Ubuntu Linux 6.06 - Finally, a Worthy Windows Alternative, Part 2

Here's a question that my wife keeps asking me: "Why does the screen on this notebook of yours look funny?" Of course, she says this when Ubuntu is running instead of Windows XP, so I think she's vocalizing the more general question: "Why use Ubuntu instead of Windows?" Fair question, especially for someone whom I will call the "Average Windows User," or "AWU" for short. Up until recently, I had a hard time justifying Linux generally, or Ubuntu specifically, for the AWUs in our lives. But now, I can. Sort of. And the Mac users of the world are gonna want to kiss me for this too.

What does the Average Windows User do all day? What does the AWU really need? Let me boil it down to the following tasks: Web Browsing, Email, and Word Processing. Toss in iTunes/iPod music management and Digital Photo Management/Photo Printing for the slightly more advanced Windows user. That's 80% of all Windows users right there.

A Macintosh, complete with its OS X operating system, can do these all AWU tasks brilliantly, and without the virus or spyware problems that make up maybe half of all my billable consulting hours. Though easy to use, OS X is different enough from Windows to require some user training before an AWU feels comfortable enough to use it daily. This last fact is important to my argument here, so I hope you believe me when I assert it.

As it turns out, Ubuntu can be described pretty much the same way. It too can handle Web Browsing, Email, and Word Processing brilliantly thanks to Firefox (browser), Thunderbird (Outlook Express-like mail) or Evolution (Outlook-like mail),  and OpenOffice (MS Office-like  "productivity" applications). Picasa has got all the digital photo stuff down. In fact, the only gaping hole here is iTunes, since there's no Linux-friendly way to use the iTunes Music Store. (That said, if iTunes purchased music is not involved, then Banshee works brilliantly.) As with OS X, Ubuntu Linux is more or less invulnerable to the Windows virus and spyware scourge, and isn't really any tougher to train an AWU to use it than OS X. Trust me, I've done this, folks...

Certainly, setting up OS X is easier than Ubuntu, but Ubuntu is getting better every 6 months, and you only have to do it once, or get me to do it. Right now, setting up Ubuntu is no harder than setting up Windows 98 SE was back in 1999, which is minimally acceptable for the AWU, if you ask me. If you believe me on this too, then you'll grant me the notion that this gets Ubuntu in the "Mainstream Desktop OS" ballgame.

So getting back to answering that first question: use Ubuntu, or Mac OS X, because you can do pretty much everything you need without worrying about viruses, and spyware. Yes, it will be different, but not any more difficult.

And besides, with either one, you can always boot back into Windows for that other 20%.