Spending a Year with Ubuntu

Ubuntu is the free operating system, marketed as "Linux for Human beings". I though I'd start the new year by setting up my main Desktop PC to dual boot Windows XP Pro and Ubunto. I currently use XP as my main platform for mail, browsing and development. I have decided to start moving some of these services across to the new operating system.

So the big question is how did day one go. I decided to install a new 30Gb disk into my PC and use it entirely for Linux. I was in a bit of a rush so I forgot to set up the drive in the bios which ment that when the operating system tried to boot, it could not see the /etc/grub.conf file as it was on a unrecognised disk. So lesson one:-

• Make sure you set up all your hard disks in BIOS before installing any new operating systems.

I have used Acronis OS selector 8.0 as the front end boot loader for the systems so it is independant of any Operating system on the machine. The boot loader calls the WINXP loader or GRUB depending on which O/S I select. Grub is loaded in the Linux Boot partition as opposed to the disk master boot record. I always recomend this as if you make a mistake you have only damaged the operating system loader you are currently working on, not the whole system. Lesson two

• When install a Linux Operating system on a dual boot system, read the boot loader options carefully. try to always use an option that loads the loader into a partition.

Under Ubunto it asks "Do you wish to loader GRUB into the master boot record?", yes, no, or cancel. Select no. This will then give you the option to position the GRUB loader wherever you wish.

So far, so good. I now have Ubuntu 5.10 loaded on my PC. Some obvious problems/features I have noticed.

• Ubunto will not let you log in via the graphical user interface as root. This is different from most distributions, but it is not a bad thing. It forces you to run by default in an environment without all priviledges turned on.
• The online updater Synaptic is not working. It tells me I have 35 updates available, but the tool does not want to install them. This is probably a permissions or GUI tool problem, I will need to investigate. So Ubuntu is not perfect, (Well it is Linux!!).
• The download CD comes with only one colour scheme and background , which can only be described as "cold coffee". The sooner I get rid of this mess the better.

So overall, Is Ubuntu the easy to use, out of the box distribution that is Human being friendly? Well after day one the jury is out, but the first impression is, "Could Do Better!!".. to be continued.........