Ubuntu 14.04LTS released yesterday

My computer died a couple months ago and I just bought a new one and hated windows 8.1 right off the bat. I installed Ubuntu 12.04 in duel boot with windoze and loved it except for the flakey bootloader in the new, UEFI bios. So I re partitioned the hard drive and installed Ubuntu all by itself and I am loving it. Yesterday they released a new LTS (long term support) version, 14.04. Wish I had waited a few days. Anyway I am loving this OS big time and I will update soon. I just wanted to tell everybody you don't have to suffer with the latest windoze version. I am certainly not much of a computer nerd but I am finding Ubuntu to be fairly easy to work with, and it's FREE, you cheapskates!

Any other recent Ubuntu converTs out therr?

I liked Ubuntu when I used it 4-5 years ago, but switched to the Debian Edition a few years ago and haven't looked back.
Ubuntu was good but Mint is just a better fit for me.

If Apple ever stopped being a viable company, I would switch back to Linux. I do, from time to time, run Ubuntu on one of my cores (no need for me to dual boot).

I've used it on and off, but I'm a server admin and all of my servers run Debian so that us what I'm used to. Having said that I've just finished downloading 14.04 to install on my mums old computer. Looks like the death of Windows XP might be a good thing for Linux in General and Ubuntu specifically.

I use Ubuntu from time to time! It's a great OS. But it's lack of compatibility to certain important application and the requirement to use the terminal for a majority of my work gets to me!!

whosaidpigeon said:

I've used it on and off, but I'm a server admin and all of my servers run Debian so that us what I'm used to. Having said that I've just finished downloading 14.04 to install on my mums old computer. Looks like the death of Windows XP might be a good thing for Linux in General and Ubuntu specifically.

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Yeah the death of XP is gonna be good for Ubuntu, sure. But the sucky-ness of 8 and 8.1 are also gonna be good for Linux and particularly for Ubuntu. I would not be using Ubuntu 12.04 right now if the new windows was not so horrible.

Ubuntu, you can thank MicroSoft for my patronage. If they had not forced me to take a look at their newest and all-time worst OS, I would not have defected. I would have stayed in the MS camp if my new laptop had windows 7 on it, or if 8.1 was actually an upgrade.



And Windows doesn't even have a cute widdle mascot. The Penguin is your Friend!

Yeah! Debian linux is the future
I have tried many different flavors but always come back to Ubuntu and its derivatives.
I currently run Lubuntu on my ancient Aspire laptop, and it flies like the wind.

I've tried several distros, including some versions of Ubuntu. I finally settled on Mint to bring my old laptop back to life.

It would be a huge game changer if some software companies (esp Adobe) started to develop for even one of the many flavors of Linux out there.

i have ubuntu 12.04 LTS on this laptop.

Love it, i probably will never go back to windows. Super easy to use.

I have thought the same thing a number of times. If not for a few programmes that are Windows only I would switch to Linux for my everyday pc use. Like most it's surfing, email, etc. I am not a 'worker' with a pc as such. I have used Mint a few times and it is very polished. Ubuntu has a bit more learning curve with its Unity interface but honestly, if you are not hung up on learning newer interfaces(I really don't hate Windows 8 the way others do) you can navigate around without too much issue. I am still a Linux novice but if there is one thing this OS does right it is installing applications. Go to the repository, search it out, click install and it just happens. Usually with whatever package updates you need. I am still learning all this sudo apt get stuff I would imagine it is not all that ridiculous to get the hang of it.

A couple of questions for those of you who use Linux regularly. If I understand things correctly, Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian. Yes/no? And Debian uses .deb packages for applications which are NOT compatible with Ubuntu repositories. Again, yes/no? I also understand that Debian is a rolling release that never really goes out of date and does not need to be re-installed whereas Ubuntu has 'versions' that will eventually go obsolete requiring a new install from time to time. Is there really any advantage to either system? I ask because Ubuntu also has a Gnome version of their distribution and maybe eventually will have a LTS version with Gnome 3. This interests me since the latest reviews of Gnome 3(3.14?) seem to be REALLY good. I like the fact you can manipulate the dock in ways you cannot with Unity. Interestingly Debian used to be fairly tightly spun with Gnome and after v3 came out with its issues they seem to be going in a slightly different direction. But with Ubuntu's large repositories it may make a Gnome 3 machine a great OS for daily use. Thoughts? One last thing. Multimedia. This is one thing that makes Mint a superb OS. I have no issue using proprietary codecs since my goal is to use the machine and not tweak the ruddy thing every week. How does all this compare between Debian and Ubuntu?

Cheers, Todd

Phog Allen said:

A couple of questions for those of you who use Linux regularly. If I understand things correctly, Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian. Yes/no? And Debian uses .deb packages for applications which are NOT compatible with Ubuntu repositories. Again, yes/no? I also understand that Debian is a rolling release that never really goes out of date and does not need to be re-installed whereas Ubuntu has 'versions' that will eventually go obsolete requiring a new install from time to time. Is there really any advantage to either system? I ask because Ubuntu also has a Gnome version of their distribution and maybe eventually will have a LTS version with Gnome 3. This interests me since the latest reviews of Gnome 3(3.14?) seem to be REALLY good. I like the fact you can manipulate the dock in ways you cannot with Unity. Interestingly Debian used to be fairly tightly spun with Gnome and after v3 came out with its issues they seem to be going in a slightly different direction. But with Ubuntu's large repositories it may make a Gnome 3 machine a great OS for daily use. Thoughts? One last thing. Multimedia. This is one thing that makes Mint a superb OS. I have no issue using proprietary codecs since my goal is to use the machine and not tweak the ruddy thing every week. How does all this compare between Debian and Ubuntu?

Cheers, Todd

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That's a bunch of questions but I'll give it a shot. Ubuntu and Mint are based on Debian but there are significant differences. They use the same packages but Debian packages may not work on Ubuntu or Mint. This isn't much of a problem though since you'll have very little trouble finding Ubuntu/Mint packages for anything you want.

Debian has several versions and the only one that's a rolling release (sort of) is the unstable version. The stable and testing versions are frozen and released with version numbers (unless they've changed how they're doing that in the past couple years).

If you're looking for a rolling release that's a lot of fun to play around with and requires lots of tweaking, try Arch. You can learn a lot about Linux and have a system that's configured exactly the way you want it using that. Lots of flexibility but also a lot of work. I know you said you weren't looking for that but rolling releases come with some inherent issues like instability. But Arch does a pretty good job of testing stuff before putting it into their "stable" repo.

Ubuntu and Debian don't include proprietary codecs in the base install because they are committed to free software. You can get the codecs from the right repos though and end up with all the same stuff. But as you said, Mint does all that work for you.

Here's a question from a total newbie. I've only used different windows and mac operating systems.

For someone unfamiliar with Linux, Ubuntu, Mint, etc., what are the benefits (if that can be explained quickly)? Also, is it possible to use a program like Microsoft Office for word processin, e-mail, calendering, etc.? Besides surfing the net, that's about all I use my laptop for.

Well first the distros are free. Big plus. It makes taking them for a trial run cost free. I can say that for me Linux Mint was the way to try Linux. The regular version has all the stuff in it to make things like mp3, Dvd, and other files play right out of the chute. It is a beafifully laid out and intuitive OS to use. Many recommend dual boot and all that. I found it easier to just use an extra hdd and install it to it from a usb thumb drive. Install the drive in the pc on an unused sata channel and when you start your system boot into your bios an select the drive with Linux on it. You will be surprised howxl easy Mint is to use.

Cheers, Todd

dklaiman said:

Here's a question from a total newbie. I've only used different windows and mac operating systems.

For someone unfamiliar with Linux, Ubuntu, Mint, etc., what are the benefits (if that can be explained quickly)?

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1. Its free. you don't have to "activate" and upgrades are free. And you are not diddling around with apple or microcrap.
2. Most software is free. For the home or small office user, you might never have to pay for any more programs, ever
3. Great support system
4. Better than the new windows, in terms of ease of use. Reminds me of OS/2.
5. Support and updates for the nex 5 years. No biggie unless your current OS is XP, and you are concerned with security.
6. Users find bugs, users write patches, patches get dropped into the next update. Quicker than the windows or apple way.
7. Any user can be a developer. The source code is freely available.
8. Sort of like straight shaving... you are no longer part of the bleating, thundering, mindless herd.
9. Linux has Tux, the Penguin. What does windows have?

Also, is it possible to use a program like Microsoft Office for word processin, e-mail, calendering, etc.? Besides surfing the net, that's about all I use my laptop for.

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Absolutely. LibreOffice installs by default with Ubuntu. It opens any MS Office file... spreadsheets, text files, RTF, the works. Thunderbird is the default email client, and Firefox is the default web browser. There are plenty of open source (free!) alternatives too.

To the poster concerned with codecs, install VLC. Opens almost any media file without downloading codecs. Very nice app. They have a windows port, too.

Libre Office is very good but unfortunately it does have some quirks when you have to share stuff with co-workers who use Microsoft Office. It sort of works but document formatting will be off when someone opens your work in MS Office. Libre Office does have some nice features like being able to easily save PDF's. And if everyone used it, there wouldn't be any formatting problems. Unfortunately, my company is locked into Microsoft. I use Linux and Libre Office for lots of my own work that I don't need to collaborate on with other people though.

Ubuntu user here. Love my Linux.

Thanks for the responses. I have an old Dell laptop that I may experiment with.

I tried a few distros over the years, eventually I took the time to install & set up Arch Linux to my liking on a 10 year old laptop and after of years of playing with different distros finally found something to warrant selling my 21" i5 iMac, put my own rig together and get it running a nice minimal install which does what I want to do without all the stuff that annoys me.

With recent developments in Steam for Linux and the injection of millions from some of the major tech giants into free & open source software after the openssl debacle & Ubuntu moving into the mobile market things are looking rosey for the future.

hydro-magic said:

Libre Office is very good but unfortunately it does have some quirks when you have to share stuff with co-workers who use Microsoft Office. It sort of works but document formatting will be off when someone opens your work in MS Office. Libre Office does have some nice features like being able to easily save PDF's. And if everyone used it, there wouldn't be any formatting problems. Unfortunately, my company is locked into Microsoft. I use Linux and Libre Office for lots of my own work that I don't need to collaborate on with other people though.

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Plus, if you try to download some data or records from financial institutions into a worksheet it may not work. Also, formatting gets wacky if you try to copy sentences from a Libre document to web page (words run together, etc.).

dklaiman said:

Here's a question from a total newbie. I've only used different windows and mac operating systems.

For someone unfamiliar with Linux, Ubuntu, Mint, etc., what are the benefits (if that can be explained quickly)? Also, is it possible to use a program like Microsoft Office for word processin, e-mail, calendering, etc.? Besides surfing the net, that's about all I use my laptop for.

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The main benefits for me are freedom, control, variety & customization. Online communities and support make a big difference.
Most flavours of Linux will come with a default web browser, office software, email client, music software, video player and what not. You keeps the bits you like, you replace or remove the bits you don't. If you have a spare usb_drive/cd/dvd/sd_card download a flavour of Linux you like the sound of and boot it up. Most will let you boot into a live environment with a web browser & office stuff to play around with, without touching your hardrive. If you want to know more you can install to hard drive.

If you're trying out Linux on an old laptop there's a fair chance it will struggle with some of the all singing all dancing Linux options out there. Xubuntu/Lubuntu/Puppy/Zenwalk might be a better option for old hardware.

Kmandla's blog is worth a browse for anyone with an old computer lying around collecting dust.