Pacific Real Estate Network

I have now been using Ubuntu for about a year and a half.  Am I still enamored with it?  I am!  I have had some issues, drawbacks and frustrations.  But, I realized that even using Windows I have ... issues, drawbacks and frustrations.  The difference, I'm finding, is with Ubuntu for each issue that comes up it's typically easier to find help and implement a solution that keeps the issue from reappearing. 

I found over the years of using Windows the problems I had were typically always the same and tended to re-occur with regular frequency.  Here's some examples....

Windows
1)   noticeably slowed down for me after using it about a year.  After two years it was necessary to save all my data, reformat and reinstall to regain that "fresh" speed.
2)   Almost every program I installed wanted to put an icon on the desktop, in the quick launch area and put yet another icon down by the clock thereby increasing my memory usage.
3)   creates the aura that you have to buy all the programs you need "to get the job done."
4)   programs you bought could only be used on one computer, including the Windows Operating System.
5)   users have to keep track of all the serial numbers for each piece of software for re-installation.
6)   suffers from "the blue screen of death".  Thus, Control-Alt-Delete became a users best friend.
7)   can't seem to reliably burn a cd at the same time you are ... doing anything else.
8)   has monthly security updates.  If you don't do them immediately, you put your computer at risk.
9)   programs can suddenly freeze, typically a reboot is needed to get working again.

Ubuntu & Linux
1)   has different methods of installing programs.
2)   is not the same as Windows so you have to relearn some basic things to do what you want.
3)   most programs are available at no cost with a couple of clicks of the mouse.
4)   eliminates the stress of getting an infection of some sort.
5)   has no current need for a virus scanner, however one should be used to eliminate infecting your friends on Windows.
6)   will not play most Windows games
7)   can still run some Windows programs if needed. (see http://winehq.org/)
8)   some website designed around Windows ActiveX and/or .NET technology will not display or function fully.
9)   New versions of Ubuntu come out every 6 months.  Upgrades are free.
10) will run on new and old computers with as little as 128megs of ram if needed.  Standard Ubuntu & Kubuntu need 256megs.  That's a far cry from Vista versions needing from 1gig to 4 gigs of ram to function correctly.

One of the primary issues I've run into using Ubuntu and Linux in general: Several of the companies I do business with as a Realtor require that I use Internet Explorer to make their website work.  The first and most necessary is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  The next is my website, including this blog area.  Several other companies that I use for marketing also make Internet Explorer the proprietary browser.  As a result, I have to run an old version of Windows to access these services. 

So now you might be wondering how I do that.  Internet Explorer will not install in Linux.  It is a Windows only program.  What I did was download and install the free VMWare Server program.  This allows me to install and run an entirely different operating system (ie Windows in this case) and run it like it was any other program, in its own "window".  Now if you're familiar with Mac then you probably know about Parallels and Bootcamp.  Parallels is more like VMWare Server or Player.  Bootcamp allows for you to choose which operating system you go into when you first start your computer.  Linux can do this too but no extra software is needed and they simply call it "Dual Booting".

So enough for today.  I wanted to leave with a few tips for the Windows only people out there.

1)Create only one account that has Administrator Privileges and call it Administrator or Phil or bananas.  Just make sure it's not the account that is used by default.  It also needs a password at least 8 characters long and preferably a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols.  Don't forget it.
2)Log into your machine as Administrator and change everyone else's account to something other than Administrator.  Now log out and don't go back unless you can't get something done as a regular user.
3)Do yourself a favor and completely un-install Norton Suite, firewall, anti-virus etc. All of it... Unless you have installed gobs of memory (not hard drive size) it will just slow you system down.  There are better solutions.  Nod32 (http://www.eset.com/) is one of the best rated anti-virus and spy detection programs out there.  Doesn't take too much memory and won't bog your system down.  If you like free, try AVG at http://free.grisoft.com/