Sunday, January 11, 2009, 9:10am
PEOPLE encountering Ubuntu for the first time will find it very similar to Windows. The operating system has a slick graphical interface, familiar menus and all the common desktop software: a Web browser, an e-mail program, instant-messaging software and a free suite of programs for creating documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
While relatively easy to use for the technologically savvy, Ubuntu -- and all other versions of Linux -- can challenge the average user. Linux cannot run many applications created for Windows, including some of the most popular games and tax software, for example. And updates to Linux can send ripples of problems through the system, causing something as basic as a computer's display or sound system to malfunction.
And computer idiots running Windows have no problems, no flaky hardware drivers, no BSODs, no viruses, trojans or spyware and a clean format fixes everything right away? I reformat at least a dozen computers a year that run Windows and every time I need to deal with pain in the neck drivers that I have to hunt for.