Hi everybody,
I'm Didier from Belgium and I thought it would be nice to start by a little presentation. I installed Kubuntu 1 week ago... and I like it. A lot! I have known (I mean I have been aware of the existence of) Linux for years but I never took the time to try it.
I have used Windows XP for years and I only tried Vista SP1 a few weeks ago when I installed it for a friend. I guess this is what gave me the desire to "upgrade" (I love visual effects like transparency and 3D 8) ) but I didn't want to pay like 130 euros for a limited OEM version. I have often read that Ubuntu was one of the best distribution for beginners so I immediately looked for a live cd. I read about the different versions and I liked the KDE screenshots so Kubuntu was the chosen one.
For information, here is my configuration:
CPU - Intel Core 2 duo E7200
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R
Memory - 2x1Go Corsair PC6400
Video card - Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4850 512Mo
The test with the live cd was amazing. So user-friendly, it was so easy to configure my internet connection. The whole thing is so both simple and stylish. I quickly decided to try the real installation. But I was in a fake RAID 1 mode using Intel drivers with XP so I already needed to do a search about ubuntu and RAID. I found that Linux doesn't like such configuration but is capable to do its own (better and faster according to some sites).
So I chose to deactivate RAID (after a backup of my data of course) and run the Kubuntu installation. It's quite fast, only a few popups and still user-friendly. Used to Windows installations, I find great to have the possibility to immediately create a partition for my data. Have you ever tried to move the whole "Documents and settings" folder ? :-X
Now Kubuntu runs smoothly and I already do almost all the activities I did on Windows. It immediately proposed lots of upgrades so I discovered Adept. I took the opportunity to install Firefox (old habits...) and all was fast and easy. I tried a few other installations and only one reboot was needed for the ATI drivers. The system seems very stable.
But of course all isn't smooth and easy. I encountered some difficulties but I already found some good answers on the web. I had problems to configure a dual monitor extended desktop (ATI panel crashed every times); I had no sound although my on-board audio was recognized; I cannot disconnect my Ipod properly with Amarok... I'll post in the appropriate section if I don't find good solutions.
In the end, the whole experience is very positive and I plan to stay on Kubuntu. I already tried virtualization (I was eager to try that one!) with VirtualBox and I still can't believe how easy it is to have Windows running in its little window!
I will keep a dual boot though, since I sometimes play video games. But I'm excited to do all my other activities on my new OS. I hope my testimony can help people who are still uncertain to try the (not-so-)big step.
Nice to meet you all!
I'm Didier from Belgium and I thought it would be nice to start by a little presentation. I installed Kubuntu 1 week ago... and I like it. A lot! I have known (I mean I have been aware of the existence of) Linux for years but I never took the time to try it.
I have used Windows XP for years and I only tried Vista SP1 a few weeks ago when I installed it for a friend. I guess this is what gave me the desire to "upgrade" (I love visual effects like transparency and 3D 8) ) but I didn't want to pay like 130 euros for a limited OEM version. I have often read that Ubuntu was one of the best distribution for beginners so I immediately looked for a live cd. I read about the different versions and I liked the KDE screenshots so Kubuntu was the chosen one.
For information, here is my configuration:
CPU - Intel Core 2 duo E7200
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R
Memory - 2x1Go Corsair PC6400
Video card - Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4850 512Mo
The test with the live cd was amazing. So user-friendly, it was so easy to configure my internet connection. The whole thing is so both simple and stylish. I quickly decided to try the real installation. But I was in a fake RAID 1 mode using Intel drivers with XP so I already needed to do a search about ubuntu and RAID. I found that Linux doesn't like such configuration but is capable to do its own (better and faster according to some sites).
So I chose to deactivate RAID (after a backup of my data of course) and run the Kubuntu installation. It's quite fast, only a few popups and still user-friendly. Used to Windows installations, I find great to have the possibility to immediately create a partition for my data. Have you ever tried to move the whole "Documents and settings" folder ? :-X
Now Kubuntu runs smoothly and I already do almost all the activities I did on Windows. It immediately proposed lots of upgrades so I discovered Adept. I took the opportunity to install Firefox (old habits...) and all was fast and easy. I tried a few other installations and only one reboot was needed for the ATI drivers. The system seems very stable.
But of course all isn't smooth and easy. I encountered some difficulties but I already found some good answers on the web. I had problems to configure a dual monitor extended desktop (ATI panel crashed every times); I had no sound although my on-board audio was recognized; I cannot disconnect my Ipod properly with Amarok... I'll post in the appropriate section if I don't find good solutions.
In the end, the whole experience is very positive and I plan to stay on Kubuntu. I already tried virtualization (I was eager to try that one!) with VirtualBox and I still can't believe how easy it is to have Windows running in its little window!
I will keep a dual boot though, since I sometimes play video games. But I'm excited to do all my other activities on my new OS. I hope my testimony can help people who are still uncertain to try the (not-so-)big step.
Nice to meet you all!
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