Is installing software on Ubuntu or any other Linux based OS as simple as windows?

Question

i would really like to dual boot my XP Media Center with Ubuntu 7.04. I tried using it with the live cd but i realized that installing softwares (like VLC media player) was a gargantuan task. is there any solution to it? and why doesnt ubuntu play popular media file types such as mp3, wma etc unless you install additional codecs?

Answer 1

On many Linux distros it can be a bit harder (a few simple console commands rather than a double click on the installer) but on Ubuntu you can usually get most of the software you need off of the package manager (synaptic) which is much easier than installing things in windows.



In Synaptic Package Manager the install process goes like this

1. Open Synaptic

2. Search for the software you need

3. Select that piece of software

4. Let Synaptic select the software that is required for that software to work for you.

5. Click Apply



VLC player is fairly easy to install, (I'll check in a bit if it can be installed through Synaptic) It most likely just requires a console command to compile it which is easy to do once you learn how.



On the other hand you can't install software on a Live CD given that the "HD" in a Live CD is Read-Only, which may have been the problem.



Totem by the way (the movie player that comes with Ubuntu) is about as good as VLC by the way.



Ubuntu can support .mp3 and all the other codecs just not by default. When you try to it should give you some easy steps to install them if you want them though.



The reason that they are not supported by default is because Ubuntu is trying very very hard to have absolutely nothing proprietary in Ubuntu by defualt so proprietary formats like .mp3 aren't supported by default. (this is also why many graphics cards don't work by default until you let the Proprietary Drivers Manager install the drivers for it).

Answer 2

no installing programmes on Linux is slightly harder than with windows, but not really that much harder. Ubuntu unlike most other distros have disabled the root (administrator) account by default. Most other distros make you install programmes as root which makes the whole system much more secure.



Most Linux distros don't include the codecs and programmes that let you play MP3s and encrypted video files because of liscencing issues but they are readily available and easy to install.



Setting up a dual boot with Ubuntu is really easy and it will let you get used to Linux & still have windows to fall back on. An install on your hard drive works much better than a live CD. Check out the Ubuntu web site and forums for all the info & advice you'll need to install and run it:



http://www.ubuntu.com/



Also a really good linux distro which I think is easier to use than Ubuntu is Opensuse the home page for this is:



http://en.opensuse.org/Welcome_to_openSUSE.org

Answer 3

First Linux is an open sourced undertaking designed with the aid of hackers for terribly very nearly each little thing. it is not designed for a enterprise form in any respect it replaced into purely designed for exciting. The philosophy in the back of Linux and the GNU undertaking is freedom not a great company equipment like Microsoft or Google. Linux isn't designed to make money it incredibly is designed to be custom for use to advance off of and to check from to not horde money. the reason that residing house windows dominates the industry is with the aid of the fact Microsoft designs the OS for a enterprise form to not proportion and advance. laptop companies that construct desktops alongside with Dell and HP purchase residing house windows from Microsoft who's reluctant to sell to them so as that they are able to make enormous money. So Then laptop companies are purely putting an incredibly person-friendly to apply product out for the common individual. bear in mind wide-unfold human beings comprehend not something in assessment to Hackers and Programmers approximately desktops and how they artwork. they only choose some thing that fits their desires like a motor vehicle for transportation, residing house windows is that straightforward to apply. the reason Linux does not unite below one call is lower back all with regards to the philosophy of GNU: Linus Torvalds leaves an incredibly more suitable kernel freed from fee out on the information superhighway and different companies take it and construct new stuff off it. for this reason you have the debian PM, the pink hat PM, the portage kit supervisor, the conary kit supervisor, the pacman kit supervisor, and the slackware kit supervisor they are different technologies made with the aid of different companies. it incredibly is all with regards to the philosophy. Linux is likewise not as person-friendly as residing house windows has been for us in the previous each little thing could be intimidating once you employ a different OS. computers like Dell I doubt might substitute it with the aid of putting Ubuntu on it till human beings have been heavily brave adequate to attempt it. And approximately Mac is have been given a enterprise form for this reason they are plenty larger in industry proportion. Linux, FreeBSD and different underground OS's are for people who prefer to discover not purely have an person-friendly cheese working product.