Canonical Ubuntu Reviews

stuntmaster's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Good Points: The easiest Linux to get running, great product if you are new to linux. Excellent userbase.

Bad Points: Not every device supported (e.g Most lexmark printers), some software not avaliable.

General comments: If you are new to linux, this is the best way to go about it. It has many ways in which you can give it a go, from either a live CD which doesnt touch the hard drive or mess up any existing installs, the actual install to hard drive that will work alongside windows, and finally a windows installer that makes it even easier.

Ubuntu has a nice sleek looking desktop with plenty of features particularly the wow effects just like vista, it also features many new useful items such as categorized menus for the system, locations and applications; so finding what you want is very easy.

Useability is also easier than windows, for example if you were new to computing and wanted to play music you'd have to find the player named windows media, inw hich some may not think of it as a music player; however in ubuntu its applications then music, then in that menu you can be sure that it is a music player you are opening, as you have just opened the music subcategory.

Mostly the devices are plug and play and require no driver installs, for example plugging in a HP Deskjet will be readily avaliable within a few secconds, as would be the same with a USB flash disk. Ubuntu notify's you of a successful installation.

If you are unsure of something then the great user forums and the ubuntu guide wiki clearly explains what you will need to do to get the tasks you require done, and to be perfectly fair, most of the important software is already bundled within the OS. These are:

Openoffice.org - Office Suite
RhythmBox - music player/manager like itunes
Pidgin - Instant messenger that supports nearly all protocols
Firefox - Internet browser
Evolution - Email Client
Gimp - Photo Editor like photoshop
Xsane - image scanner
and tons more.

Also on top of that, installing programs is actually quite quick, a simple command of:

sudo apt-get install

Will go fetch the program online, download it, and install it then configure it ready for use automatically, no user input required.

The other plus side to ubuntu is that it is a linux distribution, whichis naturally unix. So this means that immediately viral threats are very low. a few reasons being that the system area is locked and needs root access to change, and also most software needs the user password to gain access, giving you full control of whats happening to the system.

for any system it is much more refined and stable, updates happen automatically and again you have control over this as it needs your password to install updates. As it is an opensource operating system, many bugs can be erradicated by normal users and submitted to the userbase where it will be made avaliable as an update, and in effect this means that more problems are solved, not that there are many and this then provides a more stable functioning system.

Finally if a new release becomes avalibale, then the update manager can seamlessly update it automatically for you, once you have agreed to it and entered your password, a very good reasona your configuration stays the same and nothing gets altered, except the new things that get added.

For such an easy way to step into linux, its worth giving ubuntu a try, its a very freindly operating system and you don't have to be technical minded to use it, as their slogan says "Linux For Human Beings".

Hope this review was helpful for many

Crazysnowdog's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Its fast, reliable, and with the latest release, 8.04, its stable. Firefox comes preinstalled, as do open office, and transmission, a bittorrent client. I used Windows for years, always wondering after an alternative. I have to say, this, without a doubt, if you are an experienced computer user, is the best OS for you. Also no VIRUSES!

I fully recommend this OS to anyone experienced with computers, its free, fast, and highly customisable. For me, I've never thought about going back to Windows, ...

digby280's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Ubuntu is the top Linux distribution for a reason. No need for anti-virus software! Very stable, source code freely available, very easy to install and set up. Wobbly windows and window previews (great graphical effects). Low memory usage. Reorder taskbar. Support for Skype, real player and flash.

On average, people found this review very helpful
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I've used Windows for years and spent a fortune - I have bought 3 copies of windows since Win 95 and bought new PCs with Win pre-installed on another 3 occasions. Hence I've effectively paid for 6 copies over the years at a cost, in real terms, of about £100 a go.
I've also been very frustrated over that time by the speed and reliability of the operating systems purchased, though Win XP has been reasonably reliable. However, even this OS often freezes on shut downs and requires virus prot ...