Should I switch to Ubuntu or another Linux distribution? (PC noob thread)

[Dangit2019]

I'm not exactly fed up with Windows at all, it's just that I like big, open, and simple desktops, and I'll admit it looks pretty.

My only concern is the accessibility of programs I use like Chrome, iTunes, and even Zune (I have a Windows Phone, sue me). I don't mind using Ubuntu's media player, it's just that I still need to be able to sync music to my phone, iPod, and iPad (eat your heart out, Apple haters).

How easy is it to work around these issues, and is Ubuntu, or any other Linux distro, worth doing this work for?

 

[gunny1993]

From second hand information; chrome isn't hard to get working, there are numerous guides. On the other ones i think mostly they will require a windows emulator to work.

I don't particularly like Linux, never seems to work as well as windows at anything and i get it for free, if i had to pay the price tag i might change my mind. (probably not, i'm not a pauper)

 

[Jayemsal]

I've used both of these.


No. Do not switch to Ubuntu or Linux of any sort.

 

[thesilentman]

I'm not exactly fed up with Windows at all, it's just that I like big, open, and simple desktops, and I'll admit it looks pretty.

My only concern is the accessibility of programs I use like Chrome, iTunes, and even Zune (I have a Windows Phone, sue me). I don't mind using Ubuntu's media player, it's just that I still need to be able to sync music to my phone, iPod, and iPad (eat your heart out, Apple haters).

How easy is it to work around these issues, and is Ubuntu, or any other Linux distro, worth doing this work for?

You can install Chrome native in Ubuntu or any other distro. As for the music, I'm afraid that it may be the only things that you may need Windows for. It's a shame, as Ubuntu is so damn excellent and can easily compete with Windows if it had the big software guys behind them.

I'd still say install Ubuntu on a spare hard drive laying around and dedicate some time to using it if you really are into it, like me. Otherwise, stick to Windows. If you need any help, just PM me or drop in on us at the Escapist Linux Users Group [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Escapist-Linux-Users] here.

 

[Esotera]

I wouldn't switch over just because it's pretty, when stuff goes wrong it can be a bit harder to fix. It really depends on what you're using it for...Linux is great for more technical programs & even a full alternative for Windows, but playing games can be a bit hard.

And definitely check out the user group, lots of people there!

 

[DoPo]

I wouldn't switch over just because it's pretty

Yeah, I think we can all agree with this. You can still install it and give it a spin, though, you don't need to move over completely. You can also install it in a virtual machine (VMware Player and Virtual Box are both free) - you'll be able to try it out while still inside Windows.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I'm not exactly fed up with Windows at all, it's just that I like big, open, and simple desktops, and I'll admit it looks pretty.

My only concern is the accessibility of programs I use like Chrome, iTunes, and even Zune (I have a Windows Phone, sue me). I don't mind using Ubuntu's media player, it's just that I still need to be able to sync music to my phone, iPod, and iPad (eat your heart out, Apple haters).

How easy is it to work around these issues, and is Ubuntu, or any other Linux distro, worth doing this work for?

As others have said chrome is linux native. As for syncing music banshee and rythymbox support music management for a variety of devices, I believe windows phone is covered by both. I'd suggest trying a live cd so you can try linux without any permanent changes to your system to see if you'd like it first. While linux is quite easy to set up these days it can still be daunting when something goes wrong if your not used to, so I wouldn't recommend switching just because it looks nice.

Of there is the ever helpful linux user group members which I can see have already came offering their advice. Check out the group we'd be happy to assimilate you offer some friendly assistance.

 

[Lucem712]

You definitely can't use Zune software. Microsoft used a special 'handshake' that can't be emulated by non-windows software. /I'm not bitter

I'd recommend Linux Mint (version 14 is the latest); you get all the benefits of Ubuntu (PPAs, Deb. packages, Software Centre) and also all those nice codex that Canonical can't package because of legal reasons (flash, DVD playback, ect)

Wander over to the Escapist Linux Usergroup if you need any aid, friend!

 

[Evil Smurf]

I believe you can use rhythmbox (a linux media player) for your IOS devices.

 

[jwonno]

Unfortunately Zune and iTunes are proprietary software and don't play well with others. There are work arounds to get past this, such as WINE/PlayOnLinux and running it through another OS in a Virtual machine, but these aren't as stable or pretty to use.

If you are attached to your respective proprietary, closed ecosystems, I couldn't recommend switching to Linux. If however you wish to switch for the purposes of a more accessible, open platform, and are willing to make the necessary changes, then definitely yes it will save you in the long run.

 

[Epic Bear Man]

You can always partition your HDD. Figure out how much space you'll want for music and other things that might only work well with Windows or OSX, and use the rest of the space for Ubuntu.

 

[Da Orky Man]

I wouldn't switch over completely, but its worth dual-booting. A few weeks ago, I finally managed to get Windows 8 and Ubuntu to live together in peace and harmony (mostly) on my new laptop. Takes a bit of jigging, but its possible.

 

[bananafishtoday]

I run Debian (the distro on which Ubuntu is based) on my netbook and dual-boot with Windows 7 on my desktop. I like it. It's much faster than Windows, it's more stable, I find it to be a more comfortable environment to code in, and the way software is handled (centralized package system) is so much nicer. I didn't have many problems setting it up, and those I did have I was able to fix relatively easily. (I'm by no means a pro, but I guess you could say I'm technically inclined.) I'm also really into the politics/philosophy behind it.

I think the main difference is that Windows is made by coders to executives' specs for sale to consumers, while many Linux distros are made by coders for coders. Learning how to do things can take more time, but once you learn, you find it makes perfect sense why Thing X was done a certain way: the decentralized nature of development means that if there's a "best" way to do something, it catches on and spreads.

It's prolly more for tinkerers than general end-users. This isn't to say it's hard, but rather... if you don't care about how computers work, maybe it's not worth the effort. Apple views computers as home appliances, Microsoft views them as fancy calculators, and most Linux users view them as interesting machines.

I will say that I only ever boot into Windows for games I can't play on Debian nowadays.

 

[Dave In A Cape]

No. Do not switch to Ubuntu or Linux of any sort.

Basically this. I work with PC's for a living and I can tell you that it's just not worth it.

 

[Esotera]

No. Do not switch to Ubuntu or Linux of any sort.

Basically this. I work with PC's for a living and I can tell you that it's just not worth it.

I work with PCs for a living too and can tell you that it is worth it.

Stalemate

OT: Since no-one actually offered a solution to the original problem, here is a link to the Ubuntu documentation for syncing ipods https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PortableDevices/iPod

 

[Griffolion]

I'm not exactly fed up with Windows at all, it's just that I like big, open, and simple desktops, and I'll admit it looks pretty.

My only concern is the accessibility of programs I use like Chrome, iTunes, and even Zune (I have a Windows Phone, sue me). I don't mind using Ubuntu's media player, it's just that I still need to be able to sync music to my phone, iPod, and iPad (eat your heart out, Apple haters).

How easy is it to work around these issues, and is Ubuntu, or any other Linux distro, worth doing this work for?

Ubuntu is at a usable level now. If you know your way around installing an OS from fresh, you'll be fine.

Just be wary of driver support for chipsets, wireless adapters, graphics adapters, etc. You may not find them, or optimal ones.

Chrome I know is supported for Linux, as is Steam. You will not find iTunes or Zune on there, as Apple and Microsoft hate the OS that constantly makes them look bad.

As much as I like Ubuntu, I can't recommend it if you're anything less than a veteran of computing and don't mind going "off the beaten track" as far as app availability and certain aspects of usability are concerned. If you were such a person, you wouldn't have posted this. So no, I don't recommend it for you.

I know Windows isn't the best (though I love 7, and 8 is competent), when it comes to software availability, you don't have much else to choose from.

 

[Dave In A Cape]

No. Do not switch to Ubuntu or Linux of any sort.

Basically this. I work with PC's for a living and I can tell you that it's just not worth it.

I work with PCs for a living too and can tell you that it is worth it.

Stalemate

OT: Since no-one actually offered a solution to the original problem, here is a link to the Ubuntu documentation for syncing ipods https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PortableDevices/iPod

To be honest, this is also a topic for debate in my office as well.

 

[thesilentman]

No. Do not switch to Ubuntu or Linux of any sort.

Basically this. I work with PC's for a living and I can tell you that it's just not worth it.

I work with PCs for a living too and can tell you that it is worth it.

Stalemate

OT: Since no-one actually offered a solution to the original problem, here is a link to the Ubuntu documentation for syncing ipods https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PortableDevices/iPod

To be honest, this is also a topic for debate in my office as well.

Does your company heavily use MS Office? If so, what versions? If you can answer the first with no, knock yourself out and switch to a Linux distro, preferably something Ubuntu-based. If the answer is yes for the first, and you don't run 2007, 2010, or 2013, switching will take work, but it's worth it. But if you run 2007, 2010 or 2013, stop right there. It's perfectly possible to switch to Linux at that point, but get ready to do some major work and back stuff up like crazy. I, like Esotera, highly recommend that every computer user at least try a non-defective Linux install. It's very worth it in the end.