Quote:
Originally Posted by Quam256
what is Ubuntu  |
Ubuntu is a popular (Zing might suggest I am stretching the definition of the word here) flavour of the Linux operating system designed to be easy to install and use by a non-technical person and, as such, a viable Open Source (and free) alternative to Windows, a proprietary system.
You can find out about Ubuntu
here and Linux
here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zinglebarb
If the OP could get it installed and the user could get to grips with open office and then could get a printer and or scanner installed I would agree however ......
Incidentally in the name of fair play I tonight installed vmware and installed ubuntu feisty and pclinux to give it a go and even then had to have fun in terminal just to install the vmtools. On a xp vm it just runs a nice simpel wizard go figure  |
I can't argue with you that for more esoteric scenarios Ubuntu is a bit geeky (have you tried SUSE?) but for day-to-day computing it's a dream, including installation. I'm sure you know what a pain it is getting everything to work on a laptop if you have to do a fresh install of Windows.
I have a Toshiba Tecra M3 on loan from my workplace and being unhappy with it's performance under Windows XP I thought I would try Ubuntu - one CD, one installation routine, 15 minutes, all the hardware was working and fast: wireless, sound, touch-pad features, power-saving, etc.. And all of the applications I needed came with the OS. I'll say it again: one CD, one install, 15 minutes.
Ubuntu and Linux are not the answer to everything and we can both tell stories where both Windows and flavours of Linux fall down or excel. But I genuinely believe that this is precisely the kind of situation in which Ubuntu does excel.