Canonical Pushes Ubuntu 14.04 as XP, Windows 7 Alternative

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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Canonical is taking advantage of the end of support for Windows XP and the negative reception Windows 8/8.1/8.11 is receiving and promoting the release of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS as the perfect replacement operating system.

"It is a viable and affordable alternative for those organizations considering a switch from Microsoft, and specifically those replacing XP or Windows 7 as they come to the end of life."
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Xubuntu or XFCE Mint is a better alternative. Unity UI is kinda like Windows 8 in terms of functionality. Plus XFCE is just faster.
 
Ashbringer said:
Xubuntu or XFCE Mint is a better alternative. Unity UI is kinda like Windows 8 in terms of functionality. Plus XFCE is just faster.
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Unity is actually pretty good for your average pc user. Yeah I use XFCE myself but Unity is not at all like Win 8, Unity works well on desktops.

They are not targeting Unity at power users or typical linux users, they are targeting it at your average joe. With unity people can find their web browser, media player and word editor quickly on the side bar.
 
Ashbringer said:
Xubuntu or XFCE Mint is a better alternative. Unity UI is kinda like Windows 8 in terms of functionality. Plus XFCE is just faster.
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Agreed. I gave 14.04 a try on several spins... Kubuntu is a disaster... slow and buggy is only the tip of it, Unity is Unity and is not going to appeal to everyone and Xubuntu is the best for older hardware while still retaining a lot of the UI elements that felt familiar when using WinXP.

On my Coreboot flashed Chromebook, Kubuntu took upwards of a minute to boot to desktop and would be fairly laggy as it continued to boot... Xubuntu is up to desktop and ready to use in about 10 seconds.
 
I love my Ubuntu laptop with Unity for a desktop.
It works well with a keyboard and touchpad or mouse, software is easy to find through the software center and once you get used to WINE front ends like Play on Linux and native Steam you can play a fair amount of games on them.
Its no Windows 7 but believe me its come a hell of a long way since early versions of Red Hat and Suse and is probably the most user friendly version of Linux there is.
 
i installed it last night, it was my first time ever trying ubuntu, i just got done removing it. what a huge waste of time. guess i am just spoiled by win 7. i found the whole system very slow and confusing.
 
I don't understand Windows 8 and am too lazy to learn. Hey! Lets install Linux! Genius!
 
Ashbringer said:
Xubuntu or XFCE Mint is a better alternative. Unity UI is kinda like Windows 8 in terms of functionality. Plus XFCE is just faster.
Click to expand...

Unity is the best GUI alternative to Windows, imo. Even they force you to waste vertical space by putting fucking bar at the top. XFCE has two of those, as if we're still using 4:3 display. KDE is an exception but I don't like the feel of it.
 
SparkedFire said:
I don't understand Windows 8 and am too lazy to learn. Hey! Lets install Linux! Genius!
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Windows 8.1 Update 1 has come a long way in terms of keyboard and mouse familiarity and usability since 8.0 RTM. No Start Menu yet, it's coming, but I have a hard time believing that the average Windows user would have more headache with it than a Linux distro.
 
likeman said:
http://zorin-os.com/ seem better for first timers (as long as you got compatible hardware and not using Dual monitors) most of the layout is windows like
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Looks kind of like what KDE used to do 12 years ago. And I thought we all agreed cubes were a stupid idea a few ago.
 
heatlesssun said:
Windows 8.1 Update 1 has come a long way in terms of keyboard and mouse familiarity and usability since 8.0 RTM. No Start Menu yet, it's coming, but I have a hard time believing that the average Windows user would have more headache with it than a Linux distro.
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The people who have trouble navigating windows 8 would easily have just as hard of a time trying to use unbuntu esp when you tell them some programs you use are only for windows. But here is some alternatives you can learn.
 
but it works and most would be familiar with it (who are not Linux programmers or run a server under linux)

with ubuntu i found the updater is bit rubbish it has a tendency of stalling if the update server is under load and making more issues (it should do what windows does and download all updates before it installs them)
 
dgz said:
Unity is the best GUI alternative to Windows, imo. Even they force you to waste vertical space by putting fucking bar at the top. XFCE has two of those, as if we're still using 4:3 display. KDE is an exception but I don't like the feel of it.
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XFCE can look like however you like. For example XFCE on Mint 16.

xfce.png


XFCE with default theme.

xfce4-screenshot.png
 
I installed Linux Mint on my netbook, which was running XP and which I mostly just use for web browsing and work e-mail. Other than having to google for help to install the latest Acrobat Reader, it was basically zero adjustment. The layout is pretty much the same, and it boots and runs much more quickly. I had tried Linux ~10 years ago (Mandrake, I believe) and it was a nightmare, so I thought I was in for a bumpy ride, but now I wish I had ditched XP years ago.

On the desktop, however, running Win 8.1 and loving it. For those of you who are afraid of Win 8 and Metro, buckle up, because here is an exhaustive lists of all the steps you need to go through to turn it into a better version of Win 7:

Step 1: Install ClassicShell
Step 2: There is no step 2

Wow, I can see why everyone's gone to such trouble to avoid Windows 8! :rolleyes:
 
thats what i normal do now just install ClassicShell on windows 8+ but there are other issues
 
For an XP replacement. Maybe. Windows 7 is still supported until 2020. So probably not so much on that one.
 
SparkedFire said:
I don't understand Windows 8 and am too lazy to learn. Hey! Lets install Linux! Genius!
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Windows 8 represents a problem with the industry. Users are losing control over their computers. You do whatever the company says for you to do. Even though Microsoft has made great strides to fix Windows 8, it doesn't excuse them for doing something that clearly the majority of their customers didn't want.

With Linux I do what I want. I can install Unity, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon, KDE, all at once and switch between them within a single computer. One person can log in with Mate, and another with Unity.

But Linux isn't for everyone right now. It's either for the ultra computer illiterate, or for those proficient with computers. For those who just use the web and check mail, it works great. For those that don't mind using Terminal and learning the OS, it works great. It's the people in between that will have problems.

Like or not, Linux is the future. Microsoft signed away their business with Windows 8. Just like how they lost their Xbox business with no used games on Xbone. Sure they fixed it later, but who's to say they won't do it again?
 
jpm100 said:
Still working the schtick of condescending to people who don't like Windows 8. Sore loser, I guess.
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Reading comprehension isn't your forte apparently.

I agree. Linux is a pita. Tried installing it on a brand new hdd using a flash drive to boot from. Several dozen tries and 24 hours later I said fuck Linux and just installed windows 8. Took 12 minutes and was done.

Linux are for those purists or computer snobs who program with a fucking fedora on their head, drinking Indian tea, and have a tattoo of a dolphin on their ankle. :p
 
Ashbringer said:
Windows 8 represents a problem with the industry. Users are losing control over their computers. You do whatever the company says for you to do. Even though Microsoft has made great strides to fix Windows 8, it doesn't excuse them for doing something that clearly the majority of their customers didn't want.
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It's not that simple. Yes Microsoft made a lot of mistakes initially with 8 and yes it caused a lot of desktop and laptop users a lot of grief. But at some point, any company that wants to survive and thrive has to towards the future. The desktop is simply diminishing in it's importance in the computing world. It's not going away but it's no longer the first computing experience for a lot of people.

I get a lot of relatives' kids over at the house. I've got any number of computing devices they could entertain themselves with but when given the opportunity they always go for the tablets. And what's so amazing about it is just how quickly they pick up using a Windows 8 tablet, and a lot of them already have iOS or Android tablets or smartphones. For better or for worse, there's a new generation of people growing up now, and a desktop or laptop will be to them as mainframes are to my generation. Microsoft needed to execute better with 8 and make it's existing customer happy, but many potential future customers won't care about a Start Menu and will have an experience with computing devices that never much involved mice or keyboards.

Ashbringer said:
With Linux I do what I want. I can install Unity, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon, KDE, all at once and switch between them within a single computer. One person can log in with Mate, and another with Unity.
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That's great but historically is beyond clear that what makes a platform successful isn't how many different UIs it supports, but how many applications it runs and other 3rd party support. On the desktop Windows simply has not equal and hasn't for decades. On the flip side the #1 complaint of Windows Phone, not enough apps. This is why its so difficult for platforms like Windows Phone of desktop Linux to gain traction, not the UIs.

Ashbringer said:
Like or not, Linux is the future. Microsoft signed away their business with Windows 8.
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One unpopular version of Windows is not nearly enough for Linux to be the future on the desktop. Especially considering that all of the major complaints of Windows 8 desktop users will be addressed probably sometime this year. Even as it stands now, Windows 8.x is showing up with nearly 10 times the market share of all desktop Linux distros combined. It's very difficult to understand how these kinds desktop Linux claims are still made with nearly two decades of history that readily show the nearly universal lack of interest in desktop Linux outside of a very small niche.
 
dgz said:
Unity is the best GUI alternative to Windows, imo. Even they force you to waste vertical space by putting fucking bar at the top. XFCE has two of those, as if we're still using 4:3 display. KDE is an exception but I don't like the feel of it.
Click to expand...

Protip. Desktops can be customized.

Here's XFCE on my Chromebook:

SDfQKby.png
 
techrat said:
Protip. Desktops can be customized.

Here's XFCE on my Chromebook:

SDfQKby.png
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Good. You managed that without any additional downloads? If so, I will be ashamed as I couldn't do it.
 
I played with Unity once, but couldn't really get into it at all. I prefer Mint with the Cinnamon UI. It was super easy to use and I didn't run into any problems figuring out how to run a program. Also, it uses like 200 MB of RAM on boot up, which is awesome. :cool: It still probably should have 1 GB to run, but that covers a lot of computers running XP (with the disclaimer that your 32-bit CPU really should support PAE so that means a Pentium M* or newer).

Then again, if you're using Vista or 7, there's really no reason to worry about switching except to play around with something different. For XP it's an okay way to avoid 8/8.1 without a lot of adjustment. I think the only problem I really had was figuring out what happened to my screenshots after I poked the print screen button. (I do that a lot to send out little teaser snippets for the stuff I'm writing.)

Sooo, if you don't wanna or can't afford to upgrade your hardware or want to go from XP to 8, I think a really good alternative is a copy of Mint. Maybe Unity is okay too depending on personal tastes. I really don't have anything against Ubuntu distros, but they're just not for me.

*some Pentium Ms didn't have PAE :eek:
 
heatlesssun said:
But at some point, any company that wants to survive and thrive has to towards the future. The desktop is simply diminishing in it's importance in the computing world. It's not going away but it's no longer the first computing experience for a lot of people.
Click to expand...
I still see the tablet market as anything but a fad. The laptop and desktop are still the most important. If tablets were taking the industry by storm, then Windows 8 would be owning Android and iOS. Cause Windows 8 makes a great tablet OS. It's failure is it makes a horrible desktop OS.

The laptop/desktop market is failing cause they aren't putting better hardware in them. Not enough of a reason to spend the money to upgrade. A laptop built in 2008 is surprisingly competitive to a modern laptop that's $400. And you need to spend $600+ to even get one with a discrete GPU. It's literally the fault of the ultra cheap Pentium/Celeron and AMD's E1/E2/A4's. I've even seen I3's running at 1.4Ghz. These machines are hardly worth the asking price.
For better or for worse, there's a new generation of people growing up now, and a desktop or laptop will be to them as mainframes are to my generation. Microsoft needed to execute better with 8 and make it's existing customer happy, but many potential future customers won't care about a Start Menu and will have an experience with computing devices that never much involved mice or keyboards.
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I feel bad for your next generation. They will have no knowledge of how computing devices work. They will be locked away without any ability to physically work and learn. Functionally illiterate.

Even as it stands now, Windows 8.x is showing up with nearly 10 times the market share of all desktop Linux distros combined. It's very difficult to understand how these kinds desktop Linux claims are still made with nearly two decades of history that readily show the nearly universal lack of interest in desktop Linux outside of a very small niche.
Click to expand...
That's cause up until recently, Linux wasn't very functional. Even 5 years ago, Linux was a horrible mess. But that changed a lot recently. The only real issue is running those massive library of Windows applications. The need for those applications are slowly dwindling.
 
dgz said:
Good. You managed that without any additional downloads? If so, I will be ashamed as I couldn't do it.
Click to expand...

No additional downloads. Panel is a configurable option that is stock in most Linux distributions. Like the TaskBar in Windows, it can be moved and docked to other parts of the screen. Unlike the TaskBar in Windows, you can have more than one and each can have different items on it.
 
As an XP replacement, if I could run Autocad 2000, NATIVELY, on any Linux Distro, I'd be there in a heartbeat.
 
arthur_tuxedo said:
I installed Linux Mint on my netbook, which was running XP and which I mostly just use for web browsing and work e-mail. Other than having to google for help to install the latest Acrobat Reader, it was basically zero adjustment. The layout is pretty much the same, and it boots and runs much more quickly. I had tried Linux ~10 years ago (Mandrake, I believe) and it was a nightmare, so I thought I was in for a bumpy ride, but now I wish I had ditched XP years ago.

On the desktop, however, running Win 8.1 and loving it. For those of you who are afraid of Win 8 and Metro, buckle up, because here is an exhaustive lists of all the steps you need to go through to turn it into a better version of Win 7:

Step 1: Install ClassicShell
Step 2: There is no step 2

Wow, I can see why everyone's gone to such trouble to avoid Windows 8! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...


Agree. This is such an easy fix it is embarrassing. I get paid all the time for this, thanks MS!
 
mothman said:
As an XP replacement, if I could run Autocad 2000, NATIVELY, on any Linux Distro, I'd be there in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

Autocad 2000 actually runs pretty well in a VM. I have an XP VirtualBox vm (I guess it kinda defeats the purpose of dumping XP lol) which has AutoCAD and I run it in seamless mode.

I've been running Kubuntu for probably over a year now and I'm happy so far.

The biggest thing I miss though is photoshop. I've been trying to not have to rely on VMs and stuff but finding really hard to use Gimp, it's just so tedious to use I find. Even the simple things like moving/resizing elements.
 
I tried mint on a old P4 and it's decent except it would not recognize my 24" BenQ monitor so I was stuck at 1024.
Even after going through the major hoops to install the last drivers my Geforce MX2 card can support it and remove those default drivers it still would not recognize it.
Tossed fedora on and it did with the default nouvou or whatever nvidia drivers.

Fedora is not too shabby.

I tried ubuntu as well, it gave me the impression of being a Mac OS more then windows.
 
brian770 said:
i installed it last night, it was my first time ever trying ubuntu, i just got done removing it. what a huge waste of time. guess i am just spoiled by win 7. i found the whole system very slow and confusing.
Click to expand...

You don't need to install anything more than a live-cd to your optical drive to try it.
 
dgz said:
Unity is the best GUI alternative to Windows, imo. Even they force you to waste vertical space by putting fucking bar at the top. XFCE has two of those, as if we're still using 4:3 display. KDE is an exception but I don't like the feel of it.
Click to expand...

I always remove the top bar and simply configure the bottom bar to work like I want it to. You're not stuck to one option like on windows.
 
likeman said:
but it works and most would be familiar with it (who are not Linux programmers or run a server under linux)

with ubuntu i found the updater is bit rubbish it has a tendency of stalling if the update server is under load and making more issues (it should do what windows does and download all updates before it installs them)
Click to expand...

You have dozens of alternative update sources. Your local update repository may be overloaded. You can use Synaptic to find out which repository is the fastest for you - there are about 100x differences.
 
Climber said:
Reading comprehension isn't your forte apparently.

I agree. Linux is a pita. Tried installing it on a brand new hdd using a flash drive to boot from. Several dozen tries and 24 hours later I said fuck Linux and just installed windows 8. Took 12 minutes and was done.

Linux are for those purists or computer snobs who program with a fucking fedora on their head, drinking Indian tea, and have a tattoo of a dolphin on their ankle. :p
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be smart mouthing like that if I couldn't even install linux lol. Which distro were you trying to set up and what exactly was stopping you?
 
heatlesssun said:
One unpopular version of Windows is not nearly enough for Linux to be the future on the desktop. Especially considering that all of the major complaints of Windows 8 desktop users will be addressed probably sometime this year. Even as it stands now, Windows 8.x is showing up with nearly 10 times the market share of all desktop Linux distros combined. It's very difficult to understand how these kinds desktop Linux claims are still made with nearly two decades of history that readily show the nearly universal lack of interest in desktop Linux outside of a very small niche.
Click to expand...

I have found out that all it takes is to preconfigure a linux desktop to regular users and they will happily use it instead of windows. My standard routine nowadays is that if and when someone asks me to clean their computers from viruses or malware, I tell them that I can do that but doing so means migrating them to linux.

After some initial opposition when the users try the system out they find out it works pretty much just like Windows and even faster on some old computers. Some simple steps like renaming program launchers can go a long way for the computer illiterate. I also hide most of the advanced stuff in the menus to not confuse the users,
 
ep0x73 said:
I tried mint on a old P4 and it's decent except it would not recognize my 24" BenQ monitor so I was stuck at 1024.
Even after going through the major hoops to install the last drivers my Geforce MX2 card can support it and remove those default drivers it still would not recognize it.
Tossed fedora on and it did with the default nouvou or whatever nvidia drivers.

Fedora is not too shabby.

I tried ubuntu as well, it gave me the impression of being a Mac OS more then windows.
Click to expand...

Which part of accepting the single button click it takes to install the restricted drivers was a major hoops for you? LOL! IIRC Mint offers them automatically for you if it detects supported hardware.
 
You know, I think all of you are either overlooking or deliberately ignoring a massive problem here: the userbase.

We're not talking about Joe Q. Poweruser, who built his own system and has flash drives with live OSes on them. No, we're talking Joe Q. Public, who bought their computer from Best Buy and thinks Ubuntu is another name for the current President of the United States. You give Linux to any of these people, and the nanosecond any of them tries to install something, it won't work. Why? Because the stuff they want is for Windows. They buy Office 13, they get NOPE NOT LINUX. They try to use LibreOffice or whatever is the Office equivalent and all the formatting is fucked. They go down and buy a piece of software off the shelf from Walmart or Best Buy or OfficeMax and it won't work.
 
Red Machine D said:
You know, I think all of you are either overlooking or deliberately ignoring a massive problem here: the userbase.

We're not talking about Joe Q. Poweruser, who built his own system and has flash drives with live OSes on them. No, we're talking Joe Q. Public, who bought their computer from Best Buy and thinks Ubuntu is another name for the current President of the United States. You give Linux to any of these people, and the nanosecond any of them tries to install something, it won't work. Why? Because the stuff they want is for Windows. They buy Office 13, they get NOPE NOT LINUX. They try to use LibreOffice or whatever is the Office equivalent and all the formatting is fucked. They go down and buy a piece of software off the shelf from Walmart or Best Buy or OfficeMax and it won't work.
Click to expand...

Yup, that's a really important point and I think it's holding back a lot of potential for Linux to become more mainstream. It's kinda chicken and egg problem. Because there aren't many Linux computers around and those that do use it have an expectation that most end-user software is or at least should be free, there's not a lot of incentive for a business to develop applications.

Sure, Apple and Google did manage to build an application ecosystem on phones and tablets (that sell a lot better than Windows 8), but the expectations for application availability and functionality on small devices is really different than on full computers. I don't think that problem will be overcome before the release of a Microsoft-branded operating system that takes a more sensible approach to user interface design.
 
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