When not making shirts for you folks and during the off times that my daughter is asleep, I basically spend my personal time on the computer. I’ve been teaching myself to code, researching the ins and outs of networks, and really learning loads of stuff each day. One thing that I found that kept annoying me was Windows. Most of the stuff I was reading referred to Linux. At first, I would mess around with Linux on Virtualbox. Virtualbox is awesome because it gives you the option to run a second operating system on your existing one. So I had Windows 7 and I was able to play around with Linux. After a few days I said, “Screw it.” Enough of Windows.
The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. I hated Windows 7. I hated Windows in general. My sister and I would argue, Windows vs Mac all the time, and I would stand by the side of Windows and defend it. Don’t get me wrong, I hate Mac still (and Apple in general) but I am finished with Windows. I’m not some fanboy that hates Apple and loves Microsoft (or vice versa). I Just want something that works, works for a long time, and doesn’t rip me off with new bullshit releases that break the bank. I fancied myself over to the Ubuntu website and downloaded the ISO, burned it to a DVD, and soon enough, I wiped out my old operating system and said “hello” to Ubuntu! Its like complete freedom. Let me tell you why Ubuntu is so awesome.
1) Its free
2) You don’t have to buy an Office Suite, it comes with OpenOffice.
3) You are free from virus’s (I know its still technically possible but super rare, just like with Macs) so you don’t need a bunch of shit anti virus programs that eat up RAM and fail to catch anything because they are constantly out of date.
4) Any bugs that you come across, you won’t have to wait years for a fix. Ubuntu is open source, fix’s can be tracked down in Ubuntu.
5) You don’t have to yank your hair out restarting your system all the time, you almost never have to with Ubuntu.
6) Load of free software for anything you need at the click of a button. The Ubuntu Software Center on your desktop has tons of great stuff, all free.
7) You can still run your favourite Windows programs if there isn’t an alternate Linux version. There is a great program called “Wine” which you use to open any Windows program you would like to use.
8) All upgrades for Ubuntu are free of cost.
9) If you get stuck with any problem, just join the Ubuntu forum. The people in there are awesome and can help you with any issue you have. I’ve found that the issues I’ve come across were all quick fixes from the command terminal.
10) No more bullshit defragging the hard drive.
Using Ubuntu on the VirtualBox gave me a taste of what it was like. I started reading some books on it, and doing some basic research. Then I decided that there wouldn’t be a better way to learn than just diving in, getting rid of my old operating system, and forcing myself to learn this one because it would be all I had. So that is what I did. I love it. My computer is super quick, I haven’t come across one limitation yet. If you have some spare time on your hands, check out VirtualBox and mess around with Linux. I’m going to start doing some basic tutorials on some thing with this blog. I am not an expert by far, but I’d love to share what I have picked up and learn/interact with other users. More to come!
