Ubuntu Switch « Life is grand

Ubuntu Switch

So all this recent switching from Mac to Linux has me wondering whether a switch from Windows to Mac is right for me. Maybe I too should jump Mac and head straight for Ubuntu from Windows. I’ve used Ubuntu a bit and was really impressed. That it is funded and started by a fellow South African just makes it better.

One point Cory makes is that you can get a small-form Lenovo ThinkPad T60p with a good deal more grunt for less than the MacBook or MacBook Pro I was thinking of getting. I love the design of the MacBook hardware itself rather than the Mac operating system but is it worth the extra pennies? The ThinkPad is a decent looking laptop too and apparently quite brilliant.

What do you reckon. Has Linux desktop’s time come in the form of Ubuntu and is a MacBook worth it?

This entry was posted on Monday, July 3rd, 2006 at 7:30 pm and is filed under Laptop, Linux, Mac, MacBook, Switch, Ubuntu, choice, operating system. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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IITQ 2 years ago 1 point
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Hey Paul

I'm running three systems on Debian Linux.

I run my main laptop as a dual boot windows / debian combo.

I'm getting loads out of linux due to the thousands of esoteric applications that are high-end but free (such as statistics and development packages).

It really is brilliant for development with tonnes of IDEs and languages available through a point and click package update (Debian's brilliant APT software update tool).

For web development, it alo allows you to create a high-end test envirnoment on your workstation / laptop mimicking your production environment, which can be useful if you're away from your production test environment.

However, I run the "testing release" to get access to the latest material and be aware that there are bugs and installation hassles. If you roll back to the "stable" release, things are obviously much better, but you wait longer for the latest versions.

Ubuntu is based on Debian (it is a "fork" meaning it inherits from Debian and contributes back to it per the GPL). A lot of effort goes into standardising Ubuntu and easing installtion hassles.

Before buying a laptop, check out the net for linux support - a non-standard unsupported piece of hardware such as a wireless networking card can drive you mad!!!!

Cheers

IITQ

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IITQ 2 years ago 1 point
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Oh, and - if you want to try Linux, get hold of / download a copy of Knoppix.

Knoppix is also a Debian fork and is a LiveCD version of Linux. You can boot and run Linux off the CD. It is renowned for being the easiest Linux to get running on a PC an recognises lots of hardware without hassles.

It is also a great way to test hardware for compatibility issues, or to find out settingthat are auto-configured through Knoppix, that will allow your Linux installation to work with your hardware.

Finally, take a look at "Linux Format" and "Linux Magazine." Both are from the UK and come with a DVD carrying the latest version of some flavour of Linux (e.g. Ubuntu, Debian, SUSE, Knoppix, etc) each month.

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mikecpeck 2 years ago 1 point
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I wouldn't give up my macbook pro for any sort of thinkpad. Ubuntu can't be that good.

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Brian Delahunty 2 years ago 1 point
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Thinkpads are amazing laptops. Paul (the other Paul) has one (intel use all thinkpads) and it's brilliant. The build quailty is great (he's bounced it off everything you can think off and it's still going strong).

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IITQ 2 years ago 1 point
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Did you get my comments on Linux or have I been censored???!!!

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Paul Watson 2 years ago 1 point
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IITQ, sorry about that. Akismet marked your comments as SPAM originally. I have enabled them.

Thanks for the info on Linux, I'll check it all out.

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Chris Gallagher 2 years ago 1 point
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A friend of mine owns this thinkpad: http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/notebooks/thinkpad/x-s...

Definately the best laptop i've ever dealt with, even has biometric authentication on the form of a finger swipe so you dont have to worry about remembering passwords..... thats if you worry about that sort of thing! Nice pricetag on that model though which would put me off anyway! :-/

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Paul Watson 2 years ago 1 point
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Thanks Chris. Brian was saying the X series is good too. I am just waiting for it to upgrade to the Core Duo chips first.

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Marc 2 years ago 1 point
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Mac is a better choice if you love OS X or the apps like Microsoft Office, iTunes, Quicksilver, etc. or don't want to futz around with getting your wireless to work and such.

Ubuntu is very nice if you're a more hands-on person (it's mostly pretty automatic, but who knows if it's going to properly detect and support your laptop's video and wireless) and don't mind using open-source substitute apps like OpenOffice, Amarok, etc.

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Conor O'Neill 2 years ago 1 point
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I've tried a couple of different revisions of Ubuntu since it launched and it just gets better and better.

Most recently I did a Dapper Drake install on a fairly meaty Dell Laptop (D610). Worked well apart from wireless which I never sorted (ended up using an external USB adapter) and sound (none).

Easy Ubuntu (as mentioned by Mark Pilgrim) is excellent for installing all the non-GPL stuff.

Last week I installed Dapper Kubuntu on an ancient 7 year old Dell Inspiron 3800. 400Mhz and 192MB RAM. Posting this comment using it now. Worked like a charm including the no-name PCMCIA wireless adapter.

Seriously considering having a look at the server install. I've run Redhat/Fedora since 1997 on my servers so it would be almost as big a wrench as the Mac converts are feeling.

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Bharath 2 years ago 1 point
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For the wireless adapter part, the issue is mostly with the manufacturers of the adapters who refuse to reveal the driver details for development for use with linux.

However, Dapper Drake has come out with a tool which allows it to wrap around the windows driver for the wireless adapter and get it working. I have forgotten the exact name of the tool. But, you will only have to appropriately search for it in Synaptic Manager to get it going.

SMC cards never worked with even Ubuntu Breezy. With Dapper Drake, it is working great.

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Conor O'Neill 2 years ago 1 point
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I think you are talking about ndiswrapper. Worked well for one wireless adapter but not for the built-in Dell one.

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