At this point Windows Vista has hit the streets and many reviews have be written about it. Personally, I haven't really played much with it. We all do face the same dilemma though. Should I upgrade or shouldn't I? What are the options I have?
In the last year I've been mulling this question around and have come up with my personal solution. As a little background, I've been involved in computers in one fashion or another since 1980. All my involvement as been around desktop machines of the once know "IBM Compatible" type, now Windows. Over the years I have become quite proficient at building, maintaining and fixing my machines and the machines for friends and clients. I guess you could call me a Windows Power User. I am the Guru to many I know, and can fix almost anything on the computer that I need to. However, I'm no expert, just more experienced. I also have my Guru's that I turn to in times of need.
I've become increasingly more discouraged with Windows and the upgrade cycle we're all put through from one version to the next. Not just the process, but the cost that can be involved for a home user and when running a small business. The cost of the operating system itself, the hardware that it requires and the software to run on it. This all gets very expensive.
I started looking around at alternatives to Windows and programs that do what I need them to do. Apple has an attractive machine now, but I still have to spend more to get one. What could I use that would work on my existing machines, even old machines that are 3 to 5 years old? Was there anything available?
One Sunday afternoon last year I was listening to Leo Laporte "The Tech Guy" on AM 640 out of LA. I heard him mention Ubuntu GNU/Linux and this time I thought I'd take a look. Why? Well.... it's different, has tons of free programs available and the operating system itself is free. But can free really be good? You bet! Perhaps you're not familiar with Ubuntu, but Linux should ring a bell somewhere in the back of your mind. Perhaps companies like Novell and Red Hat are familiar? Both of these companies produce a version of Linux that are widely used in corporations, mostly for servers that handle databases, web sites, email etc. Their products are based on Linux and Linux has been garnering the reputation world wide as a stable environment that is secure and configurable. The drawback in the last few years is there really hasn't been a viable Desktop version that the masses can use. That has all changed in the last couple of years.
Although Linux is the underlying system, there are hundreds of flavors or distributions (see DistroWatch), and many different Desktops. Desktops are what you are actually looking at on the screen when you use the computer. There are three primary versions XFCE, Gnome and KDE. Each offers something different.
Needless to say, I dropped myself into a whole new world of experimentation and exploration. What I've found is I can do on Linux what I use to do on Windows with little or no cash outlay and do it on new or old machines.
Another day I'll cover some of the differences between windows and Linux and the programs that make me productive. But for now, if any of this intrigues you, it is possible to try various Linux distributions without redoing your whole computer. At Ubuntu.com you can download their latest "Live CD". Download that and use your CD burner to create a "disk image" not a "data" cd at the slowest speed your burner will go. Now just reboot with the cd in the drive and if your computer is setup correctly it will boot to the cd and allow you to play with a fully functional version of Ubuntu GNU/Linux without touching your hard drive. It will be slower running from the CD but you shouldn't have any problem. It will also allow you to evaluate your computer to see if all the equipment is compatible.
Until next time,
Mark