Faster Than a Virus Check

My computer was starting to get a little funky (the printer stopped working - totally not the printer's fault), and I had a brand new version of Ubuntu sitting right here, so I figured, what the heck.

I was in for a treat.

Ubuntu's goal is to be the easiest to use, most beautiful, most polished, most stable operating system for your computer.  Its creator, Mark Shuttleworth, honestly wants to compete with Microsoft and Apple.  How's he doing this time around?  Let's take a look.

Installation

Installation has been easy for a long time, but now it's also convenient, and fast.  It downloads updates while you're installing.  It also has a handy check box for "install 3rd party software."  That's stuff like mp3 and flash support.  They know I'm going to do it anyway, so why make me dig for it later when they can just hand it to me up front?  This became a common theme with the new Ubuntu (keep reading).

The entire installation took 20 minutes.  That's about half the time it takes Windows to install.  It's also faster than it takes you to do a virus scan on your Windows machine.  Just sayin'.

First Impressions

The startup time has been lightning fast since the last version of Ubuntu.  Shuttleworth has said he wants to eliminate the startup screen altogether because the OS will be so fast it doesn't need it.  We're not there yet, but we're down to about 20 seconds.  To be fair, I've noticed Windows 7 starts up pretty fast too, but right now nothing beats Ubuntu for fast startup times.  There are benchmarks somewhere.

I used to have a whole set of software that I had to install with any new computer.  I still do with Windows, but with Linux that list is almost gone.  Ubuntu has a built-in chat program that supports all my chat accounts (including Facebook) as well as a "broadcast" program for FB updates.  These programs integrate into the menu bar so it's super easy and convenient.

It also came with Firefox, although I now prefer Chrome, for which I had to go to the Chrome website.  Not only did it install quickly and easily, but it added its repository to the list.  That means every time the software is updated, Ubuntu will let me know.

Speaking of Chrome: Because I like things clean and convenient, I only installed two Chrome plugins:

• Google Shortcuts: gives me handy links to all the Google services I use.  Fully customizable so it only displays the buttons I want.  There are other plugins that do the same thing but none are as powerful or pretty as this one.
• One Number: Shows a single icon in my toolbar telling me how many new emails, text messages, and unread blog posts from friends.  With links to each (of course).

And that's it!  There are lots of other cool plugins out there, but this way I can keep my web browser clean and fast.

The hardware support is fantastic.  Out of the box, I get support for my wifi, sound card, laptop sleep mode, and extra buttons (like sound and screen brightness).  Windows will never, ever give you those things.  So the result is Linux actually has better hardware support than Windows now.  Oh - did I mention my OS is 64-bit, so the processor can run twice as fast?  Yeah.

Only a couple things that weren't supported out of the box: the fingerprint reader and the special Thinkpad scroll button.  More on that later.

Of course, Ubuntu comes with Compiz now too.  The way they've done it is mild and unobtrusive, no spinning cubes to confuse people.

But Daddy wants his spinny cube.  So, here's the short list of things Ubuntu DIDN'T come with:

• Cairo Dock: Like the Mac OS X dock, but fancier.  Daddy needs a little eye candy.
• CCSM: For the fancier features of Compiz.
• Chrome
• Battle for Wesnoth
• Gkrellm: Like a car dashboard, but for your computer.  Because I'm a propeller head who wants to know how hot my CPU is at all times.
• IBM hardware drivers: IBM fingerprint scanner and the special scroll button.

All these things were installed and usable in a matter of minutes.

Bottom Line

Linux isn't just for propeller-heads, and it hasn't been for a long time.  With Ubuntu, I've become used to a certain amount of polish, but this new version envelops me like satin sheets.  Other reviews have complained that there aren't a lot of big amazing updates, which is true.  But frankly, the other OS companies (Microsoft and Apple, I'm looking at you) focus on adding flashy new features in order to justify the $100 upgrade fee.  Ubuntu already has plenty of flash, and I know more is on the way.  This upgrade is about polish, ease of use, and reliability, and it's got it in spades.

J<