“Every Ubuntu user was once a windows user..”
The first time I had a computer, it was running windows 3. I had to type in “WIN” on the black screen to enter the visual interface. For a lifetime I have been a windows user...
Most recently my sister’s netbook started to run slow. I heard somewhere that Ubuntu is a good operating system to use on older and slower computers.
I went to the official website and downloaded a copy into my thumb drive. I learned that you can try Ubuntu before installing it.
In my opinion it’s a neat little thing! I popped in the USB and started to explore the new operating system.
The visual interface is just like the modern windows 7.
The task bar with icons are in the left; the slim start menu with time & date is on the top.
My Ubuntu desktop
What surprised me is, that the OS ran smoothly even from the USB disk.
I tried Ubuntu from the disk a dozen of times both in my sister’s netbook and in my work laptop.
For some reasons my sister’s netbook kept on shutting down while trying Ubuntu for long time. Maybe the old machine just could not handle all that load from the USB port. So I decided to leave it as it is.
I installed Ubuntu on my work laptop. It took about 30–40 minutes.
After installing it..
I Was Happy
Happy because my computer is just like a new machine.
Also it surprised me that I did not had to install any hardware drivers separately. Whenever I installed windows (any version) I had to run another setup to install all the utility drivers like graphic, sound, wireless etc. I had to either pop in the motherboard utility disk or look for drivers online.
Okay so I installed Ubuntu, now what?
There is an app store in Ubuntu, called Ubuntu Application Center. You have to pick the software you want to install.
Software center
Some of the common softwares I use on a daily basis for work, Skype, Dropbox, GIMP, FileZilla were there.
Firefox comes pre-installed on Ubuntu, so I installed Google Chrome and then removed the fox.
I installed VLC for media playing.
Two of my favorite software I use on windows are PhotoScape and Notepad++
Unfortunately they are not available on Ubuntu, so I now use GIMP for the photo editing and Sublime Text for code writing.
Default Softwares..
Ubuntu Can Do Things Out of The Box
Ubuntu has word, excel, PDF reader & power point installed by default. Which makes it easy for me to edit documents. The word application in Ubuntu also has option to export PDF which is a cool little feature. In microsoft office word, I had to install another plugin just to be able to export my document as a PDF.
For a reason I had to burn a disk. I saw there is a built in disk burner app in Ubuntu which I tried and it worked!
In windows, there is a default image burner too but everytime I tried it, my disk got totaled. (I lost 5–6 disks this way) As a result I had to use another software called Nero in windows.
So what you know, out of the box Ubuntu does all the common things you would do with a computer, without having to install any new program.
So far Ubuntu has around 75 pre-installed software for many different things. I didn’t even had time to check out all of them.
Tons of usueful apps pre-installed
It’s Fast!
Ubuntu made my 4 year old laptop run quicker.
It takes just 37 seconds to boot up (I measured it)
When I shut it down, it takes around 9–10 seconds to completely turn off. After a heavy load of work, it takes around 12–15 seconds to shut down but that is acceptable.
On the other hand windows would take around 1 and a half minute to boot in my computer, which is like forever! Shutting down is even worse.
I love how fast my laptop responds on Ubuntu. When I put it to sleep and wake it up, the transition is almost instant.
When my laptop was running windows, opening too many tabs and applications would make it too slow and sometimes painfully unbearable. But now it can take some good load.
It starts up chrome browser in seconds. In windows 7 when I would first click on chrome, it would take so long and sometimes I thought maybe I didn’t clicked on it.
The same goes with GIMP, it loads within seconds while in windows it would take like 2 minutes to startup.
Ubuntu has regular updates.
At first I felt, ohh its just like the crappy old windows update, I need to turn off. But after updating for the first time it felt good. It runs on background and doesn’t hogs any CPU, RAM or internet bandwidth. (Atleast I didn’t felt anything!)
Ubuntu doesn’t have any need for an anti virus. Which is cool because in every windows machine you need to install an anti-virus software that takes up 50% of the resourses and runs all the time. Keeps updating and scanning all the time. Without the anti virus, my computer runs even faster.
Now if you are just like me and would like to give Ubuntu a try, let me share a few things with you.
Ubuntu is Linux?
From what I found out, there are many versions of Linux open software. Among them Ubuntu is the most popular and visually appealing version available. You don’t need to know anything else.
I need to code?
No you don’t! Ubuntu has graphical interface which lets you do anything you wish. But every single command in Ubuntu like opening a file or installing apps can be done with code. So some users find the code way much easier.
Ubuntu version..
Install the latest version of Ubuntu, I installed 14.04 LTS. LTS means long term support (5 years) for updates and other stuff.
Update note: I am still using the version 14.04 even though 16.04 is out. I haven’t updated to the new version because I don’t like it.
Choose the 32 bit version. I first installed the 32 bit version and it works great in my machine. Later I saw that my computer is a 64 bit processor and can run the 64 bit version. So I tried the 64 bit option but it’s too slow. So I am using 32 bit version now with no hassle and chances are, you need that too.
Update note: You need more than 4 GB ram to run the 64 bit version. Now I have about 6 GB RAM, and using the 64 bit version Ubuntu.
After downloading Ubuntu/or buying a CD, you can try it before installing. Try Ubuntu and use it to see if you like it.
Games?
I spend most of my time on the computer working. My work is all about writing code, building websites, doing graphics and sometimes watching videos or movies. For all these requirements Ubuntu is perfect for me.
If for some reason I want to play a game, I would go online and play some flash games on MiniClip.
If you are a gamer, then Ubuntu has some limited number of games in their app store. It also has Steam which you can use and play many popular games.
But if you want to play the most popular windows based games or any old school emulator games, you have to hop onto a windows based computer to play them.
Update 2017
I am still using Ubuntu on my laptop and have been using it for nearly a year now. I am happy using it and haven’t seen any problems and slow down. I upgraded my laptop to 6 GB of RAM, which helps with the google chrome.
Have Your Say..
Did you switched to Ubuntu or planning to do so? Let me know your experience.