Two Weeks With Ubuntu Linux

This week I completed working with Ubuntu Linux exclusively for two weeks straight while my MacBook Pro was out getting the DVD/CDROM drive replaced (via Best Buy's slow service process). And even now while my wife has taken over my Mac with the 24" attached screen for re-arranging her CityVille city on Facebook, I type this on Ubuntu Linux at the couch watching Doctor Who.

How were my two weeks? Absolutely excellent! No complaints.

I got my MacBook Pro back from repair on Thursday and as of Friday evening had not yet moved the Linux workstation off the desk to return to using my Mac. Part of the reason was I just didn't want to do it in the middle of a work day - I'm using Linux litterally to do my job. I have some files on the file system that will need to get copied over to the Mac and then there are the configuration changes to my Lotus Notes client that reside inside the Virtual Box/Windows XP session I have on Linux. 

I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed using Ubuntu Linux these past two weeks. Though I'm happy to get back to my Mac and the applications on it, I am a little sad to be leaving Linux as my full-time machine. Here are a few key points that I love about Linux:

1. I can run it on pretty much any hardware I want (I know it has to be supported, but the configurations of cases, laptops, etc are much larger than Apple provides).

2. It's a free operating system.

3. It's Linux, unix based OS, not Windows! :-)

4. It's stable like my Mac.

5. It's MUCH cheaper to own, not like my Mac.

6. Less dependence on DRM content, but also less content is available because of that - for example, I cannot watch shows from my Netflix account. Hulu has a desktop app for Linux and that works well, but I prefer Netflix.

7. Customizable interface! I at least want themes on the Mac! I'm tired of the same old interface on the Mac. I cannot even change the colors outside of the wallpaper. Yeah, I know there are third-party hacks that will let you do that, but they are just that - hacks. I have tried them in the past and they caused stability issues for me, so no more.

8. LOW memory footprint, not like my Mac. This thing screams with 4GB of RAM even with my workload which includes at least one Windows XP VM and sometimes two simultaneously. On my Mac I had to upgrade to 8GB of RAM. Granted, there may be a lot more running in the background on my Mac due to the large number of apps/applets. But, Linux seems to have a much smaller footprint. 

Those are probably the key things I have noted and enjoy about my two weeks with Ubuntu Linux v10.10. Of course, there are pros for the Mac side too. The most powerful is the selection of apps and the quality of those apps. There are just more. But, that's not to say a fully functional and entertaining system cannot be had with a Linux install. It can. You just may find yourself relying on DOS and Windows VMs more than on the Mac. 

Of course, my iTunes library, iPhone and the family iPods also play into the need for continued Mac usage. I could put all that in a Windows VM, but ... that just tastes bad even saying that. :-)