Journal Alioth's Journal: Colour me impressed 4

So, OK, I am a Linux fanboy to begin with.

However, I put myself in "noob shoes" and decided to try Ubuntu 7.10 as if I was a noob - clicky clicky install, no touching of command lines, no going off to search for extra software repositories. So I disconnected my existing hard drives containing Fedora 7, and connected an unused SATA drive.

I stuck the Ubuntu 7.10 install disc into the CD-ROM drive and let it boot.

This comes up to a Live CD. I really like this idea - this gives you a chance to see that your hardware all works with the OS, and a chance to check it out before deciding to install. Of course, it's a bit slow off a CD. I hit 'Install'. I went with the noob options (automatically partition). All questions were asked at the start of the install, which was great. It meant that once the time zone, keybaord and language and target hard disc were set, I could just leave it and go away and do something else. I came back some time later, and it was done, and the installer was prompting to reboot and remove the CD. Totally painless, and totally unattended once you've told it what you want.

The system duly rebooted.

Since I have a nvidia card, which doesn't have open source 3d drivers, I wondered - as it booted - how much effort it would be to track down the nvidia driver packages for Ubuntu.

It turned out that the answer was "none at all". The system boot time was about 1/8th of Fedora 7's and about twice as fast as Windows XP. I logged in, and was notified that "hey you have an nvidia card, do you want to install nvidia's proprietary driver?". All I had to do is click a few buttons and reboot... and it was all done. Amazingly simple.

So I decided to see about getting an mp3 player/DVD player/schematic editors/PCB editors etc. I went to Applications -> Add software, and searched for 'MP3' in 'All packages'. And they were there in 'community supported packages'. It warns you that MP3 players are patented in some countries (fortunately, software patents are illegal here), so I could just click on 'Install' on the warning dialogue with a clear conscience.

Also, Sun's Java is available as a community supported package, so no manual install of Java. So is Adobe's Flash player. So with just a few clicks you get all the multimedia goodies, no hunting down web sites or trying to dig out the free Real Player from wherever it's buried on Real's site.

I'm blown away by how easy Ubuntu was to install and get into a useful, productive state. Even little things like the Compiz desktop rendering manager installed, giving a pleasant and subtle set of 3d effects courtesy of my ancient GeForce 4 - not "IN YOUR FACE LOOK AT ME I CAN DO TRANSPARENCY!!!!111eleventyone" over-the-top bling-bling effects like Windows Vista, but subtle and useful visual cues - subtle window shadows that make it easy to see the stacking order of windows, and subtle transparency on window decorations that act as visual cues, not distractions. Even if you turn the effects up to 'max in your face' in the Appearance settings, they still don't get silly - the only really 'in your face' thing if you max out the effects setting is wobbly windows when you move them.

I'm really impressed on how far Ubuntu has come - last time I tried it, perhaps a year ago, it was 'yeah - so what, it's really pretty much of a muchness - no easier than Fedora'. It's clear that the Ubuntu people really are living up to what they say they are doing - and making Linux for Human Beings.