Linux Community Magazine

I have to tell you, the more I run Ubuntu, the more I love it.

Now, this is from a guy who has run too many OSes to count. I've used every single version of Windows, from 3.11 to Windows 7. I've dabbled in Mac OS, fro the mid-90's to today. I've tried them all, and I just find Ubuntu spectacular.

Why? Am I just a rebel? Some guy who just likes to feel superior? Nope. Ubuntu just works for me. The sound works, when I plug in my USB headset. The browser works perfectly. My wife logs in, and used my Ubuntu laptop without incident, the first time.

That, my friends, is why I love Ubuntu. On the rare occasion that a program freezes, all I have to do is open the console, check the process number, and kill it. It ends instantly. It doesn't ask if I want to help improve Ubuntu by reporting the crash. It doesn't try to fix the problem, while tying up my system ram and processor for an eternity. It just does what I tell it to do.

Ubuntu does what you tell it to do. Need an application? Tell it to download. Want to mess with your configuration files? Ubuntu figures you are an adult, and can deal with the consequences of your actions. It doesn't ask me whether I am sure 1000 times. It just does what you tell it to do.

I appreciate the fact that the machine is cognisant that it is a machine, and should be inclined to obey the owner. I love the choices that Ubuntu offers, as well. If I want a different window manager, all I have to do is download a new one. If I think that a feature is unnecessary, I can delete it.

Ubuntu (and Linux in general) offers you the freedom to make mistakes, and choose a different path. MAC and Windows don't allow me that option.

Now, there are a few things that people seem to really hate about Linux, but to be fair, many of them are the same things that people dislike about MACs:

1. Generally, Linux is not considered a gaming system. This is gradually changing, as independent developers continue to produce content, and broaden their purchasing base. Penny Arcade has released their latest game, at launch for the Linux OS. Like anything in the free market, the greater the purchasing base, the greater the chance that the game gets made.

2. Linux Driver Support: People consistently complain about Linux driver support, or a lack of support for their peripherals. With the latest release of Ubuntu, this practically became a non-issue. The only thing that I have to manually configure has been my built-in laptop webcam. I haven't done it, simply because I don't use it that often. That may be a deal-breaker for some. Other than that, driver support continues to improve, and in many cases, exceed Window's quality of support, with each release.

3. Sound - Hey, Linux has buggy sound. Ummm..not so much anymore. While the Pulse Audio server has created a few issues, the bugs continue to decrease with every passing day. Now, I have, in the past, found it annoying when Pulse didn't integrate properly with my apps, and I had to uninstall and add ALSA base, back in. That, too me, would be a dealbreaker if I was the average Windows user. As things stand, I'm willing to wait it out.

Is the future bright for Ubuntu? I think it is. In fact, I think Linux adoption rates will rise in the near future, thanks to the iPad. Why? Because Steve Jobs has demanded that HTML5 video support be made available for the iPad. Linux users are big on standards, and as more and more web apps are developed in HTML5, it really won't matter what OS you run.

Currently, Adobe has improved application usage for Ubuntu, via the AIR platform, and flash in general. AIR runs flawlessly on Ubuntu. Flash is buggy on Linux, and often suffers from frame rate issues, and general video bugginess. HTML5 will not have that problem.

Eventually, all of the problems people have with Linux will be solved via the delivery of applications via the web, or a cross-platform software API that is more robust than AIR. Games will be delivered simultaneously to all platforms at once.

This is when Ubuntu adoption will go through the stratosphere, as it becomes apparent that linux doesn't demand as many resources, as MAC and Windows do. Applications will be fast and secure, and we will see people move to open source software in droves.

In the meantime, I will continue to love and support the development of Linux and Ubuntu, even if it doesn't get the respect that I feel it does.