Ubuntu Linux 6.06 - Finally, a Worthy Windows Alternative, Part 1

I always feel like a battered wife when I talk about my experiences with Linux. Don't know what I mean by this?

I have installed and used Linux many times over the years, starting with RedHat 6, Mandrake 7, then Debian Woody, and then finally Ubuntu, starting with Warty Warthog (4.10) up to the current Dapper Drake (6.06). I've used them as both the base for my servers, and as my "daily workstation OS" for whatever notebook I'm using this year. And keep in mind, I'm not a total dummy when it comes to non-Microsoft operating systems, or computers in general.

And with all these Linux Distros, things were great. At first. It was a like a honeymoon in the beginning, learning to perform new tasks in new ways with the new operating system and new software. Sure, there were little hiccups, but what new relationship doesn't? Who cares if it takes 8 hours to get network printing working? The OS is free, new, and exciting!

But then things start to get burdensome. Spending an average of 5 hours to get one major feature working, and pouring over and mentally combining many different and incomplete "HowTo" documents to figure out what are simple tasks in Windows and MacOS, makes for a tiring relationship.

Then there's a big blowup. Some major function refuses to work anymore, and no amount of counseling by outside parties, or no amount of work, seems to be able to get it working again. Or there's a breach in security, because some module you didn't know you had needed a vital security patch, and now I'm  hacked.

There's fighting. There's teeth gnashing. There's defeat. I cast off Linux, swearing never to waste my time on it again. Linux isn't mature enough. It isn't ready.

Yet 8 months later I find myself missing Linux. "Maybe the problems I had with Linux last time were my fault," I think. "I can change. Things will be better this time. I can make this relationship work." And then I take Linux (at least, the latest and greatest Distro) back, blow away the old installation (if it's still there) and install from scratch.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Classic "Battered Wife Syndrome," if you ask me...

Fast forward to August 2006. My last relationship with Ubuntu wasn't that bad. Getting a single major feature to work (such as wireless networking) was down to one hour each. But ultimately, the clunkiness of it as a desktop OS weighed heavily against it, even though I use Opera for mail and Firefox for browsing, and both are available for Windows and Linux, and I can make both OSes share the same mailstore and bookmarks. Anyway, I was ready to take Linux back. Again.

As before, I blew away the last installation and installed the latest Ubuntu Dapper Drake from scratch. Know what? This relationship might last. The "major feature stopwatch" usually clicks off at 5 minutes, if that. Whereas I considered Warty Warthog to be the user-friendliness equivalent of Windows 98,  I think Dapper Drake has elevated itself to the end-user-experience level of Windows 98 SE.

I consider this a compliment, BTW. Bravo to Ubuntu! They've now reached what I consider to be the minimal level of user-friendliness: Win98SE. Oh, and I'm sorry if that sounds sarcastic; I really mean this.

More on some Ubuntu 6.06 specifics in future posts. Really.