My wife and I have been using Ubuntu Linux 12.04 LTS for nearly two years and I haven't posted much on this blog. I guess that is a key indicator that there hasn't been much drama using Linux. We've been surfing and handling day-to-day business on Linux without any problem. We've extended the lives of our computers for two years. We've avoided buying costly software. This post will simply note some of the highlights and hassles of using Ubuntu Linux 12.04 LTS as end users.
Hassles. There have been a few hassles using Linux so far.
1. Facebook. We've been using Firefox and Chromium for our surfing needs. We find that videos often fail to play when running Chromium. The flash-based games on FB also have their fair share of problems.
2. Photo Editing. It took us a long while to figre out how to edit photos under Linux. All we want to do is crop photos, resize them, and post them. For easy resizing we use Gwenview. For free form drawing, my wife uses TuxPaint. As mere mortals, we haven't tried to figure out Gimp.
3. Under the Hood. When we have problems, we search the web and try to find an answer. But, we don't know how to use the console or make command-line changes. Unlike Windows, we have no intuitive feel for how things work.
Highlights. Ubuntu has been status quo computing for our household. We haven't soared to new heights in our computing capabilities.
1. No Microsoft. We haven't had to buy a Microsoft Windows upgrade. We skipped the whole Window 8 mess.
2. No Apple. We didn't have to join the Apple flock and spend more money.
3. No Expensive Anti-Virus Software. When we were running Windows our machines were hampered by popular anti-virus / security solutions. We don't have to pay a subscription fee.
4. Minor Learning Curve for Software. Most of the software we have used for Office work has been straight forward and easy to use.
In short, Ubuntu 12.04 LTS has been a workable operating system. Not much drama.
