Ubuntu

[ivor4781]

has anyone tried or is using this, it is easy to use, just getting fed up with massive windows updates

[EDDIE51]

I am thinking of using it, I have heard it is good and fast. But no actual experience.

[davegosling]

Ubuntu is, IMO, the Linux distro which most resembles Windows in terms of look and feel.

As for being easy to use, I'd suggest that if "massive Windows updates" are truly a problem for you, you'll probably find anything else a bit hard-going.

If you've got more money than sense you could try a Mac... :-)

[Prudie]

My daughter who is of the techy age says it's not really for everyday users, you have to be very tech savvy to use it, you can't run any MS programs like Outlook and Word plus there are many different versions.

[RATTER15]

Massive windows update, I dont see the problem? I set mine to update on going to bed, in the morning it was finished and working fine!

Obuntu gave my all sorts of problems, however I havent tried it again for years, I seem to remember a lot of hardware and software was not compatible with it. I kicked it out after a couple days as a lost cause.

[hc4361]

You can install it ALONGSIDE Windows to see if you like it

https://www.tecmint.com/install-ubuntu-16-04-alongside-with-windows-10-or-8-in-dual-boot/

Be aware though that all OS have updates including Linux and Apple OS. Ubuntu is a 'flavour' of Linux

[KARL]

I have used nothing other than Linux based operating systems for at least 15 years and am entirely satisfied. As a result I am hardly in a position to give comparisons because my contact with Windows is well out of date - suffice to say that I have no issues with Ubuntu but I do not do not do anything adventurous, only fairly standard browsing and communications plus the odd document. What particularly appeals to me is the knowledge that Linux is essentially open source and that there are no license issues because it is free.

[davegosling]

"you can't run any MS programs like Outlook and Word"

No indeed, but there are free alternatives to virtually all of the most common desktop apps. E.g. LibreOffice and OpenOffice do everything that most users need from MS Office.


"Massive windows update, I don't see the problem? I set mine to update on going to bed, in the morning it was finished and working fine!"

Quite!


"I seem to remember a lot of hardware and software was not compatible with it."

Software, definitely! Hardware, increasingly less so.


"You can install it ALONGSIDE Windows to see if you like it"

You can indeed, just like any other operating system which runs on the Intel / AMD chipset.


"Be aware though that all OS have updates including Linux"

Ubuntu particularly has two major updates every year which would no doubt throw the OP into apoplexy! The latest one, version 17.04 or "Artful Aardvark" to give it its hilarious nickname, has changed the user interface completely by reverting to GNOME, though it is said to be possible to configure to look and feel very close to the previous Unity interface.

[davegosling]

^^ 17.10 - 17.04 was nicknamed "Zesty Zapus".

[ivor4781]

thanks to all, i'll digest

[hc4361]

You can also run it from a USB drive, so it doesn't interfere with your hard drive at all. Good way to try it out but of course it will be slower than a hard drive installation

https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/tutorial-create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#0

[Old_Geezer]

"you can't run any MS programs like Outlook and Word"
Does WINE still exist ?

[davegosling]

"Does WINE still exist?"

It certainly does (https://wiki.winehq.org/Ubuntu) but why bother? OpenOffice and LibreOffice are just as good for virtually all users.

[gl556tr]

Having taught Windows, iX, and OS/2 in assorted firms' networked systems, the general feed-back and systems problems from customers gave me a good insight in matters OS.
MS SW has always been pricey, then firms have to cough up a licence fee, reflecting number of PCs used: a never-ending money source. With its closed-shop approach and early entrance to the market, MS effectively dictated SW 'standards'.
Disenchantment saw the rise of Open-Source, both for Office and OS. As such, thousands from many countries contribute by offering mother-tongue translations of the GUI terms and programs. I ditched MS and have been enjoying the robust and well-thought-out design and programming of Ubuntu's multi-program packet.
The first burden one no longer has is being forced to accept Americanisms in terminology, grammar, etc. What a blessed relief to have British English.
Another very useful factor is that the Ubuntu packet is heaving with a vast spectrum of reliable programs. All costing nothing and all license-free.
As others here have pointed out, one **can** run Ubuntu from a thumb-drive. Both WinX and Ubuntu can be installed parallel. But I soon jettisoned the former.