So I ask myself as I am handed my husband’s Netbook; why am I putting my review on this blog when I could just as easily place the review on my blog. I guess the simple answer would be that this blog is dedicated to all things Linux. With that said I will continue my review on my first days experience with Ubuntu.
With the installation being complete last night I decided to take my laptop into work today to install various software programs that I would need to utilize and thus make my transition into Linux easier. See I have spent the last 13 years using Microsoft and software programs that only run on Microsoft. So this was a difficult decision for me but I was willing to give Linux a shot after hearing all the wonderful things that the Linux community was doing with software and watching my husband be able to accomplish anything he wants within Linux.
As I mentioned I spent today picking and choosing various software programs to install. So far I think that I have picked the best options for video editing, image editing and creating web pages. I hope to be able to start utilizing these programs very soon once my website is up and running (hopefully by this weekend). My laptop starts and shuts down quite easily and much faster than before. However, it is taking me more time to learn that buttons to close out a program are located on the left. I believe that the Linux Outlaws mentioned that this was a big topic of conversation when the change first occurred. I am confident that this will be a small task for me to learn. Aside from that one small adjustment my initial thoughts are all positive. I hope to have more of an opinion (and hopefully all positive) once I start using the operating system more.
Could my wife be switching to Ubuntu?
June 16, 2010
Could my wife really be going to Ubuntu?
Throughout the course of time Rachel, my wife, has seen me function on Ubuntu and enjoy myself every moment along the way. Ubuntu has finally developed a polished interface and is “sexy”. Best of all it is easy to use. Each distro release comes closer and closer to the a solid desktop.
Recently, I suppose, my wife has felt at a loss in regards to the fact that software licensing under Microsoft has become so expensive. The most recent being Adobe Pro, which she needs for school. But why use Adobe Pro when Ubuntu offers so many tools which accomplish the same function like GIMP, Inkscape, Openoffice, etc?
Perhaps I can sway her away from Microsoft. I really feel strongly that once she experiences Ubuntu she will fall in love with the OS. I suppose only time will tell. Wish me luck in converting another from the darkness to the light.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t totally hate Microsoft. You might find me posting the symbol M$, but I’d be a fool not to admit that there is a reason that M$ holds over 90% of the market share. Perhaps the reason as to why their market share is dropping is due to the reasons why even my wife is switching to Ubuntu…
Southeast Linux Fest
June 15, 2010
Dear Fellow Bloggers,
It was not that long ago that I was listening to a podcast by Dan Lynch Fabian Scherschel entitled Linux Outlaws. They are not the indepth technical podcast that I love to listen to, but these guys have the right views and brand of humor to keep me entertained and up to date on all my opensource news. About a month ago I listened to their show and heard the ad for Southeast Linux Fest in Spartanburg, SC. Spartanburg, you say? Well that’s just three hours from my home. So off I went to my first Linux Fest!
I want to give a slight overview of SELF 2010. As a new comer I arrived at SELF, excited and scared, Friday evening… Scared? Well this was of course my first Linux conference and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be left out in the wind like I was at other conferences. However, as soon as I arrived I instantly went to the registration desk, which was quite easy to find. There I picked up my meal tickets, obtained some SELF goodies, and was pointed in the direction of UbuCon. I figured that UbuCon might just be a gathering of other like minded souls whom enjoyed the Ubuntu distro. Although, this was some what true, there was also an extra added bonus. A few Ubuntu Community Managers where there as well including Jono Bacon. Wow, I sat in the same room with the folks that designed my favorite distro!
After the final session of UbuCon, I went my to room for a moment to attend to my lovely laptop which I attempted to trick out for speed; by mixing and matching LXDE and several other components including GNOME Network Manager. Needless to say Network Manager had decided to implode the moment it knew I had arrived as SELF. After about an hour of struggling with the laptop I decided it was time for dinner so I rushed to the lobby. Upon entering the elevator I met a gentleman by the name of Alan Hicks. I suppose he saw my newbie-ness to attending Linux conferences and offered to buy me a beer at the 299 (hotel sports bar). It turned out that Alan was a speaker at SELF and an avid Slackware Linux fan. After talking with him and several others that night, including a college professor whom had made the trek down from Ohio on motorcycle, I began to feel what I had heard so many others talk about in blogs, podcasts, etc. It was the power of the community! Opensource users are some of the kindest people you will ever meet. Perhaps this is because of the model to which we practice each day, the freedom of knowledge and software. It has a good ring to it, right? Feels very liberating… I went to bed feeling quite well about my choice to attend and looked forward to Saturday.
Saturday was awesome and I will not overwhelm you with all the details but again I was thrown into conference room after conference room with proven industry leaders with tons of knowledge being thrust at me, freely and willingly. What a blast! But, all at the same time, I could feel my brain sizzling by 7pm…
Sunday was a sad day, I didn’t want to leave. Instead I wanted to bag up the Ubuntu Community Managers and take them back to Burlington with me. What an amazing experience to match faces with names that you see in Launchpad, etc!
I look forward to seeing all the video recordings and presenter slides get posted to the Southeast Linux Fest site soon, so that I can again relive some of those fond moments that the opensource community shared with me!
Thank you Google, Fedora, openSUSE, and many others for partnering this event!
