On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 19:51:19 GMT, Cicero
wrote:


Over the past dozen years I've tried several Linux versions and found them
difficult and temperamental.

nods

Ubuntu is quite different from other
versions. I first tried it (Live CD) about a year ago and it found all my
hardware immediately and without any problems.

Likewise (mostly and much much better than most others).

I then did a full install
as 'dual boot' with Win2000 and again it worked perfectly first time.

Similar, mine was XP.

The
only exception was that it failed to operate my wireless network card
despite the fact that it was found and recognised. I've since repeated the
process on my other three computers (2 x MSI / 2 x Asus based), again
without any problems except the wireless network cards which isn't a
problem as I have a wired network which works perfectly with Ubuntu.

It worked ok on a Toshiba laptop (but again only seeing 1 USB wireless
device out of several PCMCIA WiFi cards etc) but had real issues on a
Dell (that is 100% rock solid with XP).

I'm now in the last stages of final transfer / conversion of old material
from Windows based software to fully Linux based software and I will
probably make Linux my only OS when this process is complete.

I was hoping I could have that setup on at least 1 machine (probably a
laptop) and to get there painlessly I have 3 removable drives I can
use with the Tosh (as Ubuntu worked on that), XP, Vista and Gutsy
Gibbon. After getting most things going on the Linux (not easy and
often VERY frustrating / illogical) email, newreaders, flash etc etc
I find I never use it, because there are so many other bit's of kit I
need it to talk to (gps's, transceiver config software etc) and many
Windows only software packages (and I don't want to arse about with
VM's etc) it still doesn't actually make the grade. Vista has yet to
excite or impress me (although it doesn't have as many unresolved
issues as the Linux solution [1]).

When our daughter switches a machine on in her room it's the PC 99% of
the time (not the Mac next to it) and when she borrows the Tosh she
first checks the XP drive is in there (and it invariably is) but will
use both the Linux or Vista solutions if she just intends to do a
quick bit of web browsing (ie not MSN / Cam etc).

I would suggest that anyone with an interest in a free OS should try the
'Live' Ubuntu CD to see how well it works. It will be slow but will show
how well the full version will work. Dual boot is always an option and
Ubuntu manages this very well.

Agreed, if you are *interested* in something else, for the fun of it
that's a good idea (although I'd go for a caddy drive rather than dual
boot, just_in_case) or if you have an under (Windows) spec machine you
just want as an Internet window then also (probably) ok.

All the best ..

T i m

[1] Not to say many / all my Linux issues couldn't easily be resolved
by someone who knows what they are doing.