Posted on 12/24/2009 4:26:53 PM PST by nickcarraway
If there was one word that could get Open Source readers more passionate than Microsoft in 2009, it was Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is not the most profitable Linux, and it’s not the distro with the biggest penetration of any major market.
But partly due to its commercial arm Canonical, based officially on the Isle of Man but actually located in London, Canonical’s charismatic CEO, Mark Shuttleworth, and to its desktop ambitions, it is the Linux distro you most liked reading about.
I was only dimly aware of this at the start of the year. But I learned.
Ubuntu 9.04 to be available for download Thursday – Here is one place I learned. Paula’s story on the approaching release of Ubuntu 9.04 was the 12th most popular story of the year.
Paula’s story quoted heavily from the Ubuntu Web site. She has a talent for hitting important stories just when they hit the Web. It’s probably one of the reasons y’all like her. I’m a fan, too, as previously noted.
Will Ubuntu remain a minor player — I wrote this soon after returning from Taiwan, where Windows was ubiquitous and Ubuntu barely seen. I was frustrated by the software’s lack of presence in the channel. In a way I felt I’d been had.
You responded to my frustration with 386 talkbacks, a rating of +19, and by turning this into the 5th most popular post of the year. Some were short, some were long. My favorite subject line was probably “Linux is the OS of the future and always will be.”
Ubuntu Karmic Koala launches – I snuck in ahead of Paula on the release of Ubuntu 10, and was rewarded with 174 talkbacks and 54 votes, making this the 3rd most popular post of the year.
One thing that jumped the numbers was that I jumped the gun. I hit publish based on an early version of the release, and when the time came but the software wasn’t there immediately the desk took over.
They issued multiple corrections until the software was posted, mentioned the story in the newsletter, and basically cleaned up after me.
After 5 years at this desk the editors have learned a few lessons too.
Just installed Ubuntu Netbook Remix on my netbook, so far it’s been great. All I’ve had to do is download a few drivers and I’ve gotten all the peripherals to work fine. And the UI is very nice, perfect for small screens.
I’ve been using Ubuntu for the last two years. I’m using Chrome beta at the moment. I can’t see myself ever going back to Windows.
Chrome blows away Firefox on Linux.
I don't buy into the Stallman/socialist all proprietary software is evil outlook though. I realize Microsoft may not be completely anti-competitive and use questionable business practices as the norm either. I like Linux 'cause it works, period. No muss, no fuss.
(*) Admittedly not 100% MS free. I still need XP once in a while to: load updates to my DSL modem; run the software that came with my Garmin GPS; load my wife's iPod; load my Samsung T10 MP3 player. All claims of the Linux community to the contrary, while I should be able to put music on the iPod and T10, no luck. No luck running their software under WINE either.
I’m running UNR on my netbook, too. I love it! Everything just works.
Last I looked, Linux is at 3% market share, and it’s been there for years.
I’ve had a few issues. The GIF animations are slower and many video files don’t work. I had to do a work around to install it but that was because Shockwave from Adobe messed things up.
I’ve never used Linux before but I just got a laptop with Ubuntu installed for some ham radio applications.
How to edit is apparently not one of them. This article is practically unreadable.
9.10 is good very good..but it still has issue that make in not mass market shrink wrap product...driver still a pain in the ass.. dual boot with grub2 has problems
Window 7 is a bullet proof rock
bump for later read
Where did you download the Chrome OS?
How does Chrome compare to Safari (PC)?
Also, does Unbuntu run MS Office (2003)? (I also have a Dell (XP) netbook I use for travel.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Linux has a program called Wine which allows Windows based programs to run on your machine. While I don’t know if those two will work under Wine Ubuntu has alternatives that do the same things. There are lots of folks willing to help over here: http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php
I’ve used Ubuntu and Mint both. I prefer Mint, mainly because of the way it handles the menus more than any other reason. Handles a Dual boot also. I keep XP on the box also because Netflix won’t use a movie player that allows instant play on Linux machines. They insist on using Microsoft Silverlight. If it wasn’t for that, I would only run Mint(or Ubuntu). I have had no trouble with drivers, Mint and Ubuntu both find the drivers on my 6 month old desktop(and a 2 year old laptop)without a glitch, which is more than I can say for XP, since the desktop came with Vista and when I changed to XP I had to load all the drivers myself. Mint and Ubuntu simply load them without problem, video, audio etc.
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