Ubuntu 9.10: Not Bad, Not Bad At All

Everyone else is installing Windows 7.0. Now I've been in the Microsoft World long enough to know the old saws:

• Never, ever install the first version of a Microsoft Operating System.
• Wait until after the second Service Patch.
• Odd numbered patches will destroy your machine
• The even numbered patches fix the odd numbered patches.

Since I've been out of work for quite a while, I decided to install a dual boot- WinXP and Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Something-or-Other).  The installation routine automatically and perfectly partitioned my hard drive (sectioned off- one part for Windows, the other for Ubuntu Linux), found all the drivers (does Linux have Drivers?) and made my stuff work.  It's rock solid, includes a free version of every Microsoft Office application except one (one I use a lot- VISIO and there's no Open Source equivalent yet).

I had 9.04 (Jaunty Something-or-Other...this cuteness crap has got to stop) on an IBM T-23 ThinkPad and it worked grandly. No issues at all. So I held my breath the day after Win7 came out and installed  9.10 Desktop, the latest and greatest version of the Ubuntu line on my T-61 Lenovo ThinkPad.

So far, the only things I haven't been able to do (excluding VISIO- and I'm trying to figure out how a Windows emulator called Wine works and how I can use it) are:

1. Install the software to synch my SmartPhone (Windows Mobile 6.1) with Thunderbird's Lightning add-in. I followed all the instructions to download and install the USB connection software, but it refused to install. I think its because I'm on the latest Ubuntu Version and the developers only have the last stable version up on their server.
   
2. Recognize and connect to servers on my home network (probably because I haven't really tried yet).
3. Figure out whether I want to use Evolution or Thunderbird as my E-Mail Client/Calendar/PIM (Personal Information Manager).
4. Install the latest Thunderbird Beta because I have no idea how to install non-Ubuntu applications ('packages' in Linux-speak). I download the tar file (a compressed file similar to *.zip files in the Windows World) and double clicked it like the wiki told me. All it did was open the Archive Manager (which was nice to know, I didn't even know it had one) which just displayed the files in the compressed *.tar, so I decompressed the sucker and started double clicking all over the place. Nothing.
5. Move my mail and passwords from my Windows partition to the Ubuntu version of Thunderbird. I suspect this is a Mozilla problem (Mozilla makes Thunderbird) rather than Ubuntu's. Which is why I wanted the latest beta...I know where the mail files are and thought I could simply move them into the Linux machine, but I was using the latest Thunderbird Beta in Windows because the Lightning Calendar Add-in was crapping out all the time and the latest Beta uses a different database for mail and calendar items. But Birdie Synch doesn't work with the latest Betas (obviously- that's why they're Betas). Oy.
   

Unlike earlier versions of Ubuntu, 9.10 automatically detected my T-61's display and the external monitor I use, detected and walked me through my Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, found my external, USB connected hard drive. All effortlessly, cleanly and professionally. Laurels for the Ubuntu Team.

But.

You knew this was coming, didn't you?

The documentation designed for brand new computer/unsophisticated Windows users moving into the Linux World (Ubuntu is a flavor of Linux) or folks who've been running Linux command line stuff for 15 years. There's no middle ground. As a professional writer (and technical writer at that), I know that user documentation has a multiplicity of audiences- and the Ubuntu documentation does not. There may be a market for this as Microsoft returns to its every three or four year OS (Operating System) upgrade cycle.

Bottom Line:

1. Yes, I would install Ubuntu on my Mother's machine. The interface is very Windows-like, the on-line help is fabulous for the unsophisticated user who simply wants to use e-mail and surf and maybe write a letter or two...mebbe a couple of games.
   
2. No, I would not install it on my wife's machine- she's a programmer analyst would still be content to work in DOS.
3. I would install it on my daughter and older son's laptops. They are sophisticated users and would role into this OS like butter on bread.

Advantages:

• It's free
  
• It's applications are free (Open Source)
• The interface is as simple or sophisticated as you wish.
• Peripherals connect and work just like a Mac- immediately and without fuss.
• It's rock solid.
• It's fun to use and experiment with.

Disadvantages:

• Sophisticated Windows Users have a learning curve- it's short (I'm thinking less than a week), but its there.
• Documentation could be better for task oriented users- How do I synch my Windows Mobile to my PIM, how do I create a permanent connection to my son's laptop so I can read his comics and he can read mine, etc.  (this may be my issue and not the documentation). The simple explanations, while valid, only take one so far.
• While the software is 'free,' the new Ubuntu Software Center (sort of like Window's Add/Remove Programs) has a less than complete description of each product. But it does tell you whether Ubuntu will automatically update it or whether you need to do it manually. Yeah, I know the websites are always listed, but that made selecting a media player a lengthy process- so I kept the defaults and they work fine. 

Overall Grade (so far): A-.

Linux, Ubuntu 9.10, Open Source, Technical, Desktop

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