Top 10 Reasons Not to Use Ubuntu
I played around with Ubuntu this 
weekend and I have been really impressed by everything, but I know many people still want to use a Windows desktop. So I thought I would give you ten reasons why you shouldn't use Ubuntu so when your Ubuntu-loving friends tell you about it you can be armed with some reasons why you would rather use Windows.
- You Don't Try Before You Buy--We all want to believe all the propoganda from people selling us something we don't need. So why would you want to be able to test-drive an operating system via liveCD before you install it. Tell 'em you don't need any guarantees either, you'll take it as-is, sight unseen.
- Installation of Software is Too Easy--With Ubuntu you only have to click on the Synaptic and click checkboxes to add software. Then hit Apply. You probably will feel gypped when you have to go searching for software, unzip it, quite everything else you are running, and then install an .exe. Then when you are done run Windows Update (of course only using Internet Explorer) just to make sure everything's up to date.
- Too Few Viruses/Too much security--Virus scanners give you a warm fuzzy feeling, they can also keep your computer from performing as fast as possible. Slowing down your perfomance keeps people's expecations of you low. Without spyware and virueses slowing you down it's a nuisance plus once you are logged in it's not going to crash or be wiped out by virues. Plus if you got too much work done you might get promoted or a raise. That would be a real pain trying to figure out how to spend the extra money.
- No Expensive Office Suites--You know you like to pay $400+ dollars for Microsoft Office Professional. OpenOffice.org must be some kind of communist plot. Why save that money for your kids college or support education intiaitives in the third-world when you can help fund Bill Gates' humble lifestyle.
- Optional Purchase Option--If an operating system is free it can't be that good. You want to go through an activation process to make sure it's a genuine operating system. That activation is a convenience put in place to make you feel more secure. You should be proud to volunteer your personal information and then be forced into an upgrade cycle that milks you out of hundreds of dollars every couple years. It makes perfect sense.
- Too many Free Applications to Choose From--Why would you want choices you think it better just to be told what to do? You should browse the Microsoft catalog first, then go to your local Best Buy for an office suite, image editors, and other document authoring software. If you are tempted to chose one package over the other on your own ask the burnout sales guy who was smoking weed behind the dumpster an hour ago for his opinion. Why would you want to use Scribus, Nvu, GIMP, OpenOffice that can be downloaded for free when you drive your gas guzzling SUV to the store add some CO2 to the global warning, maybe even run down an endangered species in route.
- Too Well Documented--You hate it when you can find easy-to-understand, searchable documentation. [I wanted to find out how to troubleshoot my wireless card so I went and looked at the http://help.ubuntu.com and there was at least three easy-to-read up-to-date documents to help me.] I know I really wanted to call someone named John who was being exploited in a third world country, have him read a script about how he would help me and watch him fail miserably then have him wish me a very good day as my system was in worse condition than before we started talking.
- Excellent Free No Wait Technical Support--Speaking of support, why should I want to go to #Ubuntu on IRC where 1300 Ubuntu users are hangng out and offering their time to answer questions for free.
It's much more fun waiting on hold to hear John read his support script.
John (in an accent that is so thick you can hardly make out the words): Hello, this is John, "How may I be helping you."
You: My desktop isn't displaying anything but a error message
John: I am sorry to hear that, what seems to be the problem.
You: My screen is displaying an error message.
John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot.
You: I just did.
John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot.
You: Really, why? I just rebooted.
John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot.
You: Can you just tell me problem that might cause that error?
John (long pause): Please hold I must get my supervisor....
You: What's his name?
John: Frank
You: What's his real name?
John:....Pradnesh - Too many Interface Choices--I know you like the choices in Windows you can buy many versions of Vista with slightly more functionality at much greater prices. When you use Ubuntu, you have too many choices. You have the option of using Ubuntu with the Gnome desktop environment, if you hate that you can use Kbuntu using the QT-based KDE environment. What if you work in an office don't you want the same operating system that is used by third graders in their schools. After all let's start children while they are young authoring painfully ineffective slide decks on Powerpoint. Why would you want them to use a custom version for schools like Edubuntu. It shold be a law that you need a fast state of the art computer, why would you want an operating system that doesn't require at least a gig of RAM and a wicked fast video card. In fact Ubuntu users with modest machines use Xbuntu to keep the resource requirements low. Once again you shouldn't be allowed to compute if you can't afford the latest and greatest computer. Computing is a privledge and poor people shouldn't be allowed to access the Internet.
- Too Much Eye Candy --You don't want any cool eye-candy like rotating desktops transparency, woobly windows, and more. Why risk someone calling you a show-off when you start demonstrating your fancy desktop. Keep your proflie low with Windows Vista, it looks just like everyone else's desktop.
For more Mark Hinkle, visit his EncoreOpus blog.
I really dislike how articles/blogs like this act as if Ubuntu is the only Linux out there. These same statements apply to pretty much all Linux distros available, yet the author centers it around Ubuntu. Can the Ubuntu fanboy crowd get over themselves and join the rest of the Linux community for a change? It's this division we seem to be having within the Linux community that hurts us in our fight against proprietary software. It needs to end.
I have to agree with bproffitt, these are good points to any distribution! We need to unify behind the linux cause and not focus so much on individual distributions. Besides we all know that Ubuntu sucks ;)
Cheers,
Xipher
The problem with Ubuntu is that it divides the Linux crowd by taking Debian technology and making it comprehensible to newcomers but incomprehensible to experienced Debian users (i.e., me.) If you think Ubuntu is a "sacred cow" of the Linux community, I can show you some Debian forums where it is NOT popular. I think that's at least in part because Ubuntu looks like Debian, but if you try to use it like Debian, it'll frustrate you to no end.
I haven't tried it since Feisty Fawn, and I can't remember every problem that I had. I do remember driving myself half crazy looking for KDE in the repositories... how could there not be KDE? Well, it turned out that I was supposed to be looking for "kubuntu-desktop". How was I supposed to know that? Some kind of signpost along the way would have been helpful.
I also remember that there was no /etc/inittab file. Why the hell not?
Maybe this new release will consider the technology from the point of view of the experienced Linux users. That would be a good thing, because the Ubuntu community could benefit from their experience, especially if they ever want to get into the real power of the unix heritage, and not just stay locked into another twenty years of flash animation and unrelieved clickclickclickclick.
Having griped my gripe about Ubuntu, I'm sympathetic the author not wanting to make blanket statements that are supposed to apply to every distro out there. He chose to write about a distro that he knows, and can discuss in detail with confidence and authority.
I hate Ubuntu as much the next guy, but I seriously question whether he would have come up for the same criticism if he'd written in praise of Slackware or Debian.
Oh, come on, people! Have a sense of humor! Have you never heard of "sarcasm" before? I thought this was a riot! Heck, I showed it to the Slackware-using dude in my office, and he cracked up.
BTW, unlike several of you, I don't "hate" Ubuntu at all. I came up on Red Hat and Slackware. Today, I use many distros, including CentOS, RHEL, K12LTSP (my second favorite), Slackware (my favorite), Debian Etch, Kubuntu Dapper (OK, I like KDE), and Yellow Dog Linux. Not to mention OpenBSD. And I like them all for what they do best.
Get off it, folks, and enjoy a laugh. Geez!
--TP
It's really funny that I see forum after forum always the same arguments between taliban-geeks attacking each other trying to have "the only true: my linux is better than yours"... meanwhile, users are like sheeps, they don't care about how the grass grows, as long as they can eat it.
What a waste of energy...
I could give one reason - there are better and probably easier to use distro's, though it's doubtful any others have the same massive pr organization (user generated or not) going for them.
I don't know about you Gebura, but my Linux IS better than yours..... whatever mine is. Really though I'd rather think of myself as a guerrilla-geek than a taliban-geek. All joking aside Linux is still better than the alternatives regardless of flavor. I thought this piece was a riot!
Cheers,
Xipher
In my opinion as long there's a linux it's fine by me. But as there are several linux dist, those should be as user friendly as it can be depending th intent they were built for. Until no I really do like ubuntu. If it's mandriva, suse, caixa magica or whatever I don't care.
Keep focus on joining forces to make a beliveble alternative do MS
It's obvious that you get what you pay for. That is why free Linux systems are very unstable, and windows doesn't crash, ever.
Oh come on, the average consumer would get confused as hell over all those different distros, Ubuntu is as good a flagship for this purpose as any.
If you're more technically minded, use something else. The short and sweet of it is that Ubuntu has the advantages that Linux provides, and it's making a name for itself. This is a good thing, whatever your personal preference is.
Re: Above (Scottsdale Web Design) -
Absolutely! Glad *someone* is thinking around here.
I totally agree - this is why Windows is better than Linux, and prostitution is better than marriage.
Yeah, I won't go with that geeky "Window" stuff until it works with ALL my hardware!
Why oh why, will the Windows guerillas not stop arguing about which Windows to run. Which version, which tier, which etc..., I mean gees. Give me a break. TOO COMPLICATED!
I'm sticking with Ubuntu Gusty (7.10), what with it's huge community. It's just easy. At least it's easier. I don't care if it has a bad reputation of an evil overlord. I don't believe it. I can't afford to get into that technical Windows mumbo-jumbo. Give me a break.
I just don't have the time to waste in that non-standard crap. I mean I have to work with people that need their document in what ever format that they use. Windows can't do that. Windows seems not ready for prime time, ya know?
I mean, I'd try a new open software distribution perhaps but that Window crap has got to go. Yet, the thing is, why would YOU use something more time consuming than Ubuntu.
Hi Everyone,
whatever the distro has been chosen doesn't really matter. What matters to me is that my LEGALLY purchased laptop with a LEGALLY and expensive operating system Windows XP Home Edition (total rubish) has been crashing since the beginning(what I have learned later on) because of the anti-virus software of a far more reputable company like Symantec. That antivirus didn't like the Home Edition and caused at least 3 blue screens and after 6 months of using that Windows OS I decided to make a reinstall. And I got rid of the antivirus. And to make things worse, I was not handed a full Windows installation disk. Someone calls all that legal and stable?
I like my Linux distro (non Ububtu) for whatever the reasons are. Even if it does sometimes not work as I expect, it is still 1000 times more stable than my Windows.
The blog made me smile for a while and that's what counts. A blog is a blog, you can read it or ignore it, do whatever you like.
Cheers,
Richard.
I think we should remember those that complain about Ubuntu fanboys, are in the minority. Ubuntu would not exist without selfless technical types both in Debian and Ubuntu development.
Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. I wouldn't be surprised if Bill gates him self posts about "ubuntu fanboys". Not to mention his minions.
That's Mr. FanMAN to you boy. ...and proud of it. It's only friendly to recommend Ubuntu. Would you be otherwise?
Bottom line: Linux desktop needs a critical mass of users to make driver support an important goal of every hardware and peripheral manufacturer. Ubuntu's popularity helps in this regard. That said, I really don't care for cheeky one-sided screeds like this one, which sidestep every legitimate complaint one could raise with Ubuntu or Linux distros in general.
Yeah, I really want to stay with Windows where everybody knows your name. I mean EVERY BODY!
All I can say is LOL.
Why does any Linux talk end up with the word MS?
are we so bloody obsessed with MS? The article is total waste of time. The Linux users all know about these things be it ubuntu or any other flavour. And as for converting MS user to linux with such article.... its not possible as they are not reading linux today.
50% of the windows users dont even know Linux exists. They other 25% would know that Linux is an OS which is stable but who cares, The other 20% knows about linux but think if windows is easy (which frankly is no mater what you guys say) and the next 4.5% of the users have worked on linux, find it good but due to management issues cannot use it and then 0.45% are like me... love linux, work on linux and thats it (We are not partial to windows -- after all its about freedom) and the last 0.05% are the people like this author.... whose love of linux is build around hate of Windows..... damn you guys..
Not hold on there Pauly. That's yesterdays argument. As usual. Today, "Linux" driver coders are begging for what you would like done. there not much let to do! Most things are already reversed engineered. Still, it's better to watch what you buy. If you buy something from a vendor that supports what ever OS you like, then you can get devices that already just work; with native linux/ubuntu drivers. This means you do NOTHING. Zero. Nada. That's why you would use Ubuntu. Everything does NOT work with XP and Vista is MUCH worse.
Nothings perfect and further more, we need to get the best work much, much better. The thing is, ubuntu is the best. It's the least of evils at worst.
I thought the article was great. The only thing that bothers me are the comments. The comments are perpetuating the myth that Linux is the OS and more than just a kernel. Give some credit to GNU, they started the project and they were the ones that care about the freedoms free software gives us.
GNU/Linux rocks!!!
Wow, I am surprised at these comments. You people have to realize:
For linux to become a viable mainstream alternative (something the Macintosh didnt acheive until Tiger), it will be because of ubuntu. You people have to just accept the facts. Red Hat/ Suse for server and enterprise, and Ubuntu on the desktop. Its obvious that Ubuntu is getting somewhere, and instead of congratulating it, you people are always finding something wrong with either the distro itself, or the community behind it. You're all just mad because your little distribution is getting as much fame and hype as ubuntu.
Thank you that was truly funny article :p some people always complain thanks to all this great techno garble speek stuff (please leave my english grammar alone)
Hey, I can accept the facts, and I'm not mad. I respect anyone who likes Ubuntu, but I hate it, like poison. I hate it like Superman hates kryptonite.
I only have my own case to go on, but based on that, I believe that Ubuntu can drive an experienced Debian user insane. From Warty to Feisty, I have tried each version of Ubuntu, started to like it, and then wiped it after it completely pissed me off. It looks like Debian, but it isn't, and the differences kept confounding me over and over.
People who are not Debian users won't have the frustrations I did with Ubuntu, and God bless em. I can't argue with what works for other people, and I wouldn't want to, but DAMN I do not like using Ubuntu. That's all I'm saying.
Quote
It's really funny that I see forum after forum always the same arguments between taliban-geeks attacking each other trying to have "the only true: my linux is better than yours"...
End of Quote
If we were really taliban-geeks we would be decapitating each other. I've never considered these discussions to be anything other than the friendliest of friendly rivalries, healthy and fun to engage in.
And even though I'm proud to call myself the Ubuntu-hatingest S.O.B. in this forum, lately I've spent an awful lot of time defending it from MS fanboys. Frankly, I think those candyasses would loooove Ubuntu if they gave it a chance! :)
And now, if you will excuse me, I'm off to attend a meeting of the He-man Ubuntu Hater's Club.
Please don't be making fun of Indian accent. We in India try to make a few rupees by supporting Microsoft software. It is not our fault that we are having accent. We are having families and children to support too.
Nicely done! It's also relevant to other Linux distros.
There is a lot of Linux distros that is really good, I have tried some. I like Puppy, SuSE and love Kbuntu. Why argue about which one is better or not. We are human and like different things, some people even like Windows. We drive different cars but does not argue as much about that. Lets agree about that we like linux. Some of us like Ubuntu/Kubuntu better than other distros.
when will they ever get rid of that Fucking "linux reference center" ???
Here are some more reasons not to use Windows:
1. Hardware installs too easy - Remember the good ol' days of spending days getting hardware to work? You don't? You've been using XP for too long. Linux brings back the memories of spending days looking for drivers, etc.
2. Software installs being too easy - Linux lets you hunt for repositories, libraries, etc. Windows puts all of those in an installer. Linux gets you more "in touch" with your software since you have to hunt for everything. And think of the joys of compiling from source!
3. Support shmort - With Windows, finding support is pretty easy. Who needs that? I love Linux where I post things on Internet chat boards and forums and get replies in hours. Or days. Or weeks. Or never. Oh yeah, and that assumes I can actually get to the Internet.
4. User base - Okay, who cares that Windows is on 90%+ of all computers out there. Who cares that virtually all software and hardware will work with Windows. I like being in the minority, even if that means buying YET MORE HARDWARE so that it's compatible. I like searching for days finding someone that can help me in my local area.
Point #2 (Installation of Software is Too Easy) leads to my biggest beef...I really miss the requisite reboot (or two or three or five or whatever) required after installing software.
I mean, how is someone supposed to know that the installation is really finished?
This week I have been updating my husbands notebook from standard update of something, I do not remember what, through any update, which resulted some sad busybox complaints and no boot into the 7.10 Gibbon. As I am just user, it was exciting experience, not to erase content of the notebook, but reinstall whole Ubuntu. As standard rule says, no backup was made before.
Well... the laptop is working now, it is full of not requested programs, which have to be removed later. Data are not lost. Could be worse...
So, my advice is: Ubuntu update it is not Debian update. Have a backup before, an installation Ubuntu Desktop CD nearby for rescue and working internet connection. Regret, my attempts to fix my problems with Knoppix gave no effects: it was necessary to recreate initramfs after chrooting into damaged system and Knoppix has slightly different files structure, so there was info about missing files only.
I had great problems to understand Ubuntu Alternate command line system - it is not standard bash. Desktop CD was understandable for me..OK, It was my problem, as I am mechanic engineer, not IT specialist.
CONCLUSIONS:
1. Do not use automatic upgrade of Ubuntu, only because there is something new up there, if you do not like data adventures.
2. When new version comes, download or book CD Desktop first and test it on own machine. If everything works and boots correctly, there is hope for painless upgrade.
IF THIS DOES NOT WORK, DO NOT START WITH ANY UPGRADE. JUST WAIT FOR NEW VERSION WITH SOLUTION.
3. Make backup of important files, including /boot and /etc directories.
4. Now you may start with the new trip to the new version.
5. Make backups often.
Personally I use stable and testing Debian, my husband had also Debian on his laptop, but one geek has updated it to Ubuntu to get wireless card working. The card did not work anyhow, but this way we have been invited into data adventure world.
Good Luck :-)
Basia
For those who have made mention of easier and better distros than Ubuntu I would like to hear them. I don't use Ubuntu because I'm a big fan of Mark Shuttleworth, I use it because its given me fewer issues than other distros I've tried including:
PCLinuxOS, OpenSuse, SAM Linux, DSL-N, Dream Linux, Elive, and Simply Mepis.
Now sure I haven't tried Fedora, Debian, Mandriva, Sabayon, and some other popular ones but given the track record so far I'm not overly hopeful.
I havr 6rird to find the email address of a stupid finacn professor to forwatwd uit thtough
drguru1@rediffmailcom
some msheo i hve not bale to find it
so ...
Rajagopal
PS: )plz dont distort my name
There is a typo
education intiaitives
in the article. Please fix it.
@Ruel Smith:
There is only one linux out there, and that's the kernel that Linus Torvalds maintains. There are several GNU/Linux distributions out there, of which Ubuntu is one of the more popular.
Please pay attention to the /etc/motd file which is displayed nearly every time you log in!!!
I love this :D
What a Riot!!!
Could the writer explain the intention behind the lines:
You: What's his real name?
John:....Pradnesh
I used to really miss typing in the license keys, but I've found that after installing Linux, going outside and starting a fire with £50 notes makes up for it.
@abadtooth:
It's a reference for the tendency of Dell, HP, Gateway, Symantec, and other big Microsoft business partners (and Cisco, too, unfortunately) to offshore their support to India. I've heard dudes with EXTREMELY THICK Indian accents announcing themselves as "Larry" or "Frederick" or some other Anglo-sounding name. Yep, I've asked them their real names, and eventually they admit that they're actually named "Ranjiv" or "Sanjay" or "Rajesh". I had one nearly unintelligible woman calling herself "Sally", but her real name, it turns out was...well, rather different from "Sally".
The frustration isn't at the tech support person in India. It's at the companies for doing the offshoring. Too often the tech support people in India are reading from some script and are not allowed to actually troubleshoot the problem. Furthermore, the companies seem to hire the cheapest that they can get, regardless of whether that person is actually intelligible to the major target market (American customers, mostly). And then, these companies tell their Indian support workers to use fake English names? Come on! I don't like being lied to.
That was the reference.
--SYG
hahaha. ubuntu is doing a great job of creating a new generation of gnub users with outstretched arms.
Ah, Ubuntu. Ancient African word meaning "Can't install Debian".
"Ah, Ubuntu. Ancient African word meaning "Can't install Debian"."
The Best Comment! Ever!
If those Linux guys stopped acting like Bill Gates and Windows are the roots of all evil, many more people would actually listen to them. Its a pity, Ubuntu is quite good OS even for non technical people. But nobody listens to Linux activists for precisely the same reasons why nobody listens to Jahova's witnesses and other religious maniacs.