Linux anyone? Ubuntu and Open Office. Works.
Kubuntu 8.04 here.
Linux anyone? Ubuntu and Open Office. Works.
Actually, Linux and I don't get along. I don't quite know why, but I seem to lose arguments with it about things that just work on BSD (stuff like using files larger than 2GB seem to be unnecessarily obtuse on Linux, but just work on BSD). And since I have plenty of things that aren't PCs, NetBSD is my Unix flavor of choice.
But my heart belongs to CP/M. At least, the parts that don't belong to RT-11 and VMS...
Generally I've ended up using Ubuntu around 90% of the time. The system works smoothly and is less high maintenance (anti virus, spy, defrag, etc.
***Linux anyone? Ubuntu and Open Office. Works.***
Yes. Ubuntu has been my OS of choice for the last 2 years, and I've been trying to convince some others to dabble/switch. I boot to Windows on my own PC maybe three times a year (It's the install I used before Linux.
N.B. to all who have had poor Linux experiences in the past: give it another try. I had some bad experiences with Ubuntu Dapper and Fedora Redhat Core 3 (circa 2004) and put it aside for a couple years before switching for good. The Ubuntu family has made huge improvements in the last year or so.
Not for me, at least not completely. I downloaded Kubuntu the other day after hearing that it's finally there as a competitor to Windows (including device support), and I have mixed reactions. I think the UI is there, or close enough. I had a little harder time figuring out how to do stuff relative to Winderz, but that's cause I already know how in Windows. I think the two UI's are equal quality for someone who's never used either, and good enough for a Windows veteran to figure out.
But....neither of my two PCI WiFi cards are auto-recognized (Airlink 101 AWLH6070 and Linksys WMP54GS), neither mfgr offers native Linux drivers, and I forget how to do the stupid Ndiswrapper thing in order to use the Linux drivers. So overall grade for latest Kubuntu is A-, except that I can't use it because I don't have the time to figure out the stupid driver issue.
In a sense this shouldn't be viewed as a black mark against Linux, since the mfgrs are favoring Windows, but it's still reality, and if Linux wants to get accepted, they unfortunately have to fix stuff that isn't technically their fault.
More upside: Kubuntu found and installed my printer which Windows doesn't automatically. But, the network card is the single most important thing because with that you can get everything else. Imagine trying to Freep or download a driver for your network card with your printer.