Ubuntu Users' Stories
Below you will find Ubuntu Stories submited by people all around the World. Most of them are in english, but we are also allowing other langauges.
If you want to contribute add your own story, help us to make this page more popular by telling your friends, posting it on your blog, digging it (etc), or contact us at ubuntustory@centrologic.com if you are able to translate it to your native language.
Who is using Ubuntu?
Check out who and why is using Ubuntu Linux. Read the stories below.
Papa.Coen, Software Engineer
I have always wanted to use Linux, but I like my (dos/WinXX) games too. With Ubuntu, leaving my games behind is not such a bad swap. Some of my games even run on Ubuntu. I still have a dual boot though, but only when I want to play a game that is for WinXX only.
Nonetheless, I've been using Ubuntu for over half a year now, and I'm still using it today for everything (even gaming, just not _those_ games).
Corvus Elrod, Freelance Storyteller
Several years ago, fed up with paying premium prices for unstable and non-secure software that functioned as the mega-corporations wanted and not as I wanted, I migrated to Linux.
As I replaced each of my productivity tools with excellent free and open source software, I tried a variety of distros and settled on one that was "good enough."
When Feisty Fawn was released, I gave Kubuntu a try and installed it on my desktop within the week. With every subsequent release, I've loved this distro more and more and I know run it on all the machines on my network.
Gilan, Retired
I first heard of Linux in '95. A classmate of mine showed me Red Hat on his laptop. I got a copy of it and installed it on my computer. For me the most important things on my computer are the video, sound, and internet access. I don't remember which, but one of them didn't work right with Red Hat. So I took Red Hat off. For about twelve years I would try different versions of Red Hat and different Distro's. Each time the same story. One or two of those things wouldn't work, or wouldn't work right. I'd wipe my drive and put Windows back. In 2006 I came across Ubuntu. I installed it on my Acer Laptop and everything worked. A few months later in 2007, I had sold my laptop and I bought a 2nd hand 500 MHz P III with only 256 MB of ram. I cranked up Compiz and was blown away. My mouth was literally hanging open. I couldn't believe the performance. It was like a brand new Dual Core system. I've been an Ubuntu addict ever since.
Jo-Erlend Schinstad, Consultant
I had my first look at Linux in 1994, I think, on a computer party. I liked the idea, but I didn't give it another though until another party in 1998. That's when I started using it, but it was still very complicated stuff. It took me a week to get a window system up and running, and I everything was enjoyable pain to a technical person. Since then, I've been sort of a Linux dipsomaniac. I've tried all the distros, used them for a while, and hated them all. Well, I've actually never hated Ubuntu, but then, Ubuntu was the first distro that made me stay. I'm sure all the others have improved vastly too, because, you know; people share.
Everything about Ubuntu attracts me; the technology, the human ethical way of thinking, the communities respect of other peoples feelings and convictions, but most of all the separation between software and hardware. Applications can improve without the need to buy a new computer, which in this age is really important, not only for one self, but also to the environment. People do buy new computers though, and there is nothing wrong with that. It simply means that someone else can inherit the old one and make good use of it, for personal growth, fun, profit or whatever it is that they need a computer for; and they won't be left behind because of its age.
Ubuntu is not for everyone, but if you keep complaining about your computer, and don't at least try it, then your computer is not the real problem. Your habits as a consumer is, so stop complaining and live with your problems -- or try to sort them out. Ubuntu has solved all of my problems, computer-wise, and fixed a lot of problems I hadn't even considered before. All my hardware just works; no driver installs. All the software I need is installed by default; except some codecs, which are really easy to install. Granted, I'm not the most demanding user; I download videos and watch them, purchase and listen to music online. I use the web, mail, office stuff, accounting stuff, write some software, edit some videos... Normal stuff that people do, nothing fancy, but the feeling of having the system work for me instead of against me, is .. Well worth the money not spent.
Jonathan Sicoli, Student / Slacker
So, i'm playing around with my laptop, when suddenly XP dies on me. It doesn't even let me boot into the OS. I'm forced to conclude that the only way I'm getting into XP again on the laptop is with a reinstall. So, I look on the internet for "backups" of XP (Don't look at me like that, i do own a disk... somewhere...), and then a thought occured to me: Sure, i COULD go back to XP, but why not try a new OS? I had heard about this "linux" thing, but never really cared to try it out, but now I had a legitimate reason to! So, I hit the forums, and eventually settle on Ubuntu (well, after Sabayon, but Sabayon felt way too slow.) I'm no linux fanboy, in fact, I still use XP on my desktop, as I own a lot of games; however, I'm dualbooting sometimes into 'Buntu, playing around with Wine. One day, when Wine gets to the point where it's able to emulate Windows near perfectly, I may even make the switch permenantly.
Ubuntu isn't perfect, in fact I've been a victim of a bug that until recently was booting me back to login every few hours. But, with the 8.04 update, that's patched up. The support for Ubuntu is great, because everyone is able to help. Microsoft has their techs, Apple has the Genius Bar, Ubuntu has the collective minds of its users. Kinda like Wikipedia, minus most of the vandals. Ubuntu isn't perfect, but it's getting closer, and closer, each and every day. Plus, Compiz alone could convince a guy to make the switch. What can I say? Cake tastes better with icing!
Hope this story convinces you to make the switch, or at least makes you consider that the preinstalled operating system that comes on your computer might not be the best one you can have. After all, the best things in life are free.
Amir A, Student / Father
I installed Ubuntu because Open Source software is more powerful, secure, and interesting. Now instead of having trouble running 8 programs at once on windows with 2 GB of RAM i run more than that on 4 desktops covering a cube. I love how easy it is to find and download new software right through the menu and my son 2 year old son loves the games I've found on here for him.
Mike, blogger
I have been using Ubuntu for about 2 1/2 years and I have it installed on all of our home computers which are mostly pretty ancient eMachine boxes. Other than addin more RAM, Ubuntu has saved me from wasting money on oversized hardware to support xp or vista. I also have saved untold dollars by not having to purchase software for our basic needs. All of our home needs have been met with the software that comes with Ubuntu.
Work computer is microsoft based but my laptop runs Ubuntu and no one can tell the difference. Ubuntu plays well with the exchange server and ms office files.
I had tired of microsoft years ago and tried a number of linux distributions but I was not geeky enough to be able to install and use them. The beauty of Ubuntu is that it installs easily and it works.
Ubuntu has gained great popularity in a short period of time by focusing on the non-geek user. When my 85 year old mother-in-law likes Ubuntu better than microsoft because it just works everyday, you have a winner.
Liam, Web developer
I've been using Ubuntu at home for 2 years, mostly for web browsing.
I can't change from Windows XP at work, but here is the greatest thing about Open Source Software:
I can take Firefox, OpenOffice, Thunderbird, 7zip, GIMP, Apache, Inkscape and others
and run them on Windows XP or Vista or Mac OSX!
This is not just free software.
You don't get millions of users to stick with a piece of software just because it is free.
This software is BETTER, and users are getting so much more value from it that the tiny effort needed to change over is a great investment.
If you haven't already tried Ubuntu, and you are a bit worried about taking the plunge, take a few small steps first. Try Firefox and OpenOffice on your current system. You will not regret it.
Oh and get ready to say goodbye to viruses :)
Damian Ondore, I now work for Canonical after converting to Ubuntu from Red Hat/Mandriva.
I started using Linux seriously at university, having been attracted to it purely because it was different and had experience of the command line with Sun OS. I wanted the power of a command line for my physics work. I ordered copies from the site. At the time, the only way to get Linux was to download, which was too expensive and time consuming or to buy a Linux magazine which shipped a cd/dvd with many distributions. Because I had a slow connection to the internet, Ubuntu was less useful at the time because I thought I couldn't make use of all of the rpm's I had built up over the years.
I used all the distributions, changing vendor from month to month and trying out different features, desktops, windows managers and generally using Linux as an introduction to programming. As I got more and more into the programming side, my main reason for using linux was that each distribution came with a ready made environment for making software.
After University, I started a career in Sales. Now I help sell support for all of the users who need guaranteed responses.
I was trying to make a live cd for music production with a friend back in 2006 when I came across UbuntuStudio. I tried it and was amazed at how much progress Ubuntu had made. After about a months use, I decided to stick with it.
Petter, Sysadmin
I've been a fairly long-time Linux-user. My first contact with it was back in 1994, and from 1998 to around 2000 I used nothing but Linux. In my case the Red Hat flavor.
After that it was back to Windows. Most of it laziness, some of it requirement for various things.
But in early 2007 I felt tired with that system. I was always annoyed, frustrated and irritated with the shortcomings of Windows. I never really felt much joy come from my computer, since it was heavily associated with all the annoyances of Windows - constantly having to fight the computer rather than use it. Always feeling trapped by a faceless corporations decision as to what I should be allowed to do with my machine. Constantly having to work around things which I felt was artificially introduced limitations.
So in an attempt to restore my sanity I decided to try Ubuntu. This was not my first time, I had tried earlier versions but never got hooked. The version I tried was Edgy Eft.
And for the first time in a lot of years my computer was fun again. Sure, there were some things which needed tweaking - but that's me. I push my computer to the limit and want things "my way". I got excellent help from the forums, and the Ubuntu wiki. I could also rely on my long-time experience with Debian servers to help me get used to running Linux on my desktop-machine as well. In fact, Debian is probably the reason I chose Ubuntu since I was already comfortable with that distribution on servers. Ubuntu felt like the natural choice on the desktop.
So, I played around with Edgy. And the more I played with it, the less I needed Windows. I felt like a junkie finally kicking his habit. I felt like I could breathe again.
Thanks to Ubuntu, I once again started enjoying my computing experience.
Since then I've been loyal to Ubuntu on my desktop. The server runs Debian, but my desktop gets upgraded every six months when a new version of Ubuntu comes out. I don't even have Windows installed any longer (deleted that partition more than a year ago) and I've even converted my girlfriend to Ubuntu. At first she was skeptical, but now she's a die-hard convert and gets nauseous whenever she has to use a Windows-machine.
Matteo, guitarist (for magentamusic.eu) and C, php/sql programmer
It's no way: if you want to program in C you can't work in Windows! So I chose Linux as my developing system. When I tried Ubuntu feisty, I switched completely from windows to Ubuntu, not just for programming, but also multimedia applications (yes, I'm a guitarist too), Web browsing & site creation (I wrote www.magentamusic.eu and I mantain www.myspace.com/magentamusicit using Ubuntu), application development (mainly PHP+MySQL+XAJAX). Ubuntu had everything I needed: last month I upgraded to ubuntu hardy (8.04) and everything has become easier, even stabler and nicer.
A definitive choice!
Francisco Raygadas, High School Student
Although I was a Windows user for long, I always supported the open source movement. When I realized everything in my PC was a pirated copy, I immediately formated it and installed a Linux distribution called Ubuntu.
When i finished, i felt free. It was easy to use, stable and very good looking, it was the best OS ever. Now I spread this OS to all of my family and friends. And now, Firefox is the most popular web browser in my school.
Venkatesan Padmanabhan, Student
I started using Ubuntu a year back and I love it the most.And especially with Hardy I haven't logged into Windows since its release.You get to do real programming here.No words to describe, It's simply great.If you are in PSG Tech/Coimbatore.Join our GLUG here http://glug-psg.co.cc
Keith, Student
I have been using open source software since 1999, so Linux was nothing new to me. That's what I thought anyway. The first time I installed Ubuntu I was amazed. I didn't have to edit config files for any of my hardware, or my wife's hardware, or any of the hardware in the house. I still have only seen one installation that didn't just work out of the box. A quick search on the forums turned up a fix, and the next release came with the fix. I have never been so impressed with an operating system. Thanks Ubuntu!
Shirteesdotnet, Graphic Designer
Running a huge online t-shirt company, I was very concerned about compatibility issues going from XP to Ubuntu linux. Could I run Photoshop still? Dreamweaver? Flash? MS Office? During break time, I need games like WoW to keep my mind active...
With a little bit of effort and asking questions in the Ubuntu Forums, you can easily get photoshop, dreamweaver and more working on your Ubuntu OS. I am operating at 100% level in Ubuntu as I was in XP and my computer never freezes or hangs or gets viruses. Ubuntu is a real joy to use! I even run XP within Ubuntu (virtually) using VirtualBox (not a separate partition). Its sooo nice to have XP in a little prison within Ubuntu. Ahhh, Im in control now thanks to Ubuntu linux!
Anzan Hoshin, Zen Buddhist Abbot, http://www.wwzc.org
In January of 2007 we began moving the monastery LAN of some 25 computers to OSS programs and intensified long-standing research into a dependable Linux environment. With Debian as its foundation, and Ubuntu's strong community support and commitment to making IT as available to as many people around the world as is possible, its ease of use and customization, Ubuntu was the best and obvious choice.
Tony Drummond, Web Designer/Developer
After hearing about Ubuntu I made the decision that I was no longer going to deal with windows and it's total lack of security. Additionally I learned that I could easily set up a LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL, PHP) environment to minimize development times. Those two key elements played a major role in my decision to switch and I haven't looked back since.
As a designer, it was necessary for me to be able to have great design software that allowed me to create artwork at a fast pace with a great focus on quality. Inkscape and the GIMP have allowed me to do so with very little heartbreak felt during my transition from Photoshop and Illustrator. Sure, some features do still need some work, but it's better than paying almost a thousand bucks.
Using Ubuntu really is a way of life. I think that those who have not tried it really are missing out. Lastly, I love laughing whenever I see a window pop up that says I'm infected with spyware :)
Hendoc, Contractor
I have used Linux since 2005 and Ubuntu since 2006. I love the control I have over my own machines. I bought a new machine 2 weeks ago -AMD64x2 4400+- and it came with Vista. As I had never used Vista and I had payed for it, I decided to give it a try. It lasted 6 days before I let Ubuntu Hardy Heron format it to oblivion.
George sp, Machinest-inspector
I use it because it is the best os i have found out there and my belief in open source is that it has the best pool of developer talent and makes for the most exciting computing experiences also you can't beat the price. If you feel guilty about that you can contribute or donate; great community support. what else can you want out of an operating system?
James A Schmitz Jr, Call center employee, customer support specialist
For years I used gentoo linux. To say I didn't learn anything would be a massive betrayal to one of my dearest toys, but I believe I began to outgrow how much it got in my way. Finally, Ubuntu had really hit the mainstream and was maintaining a package repository similar in size to gentoo's. One of the greatest perks to me regarding gentoo was how simple it was to manage packages, dependencies, etc. Installing a game was a one command affair only sometimes involving me inserting CD's and enter CD codes... but this was what I'd see in windows. To have it all taken care of for me was nice...
But gentoo began to see massive instabilities. I could never count on anything to work. I decided to try Ubuntu and it met all my gentoo raised needs, and with the things I'd learned about linux's command line from gentoo I was able to make anything work in ubuntu with minimal effort. Ubuntu was my gentoo, without the 36 hour install time.
Share Your story
Please tell us why are You using Ubuntu. Share Your story!