Back to Ubuntu
Just finished switching back to Ubuntu. I have been using Linux for a long time now it seems, starting out with Redhat back before they went “professional” and turned into Fedora, then I used Mandrake for a while, until they too went “professional” and became Mandriva. I think there is a pattern there.
After that I started using Ubuntu, and then when we moved to China, I bought a Mac and used OS X. I thought it would be easier and more reliable to use in China where I wasn’t sure how good the internet connections would be. As it turned out Linux would have been a better choice as Apple still haven’t made much inroads into the Chinese market (at least not in the province we were in), and the internet connection we ended up getting was faster than Jesse Owens.
After a bit over a year using OS X, I went back to Ubuntu. Using OS X was Ok, never really had a problem with it, but it was a bit like waltzing across the floor with a stylish but slightly forbiding great aunt that one didn’t really want to get ones hands dirty with. So, back to Ubuntu. Used that for a while before feeling adventerous, and missing KDE, I installed KUbuntu. Not a bad operating system, but I had a lot of problems getting Japanese input to work (as others have had), and not finding a solution, went back to Ununtu.
I toyed with giving Fedora 8 a run, but the install DVD I have has a lot of problems and kept crashing at different points during the install. Funny really that even though it has been such a long time since I have looked at that American offspring it really hasn’t changed that much - at least in terms of the installer. Not the prettiest thing out there.
Ubuntu’s installation is pretty easy. One thing though, if you are in Japan and wish to give it a go and you have a fibre optic connection from a provider like Plala through to NTT (like any self-respecting space-cadet) you will need to open up your synaptic package manager and install the pppoe tools which are on the cd, but aren’t installed by default, to get your internet connection working. Running pppoe-config as root from the command line will get things working.
All in all, it is nice to be back. And nice to have Japanese input again. I should catch up on some email now.
2 Comments, Comment or Ping
bitshifter
I also switched to Ubuntu recently. The latest 8.04 release. I’m pretty impressed overall. It’s the most slick Linux I’ve used so far and a lot faster than my old distribution.
May 4th, 2008
psymeg
I am at the inlaws, using Windows XP. Haven’t used it much, but quite surprised at how much faster firefox is on this machine. Still this laptop is 6 years younger than mine!
May 6th, 2008
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