Category Archives: Linux

Wishing For Linux

This week I made an effort to switch to Linux. The result? Epic fail.

I’m a Windows guy by nature. I use Windows at home (me, the wife, etc.), most of my family and friends use Windows, my company is all Windows (Server 2003/2008, Windows XP/Vista/7). I enjoy Windows, I know it inside and out. But for years now the idea of switching to an open operating system has appealed to me. No more upgrade costs, tons of software packages to try, another curve to learn… there’s really no downside when I’m just thinking about it. I’ve installed and played around with Ubuntu/SUSE/Mint more times than I can remember, even going so far as to install Kubuntu Server on an old thin client (with a CF card-turned SSD hard drive) to use as a tiny PHP/web server. But there’s always something that holds me back from making the transition for good.

This week I decided to make the plunge and give it another shot, choosing to download the newest version of Ubuntu, Natty Narwhal. I’ve got a Thinkpad Edge 14, and started with a blank hard drive. The install was clean, simple, and fast. The OS is amazing, very pretty, and easy to operate. I played with it for hours, configuring my desktop and options. In the end though, I had to call it quits and slap the old hard drive back in. It’s just not ready for prime time.