Keithblog

When Microsoft (or even Apple) release their next operating system there is inevitably the warnings that it won’t run on your current PC. Or if it will, you have to pay to upgrade, sometimes as much as the full package. This is not how Ubuntu works, as it is possibly one of the simplest upgrades ever.


Today when I decided to check for any security updates (yea, even Linux has those) I was met by a message telling me that a new distribution was recently released. All I needed to do was click the upgrade button and that was that. After a couple of hours the brand-spanking new system rebooted and that was that.I didn’t have to recreate users, reinstall software, move my files and folders.

Can you imagine logging into Windows XP and being given a link to download and install Vista? Nope, you (either way) it has to be paid for - a new PC or the Upgrade.

The short of it is I’m happily blogging on Ubuntu 7.10 - the Gutsy Gibbon, none the poorer.

This is only possible thanks to the unique way Ubuntu is funded by Canonical Ltd - a South African company set up by Mark Shuttleworth to promote open source software.

It really makes you think, just how much does the Department of Education pay Microsoft for the rights to install and use Windows & Office across the Northern Ireland education system? And how many more teachers could it employ? With Linux operating systems and applications such as OpenOffice.org, why pay?

This is what Keithblog looks like on an open source operating system. My Acer laptop and I had a slight falling out when Windows decided not to load, so this is the result. It’s a substantially sped up laptop with just about everything you could possibly want. Well except iTunes, Macromedia stuff and FrontPage, but that’s what my new PC is for.

This laptop has the same wireless internet problem as the PC I mentioned a while back. So instead I’ve just stuck in a cable, so no more internetting in the back garden for me. Undoubtedly there will be more updates from the land of Ubuntu in the future.

Unfortunately I’m not blogging from my new Ubuntu PC, hardware was always going to be the sticking point. However, wireless internet aside. The new operating system has substantially sped-up an Intel Centrino II PC. With a much prettier graphical user environment. The ultimate point of this was to make the PC up to scratch for my Gran, and Ubuntu seems to have been an excellent choice.

‘Out of the box‘ the operating system comes with an impressive range of software, which includes:

• Full functioned Database, Presentation, Spreadsheet and Word processor, courtasy of OpenOffice.org. All of which are fully compatable with the Microsoft Office range of programmes. So you can create Word files, PowerPoint presentations and Excel spread sheets.
• Mozilla Firefox, comes as standard as the main Internet Browser.
• A fully functional image editing application called GIMP, a Photo manager, Thumb image gallery as well as Scanning application.
• A whole host of games (including a Tetris-style one)
• Full range of multimedia applications, allowing you to play everything from DVDs to MP3’s. A sound recorder, CD creator and CD extractor.
• And the usual Calculator, Text editor etc.

The important thing to remember is that all these are available before you have to pull out your wallet. Speed-wise I’ve had a PowerPoint open, Tetris (or Gnometris as they call it) open and the media player running in the background, which no viable stress on the CUP.

The only real problem so far has been the wireless card, but a forum has suggested NDIS Wrapper, fingers crossed.

Keithout

In the process of Installing a Linux operating system called Ubuntu on an old Windows 98se desktop I had in the attic. So far, it’s been quite painless. Ubuntu is a free, open-source, alternative operating system.

The old-PC had got to the stage where whatever was in (or not in) the floppy drive it still returned a Non-System Disk error. So I reconfigured the BIOS to boot from the CD and stuck in the Live CD which allows you to preview the Operating System before installing it on your hard drive. It also means you don’t need to know DOS or any of that un-user friendly stuff. All the OS installation is done through the Ubuntu user environment (which is lovely).

If all goes well (specifically my BT Voyager wireless PCI Card and availability of applications), I may install it on my XP-Acer.

Keithout