www.NJLanParty.com

Ok so today I downloaded the Ubuntu full install iso and installed to a laptop at work. I'm running it on a Dell latitude D800 which has a Pentium M 1Ghz processor with 1 Gig of RAM.

Installation
Was a breeze, detected all of my hardware and installed all drivers. Granted Ubuntu has had a relationship with Dell and has a driver library for just about all of the devices.
Overall very happy with the installation

Updates
Granted after the OS install I had 115 updates that came down with out any issue and installed cleanly.

FireFox
The biggest claim of the Linux community is how much faster the OS and browser works in Linux then in Windows.
The OS seems to be working quickly and well, but I am very disappointed with the speed Firefox loads a web page.
I have two physical hard drives that I can swap, one with unbuntu 9.10 32-bit and one with Windows Vista 32bit. Vista with IE 8 loads pages dramatically quicker then Ubuntu 9.10 with Firefox 3.5.5.

I tested the following sites
facebook.com
cnet.com
njlanparty.com
techrepublic.com
shockwave.com

It appears that Firefox is not a PhP happy browser, it seems to take forever to load the sites who use PhP as their primary engine.

On the other hand I had to install shockwave for the shockwave site and Ubuntu need to add on pieces of software that did not come with the shockwave download. At first I rolled my eyes, since this used to mean I had to go looking for them via the software installation thingie for Linux. But no! The OS did it for me and found the files itself. Huge plus!!

I am going to use it and abuse it for a while comparing performance to Vista and IE 8 and post more info as i discover it.

Anyone using Ubuntu as a client? Anyone have any suggestions on speeding it up?

Ok well after all the updates were done, it seems Firefox has sped up a lot.

Annoyed...

Here is the crux of the issues with Linux for me.

I wanted a web design editor, Ubuntu has the nifty little software browser that will install the free software they know about. I tried Screem and BlueFish.

Both installed with no problem, but as soon as I started to use certain tools it would say I need to install other items to make it work. So I then started the process of tracking down the thing I needed and downloaded it to install.

This add ons needed to be configured, compiled, and then installed correctly or it would never work.

Yes and they didn't install or compile correctly. The install documentation was inconsistent and made assumptions as to your knowledge of Linux. I tried to get all the things I needed done to get this stuff working and it failed miserably..

Thats when I slapped in the other HD and start working in CoffeeCup..

Either vim or gvim are excellent editors and both should be there in the base install.

See...that's the fun of Linux. Ubuntu is good. If you need to the common stuff, its all mostly right there.

IF you need to do something a little more techie, then you have to do a little work. And, everyone assumes you know what they're talking about. its hard to find a good site that has all the answers. Part of the problem is, you don't always know who to trust.

In any case...UltraEdit has a unix version now!!! www.ultraedit.com

I don't know. I tried with apt-get and with synaptic and it worked great. I don't know what items that need compiling. Usually you need to compile stuff that has been taken from another platform, like PPC linux. I've tried all of this on my Asus Eee 900a (which rocks BTW) and everything seems pretty fast.

Majestic wrote:...I tried with apt-get and with synaptic and it worked great. I don't know what items that need compiling. Usually you need to compile stuff that has been taken from another platform, like PPC linux...

That is what I've seen too. If Synaptic is not "aware" of what I'm looking for, I've found that I was looking for it incorrectly. Or in one case, I had to add an "external" source and it found it no problem.

I did eventually track down the add-on product and was eventually successful. But this is still the problem, whether it’s a developer tool, a game, or an application it’s not as easy as a Windows or MAC product.

On a Windows based PC I have installed everything from the VB .Net and the C# developer environment to “home apps” like a network sniffer, created by a guy who needed a specific tool. The most I have ever been asked is to define or configure, is what folder location I want to install to and in the case of VB or C# the need to change the path statement.
Ubuntu has come a long way and I am looking forward to the next version, but until they stop relying on open source 3rd party apps that don’t provide a fully functioning “out of the box” product you’re still going to be hitting the wall in terms of annoyance. As a consumer, who is used to a Windows or MAC OS that has vendors who produce products that simply install and then function, I can’t see using an OS that isn’t on the same level of reliability when installing and running software.

As an IT Analyst I like the fact that there is an OS that I can install and start developing in instantly and above all its free. Its a great OS to teach in because it is "open", but its still an OS that is hobbled by that same issue.

As I am typing this I am realizing, that the fact that most of the products used in Linux are open sourced and free, may be its biggest downfall.
If you think about it, when do you get a better product, when someone is paid for their work and to get paid they need to produce a marketable product or when someone develops a product that is for their use and is provided “as is” for the rest of community.
Linux is based solely on open sourced developer communities and until that ends and you can walk in to a store, online or brick and mortar, and buy a stable product, it will still be stuck in the quandary it’s in now.

Wow nine days since my last post and its been 9 days without using the Ubuntu install, I'll use it tomorrow.