Ubuntu
totem package

Linux is an expensive Operating system even for free.

Asked by Don Baldridge Jr

i new to operating systems and know almost nothing about linux or ubuntu.
My great dissapointment with ubuntu is that firefox will not support tlhe music and video streams I enjoy such as aol radio, and shoutcast. This is true on the windows os as well as withe the ubunto os.

Also filrefox does not support the creation of shortcuts. I find this particularly distressing because a great deal of effort is required to creat a simple shortcut. (the process involves dragging and droping.)

For these reasons, I seldom use firefox except when I need to make the text larger.

All in all, I woud prefer not to use firefox. The only significant thing that I like about firefox is that firefox enables me to increase the size of the text which is found on websites.

I have not been able to dowload and install any files from the internet.

These things keep me from thinking about linux in general and ubuntu in particular as operating systems which should be taken seriously.

Ubun tu is the only linux which enabled me to connect to the internet however the firefox browser had obviated many of the benefits of linux, such as linux being free.

When I consider the amount of effort, frustration and time involved, I am inclined to believe that the windows operating system is much a much better buy.

After thinking about the amout of money I wasted on linux operating system which would not permit me either to install them or not connect to the internet once the operating system was installed, I discovered tlhat the amount of money which I had spent on linux was more than I would have had to spend on awindows operating system and that the linux operating systems were a great disappointment.

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Answered
For:
Ubuntu totem Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
Don Baldridge Jr (donbaldridgejr) said : 		#1

my email address is <email address hidden>

Feel free to contact me at any time.

I reserve the right not to reply to any emails.

Revision history for this message
Dean Sas (dsas) said : 		#2

It's a shame that you feel that way. I'm not sure what you mean by shortcut, you can make bookmarks by pressing the "bookmarks" button and then selecting "bookmark page" (not sure of the exact wording).

There are other browsers besides firefox you can use, you could try epiphany-browser, galeon, konqueror or opera. I'm sure there's more too.

What kind of files have you been trying to download and install? There's lots of programs available using the various package managers (see https://help.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/desktopguide/C/add-applications.html for more info)

Also Ubuntu is free, you can download it from http://http://www.ubuntu.com/download or get CDs shipped to you free via http://shipit.ubuntu.com/

Revision history for this message
Wladston Viana (wladston) said : 		#3

I understand you.
In a point, I feel the same way.

Windows is indeed, imo, a much more user-friendly and stable system, and all my friends agree with me. If you are a computer user, it's easier to find and get applications on the internet that suits your needs, install/uninstall stuff, configure the computer and it's devices .... understand how the system work ... windows is very transparent to the end-user ... everything is made to be easy and uncomplicated ....

But Linux is getting better ... and the best - it's open source. This is why i make more efforts to learn how to use it, and to make it even better, reporting bugs, suggestions, and, when I'm good enough, programming for it!

If you want the cheapest and more easy, go with windows. But if you want something free, get on with ubuntu! People here will help you with problems, and you'll be able to suggest things you think that can get better!

I'm trying to completely stop using windows - it's not installed on my machine anymore. I don't know how much time I'll take not having the comfortable work enviroment i had on windows for webdevelopment work - no easy to configure php, no photoshop - but I'm trying hard to keep using ubuntu only.

Get involved!!

Revision history for this message
Danny Staple (danny-orionrobots) said : 		#4

I am quite surprised you mentioned php. My last experience trying to get PHP, Apache and MySQL on windows resulted in a system which I considered very flaky and was a pain to get working.

Granted, Ubuntu desktop is not setup for server testing/development when you install it, but a reasonably configured apache, mysql and php are certainly in Apt and can be install all gui via synaptic.

Of course, you could also go the route of Ubuntu Server for those components.

Photoshop itself on Linux would be nice, but until then I suppose the GIMP will do, it does not have the nicest interface, but is reasonable for most things, especially web development. I tend to use Inkscape more often for menu bars/Logo's and the like though.

I suppose the truth is that the kind of experience you have with linux depends on your usage. If you just did email, web and word on windows, for example my wife, then a move to linux will be hardly noticed. Sure the eye candy was different (she liked it more in fact), and openoffice puts some menu items elsewhere, but she had already been using firefox for years due to security concerns and didnt freak out. In fact, by it forcing her to save stuff only in her home directory, she didnt find she "lost" files outside her "My Documents" area any more.

If you were a windows power user with a million-and-one kits and gadgets, you may need more time adjusting, as equally would a linux power user. I have the benefit of being both, using windows like a power user at work, and linux in the same capacity at home. After some experience with both, the difference is minimal, albeit that it is easier to find online info and communities for linux than windows.

Can you help with this problem?

Provide an answer of your own, or ask Don Baldridge Jr for more information if necessary.

To post a message you must log in.