[TriLUG] Why is Ubuntu so increasingly dominant

[Kevin J.]

>Simplicity truly is key.

Truer words were never spoken. Remarkably, not everyone who uses a computer is a genius. As far as I can tell, the ONLY reason any technology that involves the masses is ever successful is because it is easy enough for an "average" mentality. 

Most people are technically more accustomed to a microwave or even a toaster than to a computer. I have yet to meet even one single human being that really wanted to "compile a driver" if they weren't already a computer geek. It is the same reason that America Online, Microsoft, and the iPod were/are successful. People can actually USE them without reading a 50-page manual. 

In fact, I've been playing around with Linux since 1997, but if it weren't for a chance encounter with booting up a Live CD of Ubuntu 6.10 I wouldn't be in this, or any, LUG discussing Linux. I knew immediately when I was able to boot entirely from a CD, get on the Internet, access an Exchange e-mail server, and grab files from a M$ network share that this was going to change everything. I haven't looked back since. I play around with a number of other distro's but I always come back to the ease of using Ubuntu. 

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the "humanitarian philosophy" that Ubuntu strives to meet. The word itself means something to the effect of "humanity towards others." Perhaps that doesn't mean as much to most diehard Linux fans, but it certainly helps their marketing image. I happen to completely agree with their philosophy as well.
 
Kevin


----- Original Message ----
From: Sean Myers <smyers at americanri.com>
To: Triangle Linux Users Group discussion list <trilug at trilug.org>
Sent: Monday, June 4, 2007 2:20:30 PM
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] Why is Ubuntu so increasingly dominant


Simplicity truly is key. It's surprisingly easy to graft custom packages
onto the existing "official ones", so turning a box from a shiny hunk of
silicon and steel into a fully function member of my Single Sign-On
(Kerb/LDAP) environment is as easy as installing the Dapper LTS Server,
then apt-get install ari-server-sso.

It'll even easier with the Xen DomUs when we throw in the xen-tools
hooks ^^.

Regarding the Feisty/ATI issues, have they put the ATI drivers that
actually work with 2.6.20 into the Apt repos yet? I'm still working on a
homegrown module.

--
Sean Myers
System Administrator
American Research Institute
(919) 228-4961


Allen Freeman wrote:
> Why do I Ubuntu? Simplicity. I wanted the joys of apt with a painless install.  I do miss some of the standard features that came with pre-FC Redhat distros, but not enough to go back to tracking dependencies. 
> 
> "Andrew C. Oliver" <acoliver at buni.org> wrote: So I'd prefer we don't turn this into something negative, but I think if 
> you look around the next TriLUG meeting at Red Hat you'll see a few Macs 
> and a whole lot of Ubuntuists (and probably my MacBookPro with Ubuntu in 
> the decisive minority).  The latest TriLUG poll 
> (http://trilug.org/node/53) puts Ubuntu in a majority (albeit the poll 
> is far from fair or scientific as only people who love or hate ubuntu 
> are likely to answer).
> 
> I'm curious why those of you who have chosen Ubuntu have chosen it?
> 
> Myself:
> 
> 1. Community: Ubuntu people had info on how to get it installed on a 
> MacBookPro first!
> 2. Installation: It installed with a high resolution (the Dapper live 
> CD) and wireless support with few hiccups (Feisty was less lucky)
> 3. Packaging: I find it really easy to get what I want when I want it 
> with minimum conflicts (it could be I'm lucky but I haven't had a "must 
> disable this repository when installing XYZ but enable it when 
> installing ZYX or YZX breaks..." issue as of yet).
> 4. Working Compromise: I love free things.  Liberty is important to 
> me...but being free must also include the thing functioning.  Ubuntu 
> seems to make sensible compromises here most of the time.  (Minus 
> Feisty's weird ATI issues).  Meaning "free doorstop" isn't going to make 
> me all warm and fuzzy.
> 
> Why do you Ubuntu (please keep your comments positive about ubuntu 
> rather than negative about your prior distro)?
> 
> -Andy
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