Well, there's a reason - whilst I would recommend switching from Windows to Ubuntu to most of the regular computer users out there, most of the 3rd party literature available on-line of Ubuntu - reviews, praises, etc - are written by people who are already Linux users and can be quite daunting for those that have no frickin' clue what an operating system is, much less what GNOME is.
The hope is to write a post that might aid in no small part to the switching to Ubuntu for those that it'll benefit the most in my own special, rambling way of explaining things.
(And at the same time hopefully generate enough hits on this goddamn blog so that I'll finally get a check for displaying ads on this thing. I swear, I'm giving it another couple of months and if I don't see a check, Nuffnang can suck it. If I'm not gonna get revenue from this blog then those that do read do not need to be inundated with ads about Cornetto contests.)
So here it begins - the first of God knows how many parts. I was originally going to write it all in one post but after realizing how much I'd written up to the point of installing it I figured it would make more sense to split it up. I mean, seriously. Look at how much I've written for the introduction.
I just ramble. Uncontrollably. Pointlessly. Just for the sake of it. I guess it's all rooted in that one event that happened so many years ago, across the moors of Scotland where a red-haired thing of beauty caressed me in ways no other farm animal ever did...
...crap. What the hell was I talking about?
Oh. Yes. Of course. Ubuntu. Right. Back to the plot.
Rambles aside, the fact of the matter is I do strongly believe that Ubuntu is ideal for a lot of people out there and I'd like to get the word out there because there are a ton of people out there that it could benefit but because the switch appears so daunting it puts people off.
Please don't be put off. Please. Ubuntu is your friend. Let it caress you and fondle your nether-regions with glee. Please.
How It All Began
It all started, simply enough, with my search for the ideal laptop.
From the age of 17 I'd been using a laptop. As a student in England, constantly switching from boarding school dorms to university dorms to apartments, a laptop was essential - surfing the net for 'research', checking e-mail, recording and playing back music and, most important of all, writing. Almost every script I've ever shot was written on a laptop. It made sense - the evolution of the typewriter, as it were.
But as I got more into filmmaking, I switched to a desktop to edit my videos and as time went by my laptop was relegated to the corner to pick up dust.
Over the past three years I've bought and sold a number of laptops, trying to find one to replace my old laptop for the purposes of mobility. I bought one of the first generations of eeePC's from Asus, only to be eventually put off by it's tiny size, tiny keyboard and numerous people saying it looks like a girl's laptop.
After selling that, I bought a 15" Acer which would've been a very powerful laptop... if it didn't come with frickin' Windows Vista.
However, like every netbook out there, this came with Windows 7 Starter.
When I was first introduced to Windows 7 I instantly fell in love with it - lighter than Vista, more aesthetically pleasing and since it was the Ultimate 64 bit version, my PC was fully maximized which was perfect for video editing.
But if Windows 7 was the souped up sports car of the Windows lineage, Windows 7 Starter was like a cheap local car kitted out with a fancy body kit - looks like a sports car, runs like a retard.
And forcing someone to have to put up with a light blue background of your logo is one thing. Making the use of any software or hack that changes the desktop image as grounds for voiding the warranty is just plain petty.
The whole desktop background thing was just the tip of the iceberg - snooping around Windows 7 Starter made me realize just how much it won't let you customize, change or fix yourself. There was no way I was gonna use this and I honestly don't believe anyone should have to put up with it, even those who are using their laptops for the most minimal of things.
Unfortunately, for some reason ALL Asus eeePC's in Malaysia come with Windows 7 Starter and nothing else. You literally can't buy the laptop without the OS (and bear in mind, the cost of the OS is included in the cost of the laptop so if you didn't have Windows 7 Starter on it the laptop would be about two hundred ringgit cheaper).
I knew I wanted to remove Windows 7 Starter after about half an hour of using it. But what OS to replace it? I could switch back to Windows XP but I was curious to find out if there was something lighter, simpler and user friendly.
I also didn't want to pay a damn thing and the pirates are getting less reliable (I swear, their not even trying now).
After giving it a lot of thought and researching on-line, I decided to finally give Linux a go with their most popular version at the moment, Ubuntu.
Got A Lust For Linux
When I first entered university I discovered that out of the many computer labs there was a dedicated Linux room. I went in with such high hopes...
...until I switched on one of the computers and wondered what the fuck I was looking at.
Ever since then, there's always been that feeling that Linux systems weren't within reach - they were in another world, the elite geeks who knew code and programmed complex algorithms for fun in between bouts of three-dimensional chess.
And I just couldn't be bothered to learn code.
Earlier this year, however, I got myself a brand new phone as I figured it was high time I got a smart phone knowing I'd use it to its fullest. However, I knew two things for certain:-
1. I wanted the phone to have a keyboard
2. Under no circumstances whatsoever did I want an iPhone
(I'll get into my feelings about the revered Mac products later on in one of the other posts).
What attracted me most to the phone, however, was the operating system - the phone ran on Maemo, which was based on Linux. The phone even had a terminal to write code and commands in, for God's sake! The thought that there was a phone running on Linux really intrigued me and, after using it for a week, I fell instantly in love with it.
The Linux bug was back, and with the new laptop, perhaps it was time to try out Linux 'for real'.
Googling for information on different Linux operating systems, however, feels infuriating for the uninitiated - all the sites on different OS's have so little real and understandable information. It's as if everyone who creates Linux OS's know everything there is to know about code but hardly anything about communicating information to the regular human being.
(And, in quite a few cases, it also looks like they have no clue on how to design a website in a manner that's both attractive and understandable).
It's also annoying to find that a lot of the Linux OS's websites are very obviously written with Linux users in mind, making it very difficult for a non-Linux user to step in and discover it's fruity goodness.
Ubuntu, however, isn't like that.It probably has the most understandable and attractive website I've seen yet, though still a bit vague in areas. Nonetheless, from reading the website you know this is a community that wants you, the non-Linux-y person, to give it a try.
And for those that can't be bothered to click this link to find out more, in a nutshell all you really need to know is this:-
1. Ubuntu is an operating system for a computer
2. It's simple to understand after fiddling with it for a bit
3. There's a ton of free software to suit (most of) your needs
4. It's free and regularly maintained and updated
After looking at a number of other possible operating systems with either incomprehensible or vague websites, I decided to give Ubuntu a go.
Installing Ubuntu
There are a number of ways one can install Ubuntu, but for a lot of people (myself included), the thought of completely deleting an OS that I understood but didn't like in order to install a new OS that sounds great but I've never tried is kinda scary.
That's where the wonderful Wubi comes in.
If it turns out Ubuntu isn't the OS for you or it simply won't install on your computer (I'll get to that in a bit) then all you have to do is uninstall Wubi by opening Windows, going to your programs list and uninstalling it like you would any other software.
Pretty simple, right?
After trying out Ubuntu through Wubi for a while, I decided why not - let's jump into the deep end and install the lil' bugger.
And if you're still worried about how the whole process of installing Ubuntu, don't be - the website shows you how to do it in very simple steps. And if you still don't get it, just google 'how to install ubuntu' and you'll find a number of sites telling you exactly how to go about it.
After less than twenty minutes, Ubuntu was installed on my laptop.
And after a week of fiddling around with it, I was in love.
Next up: Using Ubuntu, the software I love, the dark side of Linux and my personal opinion of operating systems in general.
Oh. And a picture of a cat doing something cat-like.
Waiting with abated breath for Part 2
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