My Story: from Windows to Ubuntu
I am not the kind of person who feels a sense of pride in Microsoft bashing. I respect Microsoft as they put in a lot of effort in order to make a stable operating system which they update regularly with service packs and fixes. For this reason I used windows for about three or four years. But then I heard from a friend, that there is an OS named Ubuntu that is shipped free of cost with no postal charges. So, I decided to give it a try. When I started using Ubuntu, I learned over time that Ubunt
Written by Deepank Gupta
I was a bit apprehensive before installing Ubuntu as I had heard a lot of worrisome stories about Linux in general and how it requires special computer knowledge to install it. But when I put in Ubuntu Live CD, my fears were dispelled. To my amazement I found that it can run from a Live CD without installation, allowing me to preview all the features of the operating system. Then I worked up the courage to partition my hard disk and dual boot with Windows (I still wanted to cling onto Windows). Although the installation was easy, the games were fun to play and all my hardware was detected properly, I had a setback when I found out that I could neither listen to my huge collection of MP3s nor watch any movies in spite of having a lot of media players.
There were two problems to be overcome. First, the problem of accessing my many years of data in my Windows partitions and second, downloading the necessary packages for making proprietary formats work. I googled my problems and found a whole new resource – Ubuntuforums.org. This forum had many contributors and lots and lots of people ready to help out. I still remember that my first question on the forum was answered within 10 minutes! Also, there is a lot of documentation regarding the free software and tips to do work in Ubuntu. By following posts and articles, I soon had my own customized system. I learned more about operating systems in that short time than I had been able to learn in year of Windows use!
I seldom used the command line in Windows and my experience has shown that Windows users have a fear of the terminal. In a Windows environment, the command line is used mainly when you have to fix things like a virus, for example, but in Ubuntu, the command line is a way of life! I have come to love the command line.
Now, you might be wondering why I decided that Ubuntu is a better operating system for me when I had to spend so much time struggling to install software. Well, in the past year with Ubuntu I have never once been struck by a virus. I did not even have to buy a Norton subscription for that. I have neither needed to defragment my hard disk (thanks to the ext3 filesystem), nor encountered the "Blue Screen of Death." There were times when my computer would hang, though I've always been able to use a "force quit" and have never had to send an error report! All of this and I haven't even mentioned that I got the office suite, a large number of games, an excellent media player (now that I have downloaded the codecs and can even run .FLV and .RMVB files in Mplayer, something that Windows Media Player could never do) and a great instant messenger through which I can log into any instant messaging account.
Linux is also a great platform to learn C programming. You do not have to install gigs of Visual Studio, but can have a gcc compiler which can do everything you want and is only 5-6 MBs at the max. What's more, Anjuta has almost all the functionality of any other popular IDE. I used it to do my Introduction to Programming assignments at school while other classmates were busy arranging software to run on Windows.
So, although I get free access to Windows and some other Microsoft proprietary software from my university's software distribution program, I still find myself using Ubuntu more and more as I find it to be a more stable, modest and better overall operating system. It may not be as flashy in its claims as Windows and you do require a certain working knowledge of computers, but once you start using it, you will love it.
