Good Night Windows, Good Morning Ubuntu

Last month I decided to install the Vista Transformation Pack rather than do anything drastic like re-imaging my desktop. Being a techie at heart, I couldn't resist the urge to continue installing and experimenting with new stuff. As a result, I finished the month of March with my desktop in a dangerously unstable state. 

Last weekend, I finally decided that the pain of re-imaging was going to be lower than the pain of having an unstable system. Rather than re-image on Windows, I decided to wipe the system and install Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon.  (I still have Windows on my laptop, but I really wanted to give Ubuntu a try on the desktop, especially since the hosting environments at Emergent Path are primarily using Ubuntu today). 

I stated with a bold (and ultimately fruitless) decision to install Ubuntu 64-bit. The install itself went fine. I am amazed at how quickly Ubuntu installs compared to Windows XP.  I got a few basic apps set up, and then I started hitting roadblocks to 64-bit at every turn. There is no Flash Player for 64-bit Linux. There is no Flex Builder for 64-bit Linux. There are 32-bit versions, but installing them is hit or miss (more miss than hit from the blogs and forums that I read on the subject). And that's just Adobe, which actually has good support for Linux. Most desktop application vendors that I have experience with have no Linux support at all.

After a day of banging my head on the 64-bit wall, I decided to dump the install and go to 32-bit. Re-imaging with Ubuntu is a breeze- again I am amazed at how fast the OS installs. This time around, almost everything worked right out of the box. Firefox works, the Flash Player works, there is even a FlexBuilder 3 Alpha for 32-bit Linux that I was able to install successfully.  Here is a list of the main programs I am using:

• Firefox
• Flash
• FlexBuilder
• ColdFusion Server 8
• Eclipse
• Pidgin IM client
• Putty terminal client
• OpenOffice
•  Evolution mail client
• PDF Reader

I use lots of other programs, but those few are the programs that I use day in and day out. The functionality on Ubuntu is every bit as good as Windows. So what about the downside?

Well, there are a few potholes on the road to Ubuntu heaven, it seems. First, I have yet to successfully sync my Verizon vx6800 (Windows Mobile 6) phone with Evolution. There are lots and lots of blogs and Ubuntu forum posts on the subject, and the only common thread in all those posts is what a complicated PITA it is to try and sync Windows Mobile with Linux. I managed to get a Bluetooth connection working between my desktop and phone, but only insofar as the devices could see each other, they could not actually share data or do anything else. I'll re-visit that subject next month when the next release of Ubuntu, Hardy Heron, debuts.

I have also yet to do anything with my iPod, although the posts that I have read on the subject are far more encouraging than the posts about Window Mobile.

Overall, I am very happy with the switch, primarily because it is forcing me to expand my knowledge of Linux to include the latest in the Ubuntu world. Though some people may be loathe to admit it, Windows XP is the gold standard in the OS world. Sure, OS X is easier to use in some respects, but the differences are minor. Sure, Windows leaks like a sieve in terms of security, but that's a result of being the biggest target of opportunity more than anything else.  The acid test is whether you can switch from one OS to another without losing any applications or major functionality. I am at about 95% with Linux right now- not perfect, but definitely acceptable for day to day use.