Ian Pascoe wrote: > Following on from Chris's post last week, I decided to have a bash at > writing one myself. Nothing wrong with Chris's, but I wanted to put a > slightly different spin on it. Copy follows: > > ======================================== > > An Alternative to Windows? > By Ian Pascoe, Ubuntu UK Loco Team Member > > Anyone reading this article will more than likely have heard of Microsoft > and their Windows desktop. If you are involved with being more creative > with your computer, you may well have heard of the Apple Mac, but have you > ever heard of either Ubuntu or Linux? No? I’m not surprised as these are > the new kids on the block and having made in roads into the professional > server market, are now beginning to move into the consumer market. Well > known computer suppliers Dell now offer desktops and laptops with Ubuntu > installed as an alternative to Windows, together with other less well known > vendors. > > Why should I bother with Ubuntu or Linux as my computer works perfectly well > with it’s current Microsoft installation? The short answer is, as long as > it works, there’s no real need to change – unless of course you are looking > to move to the latest incarnation of Microsoft’s Windows, and you are having > to try and justify the cost for the new Vista desktop, or maybe., you have > so many viruses and spyware on your computer that you gave up trying to use > it for anything other than the most simple tasks ages ago. There are lots > of other reasons too. > > Interested? Well, here are some of those other reasons. Firstly, because > of Linux’s ancestory it is considerably more secure than Microsoft’s > Windows. Secondly, Linux, Ubuntu, and the other thousands of other various > projects operate as a world wide community of individuals, and generally are > not corporately controlled. Thirdly, you have the choice to choose what you > want. Fourthly, 95% or better of what you can do on Microsoft or Apple you > can do on Linux, and in some areas, it can only be done on Linux. Lastly, > almost everything within the Linux community does not place any hardship on > your wallet or purse – or put another way, it’s free! > > Taking, for example, Microsoft’s latest Windows package Vista. If you > currently have Windows already on your existing computer and you want to > upgrade to Vista, it is highly likely that you will need to upgrade the > computer’s hardware to enjoy the delights of it’s new Aero interface, as > well as the cost of the Windows software upgrade. > > Now using Ubuntu, you can get the same effects as Vista’s Aero interface > without either the cost of upgrading your computer, or the additional fees > for the Vista upgrade itself. > > You will have noticed that I have changed from Linux to Ubuntu – the reason > is that Linux can be thought of as the equivilant to Microsoft, and Ubuntu > as the equivilant to Windows. > > What could you expect to get with Ubuntu? There are a number of different > flavours of Ubuntu, for use in different situations, but all of those that > are not targeted at specialist uses will have the basics of what most people > need – an Office suite, including word processor, spreadsheet, presentation > and database software, e-mail, web browsing, instant messaging, the ability > to play DVDs and CDs watch and download music and videos, and even, when you > get more experienced, the ability to run Windows applications as well! And > lots, lots more. > > If you decide to take the plunge and have a look at Ubuntu, what do you do > next? Well, the easiest thing to do is to either download , or send off for > a Live CD. This CD contains everything described above and will run on most > modern, and a few not so modern, computers, without interfering at all with > whatever’s on your computer at the moment. And if you decide you like it, > you can then get it to install directly onto the computer without affecting > anything else that’s on there, as long as there’s enough space for it on the > Hard Disk. > > What do you do if you get stuck? Because, as I mentioned above, this is > driven by the Linux and Ubuntu communitys, there are a number of different > ways you can get help. Firstly, through your local Linux Users Group, or > for Ubuntu specific problems and questions, there is a UK based Ubuntu team > that can be contacted either through an e-mail list, web based forum, or IRC > channel. For those who want it, there is also a subscription support > service as well. > > If you want to do some more research, the nbest place to start is at > www.ubuntu.com, and this site will also enable you to obtain the Live CD. > > ======================================== > > I'm still not 100% about the contents, but the Sunday roast is a-coming and > I won't get chance to look at this again until later this evening. So any > comments, will be appreciated! > > Ah, the smell of roast tatties .... here I come! > > E > > > You could think about maybe pointing people in the direction of the list of LUGs on the UKLUG site (http://www.lug.org.uk/lugs/all.php) when you mention them, as that will allow people to find their local LUG easily.
(I know the list isn't up-to-date, so is there a more recent one you could use?) I like it though, good job! -- [email protected] https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/
