Ubuntu

[SilverZ06]

So i got bored and decided to try Ubuntu again. My god what a pain in the bellybutton it is just to get setup. Can someone explain why Ubuntu is so slow? Everything I am doing on it feels like I'm on a slow single core pc. I really want to tinker with this to figure it out but it is frustrating for a beginner just to find my second HDD and install graphics card drivers. There doesn't seem to be anything better than W7 as far as I can tell right now. I am curious if I am going to be able to run my work programs on Ubuntu. I guess time will tell. In the mean time any advise for a complete noob on speeding this OS up? 

[SilverZ06]

Well I already crashed Ubuntu. I make it to the log in screen and log in, but then it just shows the background image and nothing else. I guess I'll uninstall it and keep W7. 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

So i got bored and decided to try Ubuntu again. My god what a pain in the bellybutton it is just to get setup. Can someone explain why Ubuntu is so slow? Everything I am doing on it feels like I'm on a slow single core pc. I really want to tinker with this to figure it out but it is frustrating for a beginner just to find my second HDD and install graphics card drivers. There doesn't seem to be anything better than W7 as far as I can tell right now. I am curious if I am going to be able to run my work programs on Ubuntu. I guess time will tell. In the mean time any advise for a complete noob on speeding this OS up? 

Once you install the graphics drivers Ubuntu should feel just as fast as windows or even faster in some cases. You should google for 'top 10 things to do after installing ubuntu' for pointers.

[SilverZ06]

Once you install the graphics drivers Ubuntu should feel just as fast as windows or even faster in some cases. You should google for 'top 10 things to do after installing ubuntu' for pointers.

where do I even go to find the graphics drivers?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

where do I even go to find the graphics drivers?

You boot to your desktop and wait a couple of seconds, Ubuntu will offer to install restricted drivers. If that doesn't happen automatically you can start the install from 'system' and 'additional drivers'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaPOMLaHOxA

[SilverZ06]

Thanks for the help MRripley. After two days of tinkering with ubuntu on multiple machines I have come to the conclusion that ubuntu down right sucks. there is nothing easy and everything has to be installed manually. Then I have to boot into windows anyway to use my programs. I wanted so badly to see what it was all about but I must just not be computer savvy enough to get it. 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Thanks for the help MRripley. After two days of tinkering with ubuntu on multiple machines I have come to the conclusion that ubuntu down right sucks. there is nothing easy and everything has to be installed manually. Then I have to boot into windows anyway to use my programs. I wanted so badly to see what it was all about but I must just not be computer savvy enough to get it. 

Heh Ubuntu doesn't suck. You just don't have the attention span required to learn it it seems. Ubuntu is extremely easy to use and configure especially if you follow the instructions.

You won't be able to run windows programs on it and it was never intended to do that. It has native software for handling most things outside gaming.

[SilverZ06]

Heh Ubuntu doesn't suck. You just don't have the attention span required to learn it it seems. Ubuntu is extremely easy to use and configure especially if you follow the instructions.

You won't be able to run windows programs on it and it was never intended to do that. It has native software for handling most things outside gaming.

it's not just gaming, its programs related to work as well. It is not extremely easy to use and configure to a noob. Like I said I spent two days trying to get it to work and setup. I watched you tube video and downloaded the beginners guide but I seriously don't see how it is better. I really wanted to use it but i just gave up. Too much hassle for little to no payoff. I appreciate your help though. 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

it's not just gaming, its programs related to work as well. It is not extremely easy to use and configure to a noob. Like I said I spent two days trying to get it to work and setup. I watched you tube video and downloaded the beginners guide but I seriously don't see how it is better. I really wanted to use it but i just gave up. Too much hassle for little to no payoff. I appreciate your help though. 

I'm sorry but Ubuntu has most things built in. Office applications, Web browser, instant messaging? What exactly were you trying to do on it?

[Bizman]

Silver, there's no operating system you could master out of the box. With Ubuntu and other Linux distros you can't even ask your mom/dad/brother/friend/teacher (in most cases, that is). For the last seventeen or so years Windows has been dominating both household and work usage and it hasn't changed much after Win95 - on the outside, that is. When things don't work the Windows way that's hard coded into your spine, you're bound to study a little. And a little more...

I earn my living by helping people with Windows based computers, so I should know the basics. So far I have quite easily managed to find out how to uninstall programs, connect to the net etc. by just examining the menus and adapting my former knowledge, but the first contact with Windows8 was even more problematic than my few Ubuntu adventures. I've also had a couple of Mac experiences which caused some head scratching before I could do some basic tasks.

So, I'm no Linux missionary, but I can see its benefits. One thing is security until it comes more popular than Windows. Another thing is adjustability. There's already Ubuntu versions readily tailored for making music and other audio material, preinstalled with appropriate programs and all for free. I bet that version would be far from the best business version of Linux, though. The 2011 Top 7 Best Linux Distributions for You site gives their opinion of the best distribution in these seven categories:

    Best Desktop Distribution
    Best Laptop Distribution
    Best Enterprise Desktop
    Best Enterprise Server
    Best LiveCD
    Best Security-Enhanced Distribution
    Best Multimedia Distribution
 
As the titles show, you don't have to try to tweak one distro to fit all your needs. Someone has already done it for you. Fine tuning is another thing, but that's something you'd have to do with every operating system including Windows.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

 
As the titles show, you don't have to try to tweak one distro to fit all your needs. Someone has already done it for you. Fine tuning is another thing, but that's something you'd have to do with every operating system including Windows.

For most people the hardest thing with linux is to learn to forget the way windows works and try to understand how linux (or even Mac OSX) works. Once they do that, things usually become simple. If they try to approach linux the windows way i.e. installing drivers and software from internet sources, you're going to be in a world of hurt and fast.

One extremely annoying thing on all computer related stuff is faulty instructions. I can't tell how many hours I've spent banging my head to the wall following some instructions that had a spelling error or were made for some obsolete version of the software - or were just plain wrong.

For example one of the 'Top things to do after installing Ubuntu' articles includes bad instructions on how to install the Cinnamon desktop. It will create a blank desktop where you can't do anything because the window decorator is not working. By choosing Xubuntu instead, you get the old familiar XP like desktop right from the box and life is better.

[SilverZ06]

I'm sorry but Ubuntu has most things built in. Office applications, Web browser, instant messaging? What exactly were you trying to do on it?

run software for programming PLCs and HMI controllers.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

run software for programming PLCs and HMI controllers.

Did you install wine and try to run them?

[SilverZ06]

Did you install wine and try to run them?

No, I gave up. Just booting into windows is far easier and more average user friendly.  I don't think Ubuntu will ever be a mainstream operating system. The majority of the people just want to turn on their pc and have it work. Not look through online manuals and forums to figure out how to download and install the correct drivers for their equipment. Like I said I would love to use it and tinker with it, but I just cant see the end payoff for all of the time invested just to get it running close to how windows runs out of the box. 

[Bizman]

Just booting into windows is far easier and more average user friendly. -- The majority of the people just want to turn on their pc and have it work.

Oh wow! According to my experience and what I've heard from colleagues, that's exactly what the majority wants to do. Give an average user a pc, Windows installation disk and a bunch of Internet addresses for downloading drivers and programs to see what happens. Many tech guys have told that their maintenance problems ended after they installed Ubuntu to their relatives' computers. Using Ubuntu once it is installed and configured is for some parts even easier than using Windows. The majority doesn't care what the operating system is as long as they can click on an icon saying "Internet" and type their desired target on the Google search line.