I’ve had a nagging curiosity tugging at me on an off for about two years. About a month ago it started up again and I just had to take time to satisfy it. Part of the motivation for this is the performance of my Windows Vista HP Pavilion dv9000 laptop. It’s been a little slow to start up in the past few months. I’m also concerned about preventing virus and malware attacks so I have four programs (five if you count the firewall) running to monitor and prevent problems. I suspect this has something to do with the less than desirable performance. To make a long story short, as a Windows user since it first arrived, I have dipped my toes into the Linux pond via the Ubuntu distribution of Linux. For those who are not aware, there are many flavors of Linux available but all use the same core of the operating system.
I have to tell you at the outset, so far, my experience has been that Linux and Ubuntu are not for everyone and for every computer. I’ve installed Ubuntu 8.10 on these two systems:
1. An old Dell Dimension 4600 with an Intel Pentium 4 2.8Ghz CPU, 80GB hard drive, and 512MB RAM
2. A 1 year old HP Pavilion dv9000 with a AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL60 2.0Ghz CPU, and 3GB RAM
Here’s my conclusion so far in comparing Windows to Ubuntu Linux. When it comes to productivity, I think it’s a draw. If I had as much experience with Linux as I have with Windows, my productivity would be about equal. One thing Ubuntu has yet to do is make software installation drop dead fool proof. But the one thing Windows does not do is give you the depth of control over your OS and computer that Ubuntu can, and that’s where the learning curve is.
But how does this relate to web design? I believe it boils down to productivity and efficiency. Productivity in getting the work you need to do as quickly as you can. Efficiency in how much time and money you spend getting your work done. There are free programs available for Ubuntu for office applications such as Open Office, graphics, web design, audio and video editing, and much more. One of the glaring shortcomings of Linux distributions is the complete lack of Adobe software.
The most obvious benefit of Ubuntu is that it does not cost anything and you can adapt it to your purposes as best you can. Although no OS is 100% immune to virus and malware attacks, Windows is much more susceptible for several reasons, the most obvious of which are it is a huge target and in its underlying architecture, the way it’s built and operates. Make no mistake; I’m not making the case here for the use of one OS over the other because they both have strengths and weaknesses. So, why not use both if for no other reason than to be able to use your computer when a malware or virus hoses your Windows? The Ubuntu installer can set up a dual boot arrangement so you can choose which OS you want to use. I’m not ready to forsake Windows but I may be using it a little less. Stay tuned as I continue my journey of discovery into Ubuntu and please feel free to share your experience by leaving a comment to this blog post.
