MicroSoft's new OS

[dustinwadams5]

Yea I came across that same article Bubba, I personally like Vista. Has anybody heard of an open source OS called Ubuntu? I ran across this today and am downloading a copy to see what it's like.

[omgponies]

Ubuntu is really nice. It's probably the best-documented for first time users linux distribution I've ever tried.

I had Edgy on my Yonah (Core Duo) laptop just a month or so ago. Have fun and let us know what you think

[omgponies]

Thanks for the friendly welcome, Bubba. I like it here.

[dustinwadams5]

I actually decided to try Kubuntu which let's you try it out by booting from the disc without installing. I have also ran across Solaris as well any thoughts about this one?

[flange]

Originally Posted by dustinwadams5

I actually decided to try Kubuntu which let's you try it out by booting from the disc without installing. I have also ran across Solaris as well any thoughts about this one?

Ubuntu/Kubuntu
Ubuntu will also let you try booting from the disc (known as a Live CD). The difference between Ubuntu and Kubuntu is entirely in the GUI. Underneath the hood they are the same system.

Ubuntu uses a GUI called Gnome, which focuses on simplicity and attempting to choose the best default settings for most of its users. Kubuntu uses a GUI called KDE, which focuses more on giving the user complete control and an abundance of configuration options.

Personally, I prefer Ubuntu/Gnome over Kubuntu/KDE because I like Gnome's defaults and have never been able to shape KDE into something I enjoy using. Many others prefer KDE because they like to tweak the heck out of their systems, and don't like the fact that Gnome intentionally attempts to hide many advanced settings. It's very much a matter of taste, and the Gnome/KDE debate can get very heated in the Linux community.

With Ubuntu/Kubuntu, you're not limited to one or the other. Whichever you choose will only determine what is installed by default and what you will see when you use the Live CD. After your initial installation, it is entirely possible to install the 2nd GUI, and have both GUIs available to use when you login to the computer. This may sound confusing, but I think you'll see pretty quickly what I mean once you get going.

I strongly recommend that you check out these two sites while you're playing around with Ubuntu/Kubuntu:

Ubuntu Starter Guide
Ubuntu Forums

If you're polite and making an honest effort, the people there will help you with just about any problem you're having. I don't post there too much, but you might see me occasionally under the same name.

Good luck with it! Linux can be frustrating at first, especially if you're coming from Windows like I did. Most stuff in Linux is based on Unix and is very dissimilar to what you will be used to seeing in the Windows world. I've been using it as my primary system for about 2 years now, and for me, Windows and OS/X just don't compare.


Solaris
Solaris is very good. It's biggest problem is hardware support. It has a much more limited set of hardware you can use with it, whereas Linux and Windows have a very large set of supported hardware.

[flange]

Okay, well now I feel like a thread killer.

[dustinwadams5]

I tried it out and it was actually a pretty good OS especially because its open source.