Rohit
Arondekar

The very first time I tried Ubuntu was around three years back. Ubuntu offered a great alternative to Windows XP. My favorite feature of Ubuntu that impressed me was that a single application was provided for each purpose. Like Firefox for web surfing, Evolution for email and Open Office for all things office. This was a fantastic decision as many distributions at the time included so many applications that it confused most users. Another great thing about Ubuntu is the 6 month release cycle. A new version with subtle to major changes comes every 6 months. What this does is keep things fresh and allows the OS to adapt quickly to changes.

I have been dual booting both Ubuntu and Windows XP but recently I have found my self using Ubuntu more and more. The latest release of Ubuntu – i.e Ubuntu 9.04 is an incredible OS. There weren’t any revolutionary changes made from the previous version, however it’s the subtle changes that make it a winner. The user interface is really crisp and responsive. Boot times have been optimized and Ubuntu boots very quickly. Ubuntu has become a very solid performer and like other Linux distributions is very stable. This is the first time I installed the 64-bit version of Ubuntu and except for a few problems with the flash plugin (which is in alpha) I haven’t had any problems.

Major hurdles to Linux adoption

The biggest problem with Linux is the availability of good software applications. Certain applications like Adobe Photoshop and many games have no alternatives or ports in Linux. This is a deal breaker for most users and is holding back wide spread acceptance of Linux distributions. Another problem is proprietary media codecs – they need to be installed manually. Apart from this I think Ubuntu (and many other Linux distros) are approaching usability levels that will allow non-technical users to use the OS for their daily use.

Opinions and conclusion

In fact from a personal perspective I have found that Ubuntu provides a much better user experience than Windows. Installing software via the command line or even the APT GUI is so easy. I can’t believe nothing like that exists on Windows. Also when you install Ubuntu – everything just works. Apart from installing proprietary drivers (automagically installed by Ubuntu) for my Nvidia graphics card I didn’t have to download or install via a CD any drivers. Software to perform most tasks home users would use a computer for and the drivers all packaged into a single CD. All this makes Linux a winner according to me. I know that Microsoft are all set to launch Windows 7 in the holiday season. I might even consider buying myself a copy because I was impressed with the release candidate. However with the next release of Ubuntu – i.e Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala also on it’s way I may even switch over to Ubuntu completely.