Does Linux have a role in the home?

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Ubuntu is probably the closest, but I don't think it's quite there yet. One thing I notice about a lot of free Linux distros is that support for propriety media formats (notably MP3) isn't included--something that's virtually a given on Windows and OS X. A user has to go online and find the appropriate packages to download and install in order to do so.

OpenOffice.org is excellent, but aside from the word processor I find that the other included apps just aren't as... mature as their MS Office counterparts. Granted, it IS free, though.

Absolutely!

As a matter of fact, I just finished creating my own Media PC for home and I'm a Windows guy. I just used a version of Fedora to create a MythTV system (MythDora).

It seems Linux comes up faster than Windows on this machine. Interesting. ;-)

Great post!

JD
http://www.dcs-media.com/

And, a note for those who think that Linux is some "new kid on the block", I'd like to point out that I've been using Linux since Windows 3.1 was brand new. I still have a set of Linux disks from 1994. It may have only recently gotten noticed by the "real world", but it's been around for a long time.

Ubuntu is an excellent distro. It's the first I've ever used and have been using it on my Desktop since April. I'm no expert but I find commands more user intuitive.

One graphics application you may find interesting for Linux is Xara Xtreme (http://www.xaraxtreme.org) I just downloaded and installed it, it seems very powerful.

Since moving to Ubuntu, I hate working on Windows machines, the user interface is so ugly among many other things.

-Dan

For the "closest thing to Windows" Linux, you may want to try the latest beta of Freespire - they have a "live CD" version which - for the first time of any distro- loaded and ran without a hitch on my Dell laptop- Linux and laptops don't often get along so well- Ubuntu was a close 2nd but I was really impressed - especially for a Beta - and they offer an distro which includes proprietary codecs etc....this one is ( IMHO ) the leading one that could be the "Linux on the desktop" for Joe Sixpack...and they are just starting...Linspire ( on which it was based) never worked for me...but this one I could almost go 100% for...give them a bit of time ( and support) and they could be what all the buzz was about 3-4 yrs ago when Linux was supposedly "threatening" (*cough*) the Windows market...

Leo (Hi Fella)
As an older user on your forum, I find it interesting that you should bring up ‘Linux’ at this point in time…
MS Windows XP sp2, works fine for me and at the turn of a switch or the click of a button I have just about everything I need…
It was a bit different of course during Win 98 &98 se days, when I regularly experienced crashes, blackouts and just plain not starting, requiring me to get my hands dirty messing with the bios etc. Oh! How I wished then that I had been younger, and had had some experience at school with such technological wizardry…
However, the problems at that time were eventually solved when my comp builder man wiped the old thing clean and made a new install which was tweaked to some degree – don’t ask me how…!
At that time, I seriously considered ‘Linux’ ~ RedHat Linux to be precise ~ as an alternative to Windows in the hope that I could actually open my machine and use it without fear of the gremlins interjection… But, when I got my OS installation pack, and upon reading some of the guff that came with it, I quickly realised that without a crash course in the workings of etc, installing and running a Linux operating system was far too advanced for little old me. And Oh dear, it’s still here in its packing virtually untouched…
However, here we are six to eight years later, and having decided to return to the UK from France, I have had to consider at my time of life what it is I might do to raise a little revenue. And not wishing to take the obvious choice ~ refilling shelves of some well known supermarket ~ I have seriously considered building computers for the discerning ‘less in their pocket brigade’ and possibly for small and local schools, where of course I might sell more than one at a time…!
To that end, I am considering the use of a ‘Linux’ system, solely because it would allow me to build machines a good deal cheaper than by using Microsoft stuff, and as I understand it, ‘Linux’ would use far less resources from the machine…?
And so, over the past few months I have been receiving ‘Michaels Minutes’ newsletter from ‘Linspire’ to help improve my knowledge about ‘Linux’. This of course has led to one or two conversations with the few English speaking friends that I have here, giving rise to some alternatives such as: Debian, Suse, Red Hat, Fedora, Xandros, and now your intro to Ubuntu…
I read with earnest your investigative remarks and findings which leads me to writing and to suggest that perhaps you should start a ‘Castle Cops’ type forum where you might consider the opening question: Which System…? And Why…?
This of course would lead to the best definitive answers being saved for new users, and with the ability to update answers as thing move forward. This kind of forum can only aide the ‘Linux’ movement, and as it is ‘Open Source’, assist the variety of OS compilers and software manufactures in responding to the needs of the market…
I can see it now: Leo on Linux or Leo’s Linux…
Well, c’mon man, have you started yet…?
With Kindest Regards
Lou Gascon

I started with Linux when I became so frustrated at Win 98 routinely crashing. The good news was that Linux was stable, the downside was that very few things "worked" right out of the box. Now, years later, I've grown accustomed to using Linux, and cringe whenever I have to use a Windows machine.

One the other hand, when friends are fed up with spyware, worms, virii, etc, I tell them to get a Mac. For the average non technically inclined user Linux still poses challanges. It is hopeless to tell a casaul user to download an installer, open a virtual terminal and drop down to run level 3, navigate to the installer and run the script, then restart X, just so they can run a 3-D screensaver.

I think some of the few box sets out there (Mandriva comes to mind) have all these proprietary software on the disks. That is probably the best way for a newcomer to go.

Hi Leo,

Ubuntu, whilst having a progenitor who is really cool (Bill will have to balloon round the world), is still a hobbyist distro.

For example, one has to look on the web and follow a tutorial to get Internet sharing to work.

I've been trialing SLED 10 for Linux newbies and think this distro is definately easy for the home user.

It has everything they want out of the box. iPod and camera connectivity. DVD playing, The wonderful Beagle search tool. The outlook and office clones, and Firefox which many have already used.

And with a 3D video card and some software installation through the superior Yast administration tool, the amazing and very productive XGL/Compiz virtual desktop manager.

The menu system is different from Windows and very usable for the newbie.

I think the differences from the Windows interface this distro supplies, helps newbies to migrate, as they don't seem to expect it will be the same, something the other distros might benefit from.

Out of 11 SLED 10 installs, no one has complained so far, something I have not experienced with Ubuntu.

And really, what is $50 for someone who wants a workable free software system.

So move over Ubuntu and make way for the new kid on the block.

Kind regards,
Stomfi

I agree with Stomfi, personally i can't understand this hype around Ubuntu, i've tested it and noticed it to be years behind SUSE in every aspect. And this Windows-like thing with root permissions, why in the world it must be like anyone can do anything with root permissions? Just waiting Ubuntu-spesific linuxmalware...

Hello,

Nice article, I agree with most of what is being said. But I also think that Ubuntu is not the best distro for newcomers (at least at this moment). It has far too little tools for configuration and system management. That's why I would really recommend Mandriva or SUSE who help the user through wizards (Mandriva Control Center and Yast respectively) with these tasks. This takes away the need to dive down into configuration files and command line stuff, while still allowing to do a lot with the PC. You can find an article on Mandriva Linux for home use on my website here: http://coulier.org/CMS/MDV_2006_homeusers_1_EN.html
As a long time Mandriva user, I wrote about Mandriva, but I have some experience with SUSE as well, and must say that SUSE rates almost as good in my book.

Honestly, I think that Ubuntu is mostly popular with more experienced Linux users that have to habbit of editing configuration files and using the command line. Hence the popularity in the EXISTING linux community. But that does not make it the best choice as introduction to linux for windows users.

Kind Regards,

Wim

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