Why I Do It With Ubuntu

Evangelism is annoying at the best of times. And computer users are guiltier than most of trying to convert other people to their cause.  The various Mac and PC adverts which poke fun at each other have been the source of much heated online debate about the relative merits of each operating system. This suits both companies. The ‘Im a Mac’ / ‘I’m a PC’ dichotomy is presented to consumers as their only choice. It excludes alternatives. But together they’ve succeeded in utterly marginalising the very thought of an alternative from people’s collective mindset. So when people see my computer screen and see my desktop, they often comment on its prettyness, but when they’re informed its actually Linux, the response is either ‘huh?’ or ‘oh, you’re one of those!’. Just as people who make special efforts to be environmentally friendly can be ridiculed by their peers (I unfortunately can’t claim to be particularly green), using open source and genuinely free software is pretty damn uncool, compared to the uber-trendy Mac user.

Apple’s marketing is genius in this respect: they’ve managed to conjure an alternative to Windows based on notions of style and finesse- creating a cult-like fan-base that will do all their advertising for them. I’m not denying that Mac OS is a great operating system, but listening to the Mac kids talk about it you’d think its somehow subversive. Using a Mac is about as subversive as liking Coldplay. Linux, on the other hand, threatens a fundamental tenet of capitalism- that is, you get what you pay for. Because unlike the fiercely propietary operating systems of Microsoft and Apple, Linux is free, not just in terms of financial cost, but in terms of freedom to tinker around, freedom to customise, to share, and to improve. The idea that something can be free in this way- without a catch- is something that capitalism teaches us to be wary of.  This partially explains why being a Linux user feels a bit like being on the lunatic fringe- I half expect to be called a communist any day now.

But rather than tell you, dear readers, that you’re in thrall to the Microsoft/Apple duopoly and you really must cop on and switch to Linux today, I’m just going to tell you why I use it. It’s not for everyone, but it is for me.

I’m not a computer whiz by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve never touched a command-line in my life and I’ve always been reasonably satisfied with Windows XP.

I first heard of Ubuntu during a late-night browse. The promises were grand: A perpetually, 100% free alternative to Windows, virus-free, spyware free, pretty much inpenetrable security, maintained and supported by a massive community, wide hardware compatibility, a file system that didn’t defragment, a full suite of free open source software included, and the greatest promise of all: this was Linux for ‘human beings’, not for binary-spouting computer nerds. Various parts of my machine (like the DVD player) had given up the ghost on Windows, so I thought I’d see if Ubuntu could do any better.I dual-booted Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) for a couple of months alongside my Windows install. Initially it was somewhat intimidating, despite the obvious concessions to usability. Although difficulties getting Adobe Flash, my graphics card, and video/audio playback working smoothly causes me to eventually abandon the OS, we parted ways very much enamoured (at least I was).

The system booted up in half the time of Windows, it operated quickly, silently and efficiently, and with a bit of tweaking, is more than a match visually for Mac OSX. Ubuntu’s approach to installing software and updates is radically different to Windows and Mac. Everything is entirely free and downloadable from online repositories accesible by the OS. The ‘add/remove programs’ equivalent in Ubuntu contains hundreds of free programs. Best of all is that you probably won’t miss much from Windows: as a recent article from Download Squad notes, the chances are that most of your favourite applications work on Linux too. Photoshop fans are out of luck, however- something that has been a difficult pill to swallow.

Linux, and even the Ubuntu flavour, is most certainly not for everyone. When you install it, something on your computer is likely to be temporarily broken. This is because developing open-source drivers for every piece of hardware is a gargantuan task for a community of mostly voluteers. It could be the suspend feature; you may be hit with a total lack of audio from the speakers; or videos may flicker uncontrollably. But I can say with some certainty that whatever the problem is, there is an answer- and the online community at ubuntuforums.com are dedicated to helping out Ubuntu newbies, regardless of how elementary their problem is.

If you don’t have any tolerance or curiosity for resolving the ocassional hiccup, then stick with Windows, it will serve you better. Similarly, Ubuntu, while definitely ready for primetime, is not quite user-friendly enough for the mass-market, especially one that has been indoctrinated to expect a start button in the bottom-left of the screen. Also, serious PC gamers might want to think twice before reaching for the penguin But if you’ve ever wondered ‘is this all there is to computers?’ then by all means, give Ubuntu, or another Linux distribution for that matter, a shot. None of this is to denigrate Windows. For all its flaws, using Linux for a period of time demonstrates how difficult it is to create a stable OS that is both user-friendly and powerful at the same time. Whilst Windows may be beset by a multitude of problems, it does achieve this goal pretty admirably.

I’ve been Windows free since Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) came out a few months ago and I’ve managed to iron out all the outstanding issues from the last installation. Like I said, a few google searches and trawling through the forums will likely solve any issue you may have.

Using Ubuntu  feels a bit like growing your own vegetables- it’s definitely not quite as easy as buying them from a shop, but knowing that you’re no longer reliant on ‘the man’ is infinitely more satisfying,. The ideological aspect of Ubuntu is very appealing to me: having studied Sociology of Community in UCC, I learnt that the development of the Linux kernel (the heart of the OS) was an unprecedented feat of transnational co-operation, a genuine meeting of minds that wasn’t about making money but about giving people the opportunity to break free from a monopoly. But don’t get me wrong.I don’t like Ubuntu because I’m a bleeding-heart lefty. I like Ubuntu because its light years ahead of Windows in just about every respect. The only thing saving Windows at the moment is Linux’s reputation for being complicated and user-unfriendly. Now that this argument no longer holds true thanks to distributions like Ubuntu and Linux Mint, it is just the force of habit and (Microsoft’s advertising dollars) that is protecting Windows’ market share.

So in conclusion, Linux and Ubuntu may not be for you. But there’s a good chance it is. And the best part is that it won’t cost you anything to find out.

Stephen Fry’s dulcet tones will put the argument for Linux better than I ever could:

Advertisement