30 Days with Linux

HardOCP has a great story about an experiment I really need to do some time: Live for 30 days with Linux and, more importantly, without Windows.

If you've been considering the jump off of Windows (as many, many of you have called for in the comments section of a number of my anti-Vista rants), this is a must-read story. It's also a long one, and I'll offer some digests of its insights along with my own comments here.

As with most people these days, the tester chose Ubuntu for its reputation as a simple and stable Linux distribution. Installation went well and Ubuntu even recognized his iPod automatically. The author notes that some aspects of installing apps is actually easier than on Windows or the Mac: Just check through a list of apps you want and Linux installs them all automatically, all at once. Nice! Check out the screenshots on page 4 for some examples of the cool things the Beryl windows manager can do... however, don't miss the link to the convoluted lengths you have to go to in order to complete the install.

But naturally, the real proof is in the daily use of the software, and Linux has plusses and minuses here. After installing an iPod management program and music playing application, the system proved more full-featured than Apple's own software (letting you copy files off an iPod, for example, without extra add-ins). At the same time, the author found all manner of problems with video viewing, viewing Flash files, and more. Some of these problems had no fix at all. With hardware and peripherals, results were similar.

Naturally, there are big problems with gaming. I won't spoil the fun there.

If nothing else, be sure to read the Conclusions page of the piece, which has some unkind words toward 64-bit Ubuntu but is overwhelmingly positive. Sure, it's written by a computer pro who knows where to look for help and is clearly an expert with non-Linux systems already, but if you set your expectations appropriately and arm yourself with information (Ubuntu Linux for Dummies is even recommended), you might find it not quite the headache you're imagining.

Even if you're not ready for Linux, give it a read!