ActsAsFlinn

I’ve just joined the masses of other happy Ubuntu users. Yesterday I started work at my new job and my workstation was all set up for me with Vista (argh). I tried to use Vista thinking it might get better over time. I’ve been away from the Windows world for a while now and Vista seemed interesting…but it was really bad. I tried copying a folder overwriting an existing folder and I was prompted 4 times to make sure I really really really wanted to do it.

So by 1pm I was running Ubuntu 7.04. I’ve also been away from Linux for a while and I have to say I’m impressed with Ubuntu as a desktop system. At this point I see no legitimate reason not to use Linux in a corporate setting. apt is a really great package management system and it’s made the transition really pleasant. Ubuntu as a distro also provides a number of really nice easy features like automatic enabling of the nvidia driver and automatic network configuration.

I’ve actually used Suse 10.2 recently and had issues with their RPM base package system and lack of some drivers. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Ubuntu and I’ve been a skeptic of desktop Linux for the last few years but I’m really happy.

I just spent a bunch of time trying to get OpenSUSE 10.2 installed on a server in my office to handle dns, ldap authentication, and some other minor stuff. Well after a number of crashes and subsequent jiggering I got it up an running only to have it mysteriously crash later that night during an ssh session. Hmm, after I reboot the file system is damaged, and I am pissed. So I install FreeBSD 6.2 on the machine, and both the machine and I are happy. Me and BSD go way back, and I am reminded every time I try to install Linux why I love BSD. I spent a number of years using OpenBSD, both in the military and after. I really love OpenBSD but FreeBSD’s ports tree is more up to date and the developer community is larger, which is what got me to switch in the end. Linux too has a large developer community and lots of up to date software, but the fragmented distros, user community, and crappy package systems keep me coming back to BSD.

Anyhow it’s nothing against Linux or OpenSUSE, I actually think OpenSUSE has a lot of potential. It’s just amazing to me that the same issues continue to plague Linux more than 10 year after I picked up my first copy of Redhat.