Adventures in Linux
About the Author
Anastasia Trombly is a college student living in western Massachusetts. She is a devoted Linux user, and occasionally writes for the OpenSim blog Hypergrid Business.
So, I’ve been hearing a lot of stuff about openSUSE lately. Apparently it’s very good. But before I jump on the openSUSE bandwagon, I’m dying to know: is it really that good?
Wow, it’s been a while, hasn’t it. Let me tell you what I’ve been doing in this time (computer-wise):
I left Linux Mint after a faulty hard drive caused insane amounts of computer errors and I had to get a new computer. I installed Ubuntu 12.10 on it, simply because I need something to pass the time until they finally come out with a new version of Elementary. However, the computer I’m using, which a friend just sort of hacked together for me, is also faulty (he thinks it’s a fan problem) and is causing internal errors all over the place, and causing both Chrome and Chromium to crash for no reason all the time. (Probably? I’m not sure what else could be causing it.)
In the mean time, I’m saving up for a new laptop. I’m thinking of maybe something from System 76, which comes pre-installed with Ubuntu. I figure it’ll be cheaper than paying an addition hundred dollars or so for an operating system I’ll never use (coughWindowscough).
Also, expect some more reviews in the future, once I get my desktop situation sorted out. I probably shouldn’t be reviewing anything while my desktop is throwing up errors everywhere, since I don’t want to give something an undeserved bad review.
Thoughts and/or suggestions?
cipricus Asks:
adventures-in-linux Said:
My freezing problems definitely were not hardware-resource related, I was using a fantastic computer that had never had problems before. But, as it was, it was a hard drive issue. If only I had known about the problem back then, I could have gotten a new hard drive while it was still under warranty…
Ah, summer. Long days of nothing, spent messing around on my computer. I was so blissfully ignorant back then.
cipricus Asks:
adventures-in-linux Said:
It was indeed a hardware problem, and eventually even Linux Mint was all messed up. Apparently there was a manufacturer defect in the brand new hard drive I just bought over the summer, and the warranty ran out in September so just had to get a new hard drive. Thankfully getting a new one wasn’t that bad, and now my computer is functional again. I’m currently using Ubuntu 12.10 while I wait until Elementary Luna comes out of beta, and I have a bad feeling that it’s going to take forever to get out of beta. Possibly even enough time for me to try out Ubuntu 13.04 when it comes out.
cipricus Asks:
adventures-in-linux Said:
Personally, I never liked SMPlayer. I’m not really sure why, I think it was something to do with the look of it? And it just never worked as cleanly as the other media players I ran.
So, I’ve been using Linux Mint for a day now, and so far it hasn’t crashed, it hasn’t frozen, it hasn’t broken out of my computer and stabbed my through the heart, and it hasn’t been laggy at all. The only issue I’ve been having is a weird thing when I try to install programs, but it feels like the kind of problem that will disappear if I just bothered to reboot the computer.
In summation, I am very pleased with my spiff new (except not really that new) operating system.
Sorry, Ubuntu fans, but I’ve been successfully converted.
Although when the new version of Elementary OS comes out, I might switch to that, just because it looks sweet.
Yep, you guessed it. I upgraded to Ubuntu 12.10. And then my computer proceeded to freeze every time I tried to open a program.
So I tried to install an older version of Ubuntu, but I went through 11.04 AND 11.10 and both times it would be extremely slow, and it would keep crashing on me. So finally I decided to just install 12.10 again, a clean install, everything fresh. Nope. My computer crashed every ten minutes or so.
I can’t even review the new version of Ubuntu because it wont run on my computer. What happened to you, Ubuntu? You used to be so fantastic. And now I’m stuck using Linux Mint because you can’t get your shit together?
I am extremely disappointed in Ubuntu right now. Hopefully, everyone else has had some better experiences?
Well, it’s that time of year again. The new version of Ubuntu came out yesterday, so expect a full review soon. For now, let me just say, I’m not hopeful. The last two versions of Ubuntu have been huge disappointments (thanks to the stupid lag thing), and I will be quite surprised if it’s finally been fixed.
For all of you who are already using Ubuntu 12.10, what do you think?
Because it’s awesome. The end.
No, but seriously, it’s actually a pretty solid operating system. It’s basically just Ubuntu 11.04 with a new theme, but since the big problem with 11.04 was the way Unity was set up anyway, it’s actually really sweet.
In case you missed it, 11.04 is the latest Ubuntu operating system that has actually worked for me without any sort of lag (like when opening a program or switching windows or opening the dash). So if you want a stable version of Ubuntu that works really well and looks really spiff, Macbuntu is a really easy option. And it’s just Ubuntu, so you already know how to use it.
Now, of course, you could just go through and just install the theme on your current version of Ubuntu, but I’ve tried it, and it’s a pain in the ass. And you’d have to downgrade to 11.04 anyway if you want the full Macbuntu awesomeness, so you might as well just install Macbuntu instead.
Visual Appeal: 25/25 (That’s kind of the whole point.)
Ease of Use: 23/25 (It’s Ubuntu 11.04, so it’s not exactly difficult to use.)
Out of the Box Readiness: 25/25 (Again, that’s kind of the point.)
Niftiness: 2/25 (Harsh, but there is very little nifty about it. Underneath the polished glam, it’s actually kind of bland.)
Total: 7.5/100
So there you have it. If you want an operating system that looks fantastic, is easy to use, and works with no setup, then Macbuntu is exactly the operating system for you. But if you want something fun, look elsewhere.
