For those that have tried Linux. What has your general impression been? Constructive answers please?

Question

As a Linux user myself how did you get on with it and in which areas if any could it be improved. Instead of comments like 'it sucks' the Linux community needs to know just what the issues are

LUg.

Answer 1

i think linux is a very good OS even if they say those shyts!!! i mean take a look at the bright side using linux makes you less vulnerable with the virus that are actually design for win xp , or vista. but i think they should adopt some xp compatibility^^ so user would not had trouble with most of the programs

Answer 2

Personally I love it, been using Linux Mint 7 for a while now. Friend of mine turned me onto it a few years ago, got a bit frustrated with it at first, but decided to take a unix class in college so I could better understand it and I've used it ever since lol. I've not had many complaints about it; I do wish things were easier to find and install (i.e. when compiling from source rather than installing from the package manager) But small stuff, no big deal :) Also, ACPI support is really horrible it seems, out of 6 different computers that I own (2 laptops, 4 desktops) I've only managed to get the suspend/hibernate functions to work correctly on 1 system.

Answer 3

I have Ubuntu running solely on my Desktop and it's pretty good. The interface(GNOME) is user friendly. But other things are not.



Little things are the problem. Like it being hard to move files between user accounts. And having to go to the forums like BSOD said.



Another thing is that i feel i little too squeezed and limited with Linux. I still like it better then Windows, Though.



For a Netbook or for a just Internet and Email computer i think Ubuntu would be perfect.



I plan on buying a Mac later this year and if i don't like OS X i would put Ubuntu on it before Windows.

Answer 4

I have to say that I'm quite impressed as to where Linux, in general, is today. Who would have ever thought you'd be able to, quite literally, download yourself a new computer built by the world and all they ask in return is your loyalty. Me, Linux Mint has been a great experience. No real problems that I couldn't solve with a little research. I'm not a regular Linux user but I could get used to it if I had to. I've only experimented with the most popular of Linux OS's. See my problem is change comes hard and could only see myself fully dependent on Linux in the event of catastrophic failure of my Windows machine losing all my data. I don't care what anyone says but switching to Linux can be quite frustrating when you been dependent on Windows for so long. HOWEVER, before I shell-out $200 for a MS OS, another $150 for Office I will most certainly see what Linux can do for me. Inevitably, your Windows OS "end of life will" come and you'll be forced to give MS some more money.

Answer 5

I have tried Ubuntu linux, and it has been VERY, very useful. When it comes to casual browsing or word processing, Ubuntu works fine. It's even great for recovering files off of a corrupted hard drive. The only thing that pushes me away is that installing drivers for hardware is usually a complicated task. I'm not an expert in using Terminal, and so it becomes very frustrating when I try to install a driver that works-Specifically, my Bamboo tablet. Overall, for the casual user and master, it's amazing. The one down-side is having to wait for the newer releases, hoping that they cover more hardware. The newer versions also run slower on some of my older PCs, but that's to be expected.

Answer 6

We understand you are a fan of Mint linux and that is fine we all have our favorite Linux distro. Both in our company, among subcontractors and in personal life Linux has been a blessing. We believe in paid linux as ppl who work to make linux better. Windows may be fun and has some nice features but the more it goes the more it is annoying. Viruses are a constant prob. rebooting degrag, and linux has made AMAZING imrovements in the recent years, whether in wireless access, ease of use, features, quality of included programs, support for a vast array of file (mp3, vob, ogg vorbis,) etc and add to this a few commercial applications and u get a great operating system.



We still use windows for some apps but whether our customers etc it is ALL ON LINUX. personal computers are all on linux and though not a perfect system it works like a charm. WE are so FREE from Microsoft indeed Linux is a blessing. Only the superb Mac OS SNow leopard is superior but it only runs on macs and has a much more limited selection of bundled software.



RICK

Answer 7

Personally I was impressed at how much faster my Ubuntu system was compared to the preloaded windows vista. Everything just reponded with no wait, not matter how many programs were running.



Although I have notice that every week or so, my computer freeze. I don't know the cause, but not sure if it is software or hardware related. Also my printer and scanner are lexmark (need I say more?)



Some area that need improved, I am just going to refer to these link. Because that guys says it better then I can.

http://www.tannerhelland.com/ubuntu-linux/ubuntu-1004/

http://www.tannerhelland.com/ubuntu-linux/10-ubuntu-10-10-features/

Answer 8

I liked Ubuntu very much but had to uninstall due to lack of HDD space. Have now put a 500gb HDD in my lappy, which totally crashed last week & am looking fwd to having a dual boot sys with Win 7. Once I get my new desktop up & running.



Ubuntu is much easier to learn for adults who are pc illiterate or children learning. Even better the Aust. Govt. has promised all school children access to PC's - it would be a terrific market for Ubuntu to 'corner' & get wider publicity. It would be good if some of the Windows games could be played using the Ubuntu/Linux system. Keep up the good work:D

Answer 9

I'm atypical in that I've been using Linux since the beginning - I ran Slackware on an Amiga circa 1993 or so. I'm really impressed with how far Linux has come. However, I think the biggest hurdle is still usability. Having access to a terminal is critical for someone like me, but the average user needs something cleaner and friendlier. Basic operations like configuring the ethernet card can be hard for end users to figure out.



One of the biggest conundrums is this: how do you create an interface for something that's relatively complex, like configuring Samba, but making it easy for an end user to understand? Microsoft can't do this, but hopefully the Linux developers can learn more from the Mac OS paradigms. Obviously you don't want to simply copy someone's ideas, but it can't hurt to learn from them and improve upon them.

Answer 10

i started using Linux(ubuntu,slackware) about 6 months ago and since then i never had to use windows. one thing which i don't like is the inability to install programs by using a single installer file (like the way it is done in windows).OS installers must be much more easier so that people with no computer experience can also install and use linux on their machines. i think we also need some good quality games that works only on linux so that we can make them use linux on their machines.

Answer 11

My biggest issue was the user "unfriendly" environment.I don't know if its because I'm Microsoft user for so many years but solving an issue requires many many visits to linux forums. I never got lucky with all my hardware functioning or with alternatives on software I use.I guess if you spend time to get familiar with Linux and its software you have a great platform but to be honest I never really had a reason to abandon windows, trying Linux was just for the challenge.

Answer 12

yes you have hit on a good question here, Linux distributions have greatly improved over this last couple of years none more so than installation and installing software, My complaint is to many un necessary packages gets installed, for the normal everyday user, here I'm talking about networking, server software, and administrators tools, the eye candy is great, but with some disrtos there is no instructions on how to install or use it,



I have downloaded most distributions and tested them out. and improvement comes with every release, which is great for us users, The one distribution that's in front in my eyes is Linux Mint they have a user manual from the word go, they have online instant live messaging help, which is a credit to their development team and supporters

Answer 13

Linux changed my life. Before I started using Linux I thought it was normal to have to pay year after year for antivirus updates, I thought that license keys were necessary, and I accepted the anti-business practices used by commercial software developers. I really started to appreciate Linux (and FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software)) when I started to program for a living. FLOSS projects allow me to maintain my programming skills in languages that I'm currently not using at work. Without Linux as the champion of FLOSS, the various FLOSS projects would have never existed, my skills would deteriorate, and, like thousands of programmers before Linux came out, I would have eventually have to stop programming all together.



I truly believe that the FLOSS business model will eventually replace the commercial software model as it reduces R&D costs and produces more functional code.

Answer 14

I find myself using Windows minimally, for interactive web pages that require Internet Explorer and for spreadsheets with embedded macros and for an encrypted drive. All these are work related and are caused by restrictions on my (Windows) PC at work.



Setting up printing is sometimes a puzzle, as is wireless set up. There are developers improving the tools for these, but there are limits.



I have switched to an on-line income tax application because the prior one is Windows only.

Answer 15

i like linux but needs a driver system(or something that can be added to the os so that it can read devices correctly). it also lacks next gen games but sometimes mac does too.

Answer 16

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Answer 17

I like it, it works well, but i don't use it because i can't get nvidia drivers to install and work, having tried many times and many distro's they still won't install.

trying again now as it happens

Answer 18

i downloaded ubuntu and it asked me for a password(i don´t have a `password so i used recovery mode

and tried to change the password from there.everything works great until the part when it says enter new unix password(i can´t because i can´t type any character from my keyboard)i know you can help, me please send me an email with some help.