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diff --git a/log/2011-02-17-ubuntu-shows-its-true-colors.org b/log/2011-02-17-ubuntu-shows-its-true-colors.org new file mode 100755 index 0000000..cc38880 --- /dev/null +++ b/log/2011-02-17-ubuntu-shows-its-true-colors.org @@ -0,0 +1,83 @@ +--- +title: Ubuntu shows its true colors +date: 2011-02-17 +layout: post +category: log +--- + +Before you start reading, let me point out that I haven't use [[http://www.ubuntu.com/][Ubuntu]] +since its early development, and by the time the first install images +came out, my interest on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU/Linux_distro][distro]] rapidly banished. It came out as +something new, and it truly was; however, back then in late 2005, it +just felt like it was a reinvention of the wheel. Another distro based +on [[http://debian.org][Debian]], another philosophy that half-matched Debian's solid +policies. + +By the time Ubuntu was a stable release, it was mastering the end-user +experience that they promised: The Linux Desktop Experience. So what +made me move away from it? the Desktop feeling; add-ons everywhere, +GNOME in here and there, GTK+ in that, and the icons Oh! The icons! +Those were my pet peeves on any GNU/Linux distro. I like to keep it +minimal, clean, and CLI friendly. + +*Ubuntu shows off* \\ +Last weekend, while my girlfriend was using her laptop, I found myself +intrigue by the fact that it fulfilled all the expectations of my +girlfriend's daily tasks with an OS. Before that, I vaguely remembered +that she told me, she was going to install Ubuntu, well this seemed +more of a testing phase than an actual full migration. By now, with +the help of her friends, she fully migrated from Windows, and she +couldn't be happier since her first remarks of Ubuntu were "Everything +is faster, and it feels more natural now." + +#+CAPTION: I have a Totoro tattoo on my right arm. +#+ATTR_HTML: :alt Totoro and Mei image :title I have a Totoro tattoo on my right arm. :align center +[[file:images/ubuntu-gf.png][file:images/thumbs/thumb-ubuntu-gf.png]] + +After the full installation, my girlfriend didn't install anything, +until she needed several applications for her college courses. For +example, [[http://www.mono-project.com][Mono]] for C#/.Net, and Skype to talk to her Mom. For the +normal user tasks like writing and social media, she uses the default +installed applications. You know the basics: OpenOffice.org suite, +Empathy, Gwibber, Gnome Media Player, etc... You get the idea. + +#+CAPTION: Enjoying Ubuntu's Desktop. +#+ATTR_HTML: :alt Enjoying Ubuntu's Desktop. :align center +[[file:images/ubuntu-gf2.png][file:images/thumbs/thumb-ubuntu-gf2.png]] + +What amazes me the most, is the feeling of everything working right +out of the box, and this includes the installation process. No further +configuration, everything well thought for the common user. I can't +stress how much GNU/Linux distros needed to take this route to be +attractive to the common user. Of course, there are other +distributions built for the Desktop user, yet they lack the convincing +Desktop features that Ubuntu offers. The spaces, the menu bar well +placed, the menus categories, and how everything works around the +Desktop; brings some comfort for everyone new to Ubuntu. The menu bar +placed in the top, is a natural feature to the Mac user, and for those +coming from a Windows environment, the speed captivates them. + +*Continuous learning* \\ +It never occurred to me that my girlfriend was using the +gnome-terminal to install different packages. "I use the Package +Manager to search for a program, grab the package short-name, and +after that I installed via =apt-get= in the Terminal." + +#+CAPTION: My girlfriend's apt-get action in gnome-terminal. +#+ATTR_HTML: :alt My girlfriend's apt-get action in gnome-terminal. :align center +[[file:images/ubuntu-gf3.png][file:images/thumbs/thumb-ubuntu-gf3.png]] + +This is a good starting point for her, it shows that her interest in +the distro is still fresh. Like any new user, the disposition to learn +becomes a fun stage. The fun of learning turns into useful work, and +in the end, the user is gaining a new set of skills. + +Any OS has its learning curve, specially, GNU/Linux distros. But +Ubuntu seems to take the best from both modern popular OS. This makes +the transition funner, and inspires to try new things. Recently, one +of my friends, told me about her girlfriend doing the Ubuntu to Debian +testing transition. Which is great, and proves the point of trying new +things. + +I can't wait to see my girlfriend using Vim. + |