new lap top - Ubuntu

[SKA]

I want to buy this lap top

http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page .jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0851699186.1212656701@@@ @&BV_EngineID=cceeadeefflijelcflgceggdhhmdgmj. 0&category_oid=-34014&page=Product&sku=273568& fm=1&sm=0&tm=0

but I don't really like windows vista, my mums laptop has vista and her lap top is really slow. So I was reading a website which mentioned this

http://www.ubuntu.com/

I don't understand what it is though can some one please explain it to me!!

TIA

[kujawski]

its another operating system based on linux/unix, with a front end similar to windows,

downside is you cant run any software designed for MS Windows, although im not 100% sure whether certain "emulators" are available, that may allow this,

plus its free, and if your technically minded you can do as you please, with it

or am i talking crap?

[ChuckFickens]

without getting too techie, It's an alternative to windows, the general look and use of it is fairly similar to windows, you have menus that pop up from a taskbar when you click on them, things open in windows with little x's in the corner to close them.

But (big but coming up) it is NOT windows, it's all a little bit different, things are in slightly different places and called different things and what may be most important to you is your windows software will not run on it.

However there is plenty of software available for Ubuntu that will probably do everything you want and it will probably be free. for example when you install ubuntu it installs open office which is a free alternative to microsoft office that will do pretty much everything the microsoft version will do.

If your thinking about Ubuntu because your used to XP and don't want to get used to all the changes in vista then Ubuntu is going to be a bigger change to get used to.

P.s. I'm writing this on a laptop using Ubuntu.

[ChuckFickens]

kujawski no your not talking crap, and yes there are emulators that will let you run most windows software (ones called WINE) but there is often a little more work involved in getting thing to work, and the odd feature here and there may not work

[SKA]

I dont mind change I just really dont like VIsta. I not technically minded much so dont think I'd know how to the the vista thing off.

Is the memory on the laptop enough to run vista at a good speed or will it slow it down?

[ChuckFickens]

I don't like vista either but that laptop will run vista ok, and if you turn off all the fancy effects in vista it runs much better.

As soon as I get my hands on any vista (or XP) machine the first thing I do is revert the start menu back to classic turn off all the fancy animation and 3d effects and it makes it speed up a hell of a lot and gives it more the look of windows2000

If you wanted to get rid of vista then all you do is put the ubuntu CD in the drive and restart the computer and follow the instructions and it will wipe windows and install ubuntu (you also have the option to have both so you can select which you want at startup)

[SKA]

can you tell me how to change the menu settings please?

also if you have both will it affect the speed of it?

[ChuckFickens]

to change the menu settings right click on an empty bit of the task bar at the bottom of screen and select properties then click on the start menu tab at top, on this screen select classic start menu and click OK

This will also give you a my computer icon on your desktop, now right click on this and select properties then select the advanced tab, on that screen click the settings button where it say performance and select adjust for best performance and click ok.

After a small delay you will now have windows running without any of the fancy effects, that to my mind just use up system resources and slow the computer down. personally I would prefer to have my computer working at doing what I want it to rather than trying to look pretty.

And no if you put both on it won't effect the performance of either as they run entirely independently of each other.

[Ethel]

Ska - if you don't know how to change Windows settings, and you're not prepared to learn how to use Vista, Linux / Ubuntu is not for you.

Vista is perfectly fine if the machine has adequate resources to run it properly.

Everyone hated XP when it first came out - we just don't like change.

[SKA]

I dont think I'm going to change anything on it I just wanted to make sure I had back up incase it did run really slowly. Anyway I'd get my brother in law to the the techy bits I'd prob just mess it up!!
Thanks for all your answers!!

[fo3nix]

Well personally I think Vista's a little worse than that; it's not just a "we don't like change" issue (for the more technically accomplished, anyway).

The above are correct though. Windows is one system, GNU/Linux is another (and Ubuntu is an example of the latter).

While Ubuntu is doing everything it can to make it easy to use, it's still in truth more complicated than Windows in many ways, especially since you're used to Windows already.

I'd either stick it out with Vista and hope you get used to it, or buy XP and install over Vista, so you get a nice XP laptop.

[rojash]

I find Ubuntu much easier to use than Vista. One of the best bits is when you want new software: Click Applications/Add Remove. You are shown a list which includes all your installed applications, PLUS all available applications with their user-ratings. Check the box for the application you want, and it is downloaded and installed automatically - for free, of course!

I use (among other things):
Firefox, OpenOffice, Evolution Mail, Audacity, VLC Media Player, Terminal Server Client.

[ChuckFickens]

I would agree with rojash, I actually find ubuntu really easy to use, for a linux distro it's amazingly simple, I very very rarely have to do anything from the command line (other than when I need to SSH into other machines) and although I said above I don't like the fancy effects in windows I really do like some of the fancy effects you can get with compiz fusion :)

The only problem I have with it is I still can not for the life of me get it to play DVD's well! not that I ever use my laptop to play DVD's it just bugs me it wont :)

[ACtheTROLL]

lol

we all have our drums to beat
I've got to stick up for vista.

there is nothing wrong with it.
the majority of problems (not all ... but a fair proportion) has been caused by the must have brigade....
the people who queue outside pc world (or download) the latest Os ... and never look or even consider that there might be a minimum spec ... or check that most of their software and hardware is listed as incompatible.

the problem is then made worse by the kneejerk upgraders ... and capitalised by the linux community who would rather spend 2 weeks entering the co-ordinates to draw a straight line with a dodgy but homegrown app.

and the claim that it's safer than windows ... you can't catch malware with linux ... rubbish ... it's just that there are so few users that it's not worth the effort

the phrase laptop is realy slow ... in comparison to what? ... how fast was it with XP?

[ChuckFickens]

AC, I would agree with most of what you said.. other than

and the claim that it's safer than windows ... you can't catch malware with linux ... rubbish ... it's just that there are so few users that it's not worth the effort

the majority of web servers are running linux/unix so i would say it is a better platform to attack than windows for maximum impact.

The main reason that linux has been more secure than windows up to now is linux doesn't run everything at administrator (root) level, vista has finally addressed this problem and is much better for it.

Now it's just a matter of training users so when they see a popup telling them that ***** program is trying to run and requires admin(root) access they shouldn't just blindly click on yes. Linux users have been used to this for years and due to the techie nature of linux tend to understand what it means, once windows users learn this then vista will be sooo much more secure.

[ChuckFickens]

sorry hit post too early then...

Regardless of what OS you run the biggest hole in the security is always going to be the user