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Shifted to Ubuntu 10.04 after using Windows for years. Loving linux

 
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Hi,
I have been using Windows XP for more than 4 years and recently installed Ubuntu 10.04 in my laptop. The reason I moved to linux because my windows became very slow. I am loving the speed with which it starts up and the user interface is very very good. Its been few weeks time since I've installed and I've tried installing various apps and I dont see anything lacking in ubuntu.

I am very new to linux and I've heard that the automatic updates, screws up the system sometimes. Is this true? What are the other windows features that you see missing in ubuntu linux? I would love to hear your opinions.

-Arun
 
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Welcome to the club!

Arun Prasath wrote:Hi,
I am very new to linux and I've heard that the automatic updates, screws up the system sometimes. Is this true?



I've never had an automatic update screw up an ubuntu system. This is not to say it cannot happen (Gentoo earned its reputation as a distro for one who likes to tinker, because you had to in order to keep it working). I back up all my data to a NAS and USB hard drive just to be sure.
Now the version upgrade run a much greater risk. For example, the upgrade from 7.04 caused me a lot of grief. The current version of Ubuntu Server doesn't play well with my homebuilt NAS, so I'm running 8.04 on it.
I caution people to use a Live CD, install to a USB drive or swap out their hard drive rather than do the in-place upgrade. That way if the new version doesn't work with your computer, you still have the original install.

Arun Prasath wrote:
What are the other windows features that you see missing in ubuntu linux? I would love to hear your opinions.



Gaming is the big one, even though I rarely play. My employer makes great use of Outlook/Exchange and IE-only intranet sites, so it's necessary for work.

If you haven't already, check out Ubuntu Forums. It's a great resource for Ubuntu users.
 
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I am very new to linux and I've heard that the automatic updates, screws up the system sometimes. Is this true?


So far I've never experienced anything like that, but the possibility is always there regardless of which OS that you use. But when you upgrade from one version to another version, it is very likely that some of the applications/drivers may no longer work. I experienced this myself when I upgraded the older Ubuntu (can't remember which version) to a newer one. The sound didn't work. At the end I decided to do a clean install and it solved the problem.
 
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The only automatic updates that have ever screwed up my system is when the new version of Ubuntu comes out and the Update Manager offers to install the new version for me. I usually end up losing my sound and at times have experienced other glitches. So I now always do a version upgrade by doing a clean install. By the seemingly daily patch updates have never caused me any problems.
 
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Arun Prasath wrote:
I am very new to linux and I've heard that the automatic updates, screws up the system sometimes. Is this true? What are the other windows features that you see missing in ubuntu linux? I would love to hear your opinions.
-Arun



I suspect this is a nasty rumor probably started by the Windoze camp

I am currently using 10.4 which is my 3rd version since I graduated to Ubuntu. Like others the only upgrade which gave me a hard time was the new version upgrade. As it has been said before, the smart way to go is backup and have a clean install.
I do agree sometimes there are snags but like Joe pointed out the ubuntu forums are a strong community and I have invariably found solutions to my problems. The regular updates have never been a problem for me. Always works just fine.

Windows features? Well I don't need to reboot after each and every upgrade. And I dont miss it at all
 
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Arun Prasath wrote:I am very new to linux and I've heard that the automatic updates, screws up the system sometimes. Is this true? What are the other windows features that you see missing in ubuntu linux? I would love to hear your opinions.



Good to see other people enjoying freedom from windows with Linux.

I've been an avid user of Linux since the early versions of Slackware and in recent years have adopted Ubuntu as my distro of choice. As has already been pointed out, any operating systems updates has the potential to cause problems, although in my experience this rarely happens with Ubuntu. When problems do occur there is often a wealth of information to be found through the support communities and through google.

If stability is a major concern I would recommend sticking with Ubuntu's LTS (long term support) versions, these are released every 2 years and offer more peace of mind. As with anything, make regular backups of your data and you won't go far wrong.

If you are into gaming, there are still titles available for Linux and even Linux versions of popular games such as the Quake and Doom series. I enjoy playing the Anarchy Online MMORPG, which has only a windows client, but find that it can be run quite successfully using WINE (a windows emulator for Linux).

What else do I miss? I can't say there is much, I certainly enjoy not needing to reload windows every six months when it slows to a crawl and not having to worry about the latest and greatest virus software being installed.

Welcome to Linux!

Russ.
 
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