I installed Ubuntu in my computer thinking that it could be the solution to my problems. I have had Vista and it has not been a very nice experience. Vista is slow and self restrictive. Thinking that Ubuntu would overcome the problems that I have faced with Vista for so long i was eager to start using the new OS.
Everything went smoothly, I downloaded the desktop version of Ubuntu called Gutsy Gibbon. I was surprised that I had it in my computer in no time and by using information from the net i was able to correctly burn it to a CD and have my computer's hard drive dual booting by creating a disk partition. That was all cool!. Ubuntu does not give you a glowing booting like Vista's presentation. But that's the least of importance when you are looking for functionality and fast interaction.
Everything started off very nice with Ubuntu. I was impressed to see how it even connected my laptop computer to a wireless connection even faster than Vista. Ubuntu is exceptionally fast and useful. But as everything in the real world nothing is perfect!. Ubuntu Linux is the most user friendly distribution from the Linux world. To some degree it looks and feels like Microsoft Windows. But that's it. When it comes down to get your hands dirty then you realize that Linux is no joke. In my personal experience, just the browsing internet was a nightmare. When I decided to watch YouTube's videos I realized that I needed Adobe's Flash. Of course, Adobe is such a clever company and Ubuntu is such a useful OS that it never came to my mind that it would require anything else than just clicking download...How wrong i was!. Downloading Adobe Flash for my mozilla firefox in Linux was as difficult as downloading a not well known file from sourceforge.net. You would expect that downloading a so popular file like Flash would be as easy as you do it in Windows or Mac's OS. But it is a real pain to have to download a file just to execute a bunch of commands in the Terminal feature.
Now, I totally understand the free software philosophy and I love it. But why does it have to be so counterintuitive? Windows Vista and Macs are not perfect either, but one of the main things that their makers have worked on is in being able to develop softwares that are also intuitive and that a person like me with some medium level knowledge of how a computer and how software work, one would still be able to solve some problems without the need to go crazy trying to figure out where to check or who to ask.
I don't criticize the Ubuntu or Linux in itself. But I strongly believe there is a Buzz going on relating free software and especially Ubuntu that is misinforming people. On You Tube you can find video clips of Beryl, Compiz Fusion Windows manager. I watched it and i thought, damn! that was cool.
Compiz Fusion is a Windows manager that creates effects and decorations in your computer. But what you don't know is that it is highly unstable and that if it messes up with your computer, there is no way back to restore your OS, which is one of the nicest features in windows Vista. It happened to me while trying to install Compiz Fusion. It literally broke my Windows (lol). While installing the software it made my window's borders to dissapear and never had a way to fix it. Now i think I could have, but then I would have had to research in those God forsaken Ubuntu forums that are so vague that it just drives you crazy.
My question goes: Is it possible to develop Linux in a way that the curve of learning can be made less dificult? Can it be more user friendly..I mean, really!? is it possible for the geek community to drag more people so used to the simplicity of windows to learn Linux without going nuts with old fashioned commands, at least for the simply and easy necessary thing of internet?
I have now uninstalled Ubuntu. I am not gonna stop using Vista although it sucks big time. I am gonna save money to try to get myself a Mac. As far as Ubuntu, I will continue learning Linux, i am not gonna give up. But Linux is still a work in process and the way it is now it will be difficult for it to really compete with Microsoft's and Apple's OS.
Why LINUX has a long way to go
