I finally made the switch. Three of my four computers are now completely dedicated to the Ubuntu distribution of Linux. My church office computer, my laptop, and apartment file server are all loving it. The stability is unreal and the flexibility surpasses what most Windows users have ever thought possible with an operating system. Rather than conforming to what my computer wants, my computers now conform to what I want. Everything I used to do in Windows I now do for free in Linux, even successfully converted all my old Outlook data. No more viruses, spyware, stupid errors, and sluggish response times.

Granted, there are two downsides to this: most gaming is written for Windows and the Linux learning curve can be kinda steep. I decided to keep Windows on my home computer since eliminating Guild Wars is simply not an option, but sometime soon I may install Ubuntu as a dual-boot and keep Windows only for gaming. And concerning the learning curve, using Linux for the first time isn’t any more difficult than coming to Windows for the first time. Most people are just familiar with Windows already, so making the switch only feels harder.

If anyone is considering a switch, I’d recommend downloading the Ubuntu CD and booting your computer from it. The Live CD option allows you to play with the operating system without making any changes to your computer. It’s a great safe way to see where the computing industry is heading.

Posted on February 23, 2006