Choose ubuntu over windows 7? suggestion and ideas?

Question

I'm very interested in the OS ubuntu, but then due to the compatibility of most of the programs to windows, I don't really wanna use ubuntu although it does look very tempting.
I have heard of a program call Wine which allows you to run windows program, does it work properly?

Based on your opinion or generally to all the people who have used or is using ubuntu, what are your opinion of the OS?

I was planning to dual boot, but i don't feel like going through the hassle to create another partition, so if i do try it out, i will probably wipe out windows 7 to give it a shot.

Would be great if people can give some opinion and share your ideas about ubuntu.
Thanks (:

Answer 1

I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 9 Main Edition which is built upon Ubuntu 10.04 Its easy to install and easy to use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled



Linux Mint 9 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=52



The Perfect Desktop - Linux Mint 9 (Isadora)

http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-9-isadora



Linux Mint 9 User Guide Download pdf.

http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_isadora.php



Alternatively install Linux Mint as a dual-boot with Windows using mint4win without partitioning (mint4win works the same as Wubi as described below)

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/wubi



You keep Windows as it is, mint4win only adds an extra option to boot into Linux Mint. mint4win does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different bootloader, and does not install special drivers. It works just like any other application.



mint4win keeps most of the files in one folder, and if you do not like it, you can simply uninstall it as any other application.



Boot in to windows insert the Linux Mint LiveCD and you will offered the option of installing inside windows which is where the mint4win installer comes in, you will be asked how many gigabytes you wish to allocate to Linux Mint (I recommend 8gb) then you set a password for your installation then click install and thats it.



Once Linux Mint is fully installed upon starting your PC you will be given a choice of which operating system you want to use Windows or Linux Mint



You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 9 then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD for installation



Linux Mint 9 can also be run direct from the LiveCD from Booting up without touching your Hard Drive







LUg.

Answer 2

WINE stands for WINE Is Not an Emulator. It can maqke Visual Basic work in linux. A variant called WineX (now Cedega) will allow you to play most windows games (It is available from www.transgaming.com).



OpenOffice can exchange files with Microsoft Office, especially in the most modern versions. The things you will notice are no Publisher and No Front Page. Howevrer, if you get Kubuntu, then you will have Kile (better than publisher) and KWebDev (superior to FrontPage).



You won't have any worries about viruses and most other exploits won't work on Ubuntu or Kubuntu or Xubuntu.



Evolution is able to talk to Microsoft Exchange Servers and is a good replacement for the Outlook Virus Transport system.



You will NOT find any equivalent of the Access Data base, but then Access is really a toy. Postgresql, MySQL and others more than take up the slack. If you want toy databases, Kexi and OpenOffice Base are waiting in the wings.



If you care to learn to code programs, Ubuntu and its variants have MANY choices, all free. Ada, Fortran 95, Objective C, C/C++, Perl, Python, and Euphoria are some of the choices.



I do not use Ubuntu. I use several other linices, including Mandriva Power Pack which seems to work very well on my Heavy Notebooks, and gNewSense which works very well indeed on my netbook. I have used Ubuntu in embedded devices and I used Goobuntu when working for Google.



A FEW of the desktop features of Kubuntu are in Win 7, but I have some experience with Win 7 as I am forced to use it at work.



1. Win 7 loses connection to all its printers. You can send print jobs, but they don't go anywhere, until you restart, then they despool without your being able to cancel them.

2. The video driver crashes at least once a day, with the screen going black for 3-5 minutes before Win7 gets it restored. Older versions of Windows would have shown the Blue Screen of Death.

3. After I restart, the windows desktop comes up about 40 seconds after I login, but it is ANOTHER FOUR MINUTES before I can run a program. WIth KDE on Kubuntu or Mandriva, the restarts to a usable screen are less than 22 seconds.





Oh, Yes, FLUENDO sells a set of Codecs that makes your linux machine completely compatible with all Windows media.

Answer 3

What you opt for: A backup till now you start up messing approximately! i can't rather answer your question yet i can assert then when I put in Ubuntu alongside residing house windows 7 letting the Ubuntu installer look after the setup - it worked superb till I uninstalled Ubuntu. Then I have been given the comparable blunders message as you. I mounted it with a bootable USB "boot difficulty restore gadget" that I save for fixing boot issues. the only downside is that it should be created on a working gadget - till now boot issues take place!

Answer 4

Ubuntu is VERY different from Windows. However, if all you do is browse the web, it's fine. What I would recommend is downloading their installer CD. This is a CD that you can burn, and then boot off as if it was a second hard drive. It boots into a nearly-complete Ubuntu installation, so you can try out Ubuntu before actually installing it. You can just leave it in your computer and work off it that way, then if it drives you crazy just eject the CD and reboot.



Funny, they don't advertise that feature enough.

Answer 5

If you are new to Linux I wouldn't suggest wiping out Windows entirely. If you are, ensure you have the media and license to reinstall it.



I would suggest dual-booting since you will have the option of playing in Linux, but using Windows for programs not compatible and doing research in case something goes wrong with your installation of Ubuntu.



Below is a CNet link for some free partitioning software you can use to shrink the Windows 7 partition and create space for Ubuntu:



http://download.cnet.com/1770-20_4-0.html?query=partition&searchtype=downloads&rpp=10&filter=licenseName=Free|platform=Windows,Webware&filterName=licenseName=Free|platform=Windows,Webware&tag=ltcol



I would suggest taking this route since Ubuntu's boot loader will detect the Win7 install and allow you to boot to it easily.



As for Wine, I have used it successfully for some programs, but you'd most likely find more answers here:



http://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ

Answer 6

I would go with windows 7, I've experimented with just about every OS including windows 7 and ubuntu along with many other linux based OS'

Wine is useful but I did run into many incompatibility issues regardless of its use.

Windows 7 is good looking fast, clean, and just all around fun to play with.

Ubuntu is smaller, glitchier, and tougher to use and fix

Answer 7

You can use Wubi to install it inside of Windows. If you don't like it all you do is delete the folder it creates and any icon or desktop link to it. There is no partitioning of the hard drive required.