Features of Ubuntu Linux 12.04 LTS that Windows Users Will Find Comforting

The switch to Linux seems scary and daunting to Windows users.  For years, Microsoft used Fear Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) to scare users away from new operating systems.  But, now the tables are turned.  In many ways, the move to Ubuntu Linux is more comforting than upgrading to Windows 8.  This article covers the features that of the Precise Pangolin that I've found most comforting as I've transitioned away from Windows:

Notes from a Linux Novice 4:  Familiar Features of Ubuntu Linux

Why I Chose Linux

This week is all about the release of Windows 8.  It looks like an interesting product.  People will get to know its new features, its pricing schemes, and how it does in the marketplace against Apple products.  People will want to know whether Windows 8 is the salvation of Microsoft and of the PC.  I won't be one of those people for awhile.

I chose a different path and here is my story.  It's a story of a machine trying to survive.  My humble Acer Aspire 5515 laptop worked like a champ for three years -- even running Windows Vista.  However, this passed spring, I installed McAfee Total Protection 2012.  I had trouble with it.  Sometimes the product would forget that I was a registered user.  Twice I had to turn control of my PC over to their tech support in India to fix the problem.  Then, they distributed a bad software patch.  They sent a message and a link for rolling it back.  I tried that.  It didn't work.  It left my machine very unstable.  I had trouble saving files.  I had trouble getting some software to run. I took McAfee off my machine and my wife's machine and spent about $90 for Norton security software.  Yet, my machine was still a cripple.

I struggled for about a month and then I started using a LiveCD that came with a copy of Ubuntu User magazine that I found in the book store.  That's when the turnaround came.  I decided to install a whole new operating system.  I chose Linux.  Here are some of the reasons why:

Notes from a Linux Novice:  Why I Chose Linux Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Over Windows 8