Ubuntu: Beyond the Terminal

Linux, here I come. Making the leap to Linux was a bit scary for me. I've never experienced it before, let alone even seen its interface and what it can do. And it seems more now than ever that more people are trying out Linux: PC Mag's latest issue features a guide on how to install Linux; various Dell systems ship with Ubuntu; and recently former editor-in-chief Jim Louderback hinted that he's sick of Vista and may make the switch. With much support from my boyfriend Eric, who's also a first-time Linux user, we dove head first into the deep waters of Linux.

Choosing Ubuntu. Linux isn't just one operating system like Windows or Mac; it consists of many different OSs, such as Debian, SuSE, RedHat, and Ubuntu. Eric and I decided to go with Ubuntu (pronounced "oo-BOON-too"), since it is known for being the easiest Linux distribution for new users, and it doesn't really require using the terminal. Where did that unusual name come from anyway? Well, Ubuntu is said to derive from a "South African ethical ideology focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other." In other words, "humanity toward others." The name is fitting, don't you think? We're running the most up-to-date version, which is 7.04 (April 2007) on our Dell Inspiron 530.

Desktop environment. The default desktop environment for Ubuntu is GNOME, which is what we run. It's a very clean and organized interface (as you can see above), and it didn't take me too long to get used to it. It's kind of a cross between Mac and Windows. There's a button to hide all windows and show the desktop in the lower left hand corner. In the lower right hand corner is the recycle bin. In the upper right hand corner is the Power off button and clock; click on the clock, and you're presented with a calendar to log daily tasks. Instead of the annoying Start button, you get three navigational menus on the upper left hand of the screen entitled Applications, Places, and Systems.





"Applications" consists of all of your programs and software, including a dictionary; OpenOffice.org (Word Processor, Database, Presentation, Spreadsheet) that looks almost exactly like MS office programs; Picasa and F-Spot Photo Manager; and 14 games including Mahjongg, Gnometris, Nibbles, and Gnome Sudoku (shown below).
"Places" lets you access documents, folders, and network places. "Systems" brings you to preferences, administration, and help topics.
APT repositories. One of the annoying aspects of a non-free OS are all of those useless apps you'll probably never use; but with Ubuntu, it selects all of the apps that you'll most likely need for the ultimate computing environment. These are called APT repositories. With Windows, software isn't free; you have to pay to use Microsoft Office. With Ubuntu, you get hundreds of free programs, and you don't have to go and search for them either, thanks to the Synaptic Package Manager: it collects all of the necessary programs for you, such as text editors, image editors, and games, into one repository. Then you can install, remove and upgrade whichever programs you choose. We installed a package called WINE, which allows you to run a lot of Windows programs on Linux. Instead of Adobe Photoshop, you get GIMP Image Editor. Instead of Microsoft Word, you get OpenOffice Word Processor. Instead of Windows Media Player, you get Rhythmbox Music Player.

Web browsing. Firefox all the way! (Screenshot shown below.) Well, we wish that were so. Due to some apps we must use for work that only perform well in IE, we were forced to install IE after all. We did this by installing a .deb file called IEs 4 Linux, and were able to download IE6. I use IE strictly for these apps, and leave Firefox to searching.

GNOME Desktop effects. What I enjoy most about Ubuntu is its interactivity. Who knew you could have so much fun playing around with different desktop effects? There's this one effect called Workspaces on a Cube, which lets you toggle between four different desktops when you're running many apps at the same time and don't want to clutter one desktop. It's more or less a cube that you can move around to each side (and is so much fun to play with!). I'll get more in-depth with that effect, plus "wobbly windows" and why some aspects of Ubuntu are actually more unstable than Windows (shock!), in my next post. Stay tuned!GIMP Image Editor
OpenOffice.org Word ProcessorRhythmBox Music Player
Running IE6 for Linux
Synaptic Package Manager