Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Why you shoule be using Ubuntu and not Windows.

This is the first part of why you should be using (OS) and not (OS). This article is about using Ubuntu and not Windows. The companion article is Why You should be using Windows and not Ubuntu. I composed this article offline before I am posting it here, so most errors should have been fixed.

Ubuntu is a Linux based OS. Since Ubuntu is a great OS. Here is a few reasons why you should be using Ubuntu as your operating system, and not Windows.

Ubuntu is fast:

Ubuntu is a fast operating system. One big reason behind this is because it uses a different file system than Windows. NTFS is the default Windows file system, replacing the older FAT32 file system. NTFS is also subject to fragmentation, which is why Microsoft has included includes a “disk defragmenter” program built into your version of Windows. Really though, the default EXT4 (Extended 4) file system handles files a little bit differently, so it will be faster than running Windows on the same hardware. Ubuntu in nature is also designed to run fast, even if new programs are installed and you have manually added new start up programs.

If you put Ubuntu onto a SSD (Solid State Drive), Ubuntu will be lightning speed. The longest part in the boot process is the actual Linux kernel, and on SSD the kernel is done booting in at the most 3 seconds. It takes more time on a normal hard drive.

Ubuntu is secure:

Ubuntu is a very secure operating system. One main reason is because Ubuntu's back end is Linux. Linux in nature is a secure OS, it has a different take on security. Since Linux is not a very popular operating system (at least in the desktop realm, it is dominating in the server world), so virus authors do not tend to target it. You can rest assured that your system will be immune to Windows viruses (unless you have WINE installed on your system, more on that at a different time).

Another big reason is because it is well supported, and commercially backed by its creator, Canonical. They release bug fixes and other security updates to the operating system, and might also add new features, but this is less common on LTS (Long Term Support) releases in case the updates compromise the stability of the system.

Ubuntu is also secure with your files. During the installation of Ubuntu using the Ubiquity installer, you can choose to log in automatically, require your password to login, or require your password to log in and decrypt your home folder. You can now encrypt all of your files that you have in your home folder (sort of like the My Documents folder in Windows), and only your password will unlock it. This is especially important if you are going to install this on a laptop, because if you loose it or get it stolen, the thief will have to know your password to access your files.

By default, your root account (the same thing a the Administrator account you have in safe mode) is also locked, so when you need admin privileges, all you have to do is enter your password. You can also enable your root account, but this is not recommended at all. All admin tasks can be achieved by using sudo and the su command.

Ubuntu focuses on the desktop

Ubuntu focuses on the user, so they focus on the desktop. The desktop is one of the most visited places on your computer. Ubuntu has a completely different desktop interface....Unity. Unity is a user interface designed to be simple and easy to use. It also has some eye candy (for Unity 3D), and nice colors.

There are two different versions of Unity. Unity 3D, and Unity 2D. Unity 3D is Unity, but also has more advanced affects. It is a plugin for compiz, which allows you to have hardware acceleration, good eye candy effects, and other good things. Unity 2D is the Unity interface for low-powered graphics cards, or cards that do not have sufficient driver support. Unity 2D does not have the eye candy that Unity 3D does, but it is still a fully functioning interface. You can see a nice little explanation of Unity at this System76 (they make computers with Ubuntu pre installed) page.

Ubuntu is FREE!

Ubuntu is a free, open source operating system. Ubuntu is free, and always will be free. By the operating system being free and open source, you can download, distribute, etc for free. You can burn as many copies of Ubuntu as you want. Mostly free, open source software is also included in Ubuntu. The exception is some proprietary drivers (such as the Broadcom WiFi Driver), so you can have a fluid, solid user experience.

Ubuntu has a rich library of free applications

Ubuntu has thousands of free applications provided in the UbuntuSoftware Center. It is a software store, sort of like the Mac App Store from Apple. You can also buy applications, but most applications are free. You can also get applications from websites, or developers repositories (a source for software).

Ubuntu is just easy to use

Ubuntu is known for being a very user friendly Linux distribution. Ubuntu is actually one of the most user friendly operating systems out there. Ubuntu still lays king (to most people) of the most user friendly Linux operating system out there, but now Linux Mint (a spin of Ubuntu) is starting to catch up.

Ubuntu works with most of you Windows files

Ubuntu has built in support for most PC files, and support for others can be added by installing officially supported or third party applications. Most importantly, Ubuntu will work with common multimedia files (MP3's, MP4, numerous other audio and video files). Ubuntu also manages multimedia perfectly with both your file browser (like you can do in Windows), or you can use (for specifically supported music files) Rhythmbox. It is a media manager for music.

For video, Ubuntu does not have a default video manager. It does have a video player though (Totem). It can play most video files after you install the proprietary media plugins so you can play the video.

Ubuntu works with your photos, it has by default Shotwell as the photo manager. You can also install graphics editors such as GIMP

[To all of the Linux Geeks Out There]

In this article, I chose Ubuntu as the basis of why you should be using (Linux). I could have easily swapped in Linux Mint, but most of the people out there use Ubuntu because of the following points listed above. If you want to see why you should be using Windows and not Ubuntu, look at the companion article (currently in the works).