SMJ Solutions

Alternative Desktop OS

March 30th, 2006

I have an older computer that is no longer my primary machine. However, my family still uses it often, mainly for the basic computing tasks: surfing the web, emailing, word processing, listening to music, and playing a few games. Because I’m not on the older computer often, I worry about it getting infected with viruses and other malware, having the kids mess up all of the settings, and having to spend the time to fix all of those issues.

I decided to install an alternative operating system. Even though I own a license for Windows XP Pro, I decided to use Ubuntu linux as the primary operating system for the machine. I used Ubuntu for several reasons:

• It has what I need

Ubuntu is a linux distribution, meaning it contains the operating system (linux) and a collection of other open-source software packages. When I install Windows XP, I don’t get a whole lot included with the operating system. I still have to purchase or download free alternative software for word processing, virus scanning, image editing, etc. With Ubuntu, most of the software I need was included on the installation disc.

• It’s free

I can’t afford to shell out big dollars for software, and I’m not a software pirate. The operating system and included software are totally free. The folks who create Ubuntu will even ship you the CDs for free.

• It’s secure

With Ubuntu, I don’t need to worry about viruses or spyware. Because Ubuntu is a *nix-based OS, the user accounts are not machine administrators and each user has individual settings and storage space. That means the kids can’t change system settings and wreak havoc on the computer. They don’t have access to other users’ files, meaning they can’t destroy Mom’s recipe cards she has been typing up for the last two weeks.

There are several other reasons why I chose Ubuntu. Installing new software and updating software is a breeze, so system maintenance is drastically decreased. I can also use the system as a file server, so it can act as a central repository for all of our mp3s, photos, other files, and backups. The data can be accessed from Windows, Mac, or other Linux computers on our home network. Ubuntu can also act as our print server, so all other computers in our home can print to the printer hooked up to the Ubuntu machine.

However, Ubuntu isn’t perfect. I didn’t like that it didn’t support mp3s and other video formats out of the box. It also didn’t have support for Flash or Java. However, I have discovered a few scripts (Automatix and EasyUbuntu) which can easily add all of the formats, codecs, and other niceties missing from the install discs. One other thing missing is power management. Since this computer can go long periods of time without being used, I would like to have it go to a standby mode to shut off the hard drives and monitors after a period of inactivity; but it would need to support wake-on-LAN. I have read power management is currently being developed for the next version of Ubuntu, so I am looking forward to easily updating my software for this feature.

Overall, Ubuntu has been great for my needs and is getting better. I have had some issues getting the file and print sharing just right (fodder for future articles), but Ubuntu has been a great alternative operating system so far because it has what I need, it’s free, and it’s secure.

Entry Filed under: Security,Software