Linux
What can Linux learn from Toyota?
(Special thanks to coronastx for the image.) Toyota’s recent missteps in safety and reliability have certainly harmed Toyota – no doubt there – but they also sent shockwaves through the entire Japanese auto industry. When the all-star member of a team displays weakness, the entire team suffers. So it is with desktop Linux. Love it or hate it, Canonical has been very successful in positioning Ubuntu as THE desktop Linux OS to try. In 2008, when I again decided to try desktop Linux after several years away, the obvious choice of distro was Ubuntu. Many, many blogs pointed to it as the best place to experience Linux, and since then Canonical and its throngs of loyal fans have only strengthened that message. Frankly, I think the users of every other distro should be concerned. When Canonical positions Ubuntu as the best incarnation of desktop Linux, then proceeds to release multiple problematic versions in a row, it reflects poorly on ALL desktop distros…
Dear Ubuntu: I Have Some Concerns
Dear Ubuntu: For the last couple years, life has been good. Every time I’ve shown you to a friend or family member, they’ve compared you to what they’re familiar with – Windows XP or Vista, mostly – and by comparison you’ve looked brilliant. Yeah, your ugly brown color scheme was a bit off-putting at first, but once people saw how secure, simple, and reliable you were, the response was almost universally positive. But recently, things have changed…
Hulu, I Love Thee
I’ve been unhappy with Hulu ever since it was coerced into blocking PS3 access, but today they’ve earned my love back with a Hulu Desktop Client for Linux. Fedora 9+ and Ubuntu 8.04+ (both 32 and 64-bit!) are currently supported, with more on the way. Kudos to Hulu for stepping up and recognizing that Linux [...]
Ubuntu: One Year Later
Hard to believe, but it’s been almost a year since my first Ubuntu-themed article appeared on this site. Last October I made the decision to try Ubuntu 8.04. This was the end result of a number of factors, including months of trying to squeeze every drop of life out of XP. Eventually the futility of [...]
Linux vs. Windows Hardware Support: The Truth
If you’ve heard of Linux, you’ve probably also heard the following comment (or something like it): Linux won’t be ready for mainstream use until it “just works.” Or maybe: I wanted to like Linux, but after installing it my (insert hardware) and (insert hardware) and (insert hardware) didn’t work. Some are even so elegant as [...]
5 stars for this Ubuntu/Linux commentor
As a recent Ubuntu convert, I’ve spent the last couple weeks scanning the web for quality Linux-friendly blogs. A number have turned up, but one is so good that it deserves special attention. iTWire is a great tech commentary site out of Australia. One section in particular – The Linux Distillery, by David M Williams [...]
Linux, Day 1: Picking a distro
Upon making the decision to test out Linux, my first job was to find the right distro for my needs. A distro is to Linux what a flavor is to food. Distros are different flavors of Linux, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some distros are designed specifically for servers, others are for [...]
Ubuntu 8.04: Taking the plunge
Well, a big day has arrived at the Helland home. I have officially taken the plunge and installed myself a Linux-based OS (Ubuntu 8.04). For those unfamiliar with what this entails, in simplest terms it means this: I’m replacing Windows with a free operating system. More information on Ubuntu is available at its homepage: http://www.ubuntu.com [...]
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