Switching to Linux

[danaeris]

Have any of you who are NOT pros at computer use switched to Linux?

What were your experiences?

I'm thinking of switching to Linux on my next computer, and curious to hear how well it is working for you. Although I learned some unix commands as a student at MIT, I haven't used that knowledge in 6 years and really would prefer a well-designed GUI.

I'm particularly curious about cheap practical software availability, and about the ability to synchronize with smartphones.

Comments

[cos]

I am a pro, and administer Linux servers at work, but I firmly believe the best user interface on any Unix today is OS X, so I use a MacBook. I like Linux okay for servers I interact with remotely and get to do specific things (though I think in some ways it's one of the least solid Unixes I've worked with), but I don't want it as my desktop/laptop OS.

[danaeris.livejournal.com]

*nods*

I've been having frustration with the hardware quality and support lately, and I'm also not happy with the direction Apple has been heading (highly proprietary, possible invasion of privacy, etc.).

Perhaps I'd have better luck with a MacBook instead of an iBook, but they are vastly more expensive.

Since I keep on hearing good things about Ubuntu, I thought that maybe it's finally time to transition. But maybe Ubuntu isn't quite there yet.

[oonh.livejournal.com]

I would be using osx, except there is one minor annoyance that no one seems to know how to deal with: how to remap the caps lock key to be another return key: I kind of insist on this on any machine I use.

I haven't used windows on any machine that I've personally had say-so since 1996 or so. I figured out how to get LaTeX to work with arbitrary postscript fonts, and generate pdfs with them, but you'll probably want openoffice.

Ubuntu is pretty slick. Kernel configuration (not that you'll have to do it) is a pita (better on FreeBSD), but you probably won't have to do it.

I've been going back and forth between two accounts on one machine -- one of them is the fancy gnome gui and the other isn't. Other stuff gets run at the same time as the gui, which slows the machine down noticeably.

Me being cheap and that one minor annoyance about the caps lock key are what are keeping my personal machine running linux at the moment.

[oonh.livejournal.com]

also, the fancy gui lets me do per-window keymaps (which is where I want it) -- macos has annoying per-text box keymaps (so I could have this text box be in dvorak and the subject text box be in qwerty), and I think I find that behavior very annoying).

[geekosaur]

That was true in Tiger but I think not Leopard.

[geekosaur]

Re key mapping: looked at http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/?

[oonh.livejournal.com]

doesn't map Caps Lock to Return.

[geekosaur]

MHO: Linux is usable by "power users" who aren't necessarily geeks, but is really not quite there for general use. The OLPC stuff started out on a variant of Ubuntu but last I heard was considering switching to a Windows base because of Linux usability shortcomings. (Howe many of them they brought on themselves by writing their fancy GUI in Python instead of a compiled language, I can't say; I do know it's been mentioned as being a bit slow.)

[hellsop.livejournal.com]

"cheap software" in the linux world is nearly redundant. It's difficult to find any to buy. Mostly, you can only buy support contracts for the same software that other people use for free.

Syncing on linux is almost invariably a Very Complicated setup process that leads a reliable functional process. Lots of fiddly bits to install, but many helpful webpages out there detailing paths to try to get something working. Once it's working, it will probably stay working forever without fussing.

[90pointmetaphor.livejournal.com]

Generally, I like Linux and use it when I can. I currently have a "fake dual-boot" with Ubuntu on my system (it installs like a Windows program, but then acts like a dual boot with some limitations, not sure if you can do this with Mac).

Biggest problems it has are talking to Microsoft software - OpenOffice can speak to Word as long as you don't use the complex features (i.e. forms) but not to the rest of MS Office, plus you're SOL with IE-only websites.

I'm currently using it to delineate personal vs work computer use. (Personal - Ubuntu, Work - Windows, on the same machine)

[qedrakmar.livejournal.com]

As a professional, I can recommend you get advice from the local amateurs. I notice there is a Linux User Group near you that you could probably ask for both advice and in-person help. http://www.hlug.ca/ I'm sure they'll have plenty of opinions on the specifics of GUI A vs GUI B, too. ;)

Most local LUGs tend to do a lot of install-fests, too, to help people work out any initial issues.

[freefloat.livejournal.com]

I'm using Ubuntu exclusively at home. Never happier. Of course, I'm not even peeking under the hood.... (yet)