Ubuntu Linux is Linux Made Easier
Written: Jan 21 '07 (Updated Feb 21 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Not just operating system but a COMPLETE software for Desktop/Workstation, fast stable, excellent hardware compatibility
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: Ubuntu is the best Linux yet...not just a great, responsive, stable and secure operating system but it comes with useful software application, all for FREE!
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| paulphoto's Full Review: Canonical Ubuntu Linux |
The World of Linux
OpenSource is becoming widespread throughout the world and Linux is the best thing that sprung out of it. Lets face it, not all of us are Linux guru; and Linux can be intimidating for new users. That is unfortunate because Linux is an extremely powerful operating system; and it is FREE--free in terms of free license and freedom as well as almost entirely free software, provided you know how to obtain them. My philosophy is: be familiar with as many different operating systems as possible so that you can have a choice.
The world of Linux has changed dramatically within the last several years. Linux has transformed itself from being the most difficult operating system to the now most easy-to-use operating system ever. In terms of easy-to-use I mean both installation and usage. Let me explain. In many cases, after installing a Windows XP operating system, you would have to go through all the hardware driver installation in order for Windows XP be able to use those hardware peripherals. For an average computer user, this process can be overwhelming. For Linux, all the hardware components and peripherals are detected and configured automatically. In terms of usage, the graphical user interface (GUI) of Linux is friendlier than ever. If you are used to Windows desktop, Linux desktop is no different.
There is a slogan put out by Ubuntu community saying "Ubuntu is linux for human beings..." This statement refers to the fact that Linux is not only affordable or free for everyone, it is also easy to use, not merely for the selected few. And if you keep your option open, your freedom of choice in computer system is far more advantageous than being stuck with a proprietary software/hardware system like Windows or Macs. I use both Linux and Windows. I don't hate Windows but I much prefer to use Linux because of the freedom of choice--license, high level of security, flexibility, computing power...and it is cheap.
What is Ubuntu Linux? It's More than an Operating System...
Ubuntu Linux is a distribution containing the complete application software package. It is based on Debian GNU/Linux OpenSource GPL software programs, using the current stable kernel 2.6.17. As a desktop system, Ubuntu contains the complete application software ranging from business to Internet to multimedia.
The following lists a few software programs in the basic installation of Ubuntu Linux 6.10. I also list Windows OS's third-party or additional application programs for comparison. You may want to factor price into this too.
OpenOffice 2.0 (Word, Spreadsheet, Database, Presentation) ==> MS Office 2003
Mozilla Firefox (secure web browser) ==> MS Internet Explorer
The GIMP 2.2 (photo editing program) ==> Adobe Photoshop CS 2
Movie Player (gXine, Xine, Kaffeine, Ogle, etc) ==> Better than Windows Media Player
Serpentine Audio CD creator ==> Nero Express (striped down version)
Audio Media (Rhythmbox Music Play, Sound Juicer CD Creator, etc) ==> MusicMatch, Nero, RealOne, etc
Evolution Mail ==> OutLook
k9copy (DVD copy) ==> Nero Express or other third-party software
Games (many more games than Windows) ==> Windows Games
Ubuntu Linux is FREE: CD or Download
Ubuntu aims at providing Linux a much more user-friendly approach. A free copy of Ubuntu 6.06LT can be requested at www.ubuntu.com, which only requires registration with a valid e-mail address. Ubuntu can be purchased for under $10 with full support!
Ubuntu is available for both PC and Mac. It currently supports 32-bit and 64-bit system architecture, including single-, dual-core or dual processor. It also supports various system platform, such as Desktop or Server. I requested three copies of Ubuntu for 32-bit, 64-bit and Mac edition, and received them, each in a single CD-ROM and a sticker, within two weeks.
If you have a fast cable Internet or DSL connection, you can download the current release of Ubuntu 6.10. It is also easy to package the software into a bootable CD from the downloaded ISO image files. All that is required is an Infra Recorder program that packages Ubuntu ISO files and burns them onto a blank CD. Infra Recorder may be downloaded at this web site http://infrarecorder.sourceforge.net/ to install on a Windows platform. Once Ubuntu ISO image files are downloaded into a Windows hard drive, Infra Recorder package them into a bootable CD to run or install Ubuntu on your machine. For a Mac OS X, since it is basically a native Linux operating system, its Disk Utility program can be used to package the Ubuntu Linux.
In addition to requesting a free copy from Ubuntu web site, I also downloaded their recent release version 6.10 (700MB), which took a little over an hour via a cable connection. After download was complete, I ran Infra Recorder on Windows XP to open the folder that I stored Ubuntu ISO files in. After inserting a blank CD in my CD burner, Infra Recorder basically went ahead to package the files and burn them on the CD. This CD contains Ubuntu 6.10 that can be operated off a CD or installed permanently on a hard drive.
Ubuntu Live! on CD
Like Knoppix, Ubuntu can be tested live! on CD. This means that you can run and use Ubuntu (with limited operations) off the CD. This is the greatest thing about Linux nowadays. You can test-run a Linux distribution before permanently installing it on your machine. In this review, I discuss the complete Ubuntu Linux desktop edition permanently installed on a machine.
On this CD, you can install Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, AbiWord (word processor), graphics toolkit and photo editing program--The GIMP--on your Windows machine.
Installing Ubuntu on a PC -- No Need for a Linux Guru
I have tested Ubuntu live on CD and was quite intrigued by its simplicity, and decided to install it on my workstation. With a machine configured to boot from a CD-ROM drive, Ubuntu Linux is launched as a live version. To permanently install it on my system, I need to launch the Install application on its desktop. Installation from the CD requires about 2GB of disk space. The Ubuntu system installer only asks a few questions in 5 steps, each is followed by clicking the Forward button to move to the next step. To show how easy it is to install Ubuntu, I will list all of the steps for you so you can anticipate them when you install Ubuntu yourself.
1. Select a language (English -- default)
2. Choose a Time Zone (New York -- default -- I recall)
3. Keyboard layout (US -- default)
4. Your Name, User Name, Password, Reconfirm Password; Computer Name
5. Select a Disk
6. Installation Process
Basic Installation -- Users New to Linux
Step 5 is perhaps the most important step to consider carefully if you are attempting a dual boot. In this step, there are three options to choose: 1) Erase entire disk, 2) Use the largest continuous free space and 3) Manually edit partition tables. When I first installed Ubuntu on a blank hard drive, this option did not present any complication. I wanted a dual boot. So I installed Windows XP using the first partition. Ubuntu recognizes Windows partition, but still asks if I want to erase the entire disk or use the continuous free space, or configure the partition manually.
In Step 5, I selected option 2 for Ubuntu to make use whatever it thinks is best. Here, Ubuntu divides the free partition into two: one for root system (ext3 filesystem type) and the other for swap partition ( virtual memory -- much like Windows paging file/folder):
partition #2 as ext3
partition #3 as swap
Ubuntu does not show the first partition as it is being used by Windows system. To make any correction on the previous steps, a backward button can be pressed to get to them. Once the Install button is pressed, Ubuntu starts formatting the partitions, preparing the partition table and installation. Here is a list of my machine use for Ubuntu.
Motherboard Tyan S2466MPX (dual CPU)
CPU: Athlon MP 2000+ 1.67GHz (dual configuration)
RAM: Samsung 4x512MB PC2100 Reg/ECC
Video AGP: ATI Radeon 9600XT 4x/8x 128MB
Hard Drive Fujitsu MAP3367NC SCSI 36.7GB via Adaptec 29160 PCI-X, Seagate 7200.9 SATA-II 80GB via PCI controller
CD/DVD: LiteOn CD burner, Pioneer DVD-ROM
Installation from the CD requires about 2GB of disk space. If you plan to update and add more software programs, a partition in the order of 5-6GB of space should be considered.
Installation was very brief compared to Windows or other Linux installation such as SuSE. Within 7 minutes, the installation bar indicated 75% done. The whole process was completed within 14 minutes, with hardware detection and configuration. Ubuntu uses GRUP as its bootloader so that I can boot into Windows XP or in recovery mode. Once complete, I still have option to keep using Ubuntu live on CD or reboot the system. I chose the latter.
Advanced Installation -- Experienced Linux User
On my second installation on a server machine, I have a number of hard drives with old Linux partitions and a partition used by Windows XP. I wanted to write Ubuntu on my old Linux partitions that spread out discontinuously on two hard drives. So I used Ubuntu's installation manually. Once selected, Ubuntu listed all the hard drives. Each partition could be resized as desired. Ubuntu's manual setup is similar to Mandrake Linux, in terms of deleting or configuring new partitions. However, the whole setup was so different that I had to carefully play around with it a bit to understand the process.
The advantage for a manual setup is that Ubuntu can read NTFS partitions and read/write FAT32 partitions; a great way to share files between platforms (Windows and Linux) as a dual-boot system. Here, I setup Ubuntu so that it can read my video folders in NTFS partition. I designated about 22 GB of FAT32 partitions for sharing files between Ubuntu and Widnows XP.
Warning! In the manual setup, Ubuntu listed all the partitions in the hard drive. To the right of this list, a check box indicated format or leave as is. Be sure to verify it and uncheck the ones that you only want to Ubuntu to mount and read. Otherwise, Ubuntu will format those partitions and destroy everything in them!
Compared to other Linux distribution, such as SuSE or Mandrake, Ubuntu is quite simple to manage even for a manual installation. It is quite powerful and flexible, allowing a user to custom configure the partitions as desired. I like it immensely!
Again, once this step is complete, Ubuntu moves to step 6, which is basically the same as that done in the auto setup phase, as mentioned above.
Using Ubuntu
As a dual boot, Ubuntu presents a boot screen with a choice to boot into Windows or other operating systems. Ubuntu booted very quickly into its welcome/log-in screen. At this point, I still have option to reboot (in another OS), hibernate or shutdown the system without having to log in to Ubuntu. I log in to Ubuntu using the username and password that I created during the installation process. On a first log-in, this is the only account I can access. It is also the root account, which I will explain later for good practice.
A trumpet audio file sounds to indicate a working sound card during log-in. Everything went very quickly compared to other Linux distribution I have used. This is because Ubuntu has few applications to launch. Ubuntu Linux uses the newly improved GNOME as its standard desktop environment, split into two taskbars, top and bottom, emulating Mac OS. The bottom basically keeps track of application status; the top is the platform where all applications can be launched, all grouped in three simple categories: Applications, Places and System as pull-down menus. Of course, the taskbars can be configured to auto hide or slide to the side to allow room for more desktop real estate. Quick launch application can be added to the top taskbar, etc. The file manager under GNOME environment is operated by Nautilus.
If Ubuntu was (manually) configured to auto mount foreign partitions, such as Windows FAT or NTFS, these partitions will be placed on the desktop with the label exactly as their appear under Windows (that is if you name them there). I always give names for all my local drives/partitions, and Ubuntu uses these appropriate names as mount points. These partitions will be mounted under the /media/ mount point. Accessing them is only a mouse click away.
Applications has Accessories, Games, Graphics, Internet, Office and Sound and Video. Places has CD/DVD Creator program, Network Server, Connection to Server, Search for files, etc. Under System, you can set a desktop preference, launch sequence, manage workspace, log on/off or switch user, etc. For a system administration, System is the place where you can add or remove user accounts, monitor hardware components, configure different operations, etc.
Unlike Windows XP that supports a pseudo multi-user environment with its user-switch, Ubuntu Linux (which is true for all Linux) is a truly multi-user system. You can switch a user, log on to a different account, with every application being used by other users untouched. This is not true for Windows XP where applications cannot be shared or used simultaneously by other users.
Ubuntu is quite responsive; though, this obvious performance depends on the hardware speed and capability. But the general performance of Ubuntu Linux 6.10 is quite stable and fast. Its multi-task capability was equally responsive. For new users, Ubuntu Linux will not present any obstacles on learning cure or even learning new things -- Ubuntu's desktop environment makes navigation very simple. Compared to Windows XP user interface, Ubuntu Linux is far more easier to navigate...seriously!
OpenOffice 2.0 is quite compatible with MS Office files. The user interface is a bit different but not so far much different or difficult to adapt. You need to have an open mind. OpenOffice can open files written in MS Office, modified and save them back in MS Office format. I have tested it with my MS Office 2003 files under MS Word and Excel 2003. But why bother with cross-platform compatibility? Well, in case, you have old MS Office files that you need to work on. Note: MS Office cannot read OpenOffice files with full compatibility.
For audio, data or video application, Ubuntu's Totem, Rhythmbox, Serpentine and Sound Juicer are more than enough to support light multimedia application.
Ubuntu came with several digital management programs. For instance, gThumb can view and print photo images in different layouts and sizes, very good for printing digital photos. It is also a semi photo editing software. F-Spot is a semi photo viewer/editor. It can display images as a slideshow, etc. Document View is similar to Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. The GIMP 2.2 is far more applicable, even though it requires learning.
The XSan scanner program can recognize my Nikon LS-40 ED digital film drum scanner through USB connection. It is a bit difficult to obtain the correct coloration, exposure and density, which requires a lot of experimentation to get it right. For a standard flatbed document or graphic scanning, it should be fine.
For DVD movie application, Ubuntu has Totem movie player program which for some reason did not work well on my machine. I downloaded a few other programs, such as gXine, Kaffein, Ogle and Xine for DVD playback instead. All worked very well.
Creating User Accounts
During installation, Ubuntu creates an administrative account with the name that I gave. It also uses that password for a root account. It requires a root password to perform software modification and upgrade or removable, anything that deals with a system-wide modification. For an added security, I create several accounts as regular accounts, including one for myself to use on a daily basis. I went into the Administration in the System pull-down menu to set a new password for root. Using the administrator account is not a good practice since with one small mistake can render the whole system inoperative (which is even more true for Windows).
Internet
For web browsing, the best way to connect Ubuntu machine is via a cable or DSL using Internet Protocol. By default, Ubuntu installs the system and configures its IP port using DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol). Once the system is connected via RJ-45 (LAN) or USB, Internet is connected immediately. On our system, I have a router that routes our charter cable. I configure my router with a static IP address. Our Ubuntu machine recognizes it and connects immediately to our workgroup, and thus gets connected to the Internet.
For modem dial-up connection, it is a bit difficult, as with any other Linux system. It requires a true modem for connection. Many modems are winmodem (Windows modem) that relies on a software to help translate its dial code and signal. A good real modem is US Robotic Model No. 5610B, which is quite expensive. I did use it in the past with Red Hat, Debian, SuSE Linux. If you are a new user, I don't recommend trying a dial-up connection.
Ubuntu also offers connection to www.ekiga.net for a softphone access. I can register at Ekiga.net for a user account to take advantage of online phone communication, which is a great thing to have since it is free. I've already registered for an account but have not used it yet.
Text-Command
As a simplified Linux, Ubuntu can get everything done quickly and easily via its GUI. For experienced user, sometimes it's even faster or simpler to perform many tasks in the text-command mode. Since Ubuntu is based on Debian, its filesystem hierarchy structure or standard (FHS) is similar to Debian, which makes it easy to navigate through the FHS system. I haven't done a lot of text-command tasks in it but have poked around a few things and found them in the common place. For example, I could edit the boot menu list to make it look a bit nicer.
Dual-Boot and Share
In the auto installation, Ubuntu does not configure to read foreign partitions, in this case, Windows. I could not access Windows NTFS partitions. In its File System (that is, in its disk mounts), Ubuntu lists those partitions and hard drives, but I cannot access them. They must be mounted manually. The only way to share files between platforms and for Ubuntu to access NTFS files, I had to use the manual hard drive configuration during installation to mount those partitions, as outlined above.
Spice Up Ubuntu
My machine had a cable connection, and immediately after log-in, Ubuntu notified me about new updates, and offered option to update. I went ahead to update the system with new patches. The process took about 15 minutes. But, before proceeding, Ubuntu prompted for a root password. The nice thing is that during boot-up, the GRUP bootloader presents a new updated kernel and an old kernel, in case, you prefer to boot into the old setup.
Ubuntu includes all the popular programs in the Linux community, those that are anticipated to be used by regular users. To make it more workstation oriented, many software programs can be added to the system. I tried to add a few programs, such as k9copy (DVD copy and backup), GNU Sound Editor, AcidRip (DVD riper), Griffith (Movie Manager), and couple more, to extend Ubuntu's multimedia applications. Many of which work quite well; their application and performance depend on your preference, though.
As a Linux system, Ubuntu supports all GNU/Linux application software. I installed all sort of text editor programs (such as LaTeX) and updated programming languages for Python, C++, FORTRAN, etc. The practice and powerful application software under Linux platform are enormous!
Problems with Software Crashes
Windows XP integrates its graphical user interface (GUI) with its core operating system (its kernel). During multi-task, some application may not respond. Its performance may drops as it tries to do damage control. Sometimes, it freezes for a moment then comes back and asks to send the report of the crash problem. If the problem is so severe, it will just crash completely with a blue screen of death or reboot (...everything is lost). This is the weak and sweet spot of Windows for incorporating its GUI to the core kerneI; if one is down, the other will follow.
Ubuntu Linux graphical user interface is separate from its core operating system. If one of the application's GUI does not respond or crashes, the kernel still runs normally. It basically shuts down the nonresponding program. Other programs are still running normally. This is the beauty of Linux.
While listening to my ogg music files, and exploring the new GIMP 2.2 to edit my image files, I used CD creator program to burn an audio CD. I ran Sound Juicer program to extract my audio CD. For some reason, the program crashed. Ubuntu's crash message came up asking to enter what I was doing before it crashed. My music was playing and my GIMP was still rendering my image uninterrupted, without a pause. I later found out that my music CD was not readable due to severe scratch on its coding. I also tried a few other programs, performing some illegal operations; and again, the system just shuts down those program that don't respond.
Hardware Support?
My hardware system listed above is quite old. Surprisingly, Windows XP cannot configure the sound card nor the SATA PCI controller card. But Ubuntu could configure them both! In fact, all the hardware components were detected and configured properly.
If you think that Ubuntu can only detect old hardware, think again. I have installed Ubuntu Linux on a very new hardware system (released in August 2006) based on:
Motherboard: Biostar NF325-A7
CPU: Athlon 64 3000+ 2.0GHz
Ubuntu was able to configure all the built-in peripherals, including LAN, USB, sound, etc., while Windows XP required the CD driver that came with the motherboard to configure everything properly.
In other words, there is practically no limitation on which hardware system Ubuntu can or cannot support. However, if you run into problem with hardware not detected or configured properly, there are a full load of drivers written by other Linux users and are free download on the Internet (for example, www.linux-drivers.org). Hardware manufacturers nowadays recognize the popularity of Linux and they ship their hardware with Windows, Linux as well as Mac drivers. This is one less work required from the user.
When adding my Epson Stylus C66 printer to my Windows XP system, I had to go through all the software driver installation (load the CD; at the prompt, hook up the printer, turn it on, wait for indication, click this and that, etc.). That same printer was added to Ubuntu Linux system effortlessly without a hassle. Ubuntu recognized the printer; it detected the right model and added it to the printer list.
In terms of printer support, Ubuntu Linux supports virtually any printer available years ago or currently, ranging from A to Z, such as Alps to Zebra. It supports both my Epson Stylus C66 and HP 7150 InkJet printers as well as my HP LaserJet 1018 printer. The process merely involves hooking up the printer, go to the system administration, select Printer option, add it and the system detects and configures it automatically...very easy.
Ubuntu Family
Ubuntu Linux is designed for medium or powerful machine with large RAM and high performing CPU. For a machine in the range of Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon series, Ubuntu is the right Linux.
For older machine with low RAM and slow processor, Xubuntu, which is a lighter version of Ubuntu that does not demand too much of hardware power, is a good choice. As a desktop environment, it uses Xfce to lighten the load and requirement of RAM.
The next member is Kubuntu that makes use of KDE (that is, K Desktop Environment) for Linux users who prefer this desktop environment.
Then, there is a much easier Ubuntu Linux version, called Edubuntu, which is meant for very new users. It is designed around the education environment at providing an ease to learning cure in Linux system.
Who is Ubuntu for?
Ubuntu is especially designed to make everything easy about Linux, to make new users feel right at home. It is designed to make Linux simple; and that's what Ubuntu is...simple to use. Ubuntu can be set up and running with little or no complicated work by the user, especially for new users. Therefore, Ubuntu Linux is perfectly an excellent Linux distribution for new users.
If you only use your computer to get online, browse the Internet, shop online, read/write e-mails, listen to music, copy CDs or DVDs, watch TV online or listen to radio online, perform office work such as writing letters, papers, articles or memos, view or print digital image files, or watch DVD movie, then Ubuntu is the perfect system to have compared to Windows XP. Why? First of all, it is free. Second, Ubuntu Linux is a very secure system and less vulnerable to viruses; no spyware or anti-anything programs are needed which can save a lot of money and frustrations. In terms of affordability, freedom of choice, security and ease of frustrations about spyware, malware, viruses, disk defragmentation, etc, Ubuntu Linux is the solution.
If you can find your way around Windows XP platform, you will find it easier to navigate around Ubuntu. This means you don't need any operation manual. But if you need help on this, visit www.ubuntu.com forum page and threads, or purchase a book produced by Ubuntu. Even new users, I don't think you need it; Ubuntu is that simple.
Can Linux Completely Replace Windows? Yes & No
If you are into advanced video editing, Linux software has yet to mature and therefore (in my opinion) cannot yet possibly replace Windows platform. The latter still has an edge because many software vendors are investing in it for its popularity in the market. Personally, I still find Windows-based video editing software application easier. Of course, if you are willing to spend a lot of money buying Linux commercial product, it would be a different story. My remark here is about free or affordability that goes with applicability. But I am grateful for the freedom and free share of Linux.
Conclusion
Ubuntu Linux is perhaps the best of Linux distribution in terms of simplicity and ease of use. It is extremely stable and very secure. As a basic install, Ubuntu contains all useful application programs for everyday use, such as Internet, Office, light multimedia (audio and video), education and gaming. Furthermore, Ubuntu is very easy to install, easier than Windows XP. Installation process is also brief, which explains why it only includes useful software applications, which is limited but can be added by the user (which is also very easy via the Add/Remove under the Applications pull-down menu...only requires a root password). Ubuntu is excellent at detecting and correctly configuring hardware components. Its GNOME user interface is perhaps the best thing yet.
You don't need to be an experienced Linux user to use Ubuntu, which is its primary goal...to introduce Linux to new users. Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian GNU/Linux. Therefore, it can take advantage of Debian packages for updating new programs. Debian package manager is one of the two most popular Linux packaging systems; the other being Red Hat. This means that every release of new kernel or software programs can be incorporated into Ubuntu using Debian's package text-command syntax, or use the Add/Remove link.
My only complaint about Ubuntu is that it uses the same password of the username that was created during the installation as the root password. This could pose a security hole. For instance, if someone could log in using your account (the one created during installation, that is), they could get complete access to the system. However, it's nice that Ubuntu allows a random root password; and it can be changed. This approach sets itself apart from other extremely secure Linux distribution, like Red Hat. This approach is quite understandable, since Ubuntu aims to make things easier for new users, but it's not the Linux/UNIX tradition.
If you are out to explore Linux, Ubuntu will surprise you. You might also want to try Knoppix, which is an entirely new Linux that can perform a number of unique things. I have written a review of it here as part of IVPlay's Software Write-Off.
Recommended:
Yes
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