Ammar Shah’s first experience with Ubuntu

About two weeks ago, disheartened by the compatibility issues of Windows 8.1 Pro with my HP 620 notebook computer, I took the bold decision any Developer/Geek would take and replaced Windows with Ubuntu 14.04. This was the first time i had installed Ubuntu, or any Linux distro for that matter, locally on my computer.

The experience at first was just amazing and i was amazed at how compatible it was with my old computer even though being the latest version available! After using it for just two hours, i found out that Ubuntu would be a steep learning curve compared to the years of experience i had with Windows.

Background:

Why i shifted to Ubuntu? I have been a windows user since my first computer experience that goes back to 2002! I have used Windows all my life. In early 2010, i discovered the “Geek world”. This changed my life and made me who i am today! As a newbie in the Geek World, i tried to grasp as much info from experienced Geeks as i could. This lead me to Operating System(OS) switching. Geeks i met on the internet told me if i really wanted to go far in the geek world, i should be able to use a few different operating systems. So that’s where i started my quest and came across different OS most of them Linux distros. After over half a year, i stopped searching and started downloading different Linux distros which included Ubuntu. I was deeply impressed by it’s functionality and started doing research on Ubuntu. Around mid 2013, i started creating live USBs of different linux distros. After becoming a front-end developer, i saw that most people recommended Ubuntu  for front-end development. I created a live USB for Ubuntu and kept it for troubleshooting purposes. In late 2014, i shifted to Ubuntu!

Aftermath:

As you saw, i didn’t hastily shift to Ubuntu, it actually took me around four years and when i finally did, i regretted it. When my desktop finally loaded up with Ubuntu, i was very happy. I felt like i had some power. I instantly started typing away on it. After about 4 to 5 hours of continues use, i found out that this wasn’t easy. After about two days, i found out that it wasn’t worth it!

Reasons:

The most main reason was that although it had a pretty good GUI, there still was a need to use the command line which i hate by the way! I couldn’t install simple software without typing sudo – get or something like that! I had to Google and read through hundreds of posts to do a simple task such as installing Skype! The rest of the reasons are:

• Adobe Products not available
• Need to know how to use the command line
• Many of the software available on Windows and Mac isn’t available
• Too much battery drainer

Conclusion:

Here you have it folks, my Ubuntu experience. If your ever looking to switch to Ubuntu just remember, no Adobe Products and you will have to deal with a command line(Which most people hate)! That’s all.

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