KaiZ51

I know everyone says it's one of the easiast distros around, but still, I don't want to install it and have surprises. I need that something that will work fine and isn't buggy, I need to be sure I can install any or almost any program and a problem won't come up.
Why, you ask? Well I'm looking to dual-boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.04, using Ubuntu for everything but games (or nearly everything), and 7 for games. I just hope booting each O.S. won't take too long booting as it WILL be a PITA changing O.S. for games, and then my other stuff, etc...
I want to feel safe and know I can trust Ubuntu when using it.

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savagebunny

Ubuntu is really easy to use imo.

If you ever have trouble installing a program, look through Ubuntu-forums or post on OCN, I only know a little about it but its usually the just starting out questions people got.

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kevingreenbmx

well, really i would recommend just playing with it and if you are comfortable with it then start using it full time. if you put it in dual boot you always have the option of using windows which you know will work.

i will say that ubuntu is the easiest distro that i have used, but if you expect it to be a free windows it is not. you cannot use all windows apps in ubuntu even with wine, but for most things there are equivalent apps available.

def setup your dual boot and have fun. ubuntu is a very user-friendly OS once you have everything set up how you like it. but as with any linux distro setting up everything will take a bit more patience than windows. but it is defiantly worth it.

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menthol_penguin

Make sure that you install Ubuntu second. Ubuntu boots really quickly due to the filesystem it uses but Windows 7 will take longer to boot.

Lord Xeb

I have no issues with mine and it is not compicated. Sometimes you have to get into terminal to do some things. But I just copy and past the commands in.

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shughard

I feel that Ubuntu is very user friendly and easy to install.

You will find boot times to be very fast if you use the ext4 file system. This is not enabled by default. You must set it up when you do the install. It is not hard since it is a gui installer.

I have 9.04 xubuntu using ext4 on my htpc which is an older p4 1.6ghz. Compared to the machine I use at work (e2140 with bsel mod running xp sp3) the boot times are blazing fast. My sig rig is running ubuntu 9.04 ext4 from an ssd and boots in about 10 sec.

As the previous poster mentioned it will take a little bit of work to get it set up the way you want it. The only problems I have had where getting the temp sensors to work that my mother board uses. It was a five minute fix. I just googled the problem and found the answer. Easy as pie. The other was a driver issue with an off brand wireless card in my htpc. I had to by a new card but it wasn't a big deal.

It is a good idea to check the ubuntu forums to make sure that your existing and future hardware has driver support. Once again not a big deal because almost all quality parts will be supported. The notable exceptions are driver issues with lexmark printers and ati video cards.

Almost all of the work that I put into getting set up was customization that I wanted. I like eye candy and being an ocn member want the maximum performance possible so I enjoy tweaking my machine. It is very possible to just do a quick install and be perfectly happy without doing the things that I did.

I recommend checking out a program called ubuntu tweak for first time users it puts a lot of popular tweaks and mods in one easy place.

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Windows is like a case of the crabs

you really can do without it

Smoochy

www.vmware.com

-iceblade^

use it for a bit in a live CD and do a bit of reading to see if it will work well for you, but other than that it really is pretty easy to use.

this reading will come in handy.

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntucat/

you could also try linux mint which does a lot of the 'rough' work after ubuntu (codec installs, java and flash, etc) and see if you like that.

note that you can also install Ubuntu and Mint as a normal program inside Windows...

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Lord Xeb

I have used Linux Mint and is very well polished and very well made. It based off of ubuntu and has all the codecs, flash, etc.. installed already.

Go give it a try.

http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

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thiussat

I recommend you download both Ubuntu and Kubuntu. One uses Gnome, the other KDE. Play around with both of the liveCD's and see which of the two desktop environments you like best.

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"I can't bring myself to try Linux Mint because they keep naming the OS after ex-girlfriends or women I've had bad run ins with. Cassandra was a sexual harassing shift manager. And Felicia was a stalker who knew how to turn a good day into a hellish experience in 0-60." -- Anub1s from BBR forums