Linux on the Desktop - Latest Thoughts
I recently installed Ubuntu 7.10 (server x64) on a server I have. I added Gnome desktop for ease of use dealing with administrative tasks (no one will ever convince me that remembering commands like "sudo chown -R user:group /var/whatever" beats have a nice friendly GUI, but I digress).
I have been very pleased with Ubuntu 7.10 with Gnome. It can still intimidate the uninitiated (s, but it seems that someone has finally got the Linux desktop right. Furthermore, I am stunned at how fast some operations are compared to Windows XP (although there are plenty of areas where Gnome still gets poor grades compared to Windows).
I am seriously considering wiping my desktop and dropping in Ubuntu, then adding a virtual machine with XP for any necessary stuff. I haven't dug deep enough to consider all the implications of the move, and I don't really have the time right now to deal with it, but I find myself frustrated with Windows bloat and looking for an alternative. I'm not a Mac guy (and I'm not replacing my hardware anyway) so Linux seems like the best and only option at the moment.
The biggest obstacle I see is driver support fr my ATI video card. The saga of Linux drivers for ATI has been well documented; it suffices to say that dual monitor support and high resolution, high performance, stable drivers are not exactly a sure bet with ATI cards. Is it worth it? Probably not right now, but that's more because of the driver issue and my general lack of free time than issues with Linux. Maybe I trade in my ATI card for some nVidia gear.
Anyone else using Linux on the desktop? I'd love to hear how it is working out, especially with multi-monitor support. I'm not a gamer (at least not in the last few years), but I need high-res and good performance from a multi-monitor setup.
More generally, I am wondering about the possibility of using Linux as a standard developer desktop for the organization, but if I can't make it work for my own use, I'm not going to force it on anyone else.
I've been using Linux on the desktop almost exclusively for about 10 years. Multi-monitor and hires support is great. My advice on video cards: buy an nVidia, ATI is really a crap shoot both with the proprietary binary driver and with the opensource radeon driver. The nVidia cards have worked like champs with both the opensource nv driver as well as the binary one. Thought it looks like I may be hanging up the Linux towel, I've become very attached to my MacBook Pro for desktopy things and OpenSolaris for server things (in a VM on my Mac and on standalone hardware).
Trey, I've heard that about the ATI drivers. I guess I'll be switching cards if I make the move.
