" Yeah, and it runs better, too.
All of these programs work without a single hiccup. Tell me, does it seem like I'm living without essential software?
IT'S NOT ALL GOOD
As with everything, there are problems. The biggest issue left for, in this case, Ubuntu, to correct is the difficulty in installing software that is not available in the software channel. Rarely does one ever have to install other software, but if you do find yourself in that position, it can be difficult to get a program installed. This is changing, but it's not there. It is getting easier, though. For example, I downloaded Urban Terror the other night. All I had to do was right-click on the file and check the box that says 'Make Executable', then double-click and it ran.
Another major problem is DRM. If you've got a music subscription, or if you've paid for and downloaded a lot of DRM'ed movies and music, you're screwed. It's either stick with Windows/Mac and keep your music and videos or convert and rebuild your collection from scratch. Of course, this isn't a Linux problem, but still a big issue for many.
CONCLUSION
My opinion is that the distros aimed at general users and developed to a high level--mainly, Ubuntu--is more than ready for everyday computer users.
Think of it this way: hand an average user a blank system and Windows XP and tell them to get it running. Most will not get it running properly, failing to download patches and updates. With this being the case, it is not fair to say that, for example, Ubuntu is inferior and too hard because the individual user doesn't know to check the box for universal repos and to download media codecs.
Hand an individual a laptop that has Ubuntu loaded onto it, everything downloaded and in place, and show them how to use Add/Remove, where the menu is, etc, and they will be using it smoothly in less than a day, assuming they're still capable of creating new neural pathways.
The reality of using Linux everyday is that it is not a burden. The reality is that I don't have to stress over my system. I have no viruses, no trojans. My computer runs extremely fast, and that's with a heavy system like Ubuntu on it. I have the software I need to do anything and everything 95% of computer users do. It works without issue. It is 'free'. I can swap distros if I get bored. I can change the menu system to work however I would like. I can enable eye-candy until my head explodes. I can choose what updates to install.
If you're tired of Windows, and you can't afford a Mac, then seriously give Linux a serious try, because it's not as horrible as you might think.
Pros to using Linux:
Cons to using Linux:
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Comments
Ezcomputers at 02:34, August 23, 2009
By the way you should say it correctly it's GNU/Linux not Linux, Linux is just the kernel... I adivse anyone wondering what I'm rambling about to check out www.gnu.org, you will find out Linux is only about 10% of the OS and calling it simple Linux is incorrect and leaves out the main foundation of what GNU/Linux really is.
MACOR at 03:46, March 15, 2009
all i can say is that linux rules on the floor
MACOR at 03:46, March 15, 2009
all i can say is that linux rules on the floor
jhenkins at 19:50, March 07, 2009
If you really do not have a choice and have to use iTunes, it runs acceptably (albeit a bit on the slow side) in wine. Once you have managed to convert your iTunes collection to non-DRM'd formats (hopefully OGG or FLAC), have a look whether Rockbox (see http://www.rockbox.org/ for updated info) runs on your particular iPod. IMHO it's one of the best ways to supercharge an oldish iPod, and it will unlock it's full hardware capabilities for you.
MikeBravo at 11:36, March 07, 2009
Logitech web cam worked with Skype under Ubuntu Hardy and quit with upgrade to Intrepid. Gee thanks.
jiu at 01:40, March 06, 2009
You may have to reconsider the comment on Adobe Photoshop, it actually works almost perfectly under wine.
Stomfi at 18:28, March 05, 2009
Pytube Multimedia Converter is an excellent program for grabbing those online video clips. The search function is excellent, although you have to let it find everything before you try to select. It even has an option to extract just the music/sound. Also Photoshop runs under "wine", and there is a non supported GIMP version called GIMPshop for those who need to see Photoshop style menus.
The Doctor at 17:07, March 05, 2009
This is only the beginning of Linux. The best is yet to come.
JK Wood at 16:25, March 05, 2009
Songbird will let you listen to your iTunes library. It's dead simple. Please take that off your list of cons. That makes three programs I see suggested that all work with iTunes libraries.
Drake Justice at 14:36, March 05, 2009
latest amarok can import itunes collections :) i think there are a few apps with that functionaility actually.
ST at 13:12, March 05, 2009
Doesn't Rhythmbox work with iTunes? I don't know personally, don't have an iPod (yet).
MG at 16:45, March 04, 2009
A streaming media recoder is not really needed. If you let the file completely load without closing the browser you can simply copy it from the tmp folder. I do this all the time for Hulu, and Youtube stuff. I haven't thought about music though.