Customer Reviews

Ubuntu 8.10

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

There's nothing on this DVD you can't download for free, but you might still wish to buy it for the convenience of having a disk and to send a little cash to Canonical, the sponsor of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a Linux operating system. Ubuntu Linux is not a version of Windows even though it runs on the same kind of computer. If your computer was a radio, then Windows would be AM and Linux would be FM. You can use either one, but only one can be the native operating system at a time. You can listen to news on AM radio and you can listen to news on FM radio but you can't listen to AM stations on FM. Generally, if your program runs only on Windows, it won't run on Linux. (If you look too closely at this analogy, it will fall to pieces from all the exceptions.) But that doesn't mean you can't get work done.

I like Ubuntu because I use it to to edit and layout a monthly newsletter with OpenOffice.org, an 'office' suite. I use Thunderbird to handle email, including an address book, custom filters & folders, and multiple accounts. I use Picasa to organize my photo collection. I use GIMP to create graphics to use on web pages and other places and to edit/touch-up photos. I play card games and an online tank fighting game. I listen to mp3s. I can read/write DVDs and CDs. I can rip DVDs to .avi files that will play on my pda. I use Slimserver to stream music to my home audio system, with custom playlists. I can watch TV shows on the website Hulu.com.

I have entered data for a vast family tree using GRAMPS. GRAMPS can import and export GEDCOMs and can create a multitude of customized reports about your family tree.

I use Pidgin to keep in touch with friends on AIM, and Firefox lets me use MySpace and Facebook, etc. I also upload and watch videos on YouTube, read RSS feeds, and create photo books on Shutterfly using the Firefox browser.

I can open, read, and write .doc, .xls, and .ppt files from MS-Office using OpenOffice and share them with colleagues. I can read and create pdf files, too.

All of the software I've mentioned above either comes free on the Ubuntu disk or you can download and add it for free using Synaptic, the software installer.

Probably the best thing about using Linux is the complete absence of nag-ware. Your computer programs won't constantly nag you to "set this application as the default for X type of file" or to upgrade to the version that actually works. Linux, and the applications on it, were created by people who use the programs. They don't like intrusive ads, pop-ups, and nag-ware anymore than you do. You can't buy software like this.

The system for adding and removing software, called Synaptic, is elegant and easy to use.

Ubuntu is not without flaws. If you know what hardware you want to use, Google around and find out if it will work with Ubuntu-- sometimes there aren't drivers for certain kinds of hardware. What that means is that your wifi card or your printer may not play nicely with Ubuntu. Check first!

I have yet to find a Linux video editor for use by non-experts. The video editing software I have found generally demands a higher level of familiarity with the technical specifications of digital video than I have come close to achieving. I have to use a different operating system to make video DVDs of home movies & slides. That's not to say it's impossible with Linux; it's just impossible for me with Linux.

There is a large and active Ubuntu web forum where I have been happy to find answers to my questions and very little of the geek arrogance that used to be so prevalent on the USENET linux newsgroups.

Ubuntu Linux is a great product, with free upgrades and updates, and an enthusiastic user community that will help you make the most of it. It is as easy to learn as any new operating system-- if you made the jump from Windows 95 to Windows XP, or you taught yourself how to use XP, then you can use Ubuntu. But remember, Ubuntu is not, and is not trying to be, a Windows operating system. If you can live with that, and you're willing to learn how it works, you should be very happy.

Ok just so you guys know I've tried several Linux distros before including fedora, puppy linux, debian, knoppix and others. So far this is the best. it is the most user friendly, when you need a plugin it tells you and installs it for you. if you try any linux distro try this one. but one of the great things about it is that if you have acess to broadband you don't even have to pay for it you can download it for free from their web site (although if you pay for the box set you do get some tech support). but if you do need help along the way you can also get free help on thier web fourms or mailing lists.

if you've used windows before it's easy enough to learn but remember it's not windows. linux has it's strengths and weaknesses. example of strength: linux doesn't get viruses. example of weakness: it only runs some windows programs (although there are usually free alternatives)

Wonderful Linux distro! So easy to install and use, everything just works beautifully and all the software is free! This Linux is way more user friendly than Windows. It runs really fast on my old IBM Thinkpad notebook. The software came nicely packaged and arrived sooner than promised. Nice job, guys!
Paul in Southern California

Before I start, let me state I've been a computer techie for the last 20+ years. When I first started Windows was only a dream and you had your choice of DOS and IBM compatible (both of which were really the same thing in the broadest definition).

Needless to say, things have changed slightly. You now have Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux with DOS still hanging on for dear life (and if you're a real techie, try UNIX).

I gave up on Windows when Vista came out and although I like OS X, Apple's stranglehold on computers running their OS has made that proposition a tad expensive.

Enter Linux, the poor man's Windows. Yes, you can get a thousand different flavors but Ubuntu is probably one of the best (along with Suse) for each of use.

For example:

* I recently had a computer which had Vista installed. Something corrupted the OS and the manufacturer was nice enough to send me an install disk when their built in rescue partition failed. After 4 hours of waiting and answering numerous inane questions I finally had my computer back once I popped in the installation disk. The only problem was it no longer recognized the video and sound cards nor would it acknowledge the wireless card. I downloaded the necessary drivers from the manufacturer only to have Vista reject them. After a few more hours of tweaking and just about losing my religion I finally got things working. That lasted about two weeks before the OS got funky again and started losing programs such as Quicken and the final straw was when it couldn't find my printer even though it was right there in the printers dialog box.

* As luck would have it, I have ordered an Ubuntu disk from the manufacturer and had just received it. From the time I popped it in until the time it was ready took roughly 20 minutes. Yes, 20 minutes! It not only recognized my NVIDIA video card and Broadcom wireless card it even downloaded the drivers to make sure both worked. I then tempted fate and plugged in my Samsung USB laser printer. Nothing happened, or so I thought. Upon looking I realized it had found the printer and had already installed it! Took all of about 5 seconds!

For those of you who are afraid to abandon Windows for Ubuntu you can go two ways -- the live CD or merely tell Ubuntu to partition the disk so you can still keep Windows. Simple as that!

By the way, you have to option to install a bazillion free programs (actually closer to 5,000), many of which emulate comparable Windows programs. You'd probably spend closer to $50,000 to get the similar Windows programs.

So, do the math. You can pay $12 for this DVD (or get it free from the developer) or you can pay $100 to $300 for Windows Vista or $129 or so for Mac OS X (although you'll have to shell out another $1,000 or so for the Apple computer to go along with the latter OS).

I switched to Ubuntu Linux after wrestling for months with a failing Windows installation. I was pretty sure my hardware had gone bad and loaded Linux only as a last gasp attempt to find out what was wrong. To my surprise, I never had another failure. Something had become corrupted in my Windows XP software. I might have been able to recover XP by formatting the disk and redoing Windows from scratch, but the prospect was pretty demoralizing.

Now having said that, I don't want to mislead people into thinking that Linux will run without problems. It might. It might not. How successful you are will depend to a considerable degree on the various devices you have - video card, sound card, WiFi network card, scanner, printer, etc. Many devices will work out of the box. Some will work if you go through the effort of finding and installing drivers for them. Some may even work better than with Windows. My Linux desktop and XP laptop will talk to each other fine, but my wife's Vista machine has trouble with both of the others. Mileage varies.

If you switch to Linux from Windows, be prepared to learn some new things. The OS is not harder to use. In a great many ways, it presents the very same interface as Windows. You'll see three little boxes in the upper right corner of each window that work the same as Windows. You'll be able to use Alt-Tab to switch windows. Control-C, X, and V will work the same in many applications. The mouse works the same. Firefox, Thunderbird, Open Office, and quite a few other applications will look and work the same as they do on Windows and, for most users, are just as good as the corresponding Microsoft software.

But you still must be prepared to learn some new things. The more you do, the more you'll find that you can do with Linux, including some nice things that aren't in Windows. If you feel awkward the first week, but are willing to learn a little, you'll be pretty comfortable by the second week and right at home after that.

As others have said, a big advantage of Linux is that it's free. This isn't just a benefit for initial cost. It also means you can upgrade your OS, your office suite, your picture viewers and editors, and most other stuff at no cost when the new versions come out.

It also means that you don't see the same quantity of nagware, crippleware, spyware, adware, spambots and viruses that you see on Windows. And if you ever run into problems, you're free to switch to a newer or a different distribution without paying anyone a fee.

I loaded Ubuntu 8.04 and was happy with it. When 8.10 came out I upgraded and was happier still. As of this writing, I'm now on 9.04 and it all keeps getting better. So far it all runs fine on my now five year old machine.

--- Later ---
I've upgraded to 9.10, then 10.4 64 bit on a new HP with AMD Athlon II with 4 CPUS. It keeps improving. I was concerned about whether the 64 bit OS would be safe, but it appears to be fine. I won't be going back to Windows any time soon.

This is one of thousands of linux flavors. The difference between each is the packages (i.e. the software applications) that come preinstalled. Ubuntu is aimed toward everyday users, but can easily be made to be a developer's paradise. I recommend this over Windows as the Ubuntu community has excellent support of WiFi and graphics cards now, and because it's entirely free. If you are a small business owner, it'd be in your best interest to run linux with open source programs and save literally thousands on software licenses.

Download it free at [...] or go to [...] and download the torrent file of it.

Highly recommended.

I had a few old computers around the house so I decided to wipe out the old Windows OS and install Ubuntu. These old computers were brought back to life in an amazing way that I never thought possible. Literally, computers that could not longer function because of years of Windows updates and fragments of uninstalled software remaining, were suddenly VERY usable and even... fast!

I knew I was either recycling, donating, or trashing all three of the computers, so what did I have to lose? I popped the disk in and followed the installation instructions and in less than an hour, these old computers were surfing the Internet, using Open Office, editing photos in Gimp, and I was learning how to download and install additional software. I installed Wine and had some trouble installing one of my daughters games, but I was able to uninstall it, and going to the help boards, figure out how to remove the link in applications as well.

Ubuntu is definitely different from Windows in how applications are downloaded and installed, so I would recommend picking up a book or using the online help to figure things out initially. Once I did things a few times I felt very confident in using Ubuntu and I would recommend this especially for people with older computers who want to breathe new life into them.

Since the software is free, it can also be downloaded from the Ubuntu web site. If you are having trouble burning a disc, they will send you one for free, but it can take up to 10 weeks. It's nice to be able to order from Amazon and get the disc quickly if you need it right away.

I've been a computer user since the mainframe days in the 60's. I actually got Kubuntu by downloading but then donated some money directly to Canonical at this link:

http://www.ubuntu.com/community/donations

Kubuntu + compiz is a wonderful combo. Of course, it has the usual little Linux niggly things, but overall fewer than Vista has. The biggest benefit is *NO* DRM, phone-home-ware, artificial marketing-department restrictions on using VMs, degrading of signals through "unprotected" output paths, or anything of that kind. My computer stays mine. which is a breath of fresh air these days. Supports open formats, no vendor lock-in like you get in the Windows world.

While not a property of Kubuntu itself, the apps range from "meh" to really great, just depending on which you are interested in.

Overall, highly recommended. Not perfect, though. The GUI admin tools could use a little work here and there. Sometimes I still have to manually edit config files to accomplish something or another. I have other quibbles, but in the global scheme of things they are minor.

Support these guys if you want to preserve some choice in computing.

Well, Linux (and Ubuntu) are technically free. But I paid for this dvd because downloads of that size are sometimes tricky. Anyway, it works fine. I installed it in a virtual machine. I am running windows xp home edition sp2. The virtual machine is sun's virtual box. Eventually I think I will add a drive just for linux. Everything else installed and ran pretty much automatically. If you do the virtual box option, you will need to install some guest properties or something to make it work right, but that is pretty automatic too. You will need to run this guest property setup through a command prompt window. Oh, and you should also run the update manager piece to get the latest of everything. Oh, and if you don't have any linux/unix experience, you might want to get a reference book. Beginning Ubuntu Linux (Thomas and Sicam) is one I have that seems okay.

After four hours of fighting with a re-install of Windows XP I finally decided to switch to Ubuntu Linux. It loaded in about 15 minutes, I didn't have to load any additional drivers, and at this point, I'm able to make Ubuntu do everything I was doing in
Windows XP. The level of documentation out there on the web for Ubuntu is fantastic, and I was able to find and load all the necessary software packages for graphics, music, and movies, using the Ubuntu GUI. If you are tired of fighting with Windows,
and you just don't want to spend the $$$$$ for an Apple computer, this is a delightful alternative.