flip-mode wrote:I have this recurring condition where once every 12-18 months something in life pushes me to revisit Linux. Every single time I end up bailing. The sad fact is that I need programs that need Windows.
Depending on what those programs are, and how frequently you need them, a Windows VM (VirtualBox or VMware) might be a viable option. The entire Windows system is effectively sandboxed, and rolling back to a known good state is stupid-simple since the entire VM lives in a folder on the host system (so you can back it up and restore it just by copying the folder). VirtualBox (and paid versions of VMware) also have VM snapshot capabilities, which use less disk space than making a full copy (since it only stores deltas), but you incur a performance penalty; I prefer to just copy the whole folder when I want a checkpoint of the system state.
flip-mode wrote:But something new might be happening. My two kids have reached the age (10 &
where because of school requirements they legitimately need a computer. The fantastic thing is that everything they need is online. That the perfect door for Linux to walk through.
Yup. For all its issues, this whole "Cloud" trend has made it easier for non-techies to get useful work done on Linux.
flip-mode wrote:I downloaded Debian and had issues with the USB wifi adapter. Downloaded Ubuntu and it just works. Fired up Firefox (!?! not even Ice Weasel?) and cruised some sites - everything works so far! Sat the kids down in front of it and without a word from me they find Firefox and start using the computer. Awesome. Linux might finally get to enjoy and extended stay at my house.
The Firefox/Iceweasel/Thunderbird/Icedove re-branding mess is purely a Debian thing. I forget the details, IIRC it has something to do with Mozilla's branding requirements being incompatible with some part of the Debian license. The major downstream distros (Ubuntu and Mint) restore those packages to their "normal" names as part of their own re-branding of Debian.
If you're a Chrome fan, it works quite well on Ubuntu as well. It's not in the official Ubuntu repository (since it's not Open Source), but Google has Debian/Ubuntu compatible packages available on the normal Chrome download site. The Ubuntu repository does have Chromium, which is Chrome stripped of all the non-Open Source components; but you lose the bundled PDF and Flash integration, and it is not updated as frequently (I can see how some people would see the lack of integrated PDF/Flash as a plus, or prefer the "pure" Open Source version, so that choice is there too).
flip-mode wrote:Not being a Linux purist at all (I abandoned those aspirations), I just want stuff to work. I don't care about where the task bar docks - left, right, bottom - or where menus are. I just want the software I need and everything needs to just work. Ubuntu seems like the best option in that regard. I've always very much liked the idea of Linux but didn't have it in me to do the work to make it work. Ubuntu, at least, seems to be getting to the point where I don't have to do any work. It also helps that everything the kids need is on the web, so I don't need to worry about stupid Windows programs.
Windows Vista is what pushed me to give it a serious go on the desktop. The first couple of years were pretty rough. I stubbornly pushed on, and now I can't imaging going back to Windows as my primary OS; at some point (probably around 2010?) I crossed a line where working in Linux just feels more natural to me than Windows. Even at work (corporate issue Dell desktop with Windows 7 Enterprise), I spend most of my time in a Linux VM, dropping back to the Windows host just to check e-mail (Outlook).