GameBanshee Forums

Lately I've been hearing of a lot of my friends switching to Ubuntu, and they all seem quite excited about it. Now, I don't know much about Ubuntu, but I've heard it's extremely fast. Which is all well and good.
Over the past couple days I was considering Ubuntu and looking into it. I know with Wine I could play games and such like on Windows, but I just had a handful of questions:

Is the switch actually worth it?
Will there be a marked improvement?
Will it delete everything currently on my computer?
Is Linux actually better than the Windows OS?
Can I still use any program I download using Wine, or does it have a specific list of programs?
Could I still use Chrome, or Firefox?
Does it support iTunes?
What about my virus protection?
I've read that Ubuntu is very user-friendly and easy to use. What about support?
Is there any form of customer service?
Do bugs or crashes get fixed?

If anyone could clear up some of these questions for me, that would be great. Because I am rather interested in Ubuntu, but I don't just want to go and switch everything on hearsay. That being said, any help at all is very much appreciated.

~Moot

Is the switch actually worth it?
- That's for you to find out.

Will there be a marked improvement?
- Usually, yes. The OS runs quite light as it is and can be even further stripped down. The interface might be the first thing where you want to disable things. Especially Ubuntu has a lot of *fluff* graphics stuff enabled by default. It's very much possible to optimize your computer for a specific task (photo processing, server software, FTP, gaming), as long as you read up on what OS components do before you enable or disable them,

Will it delete everything currently on my computer?
- It is recommended you wipe the HD so you can use a Linux-specific filesystem, but there are possibilities. You can test out most distros with a Live CD and access your windows drive like normal. Alternatively you can install Linux on a partition and do the same thing. However, if you want to play games you *need* to install them again anyhow via WINE. That may be reason enough to just wipe the HD.

Is Linux actually better than the Windows OS?
- Security is better, you can expect constant updates for all your basic programs that you install via the Ubuntu application installer (the name of the thing escapes me atm). Performance is usually better too, though that *may* not include the latest games.

Can I still use any program I download using Wine, or does it have a specific list of programs?
- You can use any, though there is no guarantee from any of manufacturer that your program will run in a Linux environment. However, there is a vast database available with test reports, here.

Could I still use Chrome, or Firefox?
- Firefox is on Ubuntu by default, Chrome can be downloaded from Google.

Does it support iTunes?
- Yes. Generally speaking, most 'popular' software is available for Linux as well.

What about my virus protection?
- Very little to worry about. There are companies that offer firewalls and virus scanners for Linux, but unless you delve in the murky corners of the internet frequently it is quite unlikely you'll ever run into problems. However, theoretically you are still vulnerable to Windows virusses through WINE. Be wary of what you download.

I've read that Ubuntu is very user-friendly and easy to use. What about support?
- Ubuntu Forums - you can expect fast responses here, but check the forum search option before you ask questions. I found more help in this place than I ever found on Microsoft Technet.

Is there any form of customer service?
- Well, first of all you have to remember that this is a free product so you technically aren't a customer. That being said, Ubuntu is constantly being worked on and has excellent support forums.

Do bugs or crashes get fixed?
-All the time. If a WINE game crashes, it usually just crashes WINE, not Linux. If you want a specific Windows game to work better with WINE, go to that WineAppDB site and file a report in the right section.

Special note: the Nvidia graphics card drivers for Linux are vastly superior to the ATI ones. This is due to a lack of support from ATI towards the open source community, that has only in the last two years been opening up. For the best performance with games you should consider purchasing an Nvidia card if you don't already have one.

And?

Edit: FYI, this didn't exactly encourage me to help anyone else in the future.

ubuntu rulez

Moot wrote:Lately I've been hearing of a lot of my friends switching to Ubuntu, and they all seem quite excited about it. Now, I don't know much about Ubuntu, but I've heard it's extremely fast. Which is all well and good.
Over the past couple days I was considering Ubuntu and looking into it. I know with Wine I could play games and such like on Windows, but I just had a handful of questions:

Is the switch actually worth it? Depends on your needs expectations and wants
Will there be a marked improvement? yes, while playing wow i noticed a very big difference. i ran 70fps and less than 100ms in ubuntu and got 61fps and equal to or greater than 200ms in windows xp. both were 64 bit on the same hardware.
Will it delete everything currently on my computer? no you can do a "dual boot" witch you pick at the start which operating system you want to run at the moment but you will have to format part of your existing hard drive space (which through the ubuntu installer doesnt wipe everything out). once booted in linux ubuntu you can open your windows installed programs through wine but you have to look in their folder for the games .exe
Is Linux actually better than the Windows OS? its better in speed, security, and customizability. its not as user friendly as windows and there is less corporate support for problems with it.
Can I still use any program I download using Wine, or does it have a specific list of programs? yes you can install any program through wine. whether it will work without flaws is anther question though
Could I still use Chrome, or Firefox? firefox is the default browser for it, im not sure about chrome
Does it support iTunes? i'm not for sure, but i always use a free music player anyways
What about my virus protection? dont need it, with less than 1% of the market share hackers dont make viruses for it, i contacted avast antivirus about the beginning of winter 2009 for my friend about their linux antivirus and they told me he doesnt need to buy it because there are no viruses in the wild for it
I've read that Ubuntu is very user-friendly and easy to use. What about support? its very easy to use, if something is going to work you plug it in and if its going to work it just works, however if it doesnt work you might be in a bit of a bind trying to get it to work.
Is there any form of customer service? the ubuntu forums and google are your best friends using ubuntu
Do bugs or crashes get fixed? yes, there is almost an update per day

If anyone could clear up some of these questions for me, that would be great. Because I am rather interested in Ubuntu, but I don't just want to go and switch everything on hearsay. That being said, any help at all is very much appreciated.

~Moot

hope this helps

A bit late to the party, but maybe it'll help other people:

[url="http://wubi.sourceforge.net/"]Wubi[/url] creates an image of a disk on Your hard drive, and then installs Ubuntu onto it - all via very simple installer - so You can try out Ubuntu without having to remove Windows or set up a dual boot.
Don't expect a notable change in speed, as it'll be still somewhat dependent on Windows, but it'll be fully functional, so You can thoroughly test it out, before fully committing Yourself to it.