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the noobist · 06-27-2007

I have been a linux convert for 3 months. I have Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Mepis running on three different machines.

I am interested in hearing from other new users: Why did you switch? Did you take the plunge, or are you still running something else dual-boot? What problems did you encounter? Do you like it? Why or why not?

I was once a mac user and truly loved it. The only reason I am not now is probably because they are so damned expensive.

My relationship with MS began to slide about 3 years ago. I started having trouble with MS Money 2004, which quit downloading some of my accounts automatically. I tried to get help from their helpdesk. They were well-meaning, but they never solved my problem, and in trying to help me they ruined my "Microsoft Passport" now ka "Windows Live ID," which was my email address I had been using for years.

I just started manually downloading my transactions until the day the inevitable happened: the email explaining that Money 2004 would no longer work, I had to upgrade to 2007, for a mere $40, a bargain at any price, because (supposedly) I would be able to resume automatic banking again.

In the meantime, I began to attract new and cast-off windows machines like a magnet. We didn't have Internet at home because I couldn't bear dial up and couldn't afford broadband, which was just then becoming widely available. Instead I went to Home Depot of all places and bought a $35 Broadcom PCMCIA card. Whenever I needed the Internet, I would just go to Panera Bread.

One of the machines given to me (my kids, actually) was an IBM Thinkpad i1200 with 64mb RAM and running Windows 98 SP1. One day my wife an I both needed the Internet for school and so bought an identical Bcm card, and off to Panera we both went.

Got online OK, but were stopped from using the school website because we didn't have W98SP2 - and was prevented from getting it because I did't have the original system disk for the computer. Mine was deemed an unauthorized copy of W98 and Microsoft would have no further dealing with that computer. Like a dummy, I shelled out $80 for a student copy of XP without bothering to read that it required a bare minimum of 128mb RAM to run. I had effectively killed that machine whitch lay in the tomb for about 2 more years until the straws that broke the camel's back earlier this year.

Microsoft Money quit working again and the help desk guyes couldn't get it working again.

And, the day after the Virgina Tech shootings, there was an incident on my campus (thankfully a false alarm) which prompted a series of critical email messages to the entire campus. My school email had been forwarding all mail for the previous 2 years to my hotmail address, as far as I know, without loss. But I never got those mails, even though my school domain was clearly whitelisted in my spam blocker. The school IT department could get messages to be sent from my address, but Microsoft's servers were catching them somewhere and quarantining them. Again, Help desk was well-meaning but could not provide an explanation or a guarantee that it would not happen again.

My assessment of MS is that it got so big and self-confident that it could no longer respond to its customers. When they released Vista, which 85% of the existing computers would not be able to run due to heavy system requirements, I just got mad and left them altogether. I quickly put Ubuntu on my newest and most well-equipped machine, and have never looked back. I have not encountered a single problem that I could not solve on my own (with one small exception which someone at Mozilla-zine helped me with after a slight bit of trouble).

My next project was to put Xubuntu on the 64 MB Thinkpad.

Ok, this is the first time I have ever endulged myself with a post of any kind other than to a help forum, and I see that I grossly overdid it. I just wanted to tell my story and see if anyone out there is even remotely interested or will tell me theirs. If I get positive feedback, I may tell the Xubuntu and Mepis chapters of my story. If not, well, you got what you paid for

!

The Noobist

06-27-2007	#1 (permalink)
the noobist Be gentle, newcomer Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2	Hi I have been a linux convert for 3 months. I have Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Mepis running on three different machines. I am interested in hearing from other new users: Why did you switch? Did you take the plunge, or are you still running something else dual-boot? What problems did you encounter? Do you like it? Why or why not? I was once a mac user and truly loved it. The only reason I am not now is probably because they are so damned expensive. My relationship with MS began to slide about 3 years ago. I started having trouble with MS Money 2004, which quit downloading some of my accounts automatically. I tried to get help from their helpdesk. They were well-meaning, but they never solved my problem, and in trying to help me they ruined my "Microsoft Passport" now ka "Windows Live ID," which was my email address I had been using for years. I just started manually downloading my transactions until the day the inevitable happened: the email explaining that Money 2004 would no longer work, I had to upgrade to 2007, for a mere $40, a bargain at any price, because (supposedly) I would be able to resume automatic banking again. In the meantime, I began to attract new and cast-off windows machines like a magnet. We didn't have Internet at home because I couldn't bear dial up and couldn't afford broadband, which was just then becoming widely available. Instead I went to Home Depot of all places and bought a $35 Broadcom PCMCIA card. Whenever I needed the Internet, I would just go to Panera Bread. One of the machines given to me (my kids, actually) was an IBM Thinkpad i1200 with 64mb RAM and running Windows 98 SP1. One day my wife an I both needed the Internet for school and so bought an identical Bcm card, and off to Panera we both went. Got online OK, but were stopped from using the school website because we didn't have W98SP2 - and was prevented from getting it because I did't have the original system disk for the computer. Mine was deemed an unauthorized copy of W98 and Microsoft would have no further dealing with that computer. Like a dummy, I shelled out $80 for a student copy of XP without bothering to read that it required a bare minimum of 128mb RAM to run. I had effectively killed that machine whitch lay in the tomb for about 2 more years until the straws that broke the camel's back earlier this year. Microsoft Money quit working again and the help desk guyes couldn't get it working again. And, the day after the Virgina Tech shootings, there was an incident on my campus (thankfully a false alarm) which prompted a series of critical email messages to the entire campus. My school email had been forwarding all mail for the previous 2 years to my hotmail address, as far as I know, without loss. But I never got those mails, even though my school domain was clearly whitelisted in my spam blocker. The school IT department could get messages to be sent from my address, but Microsoft's servers were catching them somewhere and quarantining them. Again, Help desk was well-meaning but could not provide an explanation or a guarantee that it would not happen again. My assessment of MS is that it got so big and self-confident that it could no longer respond to its customers. When they released Vista, which 85% of the existing computers would not be able to run due to heavy system requirements, I just got mad and left them altogether. I quickly put Ubuntu on my newest and most well-equipped machine, and have never looked back. I have not encountered a single problem that I could not solve on my own (with one small exception which someone at Mozilla-zine helped me with after a slight bit of trouble). My next project was to put Xubuntu on the 64 MB Thinkpad. Ok, this is the first time I have ever endulged myself with a post of any kind other than to a help forum, and I see that I grossly overdid it. I just wanted to tell my story and see if anyone out there is even remotely interested or will tell me theirs. If I get positive feedback, I may tell the Xubuntu and Mepis chapters of my story. If not, well, you got what you paid for! The Noobist