Linux.

I’m going to get this out of the way.  I’m a CS major.  I enjoy messing around with computers.  It’s what I do.  I heard that there was a new beta for a popular version of Linux called Ubuntu, or “Your Bum Tube.”  Ubuntu is really great because they give you the option to try it without actully installing it on your computer, or you could install it like any other program in Windows.

In my case, I was really tired of my fresh install of Windows XP taking 5 minutes to do anything after I log on, so I opted to do a complete install and throw XP out the window.  Ok.  That was a really bad play on words, and I apologise.  Anyway, I actually installed it on battery power in under an hour.  It’s probably not recommended, but it worked.  I can say that I did it in the name of science!

I had fiddled around with Ubuntu 7.10 a little but there were a few things that didn’t jive with me.  It was mainly the wonkey video and touchpad support.  But this 8.04 beta is much more polished.  I was able to get DVDs and set up my touchpad to my liking from the get go.

Another cool thing about Ubuntu is its many flavors.  I realized my laptop is old.  Really old.  There’s an edition of Ubuntu for that!

“Xubuntu uses the Xfsc desktop environment, meaning that it will run fast while still delivering a user-friendly interface. Older computers feel lively again, while newer ones will run faster than ever before!”

It’s not as polished as regular Ubuntu, but after a few hours of fiddling, I was able to get it to pretty much exactly how I wanted.  It runs like a charm, the only problem I’ve had is that it hangs up sometimes when you try to log off or shut down.  I can write this off to the whole beta thing.  There’s support for pretty much every program that I use on my laptop, and it’s free!  Perfect right?  For me at least.

Linux really isn’t for everyone though.  If you’re not really all that computer literate, or if you’re not willing to spend a little time fiddling with things, you’re definitely better off with whatever Windows version is out there.  There are definite compatability problems with some hardware, and it simply doesn’t have the same gaming capabilities that Windows has.  As with anything, there a pros and cons.

On to the pictures!