Yo Ian, nice article, my notes are in the quote: > > An Alternative to Windows? > By Ian Pascoe, Ubuntu UK Loco Team Member
Does anyone outside of us lot know what Loco means? Hows about something like Ubuntu UK representative or something > > Anyone reading this article will more than likely have heard of Microsoft > and their Windows desktop. If you are involved with being more creative > with your computer, you may well have heard of the Apple Mac, but have you > ever heard of either Ubuntu or Linux? No? I'm not surprised as these are > the new kids on the block Linux itself isn't new, but the desktop aspect is. Might also be worth mentioning what linux is used for and how exciting it is that this technology is coming to the desktop. > and having made in roads into the professional > server market, are now beginning to move into the consumer market. Well > known computer suppliers Dell now offer desktops and laptops with Ubuntu > installed as an alternative to Windows, together with other less well known > vendors. > > Why should I bother with Ubuntu or Linux as my computer works perfectly well > with it's current Microsoft installation? The short answer is, as long as > it works, there's no real need to change hmm I dont think this sounds right. Is this article out to inform or convert? > – unless of course you are looking > to move to the latest incarnation of Microsoft's Windows, and you are having > to try and justify the cost for the new Vista desktop, or maybe., you have > so many viruses and spyware on your computer that you gave up trying to use > it for anything other than the most simple tasks ages ago. There are lots > of other reasons too. > > Interested? Well, here are some of those other reasons. Confusing: Does it predict I am interested or not? > Firstly, because > of Linux's ancestory it is considerably more secure than Microsoft's > Windows. How / Why? > Secondly, Linux, Ubuntu, and the other thousands of other various > projects operate as a world wide community of individuals, and generally are > not corporately controlled. Generally? > Thirdly, you have the choice to choose what you > want. Fourthly, 95% or better of what you can do on Microsoft or Apple you > can do on Linux, and in some areas, it can only be done on Linux. Lastly, > almost everything within the Linux community does not place any hardship on > your wallet or purse – or put another way, it's free! I think it sounds better switched around: Lastly almost everything in the OSS community is free! Unlike Microsofts hardship on your wallet ... or something to that effect, it just sounds like your taking a long time to get to the point. > > Taking, for example, Microsoft's latest Windows package Vista. If you > currently have Windows already on your existing computer and you want to > upgrade to Vista, it is highly likely that you will need to upgrade the > computer's hardware to enjoy the delights of it's new Aero interface, as > well as the cost of the Windows software upgrade. > > Now using Ubuntu, you can get the same effects as Vista's Aero interface > without either the cost of upgrading your computer, or the additional fees > for the Vista upgrade itself. > > You will have noticed that I have changed from Linux to Ubuntu – the reason > is that Linux can be thought of as the equivilant to Microsoft, and Ubuntu > as the equivilant to Windows. It's starting to sound a little hand-holdy, maybe it might be better to put this section at the start of the article? > > What could you expect to get with Ubuntu? There are a number of different > flavours of Ubuntu, for use in different situations, but all of those that > are not targeted at specialist uses will have the basics of what most people > need – an Office suite, including word processor, spreadsheet, presentation > and database software, e-mail, web browsing, instant messaging, the ability > to play DVDs and CDs watch and download music and videos, and even, when you > get more experienced, the ability to run Windows applications as well! And > lots, lots more. > > If you decide to take the plunge and have a look at Ubuntu, what do you do > next? Well, the easiest thing to do is to either download , or send off for > a Live CD. This CD contains everything described above and will run on most > modern, and a few not so modern, computers, without interfering at all with > whatever's on your computer at the moment. And if you decide you like it, > you can then get it to install directly onto the computer without affecting > anything else that's on there, as long as there's enough space for it on the > Hard Disk. > > What do you do if you get stuck? Because, as I mentioned above, this is > driven by the Linux and Ubuntu communitys, there are a number of different > ways you can get help. Firstly, through your local Linux Users Group, or > for Ubuntu specific problems and questions, there is a UK based Ubuntu team > that can be contacted either through an e-mail list, web based forum, or IRC > channel. For those who want it, there is also a subscription support > service as well. > > If you want to do some more research, the nbest place to start is at > www.ubuntu.com, and this site will also enable you to obtain the Live CD. > Just my thoughts, otherwise looks awesome to me :o) -- Matthew G Larsen > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/
