Thanks to the DRM going into so many games now the same thing applies to Windows. I’ve gotten to the point where I only buy games for my consoles.

Au contraire. Ubuntu is pretty fantastic as a server. At least for the limited scope of serving that I usually do, which is Web (i.e. LAMP).

As far as server docs, there is the Debian project to turn to for that, as Ubuntu is based on Debian. And Debian has nothing if not great docs. Google on “debian administration” if you are really unsure.

Ubuntu (and Debian) does do things “different” from Red Hat, and, if you are used to and familiar with RH’s server tools, you might be a bit uncomfortable with the way Debian does stuff and where Debian files are located by default, and the like.

But neither RH nor Debian and its progeny are really better or worse as servers.

Also, look at the video issues. If you have an ATI based card and decide to use the fglrx drivers, expect to take some time just to get it the way you want. Something that could be done in windows with a simple point and click operation, takes divine intervention to get to work in Linux. If you want to use a Dual Head video, you’re limited to having two nearly independent desktops except if you have an app opened on one you have to close it before opening it on the second, or you can use the “Big Desktop” option, as long as both monitors support the exact same resolution and refresh rate. So pretty much changing your desktop configuration on the fly like in windows is pretty much out.

Another issue is (fake) RAID arrays. While it is true that windows uses drivers to use this disks as a single drive, it works well. So far, I’ve had nothing but problems the second i install dmraid. Part of the problem is that Linux pretty much ignores the BIOS and if you have it on say a third hard drive, not even part of the array, when you install dmraid, it will overwrite the mbr of the first drive in the array, but it won’t allow you to boot from it. And since Linux ignores the BIOS, if you have a motherboard that has more than 1 fakeraid controller installled, yo have a 50/50 chance of it picking up the correct one, since it won’t actually let you choose which one to use. In order to triple boot with xp and Vista (both on a fakeraid-0, I had to install Ubuntu on a third drive and I had to install Easy BCD to be able to boot Ubuntu without having to hit F8 to change the boot device. I also had to install EXT3 drivers for Vista and XP as a means of moving files from windows to Ubuntu.

However, all that aside if you have a single monitor, no fakeraids nor any desire to play the latest greatest games, then Ubuntu is pretty easy. So far I have yet to see a live version of windows, one that is freely distributable, and one that can be installed or run from a usb pen. Ubuntu live from a USB pen drive runs roughly about the same speed as a full installation. Also, thanks to Synamptic, finding many of the apps you need is alot easier than it is in windows. Ubuntu also runs as fast or faster than XP on the same hardware, the same can’t be said about Vista. The fact that XP is approaching its end of life cycle leaves the potential for users to extend the useful life of their computers simply by switching to Linux, and with that, possibly Ubuntu.

I have been a Linux User since 1999. Started with RedHat 4 and Slackware 3. I used to try 10 or more distributions a year.

To get the system I like. I would download and install linux, use the package management system to install all of the goodies I expect. Then spend the next 2 or 3 days customer compiling all of the missing goodies and intergrating them into the system. Overcoming compile errors due to new libraries and new versions of gcc.

Ubuntu is the first distro that after installing all of the goodies in the repos. I only have to spend an hour or so compiling a handful of packages. Between the Ubuntu repos, debian repos and things like medibuntu and get-debi. It is pretty much all there.

The last time I tried Fedora it was cluncky and slow compared to Ubuntu. I was always having to custom compile and fix errors…or trying some .rpm not made for my system and hoping it would not create depenedancy hell.

The best help forums and IRC channels are Ubuntu’s. Even if you have a problem with another distro. Looking to Ubuntu forums is where you will probably find your answer.

Ubuntu-guides will give you almost everything you need to know for the perfect desktop that Ubuntu has left out.

The quickest way I know to Linux bliss is Ubuntu. (And I was a hardcore slacker)

Yes, the WUBI is an easy way to test out Linux. But so is a CD/DVD/USBLive distro. Once you are on board with Linux, it is important to setup a partition and get a real install. Most Linux distros make this process pretty easy.

For serious Linux users, it is not just about the installation, it is about management. Fedora was one of the earliest distros to install to LVM’s by default. It’s important to be able to move/grow/shrink Linux partitions easily.

As far as installation, I install Fedora using PXE using Anaconda’s kickstart. It is very automatic even when the hardware differs (thanks to good hardware detection).

Management is where things are going. This is where Fedora/RHL is really starting to shine. Once you have more than one Linux machine, you need to easily manage machines and accounts. Various distros have started to tackle the problem, but haven’t gone far enough. It appears that Free-IPA will finally do it. I figure Ubuntu and others will pick up on Free-IPA also. It’s a good idea and it’s been missing in Linux-land for too long. I’m not talking just about servers. I’m talking about notebooks. If Linux is to be serious on the desktop IT needs to be able to manage it or else it will never get out of the toy desktop stage.

Also check out ‘func’ at https://hosted.fedoraproject.org/projects/func

I think that’s why they disabled hibernate and suspend in Wubi.

“It is a cool feature, but it is not much more useful than USB flash drive installs.”

Sure it’s more useful. You can click a link on the Ubuntu download page and install it in Windows. That’s huge for ease of install. Compare the 2-step installation here:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/downloadmirrors (Wubi is at the very bottom of the page.)

With the LiveUSB installation process on the pendrivelinux.com site.

I’m glad that Fedora is going in the same direction, but they always seem to fall just a little bit short of the mark, in this case by requiring a “pre-partition.” If a potential user doesn’t mind partitioning the drive why wouldn’t they do a traditional Linux installation and be done with it?

Thanks for the info about Livna updates. I hated that, and the need to download ISO’s for upgrades to the new versions.

This uses a loopback filesystem on NTFS. There used to be another filesystem that did this under linux called UMSDOS. I dunno if it was more or less sane that the loopback method. Both are a bit out there. The problem with the loopback method is that it does not work in all situations. For example, power management can screw it up. It is a cool feature, but it is not much more useful than USB flash drive installs. See Fedora’s plans:

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/InstallFromWindows

“I used Fedora for years before switching to Ubuntu. For me, it’s the little things that count. Adding the livna repo might be too big of a stumbling block to a brand new Linux user. Every time I upgraded to a new version of the OS I had to add livna again and reinstall my proprietary drivers. It wasn’t a huge problem, but it was an extra step. I used Fedora from version 4 to 6.”

This happens automagically now. The .repo files go get the right repository based on the version number of the distro. Once it’s installed, it’s installed.