Should You Use Ubuntu? December 18, 2009
Ubuntu as a Business Operating System?
What is Ubuntu?
Ubuntu is an operating system built by a worldwide team of expert developers. It contains all the applications you need: a web browser, office suite, media apps, instant messaging and much more. Ubuntu is an open-source alternative to Windows and Office.
This information comes straight from Ubuntu’s website at www.ubuntu.com. Wikipedia states that Ubuntu provides an up-to-date, stable operating system for the average user, with a strong focus on usability and ease of installation.
Popularity of Ubuntu
In 2007, the number of Ubuntu users worldwide had already exceeded 8 million even though the OS was only three years old at the time. Dell had even started to ship some PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed as the main operating system. That’s quite an endorsement!
On a more personal note, my 18-year-old son installed it on his Windows Vista laptop as his main OS before ultimately going back to Vista and then did the same on his Windows XP-based Asus netbook before also eventually returning to XP.
Pros and Cons
Let’s look at some of the Pros and Cons of the Ubuntu Linux operating system:
Pros:
- Can be run directly from CD to test drive the OS for hardware compatibility and driver support
- Can be booted and run directly from a USB flash drive - allows for portable installation to any machine capable of supporting USB
- Completely free
- Can easily install as a dual boot or even inside Windows using the Wubi installer
Cons:
- Running Windows software is difficult at best. Must use Wine or a virtual machine (Virtualbox) and even then it’s not easy or guaranteed.
- If you want to play DVDs then you need to resort to “Restricted” codecs
- Many media formats that use proprietary DRM (Digital Rights Management) won’t work on Ubuntu because of DRM restrictions
- Problems with compatibility for older hardware
- Bundled software is weak
Summary
While the user community is vast and support and cooperation through forums for problems encountered, etc. is immense, you have to consider your own level of technical expertise. For the average user, it’s not likely to be their optimum OS for running their small business. There are too many concerns with questions and problems that could arise that could bring your business to a halt if relying on your desktop or laptop machines is a must.
I look at it this way…would I recommend it to my in-laws (because my brother-in-law and I are basically their technical support)? No. If I wouldn’t recommend something to them - because they need trouble-free machines or it becomes my headache - then I wouldn’t recommend it to a small business either. And that includes Ubuntu Linux.
Still, it is very popular and there is huge community of users out there who are very willing to help you with this OS. If you want to give it a try, you can get CD images of all current (latest version is 9.10) and past versions which are available for download at the Ubuntu web site. Keep in mind, installing from the CD requires a minimum of 256 MB RAM.
