Ubuntu Users' Stories

Who is using Ubuntu?

Check out who and why is using Ubuntu Linux. Read the stories below.

Cassidy James, Web Developer

I used to think Linux was a super-complicated DOS-like operating system for servers and servers only.

Then I tried out Ubuntu on a live CD.

I promptly installed it as it was obviously a much more secure, stable, and usable OS than Windows. I've used Ubuntu ever since.

Jake Fulton, Student

My father first mentioned Ubuntu to me, being a computer guy. The idea seemed pretty cool at first. The more I learned about it the more I wanted it. So eventually we got around to installing both Windows and Ubuntu on my laptop. I use them equally or perhaps Ubuntu more. The more I continue to learn about it the more I love it!

RICHY.B, IT STUDENT

I'VE been using a desktop with xp mce for the last 4 years and have had to reinstall at least once a year. I recently had to purchase a laptop for college with vista installed, which i've been happy with until i decided to install ubuntu 9.04 on my old desktop. Wow I've been using it for 2 weeks now and it makes my new laptop feel like something from the 90's.i love it so much i have compleatly wiped my hard drive & clean installed jaunty it's all i need and more, bye bye microsoft.

Adam, ex-I.T.

I was as Systems Administrator from Win NT4 on up to Server 2003, and nothing was worse than coming home from a 12+ hour day just to do tech support for my family's computers. I couldn't catch a break!

I installed Ubuntu 5.10 on a spare laptop (this was years ago, when it was first released) and was very impressed by it. I played around with it long enough to realize that my wife and kids would have very little trouble moving from Windows XP over to Ubuntu.

I installed it on 5 out of 6 computers in my house--I still had to keep an XP box for work purposes, unfortunately. Soon my wife and children were learning the ropes of this new OS, and my home tech support time dropped down to nearly zero.

That was about three years ago. Today, Ubuntu is the primary OS in the house, my kids can switch between Windows, Linux and even Mac OS's with little or no problems, and my home network is secure and virus/malware free. It's like a breath of fresh air.

I finally left the IT industry and (unlike my SysAdmin job) am surrounded now by computers that just work and are secure, as well as users who truly understand what is going on with their personal machines. It's like heaven.

Now all I gotta do is get my parents interested. :)

Jess, Nursing Student

This past spring, my 4 year old dell laptop was taking a turn for the worst...slowing down, freezing up, you name it and it was happening. With no money or desire to purchase a new laptop, my boyfriend (an Ubuntu lover himself) suggested I try Ubuntu on a dual-boot with my current windows version. After a day of the trial, I was pleased to say goodbye to windows! My laptop has a new spring in its step and is running better than ever. I don't think I could ever go back to windows.

Bryan Basil, Student/Co-Owner of Radiated Computers

As a student, my operating system has to be stable enough to use on a daily basis, reliable, and customisable to the point where I can get my mind off of schoolwork for a while. After just over a year advocating Linux, contributing to Ubuntu, I decided to co-find an affordable computer store, spreading Ubuntu to thousands of people.

Thank you, Ubuntu. I am proud to be a part of this project.

karenak, IT - Support, techwriter

Windows Vista finally made me take the step. That abomination was one insult too many. I am using Ubuntu now and haven't regretted the migration even for a second.

It's not just the unreliability, the frequent crashes. Vista gave me the feeling that I had invited Big Brother in. The constant "calling-home" and the complaints when I went offline. I absolutely hated the "mind-reading" feature, those futile attempts at second-guessing what I wanted to do next and forcing me to override the system again and again. I hate that when I buy a new Windows comp I first need to spend hours uninstalling all the crap they try to force on me. And I am still trying to overcome that particular Windows-instilled feeling of "guilt" whenever I try out a new app - the knowledge that it will further clutter up the registry and slow down the system.

Yes I know that all this can be avoided by adjusting hundreds of settings (well hidden and as inaccessible as possible) and by using the right tools. But why should I bother with this when I can have an OS that doesn't pose those problems in the first place ?

Ok, yes, Ubuntu is not perfect. Here the main problems are hardware drivers, getting Firefox to display flash and to get the sound working (grrrr) - but once that is done, it just works.

I have to keep a Windows notebook for those obstinate apps (like audible audiobooks) that still refuse to provide a Linux version (and won't work under wine) and for my nephew's "must have" Windows games - but there is no way I am going to upgrade it.

Grayson Shomo, Graphic Designer, Photographer, Design for Various Things

I started using Ubuntu a long time ago when my dad told me about Linux Distributions a long time ago. I started by dual booting it between Windows Vista and Ubuntu 8.04. I was just..floored by how quick the desktop was and how I didn't have to wait for...anything. At the time my hardware wasn't as supported so I dual booted. Over time I started using Ubuntu more and more, and it kept getting better and better and my hardware became supported in no time, and then I was up and going. My Windows partition was horrible, so it sat their silently never being used.

Then came the day I got my new laptop, I got my awesome new HP laptop, it was great, started it up for the first time and looked at Vista, then I went upstairs got my Ubuntu disk and next thing I know Ubuntu was on it and things were running just fine. So much more productive than Windows or Mac, so much more...personal, and everything is free, projects that took me hours to do in Windows or Mac took me a portion of the time in Ubuntu, for example, a 3 hour project in Windows/Mac in Ubuntu was 30 minutes just because I could get what I wanted and do it faster. I haven't even thought of another Operating System, I have all of the features I could ever want, and I couldn't be happier, I have been switching more and more people to Ubuntu everyday.

Timo Lagerbjelke, System engineering

I've been using different flavours of Linux for about 10yrs. I think Ubuntu is the first Linux-distro to challenge MS and Mac, it is stable and fast. The one issue is gaming, but it is just a matter of time before they release new games for the Ubuntu platform. Untill then you can use wine, I'm playing Fallout3 right now, works like a charm.

Damjan, Student

Meh.When i was young, i thought Windows was the only OS out there, and the superior to all.I have used GNOME(KDE)on a virtual drive, i liked it.But with ubuntu, just like Dustin said, there's no reason to go back to Windows now, cause ubuntu has everything i need, and is using less resources than Windows.I have Windows 7 and Ubuntu installed in my pc, and im happy with them.

Hector aka modprobe @ ubuntuforums.org, Desktop Support Tech

I have been using Ubuntu since version 6.06LTS and it just got better and better with every new version. Recently I ran into an issue with a PCMCIA wireless card that would refuse to work in Windows when inserted into the laptop slot. I was about to give up on it and thought the card was defective. It was my good old reliable, first wireless card. Anyway, I set it aside for a while and ended up buying a MiniPCI card for the laptop and everything was fine(gave the laptop to my wife and she's happy). Then I get my hands on another laptop, but this time around I decided to install Ubuntu on it. I thought to myself to give the PCMCIA wireless card another try. Well lo-and-behold, I inserted the card into the slot and watched in amazement as Ubuntu just made it work: found my AP router, connected to it, etc. Both laptops are the same model, BIOS version, hardware, etc. except one is running Ubuntu and the other Windows. Guess which one I use everyday? :-)

S.Vikash Koushik, I am a student

I use Ubuntu because its totally free,doesn't get affected by viruses,and looks awesome.Its probably the best distro of Linux.

April Talens, Philippines - Accounting Staff

For so many years I've been so dependent to Windows OS. There are several times that my laptop catch some virus from internet surfing or USB Flash Drive, until such time that mu laptop crashed and i have to reinstall windows again to have it back running. Most of my important files were gone with the previous OS. I bought windows Vista and I like to new look of it, but again VIRUSES become my major problem over and over. I got an antivirus software but there are also other unwanted things coming in like spyware/adaware and a lot more viruses. Then I planned to change my OS.
I am using MAC OS in our office, the interface was good but I am still looking for something more of it. I am not that impressed to it. So I tried to download Ubuntu 9.04 the latest version, I read some article and easily learned how to have the "live CD" to my USB. I plugged it in my laptop, run and explore it a little. It was amazing to see it so neat but productive. It's got nice visual effects and recently found that you can easily customize it in just few clicks. What I like best were the softwares/applications that were so useful and absolutely free to use. Ubuntu definitely runs faster than Vista or XP, fully customizable and opensource.
Now i am very proud to be a part of the Ubuntu Community.... I am just looking for something simple and productive, now I got the best and I really enjoyed using it, it's very user friendly.
I am encouraging you guys to try it even without installing it, so you'll be able to see how powerful it really is.
More power to the Ubuntu Developers and thanks for having such OS like this.

Justin, High School Student/IT tech

So my buddy told me that there was this thing out there called Ubuntu Linux. I was like okay cool. I got a CD and put it on my system in a dual boot environment, but I didn't really use it all that much. Then I met a guy named Joseph who was a Linux genius. He ran a weekly Linux/Open Source Software User Group. I have been attending since about March, and have been using Ubuntu since 8.10, Intrepid Ibex. I LOVE Jaunty's boot speed, and am counting down the release date for the Karmic Koala (which will ship with ext4 and Gnome 3). I use 100% Ubuntu and open source software now, and it works! Anything you can do in Windows, you can do in Ubuntu. (and if you can't, Ubuntu is open source. You can legally alter and redistribute it!)

Ubuntu ROCKS!

badrra, Enthusiast

I've used several Linux distros in the past till I came across Ubuntu. What struck me was the ease of use and responsiveness compared to windows XP. I like playing around with the machine and I have done a lot of experiments with it including game streaming to another PC or even a PSP

http://badrra.wordpress.com/category/game-streaming/

Something an ordinary XP machine cannot do.

To date I am still using it and I don't intend to go back to Windows.

Anonymous, High School

I started my foray in to Ubuntu with 8.04 Hardy Heron. I used it because my XP installation had randomly crashed, and I needed a way to get at my files. Now, I wasn't a tech person at all, but somehow I ended up hearing about Ubuntu LiveCDs. It was probably through a friend's boyfriend, who was a tech guy. (I stayed up late and woke up early just trying to get my machine back online. Never figured out what caused the crash.) So, my experience was with the Hardy LiveCD. It looked nice, it was fast- but it wasn't Windows, so I got my files back and went on my merry way. Then a couple months later I got a buggy laptop to play with. I installed Ubuntu on it and it's been rock solid ever since, even though I use it to learn about coding- aka horribly abuse the command line. Really, Ubuntu is too nice to me.

For a while I flirted with the idea of a dual-boot, but I could never get it to work. Later I found out it was because my optical drive (CD/DVD drive) was dying. So at some point, I got sick of Windows and decided to go all Ubuntu. I decided to wait until 9.04 came out. A few weeks after it was released, I installed Ubuntu as my main OS and I have been very happy ever since. Ubuntu is fast and stable, which was my primary concern. I use the Banshee music player to sync with my 6th-gen iPod Classic, Totem as my movie player, Firefox as my browser, Pidgin for instant messaging, OpenOffice for school, Transmission for torrents (got to seed the Jaunty torrent) and have a ton of free games to play. I can even play Windows games, which is pretty cool. The really great thing is that when I installed Ubuntu, it took me 30 minutes to go from a completely wiped hard drive to having a fully functional operating system, with Open Office, Transmission, Firefox, Pidgin, and Totem all pre-installed. I know it seems like a big list of weird programs, but really, they're all very easy to use. I'm not a tech person at all, but Ubuntu is great.

Installing software is really nice, too. People say it's hard, but I don't see why. Click Applications, click Add/Remove (in 8.10 Intrepid Ibex, which is what's on the computer I'm using now; I forget what it is in Jaunty) then scroll through the organized list of programs, click the check boxes, click install, and wait for your program to download and install. Man, that was hard. Or maybe you have something with a weird extension like .deb. In that case, double-click it and a friendly installer pops up and does all the work for you. Really rough.

If you get more in to Linux, you can go in to the command line and do things from there, but you certainly don't have to. It took me quite a while to get used to the idea of using a command line, but now I really like it.

I think that's what makes Ubuntu so great. If you want a simple operating system that doesn't ask you if you want to install things, or authorize programs you don't recognize (which might be spyware or might be benign programs your security programs mistakenly picked up on) and straight away gives you tools that work, Ubuntu does that. If you want to get in to the core of your operating system, Ubuntu does that too. If you want to sometimes use the command line and sometimes just click on things, Ubuntu does that. Ubuntu is also very friendly about using different languages. On XP, to see special characters, I was supposed to find my XP install disc to get that support. With Ubuntu, I could install in any language (including Esperanto and languages I didn't know existed) and I have had no problems reading special characters. Also, switching keyboard setups is really easy. I can go between US, German, and Swedish just by clicking on a panel button. No installation was necessary, and I could set a keyboard shortcut if I wanted to. It's really great stuff.

If you're a hardcore gamer, need to use Photoshop (GIMP is a wonderful program but not quite up to Photoshop standards) or something for which there is absolutely no Windows alternative (and that list is smaller than you might think) Ubuntu isn't for you- though you may want to try a dual-boot where you would use Windows for gaming or work, and Ubuntu for everything else. Setting up a dual-boot is ridiculously easy. Install Windows like you normally would. Put in the Ubuntu CD, and restart your computer. Answer a few simple questions, leave your computer alone for about half an hour, and when you come back you'll have a dual-boot setup. Whenever you boot up your computer you'll get to a menu where you can choose what operating system you want. Can you use the arrow keys and press enter? Then you can dual-boot.

I know this is a wall of text, but Ubuntu is just that great!

Amy, Student

I woke up 6 months ago and turned on my computer only to discover that Windows had mysteriously disappeared. There was no reason for it; it just was gone. I needed to get an operating system because I need my computer for college, but buying another edition of Windows was going to be expensive and I was going to be forced to use Vista (which I hate)

My friend's cousin suggested that I install Ubuntu. I had never heard of it, but I went to their website and used my room mate's computer to download and burn the files onto a CD so that I could install it on my computer.

Anytime I have to use a computer that has Windows on it, I get mad because it is very slow booting and it takes forever to load programs and the Internet. I hope to learn how to use Terminal and an excited about learning more of the behind-the-scenes things I can do with this OS. It was difficult to get used to at first, but now I absolutely LOVE it and I know I will be an Ubuntu user for LIFE.

Dustin, Student / RA

I had heard about linux here and there on the internet for a long time but never really considered it for my computer. Then my cousin married this guy who turned out to be a programmer. One day they were over at my house and showed me a demo CD of Ubuntu 8.04. It looked pretty cool but I still wasn't ready to try it yet. Some time later when I went off to college my uncle gave me a laptop with Vista pre-installed. Tweaked it to no end and it still gave me trouble. Every now and then it even crashed for no apparent reason. It didn't come with Microsoft Office, so I had to find something else. I found Open Office and loved it, that got me started with open source software. Eventually I got tired of Windows and the constant hassle of trying to keep it running smoothly. I remembered what my cousin's husband showed me before, got Ubuntu 8.10 running and after a good bit of tweaking and customizing I had everything I needed.

I'm running 9.04 now and I simply don't have a practical reason to use Windows anymore. I still run both just in case, but the next computer I get will be nothing but Linux, probably Ubuntu. The only time I had to reinstall was when I messed around too much. The security is one of the most comforting aspects of linux, the terminal has now become something so useful I can't get away from it (unlike in Windows), there is no limit to what I can do with it or how I can customize it, and it "just works." Yeah, I've had a few troubles, but nothing I couldn't fix with the help of Ubuntu forums and some patience.

There's a sense of freedom you just don't get with Windows. The freedom of knowing that if you are so inclined you can do ANYTHING you want with Ubuntu and linux in general. The fact that the software is free and if you want to you can see and change the source code makes life easier. The free support from some of the smartest users around makes anything accessible to anyone. I enjoy using linux and will continue to be a loyal user as long as it's around.

Roger Burns, Retired civil servant

I use Ubuntu, because it is free, it is easy to use,does not have problems with viruses etc and has all the software I need. I no longer suffer the Blue screen of death. Goodbye Windows.

Benjamin Millard, Computer Technician

I mainly support Windows machines. After years and years of clearing up viruses, spyware, and other junk from people's computers, and the constant work on my own Windows machines, I decided it was time for a change. I've now exclusively used Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu on my home machines since 6.06. I love it. I've switched some of my more problematic support cases over to some flavor of Ubuntu as well and have experienced fewer calls for support from them as well.

I absolutely love the ease of use, customization, and security that using Ubuntu offers.

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