[Ad Lib]

I've been loyal to Windows OS for a pretty long time. I even tolerated the abomination Vista until Windows 7 came out.

But for the last 6 months or so, I've been using Ubuntu. It takes a bit of getting used to where everything is and how to fix certain things, but frankly, I now use my Windows 7 partition for about half an hour a month at most, and it's usually for something relatively trivial.

I really like the latest incarnation of Ubuntu. I know a lot of the old boys don't like Unity replacing Gnome but honestly, I think it's great. The thing runs noticeably faster both on desktop and netbook than Windows 7 and all things considered it does everything I need it to. I've even managed to get it to stream media content to my Xbox 360 when Microsoft only really wanted Windows machines to be able to do that.

Anyone else made the shift?

[Gaz]

I made the shift from Windows Vista to Ubuntu a year or so ago. Unfortunately I had to switch back as so much of the software I needed for my final years at Uni was only provided for Windows.

Quite liked it though, I had it skinned so that it looked just like a Mac.

[Mr X]

I move to Ubuntu a few years ago - Hardy Heron, I think was the latest release at the time.

Much like Gaz, I moved back to windows after not too long. There was just too much stuff I couldnt run - I hate to think the hours I wasted fighting with WINE - and the benefits of Ubuntu over windows 7 (which I actually really like) just werent enough to make up for the lost software.

Nowadays, pretty much all the web stuff I do is using Visual Studio, so switching isnt really an option anymore

[honeyboy edwards]

I made the switch a couple off years ago.

Its a brilliant product and better still its free. My laptop runs much faster with Ubuntu than it ever did with Vista

Only downside for me is the lack of ipod/itunes compatibility.

[Mr X]

honeyboy edwards, on 15 December 2011 - 13:45, said:

I made the switch a couple off years ago.

Its a brilliant product and better still its free. My laptop runs much faster with Ubuntu than it ever did with Vista

Only downside for me is the lack of ipod/itunes compatibility.

As much as I hate knocking it, that is pretty much the biggest problem - someone always finds something that they want to do, but cant. Unless your PC usage is confined to the very basics, you'll have to compromise something to use Ubuntu. Which is a real shame.

[Ad Lib]

Mr X, on 15 December 2011 - 14:04, said:

As much as I hate knocking it, that is pretty much the biggest problem - someone always finds something that they want to do, but cant. Unless your PC usage is confined to the very basics, you'll have to compromise something to use Ubuntu. Which is a real shame.

My own experience is that you find things you want to do but can't but that with a bit of digging there's usually a way round it. Granted for stuff like development software that's probably not an option but really the only thing I use Windows 7 for now is for backing up my Blackberry because there's no equivalent software for Ubuntu. I occasionally use Windows for Paint.net because I'm not a huge fan of GIMP (particularly for enhancing old photographs) but asides that, Ubuntu does what I need it to do.

[Mr X]

Ad Lib, on 15 December 2011 - 14:10, said:

My own experience is that you find things you want to do but can't but that with a bit of digging there's usually a way round it.

I agree, but often the hassle just isnt worth it. Thats why it will remain the realm of uber-simple users and geeks. As I said, it is a shame

Ad Lib, on 15 December 2011 - 14:10, said:

Granted for stuff like development software that's probably not an option but really the only thing I use Windows 7 for now is for backing up my Blackberry because there's no equivalent software for Ubuntu. I occasionally use Windows for Paint.net because I'm not a huge fan of GIMP (particularly for enhancing old photographs) but asides that, Ubuntu does what I need it to do.

As I said, theres always an "except" to that statement.

[Ad Lib]

I guess it's not a problem for people like me who seems to get more fun out of fiddling with an operating system than actually using it

[Mr X]

Ad Lib, on 15 December 2011 - 15:40, said:

I guess it's not a problem for people like me who seems to get more fun out of fiddling with an operating system than actually using it

Maybe. I just got to the point where the fiddling was getting me anywhere and going back to windows solved all my problems.

Nowadays, I have websites to fiddle with and a Wii to hack

[xbl]

I switched to Ubuntu this year. However, I really only use my home pc for media, and I found the media players to be a bit crap. I'm loyal to Winamp, and the ones available for Ubuntu just weren't as good. It was also a bit of a hassle getting my second screen as I wanted it.

These days, I'm pretty much back to Windows again.

[Broccoli Dog]

Switched to Ubuntu a couple of years ago, while certainly faster than Windows it is sloppily designed and there are too many program incompatibility problems for my liking. Eventually I caved and got a Macbook.

[Ad Lib]

xbl, on 17 December 2011 - 09:22, said:

I switched to Ubuntu this year. However, I really only use my home pc for media, and I found the media players to be a bit crap. I'm loyal to Winamp, and the ones available for Ubuntu just weren't as good. It was also a bit of a hassle getting my second screen as I wanted it.

These days, I'm pretty much back to Windows again.

I find the media players to be great with Ubuntu. Obviously you need to set it up with all the codec packs and such-like but it's relatively quick to do. I don't especially like Banshee for music but it does the job and the video player is fine. In any case I mainly listen to music by streaming it to my Xbox which you can do at the click of a button with Ushare.

Surprised you've had issues with multiple screens. I've used a second screen with my laptop at the Glasgow Uni library and it doubles them up no problem. I really like the multiple desktop setting that comes by default with Ubuntu as well: it helps keep windows tidy.

[Mr X]

Ad Lib, on 17 December 2011 - 12:44, said:

I find the media players to be great with Ubuntu. Obviously you need to set it up with all the codec packs and such-like but it's relatively quick to do. I don't especially like Banshee for music but it does the job and the video player is fine. In any case I mainly listen to music by streaming it to my Xbox which you can do at the click of a button with Ushare.

Surprised you've had issues with multiple screens. I've used a second screen with my laptop at the Glasgow Uni library and it doubles them up no problem. I really like the multiple desktop setting that comes by default with Ubuntu as well: it helps keep windows tidy.

I love multiple desktops too. Its the one thing about Ubuntu I really couldnt live without when I switched back to windows. Fortunately, theres a programme called Dexpot which does it

[xbl]

Ad Lib, on 17 December 2011 - 12:44, said:

I find the media players to be great with Ubuntu. Obviously you need to set it up with all the codec packs and such-like but it's relatively quick to do. I don't especially like Banshee for music but it does the job and the video player is fine. In any case I mainly listen to music by streaming it to my Xbox which you can do at the click of a button with Ushare.

Surprised you've had issues with multiple screens. I've used a second screen with my laptop at the Glasgow Uni library and it doubles them up no problem. I really like the multiple desktop setting that comes by default with Ubuntu as well: it helps keep windows tidy.

I'm using a TV screen though rather than a monitor. In the end it wasn't worth the hassle. But the bit I've bolded is my point. Banshee does the job, but Winamp is far, far better to use (imo of course). So why would I use an inferior product? Thats pretty much why I switched away from Ubuntu. I didn't want stuff that "did the job". I wanted it to do the job well!

[The Master]

Back in March, I decided to switch to Ubuntu "for a month" at work...and I'm still using it.

I only really use LaTeX, Java/C++ and t'Interwebs so there wasn't much hassle. It is, however, a lot easier to access files from home - just tunnel in via our public-facing SSH server and boom. Much easier than faffing about with a VPN that's as unstable as Vladimir Romanov, and Remote Desktop.