Ubuntu 10.04 instead of Windows 7? [Linux]

I turned my computer OS inside out. I’ve been considering this for a long time and I finally did it. Previously, I was running Windows 7 and from time to time I would play with Ubuntu 10.04 (Linux) in VirtualBox (instructions here). Don’t get me wrong; I like Windows 7… a lot. I just happen to like Ubuntu more and I’ll tell you why in the next paragraph.  If you’re at all curious about Linux, I share some tips about trying Ubuntu in this post and I’ll toss in an impressive video of a heavily customized Ubuntu system.

I switched to Ubuntu for a few reasons.  First, most of the software I use exists in Linux form and often runs better under Linux than Windows. Google Chrome is a great example. It is screaming fast in Linux and clearly performs better than it does in Windows. Second, the only products I couldn’t adequately replace were high end Adobe products. (Office 2007 runs in Ubuntu with some tweaking, if that’s your preferred office suite.) In order to run these products, I run a Linux version of VirtualBox with Windows 7 inside of Linux or I boot up the computer into my Windows 7 partition (which I preserved from before… better safe than sorry). Second, Ubuntu has a one click “update everything on this computer” service. Windows updates the OS only and each program must be updated individually. In my opinion, this is a huge advantage to Ubuntu. Third, Ubuntu is more secure and doesn’t require virus checkers and spyware software bogging down the system. Fourth, Ubuntu is much more configurable than Windows. It’s somewhat analogous to what I wrote about the whole iPhone vs. Android debate. Configurable systems are not inherently better than less configurable systems. It depends on whether you prefer to tweak a system to your liking or prefer simplicity. Fifth, I really believe that Linux is the future and Windows is the past. Android is Linux and Google’s Chrome OS is Linux. I expect widespread adoption of both. Sixth, Ubuntu comes bundled with good, powerful software like OpenOffice, Rythm Box and many more goodies but it doesn’t come bundled with commercial bloatware.  Seventh, Ubuntu and many other Linux distributions are absolutely free. You won’t have to pay for upgrades either.

There are some drawbacks to moving to Ubuntu. As I mentioned above, not all software is available in a Linux flavor. Linux isn’t backed by a single, unified entity like Microsoft. Documentation and discussion boards are scattered throughout the internet (hint: Google is your friend when you have an issue). Additionally, the kid down the street who solves all your computer problems might not be well versed in Linux.

If you’re interested in trying out Ubuntu without making a permanent decision to move to it, I recommend that you choose from the following options:

• Create a “Live CD” or USB stick which can boot up Ubuntu. By doing this, you can check your hardware for Ubuntu compatibility. You can download the ISO for Ubuntu from Ubuntu.com.
• Download wubi.exe from http://wubi-installer.org. This installer is interesting because it doesn’t even partition your hard drive. It basically creates one large file in Windows that serves as the hard drive. It creates a dual bootup option for loading Windows or Ubuntu upon powering up. If you decide you don’t like Ubuntu, run wubi.exe again and it will clean everything up for you.
• If you have a reasonably powerful computer (dual core or better with > 2  gigs of RAM), you can virtualize Ubuntu within Windows following these instructions.
• You can partition your drive and install Ubuntu into a partition by burning the ISO to a CD and booting from the CD. This is a somewhat more permanent install than the methods above and I discourage this method for computer beginners or people who don’t know whether Ubuntu will play nice with their hardware.

Check out this impressive video of Ubuntu. This shows off Compiz which is a set of eye candy visual effects that are possible in Ubuntu.  I also like this video because it shows Windows XP and Adobe software virtualized in Ubuntu.

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