Ubuntu Breezy... Not a bad distro...

[daacosta]

When one has too much time in his/her hands a Linux User and Developer Magazine with a CD with Ubuntu's distro one has to install!

Yes, I have used Fedora for the past months and I think highly of it but after being adviced to try out another distros I decided to try Damn Small Linux (Fantastic... I have a pendrive with it) and just yesterday Ubuntu.

The instal was very easy and I was asked few questions. I couldn't quite understand their root's account management and from what I figured later I (the user) have root's priviledges. That was a bit unusual but, what do I know?

Nonetheless there were very few problems with Ubuntu. Screen's resolution was fixed easily by: System -> Preferences -> Screen Resolution and choosing the right resolution. That didn't hurt... My soundcards were detected and I was able to choose the one that works correctly [I have gotten used to the bongos and now I don't minde them...] Playing audio CDs didn't pose a problem either and thus far I had nothing to complain about Ubuntu...

Connecting to the Internet was also a very intuitive, easy to do process: System ->Administration -> Networking... I was then asked for my password and then I proceeded to configure my external modem and my ISP's settings (dial up sucks...) Thus far, not a bad deal and I was able to surf the net.

Now that I was connected to the Internet I considered vital to update the OS and for that I opened Synaptic but... The repositories were not enabled and I had to learn how to enable them myself. Fortunately, Ubuntu's how-to guides seem decent and I was able to figure out that one quickly... Little did I know that there are yet more repositories that needed to be enabled to fetch things like java and flash plugins (Otherwise my Firefox browser would not be able to run aplets...) In fairness, it wasn't a process that normally takes two days and some postings by me screaming "HELP ME! " Having downloaded the plugins and a couple of programs that I love xboard (later I replaced it by eboard) and scid I just continued goofying...

Funny thing is that Ubuntu now figured out that it was outdated and the update manager woke up and asked me to update after closing synaptic. Hmmm... No problem, I closed all windows and allowed the little program do its thing. Only 64 (or so) programs needed updating! That was about 60 MB and not the usual 500 MB that I have to download using Fedora Core... I was happy with this and proceeded to update (took me 6 hours with dial-up but the process was not horrible...) Machine was updated, plugins were in place, I could play audio CDs, two chess programs that I like were installed, life was perfect...

I just wanted my icons The desktop came with no icons but I was able to fix that one easily with the configuration editor... Awesome... I even learned how to add my games to the menu with their cute little icons (That was so gay... sorry!)

My! My box has everything that I need! Ubuntu is running fine...

I checkede Techiemoe's review of Ubuntu hoping to find a fantastic review but... (I guess I am a dribbling moron...) He hated Ubuntu... I disagree with his review for the most part and I can say that it took me less time to make Ubuntu work on my box than with any other distro. [Sure, I had to download emacs but hey, that's part of the job...]

[oz]

I've never read techieMoe's review but can say that I've tried Ubuntu a number of times over the last couple of years and have never been very fond of it. However, there are plenty of people that do like it, so I'm glad it's out there for those that do.

That's the really good thing about Linux... there are plenty of options available and anyone that takes some time to experiment with it will undoubtedly find something that suits his or her tastes, and needs.

Glad you found what you are looking for, but don't hesitate to keep experimenting with Ubuntu, and other distros.

ozar

[techieMoe]

I checkede Techiemoe's review of Ubuntu hoping to find a fantastic review but... (I guess I am a dribbling moron...) He hated Ubuntu... I disagree with his review for the most part and I can say that it took me less time to make Ubuntu work on my box than with any other distro. [Sure, I had to download emacs but hey, that's part of the job...]

Glad to hear it works for you. I stand by my colorful negative opinion, as one man's treasure is another man's junk. This is the very reason I advise people to not take anyone's opinion on a distro (particularly mine) as the gospel truth.

[daacosta]

Glad to hear it works for you. I stand by my colorful negative opinion, as one man's treasure is another man's junk. This is the very reason I advise people to not take anyone's opinion on a distro (particularly mine) as the gospel truth.

Yes, I understand... Your reviews are honest and testing distros is like going to a party where some people have a blast and some others just get bored. You and anybody else can only give your view based on the equipment and needs that you have. Despite it all, I visit Techiemoe's website quite frequently to see what's there...

I was starting to get too comfortable with Fedora Core and I wanted to learn a little bit more about Linux and other ways that packages are distributed on Debian based distros... How cool! I consider Debian's package management much easier to handle than Red Hat's... Of course, eventually I will have to run Debian on my box to see what's the deal with that distro [By the time I tested it I just didn't know enough...]