One thing is for sure regarding the switch to Linux is that there is soo much to learn, however I am actually really looking forward to the plethora of applications that I can start using and learning and the various things I can actually start creating. I’m going to share some of the things that I’ve found out during this last week of tinkering around with Ubuntu and Linux in general. (It’s a pretty long one again, you have been warned).

Tips for Newbies thinking on making the jump

Google is your friend, so is the Ubuntu wiki site as is this forum. Now comes my most important tip for you. If you have a 64bit processor and have never played with Linux before and therefore not completely comfortable (like me) with doing all sorts of stuff DO NOT USE THE 64Bit version of the programme. Seriously, it's far too much hassle because although your system will run smoothly and quickly, what it'll also do is give you some serious problems regarding proprietary software support that you can't really do without. What exactly am I talking about? Well upon installing the 64Bit Ubuntu I realised that the following programmes were not supported because 64Bit versions of the software have not been released.

1. Flash Player
2. Quicktime
3. Windows Media Video
4. And just about every bit of software that I want to use, (Xara which required a workaround, and Pixel)

In order to get them to work you need to go in and get your hands dirty with code and all sorts. Erm no thanks. It might be ok for someone who’s been doing this for a couple of years or whatever, I however don’t want to have to fight my operating system to get things to work. So I installed the i686 version and EVERYTHING worked straight out of the box.

I’ve currently got a partition of my harddrive for Windows, when I absolutely HAVE to go back there and do something that is only achievable within that environment (like testing a website for IE, although there must be a way from within Ubuntu, but I haven’t really researched the point to be honest).

Once you’ve installed everything, go over to EasyUbuntu and install all the bit and pieces within minutes, so rather than spending 2 weeks slowly downloading various elements for your Windows box, it’s all there within minutes. Very cool. I only had to quickly edit a file to get my graphics card working properly but that process was honestly as painless as it can get.

Initial Thoughts

With that out of the way I can definitely say that I have just experienced the first taste of the future of the desktop and it's a beauty. Everything just seems to work right out of the box. The only thing I'm having a bit of trouble making it work and sing the way it should is my ipod, however I know that's not really a Linux problem completely as the ipod used to fuck up on Windows all the time, it's one of the annoying things about an ipod. Hopefully I'll find a way to get it sorted out.

There is a certain attention to detail which I am seriously liking. Subtle things like hiding or making the top and bottom toolbars appear, (the icons realign once you’ve taken this action which is a nice little touch). It’s a simple thing but it does make the desktop less cluttered. Customising the toolbars is extremely easy and intuative, while realigning the drop down menus couldn’t be more simple using the Alacarte Menu Editor.

I’m also really loving the multiple desktops. It’s nothing as flash as XGL and what’s going over at SUSE but it’s a major step over Windows XP, think of it like tabbed web browsing only for your desktop. Debian does have a few projects that are trying to make the 3D desktop into a functional reality however it’s a little while off me thinks. I’ve also installed Kompose which gives Ubuntu Expose like functionality. It’s a little rough around the edges but it’s still early days (still on version 0.52) so here’s hoping the developers over at Ubuntu take heed and included a proper working version of this in the next version of Ubuntu.

Mounting

One of the things I've found to be a great deal faster and more efficient than Windows by a long way is recognition of alternative media. While Windows might take a minute to think about my external harddisc or a DVD being attached to the computer, Ubuntu picks these things up straight away. It's really bizarre and a great thing to behold to by tired Windows eyes. I thought that was normal, now I know better. It's Windows fucking up.

Customising Icons and Desktop

If you're new to this as well, definitely download gnome-art. It's for the Art Manager system which allows you to customise the look of your setup completely. From the border to the application look to the icons themselves to the backgrounds. No more of this proprietary bull ship Windows blinds and icon packaging systems that you had to download and hack around with that limited what you could do. It's all under your finger tips. If you want your install to look like a mac, it's all there to do within seconds. Seeing as I love to hack around with what I'm looking at (hey I'm a fickle designer) this is a great little programme.

Installing New Software

My previous problems with installing software were all due to running the 64Bit architecture. Now installing software is easier than it ever was on Windows, and the great thing about it all is that it's all free and allows me to do everything I want straight away. I just search repositories, click on what I want and apply. Having 'tried' to do something similar with Microsoft's update system and having it crap up on me at every step of the way, this was a serious breathe of fresh air. I will be talking more extensively at the various software packages I'm using to accomplish various tasks in due time (give them proper reviews), but needless to say that I'm very excited about my new operating system.

The Bad

Now that I don't have to worry about 64Bits and all that crap, honestly I don't have any complaints at the present moment. The Ubuntu forums and wiki have helped me go through and modify everything pretty quickly and painlessly. There are things that I think Ubuntu could learn from the upcoming SUSE Enterprise edition however. The real difference for me is the addition of the Beagle search function in just about every folder/window. Beagle in case you didn't know is this great little programme that not only searches the file names themselves but the contents of those files as well. For the SUSE Enterprise Edition they've included this everywhere which is a great idea. Also Novell have cleverly redone the computer input menu. I do want this to be done for Ubuntu as well. Telling me about my various partitions and drives is another great little detail that makes me take more charge of my computer which is what this is all about.

One thing that I’ve not been able to sort out however is loading websites seems to take a great deal of time. It’s like it’s thinking about things for a little while before it extracts all the information. This is on every single website I visit. I’m sure there’s a fix for this so if anyone had the same problem and found a way out please do share it with me.