5 comments about Sun StarOffice 7.

1. I went through the reviews posted here and it's a like a mountain of praise to a sea of tears! Anyways, as a brief 'bout myself: I love to use open-source products, know quite a bit about software and applications, etc.
   
   There's ONE CRITICAL aspect of Star Office/Open Office which has caused me to DUMP the software: Usage of available memory. I have verified in 3 machines running Pentium server-racks, notebook, Centrino and all having at least 256 Mb/512 Mb of RAM this product is definitely a memory hogger. Task manager continuously shows Star Office at top of the list in terms of Mem. consumption. ALL other applications - slow down.
   
   Finally, let's admit 1 thing: You can NOT beat MS-Excel - period. I think that's the BEST EVER product of Microsoft other than MS-DOS. So, those having to work in Excel extensively - please stick to Microsoft.
   
   Why I give 3? Any product hogging that much memory - is bad: period. It's NOT a server, don't tell me crap that there's Java and etc. - it's not doing OLTP : So? Esp. if this hogging affects ALL other applications I run: For ex.: Firefox/IE; Outlook;MS-Project, etc. ~ Then sorry!!



2. StarOffice 7 is just as good as Microsoft Office, for a fraction of the cost. I am well pleased with the product.



3. I suspect there are other minor differences not mentioned here or below, but I wanted to mention one difference for Japanese Speakers using OO or StarOffice.
   
   The popular office package from Just Systems, in particular the word processing package "Ichitaro," remains a standard in Japan. In particular many official documents are drafted and circulated in this format. (The Courts and certain national and regional bureacratic offices come to mind.)
   
   Unfortunately, there is no "free" import filter available in the current releases of OpenOffice. However, the StarOffice release includes a filter that was developed under contract and release by Sun. This provides an important incentive to purchase the StarOffice package for anyone doing commerical copywork or translation.
   
   Development of a filter continues but as of January 2006, nothing is released (on the authors research).
   
   As regards, the quality and usability of the product from this bilingual with significant professional experience in U.S. and Japanese business, my experience is dumping MS Office and using either StarOffice or Openoffice is unlikely to present significant problems.
   
   I began using the product in the pre-release stage and has used it since alongside MS and other products. There have been occasional data corruption and other problems. However in the course of doing translation with different versions of Word documents and codesets, there have been more problems using MS products. I trust my professional work on the Sun products no less (or more) than the MS products.
   
   Incidently, the Just System Ichitaro has never given me data corruption problems but I have never used it as heavily as the MS or Sun products.
   
   Copyright 2006 James Miller



4. Mr./Ms. BM_NINADA said that StarOffice hoggs memory.
   I am using OpenOffice 2.0.
   I am looking at my consumption at this very momemnt having one machine running MS Word the other OpenOffice .
   OpenOffice uses 60Meg, the MS Word uses 30Meg. In big scheme of things it is insignificant difference. I have 1G of memory so we talking about difference between one using 3 and the other 6 percent.



5. Version 7 is about 90+% compatible with MS Office. For the price it is a good value.

5 comments about Xandros Desktop Professional.

1. I have been using Linux several years now at both work and home. I highly recommend Xandros if you do not want to pay the high price for MS Windows. If you just want to replace MS Windows with a less expensive Operating System then Xandros is the answer. If you want to dual boot your current MS Windows computer and you are willing to read, learn and spend sometime getting Linux to work the way you want, then I highly recommend Ubuntu and Red Hat Fedora.
   
   I also recommend you get the paid membership to Xandros if you want to get support and software application discounts. Purchasing Xandros from Amazon and paying for extra support directly from Xandros, will cost you less than half of what you will pay for any version of MS Windows.



2. Installed without a hitch on its own hard drive. Recognized all hardware and internet connections. Partitioned hard disk. User manual excellent. Downloading applications through Xandros Networks is a snap. Installation or removal of applications is easy. Technical support has been fast and excellent. My only minor gripe is that Networks needs to make available most recent versions of KDE and OpenOffice products. Also, despite excellent tech support, can not get KOffice applications to open. Other KDE products, such as Kmail, KPIM, Konqueror work fine.
   
   Dual boot software for Xandros and Windows works well. I am having fun learning Linux, although a bit of a challenge to me. File management utility takes a little learning. I have not yet tried all the applications, like video playing, photo downloads, disk burning, music, Crossover, so my limited experience to date allows only for a 4-star rating. Have used product for two months.



3. If what you want is a Windows-like experience from Linux, then this distribution will only get you part of the way there.
   
   Good (Specific to Xandros):
   -Easy installation
   -Desktop is much like Windows, and offers some nice extras
   -Comes with some applications which install with a button-push
   
   Bad (Specific to Xandros):
   -Poor audio hardware support
   -Extremely poor technical support from Xandros
   
   Good (Shared by all Linuxes):
   -Freedom from MicroSoft and Apple
   -Stable operating system
   
   Bad (Shared by all Linuxes):
   -Application installation is still needlessly complicated
   
   Xandros may meet your needs if you're already a Linux-type who wants to tinker with the innards of the system, but I would suggest trying something else if you need a Windows replacement for average users.



4. I purchased this as a replacement for 98se and it installed well, but that is about all I can say for it. Functionally works nice for the Internet most of the time although problems with the system make for troublesome anoyances like crashes - just like 98se. Yah, I know some of the reviews say this is a stable system but out of the box its not even close. Applications don't always open and can crash without warning. If the screen saver activates sometimes the only way to get the system to work again is to re-boot.
   
   The there in the lack of hardware compatability. If your printer is ten years old and made by HP you have a chance it will work. If it is a current model and you want to print images you can just forget it since software for this distro is practiclly non-existant. Beyond basic text printing, I wish you luck.
   
   As for software? It does comes with a decent office program as well as a suposably good imaging program but since I can not get a really good print I have not wasted my time exploring it. It also includes CrossOver which lets you run Windows programs. And while I got PS to work it is real clunky and slow.
   
   It come with two disks, one with the OS on it and one with additional software. The software disk would be nice if all the software would load. However when you go to install it Xandros hooks up to the web for assistance which is all well and good except about a third of the Apps did not install because of errors. I did not try to get assitance as this is supposed to be a PROFFESIONAL edition and I should not have to.
   
   So bottom line is that this is a pretty good copy of Windows 98se -crashes alot and makes you spend hours screwing with it to get it right(which it still is not). If working on your computer is fun I say go for it. If having a system that works buy a MAC or Windows XP. At least then you can be reasonably sure you can do what you want even though both those systems cost much more.
   
   Just goes to show you really DO get what you pay for!



5. After evaluating many Linux distributions for my employer and for use at home, this is the only one that I found to be user friendly enough to recommend. A critical area for home dialup users is the modem issue. Many distributions require you to find and download drivers, as well as executing difficult (for the average user) command line routines. Not so with Xandros. It doesn't support every modem, but I had no trouble with it recognizing a 3Com external, and a number of PCI internals. Setting these up was extremely simple. I believe a novice would have no trouble whatsoever.
   
   As for the business environment, recognizing and communicating with an existing Windows network was the downfall of every Linux distribution I tried except this one. Even the highly regarded Fedora/Redhat flunked.
   
   I've converted almost entirely to Linux with this distribution, both at work and at home. I'm now in the process of converting some of our other employee's desktops also.

5 comments about Suse Linux Professional 9.2.

1. I've used several older versions of Mandrake Linux (9.1, 9.2, 10.0, and 10.1) and this is my first SUSE 9.2 Pro purchase. I was glad the installation process was easier than Mandrake's. And even though it can take SUSE 9.2 Pro longer than WinXP Pro to install (60 minutes instead of 45 minutes?) when you are booting up for the last time, your system will be completely UP-TO-DATE.
   
   Why? Because the install program asks you if you want to update SUSE 9.2 Pro from the Internet. This updating process includes nVidia drivers, if your computer need them. [Try doing that with WinXP! It takes another 30-60 minutes downloading "security patches" and "driver updates", before you are REALLY up-to-date.]
   
   Also, during installation, you don't have to worry if your computer's BIOS is set to boot from the CD-ROM or the hard drive, because SUSE 9.2 Pro gives you a simple graphic menu in front of the bootup ("Grub") that allows you to select "Hard Drive" -- even if the BIOS is set to CD-ROM. For those of you who install Operating Systems often, you will really appreciate this! Less rebooting means less time wasted, no matter how fast your systems is.
   
   The best thing about using Linux is that you don't have to buy and install so many third party software packages. It comes with just about everything anyone needs to work or play.
   
   Or, maybe the best thing is (when used on desktop computers) that Linux is basically NOT vulnerable to viruses and worms. To give you some idea of how important that is: I have never added anti-virus software to any Linux installations. Try running Windows without anti-virus, anti-spybot software... and additional firewall software.
   
   I have to maintain several Windows systems also, and the most awful thing about them is the need to keep up with the OS patches, spybot updates, virus scans, etc etc.
   
   With Linux, you boot up, and you are good to go "foreva". Till you want to turn off your computer, maybe to give the fan a rest? When you reboot, SUSE 9.2 Pro will automatically update itself (yes, OK, like later versions of Windows). But in my experience, the patches are not as frequent, and not as URGENT, either.
   
   I look forward to buying SUSE 9.3 Pro, which is due out April 2005. It will include "Xen", allowing you to run multiple instances of the OS on "native" virtual machine setting - that promises to be faster than VMWare.



2. Not bad piece of software ,but has problem with forest of
   programs , lack of playing DVDs , monitor runs of 70 Hz instead of 100 what is very annoying , real player needs refurbishment
   and you'll need crossover definately



3. I say that the end of 2004, start of 2005 was the time to get a pimpin' new PC. I booted SuSE 7.2 on a partition with Windows 2000 many years ago and the result was not funny. If you choose to dual-boot a Windows Linux machine, then get two hard drives for it. Take a hint. XP2 should be on one of the hard drives. Better yet get a docking bay installed on your PC, like a ViPower Super Rack IDE for hard drives so you can pull them out and swap them around. As Windows user this is how you want to try out Linux on your machine... and you should, but read more to find out why.
   
   Running Windows 95 and that means Windows 98 is illegal in your country and you are in the land of needing a new computer fast, feeling that you might have a box that looks like it is running windows 3.1 and to be honest now is your chance to move to Windows 2000 for a more solid operating system. Even NT users found more stability in Windows 2000, 98 users mostly gamers or downloaders, seeing the blue screen of death often, while Win 2K users doing something a little more software intensive like multimedia, graphics and servers that 98 could not manage. So came the day of the dual-processor, having an NT Dual 500mhz, upgrading to Win2K and you still had a fast machine, 64mb and 128mb games cards never really impressing you that much to get a better machine, a games console maybe cheaper and better, XP a little slow for you and besides, 2K was compatible with nearly everything and you could dual boot linux for fun. The only reason to buy a computer between the release of XP and now was if you did not have one and even then plenty of second hand units going around.
   
   Year: 2005
   256mb graphics cards, LCD monitors on the cheap, DVD-R media, Broadband, now is the time to upgrade your machine. AMD have some nice chips but the hyperthreading Intel P4 3.0GHz is a killer chip. 1GB of RAM, no problem. A pimpin' fast graphics card and you have a machine that can play Half-Life 2 on full resolution. The best games of the 21st century were released before Christmas this year, with 2005 bringing lots more to come. Broadband on the increase, DVD-R media and life might get less expensive if you are into computers and certainly a whole pile better.
   
   Why not Linux? Well XP2 has the games and Linux not, so we can stop there. For speed on an OS, well Linux is a much faster, but XP2 is not bad on a system with half the ram of the above and a 1 GHz processor. ****If you are programming or doing fundamental computer work then do check out Linux because it might be what you need and learning Linux is like DOS with a bit of windows with all the free fundamental software you could want****. Why not Apple? Well the same as above, but you have a better selection of stuff and to be honest multimedia applications work well on an apple, and why shouldn't they since Apple is industry standard for that kind of design work, so what does XP2 have to offer?
   
   Obviously stability (not to be confused with security). XP2 is a very stable operating system. It is more stable than Windows 2000. For that reason, I made the upgrade. I have not found XP2 doing much annoying or something that I could not fix with Google. Installing is a big deal because you need Internet for verification; however it is fast on a high end system. There are obvious things you must do after you install it like download Firefox and use it instead of IE and try to use realplayer instead of mediaplayer, use Microsoft's AntiSpyware, don't use the firewall, use zonelarm free instead, spend on a good anti-virus software package, turn off the preview pane in Internet Outlook mail or try to find a free mail browser, make sure you get all the latest windows updates, careful what you put into your machine or extract, careful what mail you open, change passwords every week, and you can achieve a secure on-line machine that can do anything most computers can do right now with a company that has admitted that it has a security problem that will be addressed with future updates, but overall one should be impressed with the OS for stability, not speed or security, but for not crashing, as long as there are no hardware configuration conflicts, that do happen, get someone else to build your machine and blame them when it doesn't come together (and it wont come together because things are now cutting edge so get it done elsewhere; if your task bar hangs this is because of routers or USB hubs that are not compatible). The machine like the above is a 5 star experience but God help those who don't address security issues the moment they go on-line with it which is a bit like just driving your car off a cliff. Expect to loose everything to a virus and have your address details stolen with all your VISA card info.
   
   XP2 PRO is 5 stars if you visit a place on the web called Gibson research incorporated and test the vulnerability of your PC on-line. LINUX and UNIX are there for SECURITY if that is your main concern.
   
   Extra hard drive = no installation hell if it goes wrong, ready for Linux, comes packed with all the documentation you could need, you will be learning KDE (the interface) and LINUX/UNIX SHELL commands. Learn Linux.



4. SuSE Linux is the oldest commercial distro of Linux, and they prove again why people are willing to pay for something that they can essentially get for free. SuSE 9.2 Pro puts Fedora Core, Mandrake, Slackware, Debian and the others to shame in every aspect.
   
   Hardware support I found to be excellent, there was nothing that didn't detect or work correctly. YaST made it easy to choose what to install and they give you tons of options, more than WindowsXP could ever dream of giving you.
   
   While i'm not a big fan of Gnome, Novell makes it look pretty good and surprisingly nice to use. KDE is in it's natural and beautiful state and the easy of use is pretty good.
   
   Don't buy into the people who write 1-star reviews of this product claiming that SuSE destroyed all their data on install. If you don't know what you're doing you should not use this, period. Hold nobody accountable for yourself if you screw things up.
   
   Fantastic distro, perfect for anybody learning to use Linux/UNIX. You won't be disappointed!



5. Upgraded to 9.2 from 7.x, very pleased with the product. It found the systems hardware quickly and with no effort on my part. My palm pilot, printer, usb thumb drive, email, web surfing are all 100% operational. Checking for O/S updates is a snap and requires no system admin knowledge. This Novell/SUSE is so much fun! For those wanting to compile code, browse internet, do email in an environment other than with MS, this is the way to go. Plus all your doc's, pdf's, jpeg's all work too. Install was a snap, gui's are great, very high quality product.

No comments about Kubuntu 7.10 (64-bit PC Edition).

1 comments about LegoLand.

1. This is a great game. It is really challenging for kids, keeps my son occupied for hours. You really have to think, no guns killing or any violence. Just ink blots, that is the extent of it. I would recommend it .

2 comments about openSUSE Linux 10.2 (x86).

1. Worked as advertised. openSuse was a easy install and very user friendly for a first time linux user. I'm using this OS now to write this review. The online support community is very good, they have a great irc room on freenode that is very useful for having question answered as they pop up. The chat room in set up for default when you open up the chat client "Konversation" I gave it 4 stars as I have not tried all flavors of linux out there; (and there are a lot) but this is a good starting point if your looking for a good first experience with linux.



2. Recently I had the opportunity to try the Suse 10.3 Live Disk. Just to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything, I went ahead and installed it to the hard drive of a Lenovo Y410 where the Windows OS had gone south.
   
   As to the good points:
   
   Installation was a breeze. Put the disk in and tell it to install. Took about 20 minutes total, give or take.
   Slick interface. Really nice main page with bright colors and a minimum of fussiness. Probably one of the closest-to-Windows Linux distros out there.
   It quickly found wireless hotspots, although connecting was something of a hit or miss proposition (see below).
   Included library of applications is a rather hefty 3 GB and includes just about everything you could need.
   If you can't find an app you want, YAST will probably get it for you, although it has problems (again, see below).
   It's quicker than Windows once booted but is no quicker than Windows to boot.
   Mainly of the apps, like OpenOffice are merely free clones of equivalent Windows based programs. This is good because one interfaces with the other without too many problems. You even get a free clone of Adobe Acrobat which costs close to $400 for Windows.
   Virus problems? What virus problems? Very few are written for Linux so that worry is not something you have to fret over.
   Ditto for updates. Windows has probably sent me over 1 GB of updates for my Vista version. How many has Suse sent me? Zero, nada, zilch. If they do send you an update the green lizard in the corner (or is it a gecko?) turns colors and starts flashing until you say yes or no. Windows just downloads them without you knowing and I've had some Windows updates jam up my pc to the point I had to do a system recovery.
   
   Now for the bad:
   
   If you don't feel like paying Novell (the parent company that produces Suse) $59 for a disk set you'll have to download a 4.1 GB monster installation app. While this shouldn't be a problem, it quickly becomes one if you're using Internet Explorer (it cannot handle anything much over about 2 GB on a download). I installed Safari for Windows to handle the larger download. Once you download it, then you have to do an ISO burn which means you'd better have Nero or any of the free ISO burning apps.
   It offers to do an online check once the distro is loaded, but it apparently forgets that it hasn't configured your Internet connection yet. After it chokes on the online updating it then finds your Internet connection and attempts to configure it. Cart before the horse.
   Do you know the difference between a Gnome desktop and a KDE version? Apparently Suse assumes you do. They give you the option but don't tell you the difference (Gnome is the Windows-like version).
   The Firefox browser included is dreadfully slow because the DNS check has been enabled (supposed to offer greater security against phishing and bad websites, but it's awfully pokey). I had to do a quick Net check to find out how to disable the DNS (enter about:config in the URL area and scroll down and disable DNS).
   You can download a load of free apps if you desire, but you have to go through YAST, a computer management program. YAST insists on refreshing every time you bring it up, even if you just closed it a minute ago. Add enough repositories to YAST and it can take 5 minutes to refresh each one. Also, it insists on refreshing ALL of your repositories and the only way to speed up the process is to delete a couple of them. Guess what? You have to go through YAST to do that so you'll have to wait 5 minutes to get there! This is a needlessly long way of getting to what you need. In some cases, it actually jammed up my pc, especially if a repository was offline at the time.
   Once you do get to the repositories and available apps, some of the descriptions are bizarre and can be confusing. Want to upgrade you whooiz and whatchayoumaycallit? I don't know for sure, but you'll find something there along those lines. Be careful what you download, it may jam something up. In fact, I downloaded a program that was designed to blow off the hard drive to a zero state. Not exactly something you want to fool around with but the description didn't quite mention this.
   Typical of Linux, there is still no standard for sound cards. The Linux Standard Architecture would not recognize my Soundblaster card and I had a devil of time getting it to work. It worked once and never worked again. I just gave up.
   Unless you download a special app, you can forget playing DVDs. Due to copyright constraints it ain't happening anytime soon. Secondary apps do exist to play DVDs but there is no guarantee that they will work with Suse completely. Once I did get the DVD to work the playback was horribly choppy and erratic.
   Wireless, when it works, is great; however, it would offer drop a signal inside my house even though it was showing a 75% signal. No warning, it would just drop. One time it switched from my signal to a public signal nearby. While this doesn't bad, it's a signal that wouldn't allow certain programs to run (like the Linux Instant Messenger - Pidgin) because of restrictions. Again, no warning, it just jumped.
   
   While it may seem the bad points outweigh the good, it's a matter of perspective. Linux always has had some bug issues but so does Windows or Apple OS. Linux suffers because it's an free OS (most can be downloaded for free but they do charge to mail you disks) and the Big Boys don't like the Free Guy knocking on their doors.
   
   Fact is, Suse is a slick OS and probably second only, in my mind, to Mandriva 2008.

4 comments about Ubuntu 7.10 (64-bit PC Edition).

1. Ubuntu is great as an operating system (I'm writing this on my AMD X2 desktop running Ubuntu 64bits edition). The only problem I see here is that Ubuntu's shipit service will send the disc for free! Heck, last week I just received 11 copies of it for free! 11 people! That's 10 Ubuntu x86 copies and 1 64bits one (I specified this amount). Don't buy it, order it via UBuntu's own system. It's free and it takes no time.



2. The previous reviewer gave Ubuntu two stars simply because he could get it free elsewhere.
   
   I think most folks browsing Amazon who come across Ubuntu are going to know what it is. Simply put, Ubuntu is a Linux based Operating System that will run on any PC. The product on the page you're viewing at present is for folks with AMD64 based processors.
   
   Ubuntu is the OS of the future. And while there's a bit of a learning curve associated with leaving Windows behind, it is well worth it.
   
   With Ubuntu, you can do everything Windows can do without the instability and without having to shell out money every time you need to acquire software. That's because Ubuntu is a free, open-source OS as is nearly all software you will need to meet your day-to-day computer needs. And never again will you see Microsoft's blue screen of death. Ubuntu is unbelievably stable.
   
   This version, 7.10 (also known as Gutsy Gibbon) is a major step forward in terms of hardware compatibility (my modem and wireless card in my HP laptop just worked without me having to install any drivers).
   
   On the downside, and this is true for Windows 64 bit as well, Java and Flash are still unsupported by Sun and Adobe on 64 bit systems. The good folks in the open source community have stepped up however to create to packages that will fill the bill for you though--Gnash (an open flash player) and Iced Tea (an open Java platform). Alternatively, you may install 32 bit Firefox with 32-bit Java and Flash plugins.
   
   For more information, check out http://www.ubuntuforums.org as well as http://www.ubuntu.com.



3. I have to agree with the former reviewer that there are cheaper means of getting this operating system, such as downloading an .iso image and burning it to CD. However if you were to give this as a gift to someone else it certainly looks much nicer than some silly disc you've scribbled "Ubuntu" on. Perhaps this way the Ubuntu people make some money on a seriously amazing software product. I am running the OS now, and it is elegant and stable.



4. in regards to the 1st review...
   while it's true that you can get the cd for free, also note that it takes 6-10 weeks to ship. personally, i'd rather pay $12.99 and get it in a few days rather than for free and in a few months.
   not to mention, i also like documentation.

3 comments about Kubuntu 7.10 (PC Edition).

1. I have been a Windows user since version 3.1
   
   That all changed when I finally got tired of:
   1) Error messages that would come up for no apparent reason and with no practical solution
   2) Rebooting for every little upgrade
   3) Getting constant pop-up reminders and reboots behind my back
   4) The Windows way of doing things
   5) Lack of innovation
   
   I've been using Kubuntu 7.10 ever since I've installed it and so far, I'm loving it.
   
   However, making a leap from Windows to Kubuntu is alot like changing religions. You need lots of faith. Your parents and friends are going to be like, "Why would you do THAT?"
   
   Well here's why it's worth making this daring leap of faith:
   
   1) Linux operating systems and software are often free (money-wise) and free to tinker with and modify.
   2) Kubuntu has a nice desktop that is not too different from a Windows desktop.
   3) Most Windows files will run in Kubuntu (Excel, Word, MP3, WMA, Mozilla, etc.)
   4) And finally, CUSTOMIZATION. Instead of one boring desktop, you can install Compiz Fusion and get a cube desktop or E17 for a more practical one. There are more, but those are the two I prefer.
   
   And all those complaints I had about Windows, are practically nonexistent in Kubuntu. I don't have to reboot. I seldom get error messages. And I can customize my computer to my heart's content.
   
   I do have a few recommendations though before you switch:
   1) Run Kubuntu off a Live CD first (to try it out and see if you even like that distribution)
   2) Make sure you have internet access during your install (the ubuntu forums are extremely helpful unlike calling "Professional" tech support and getting some guy from India.
   3) Be patient. I'll admit that Linux takes a while to set up, but once you get things working, you'll love it!



2. I found that installing Kubuntu 7.10 was not what I expected. I found that the root password had to be set manually and I had a very hard time getting into the system to adjust the various settings like I can with Suse's Yast. Furthermore, I could not set up a DSL connection. I, also, could not set up a root desktop. The boot logger sent me a no-can-do message.
   
   I did not find MySql or PHP on the disk. And, worst of all, I did not find an Apache server there either. These are critical to Web site development and testing on a local computer.
   
   However, Kubuntu is new and going in the right direction. It has a good look and feel with high-quality desktop graphics. It has the basic programs that many need. However, it is definitely not a SuSe 10.3. I have read that Kubuntu 7.10 is for geeks, but the truth is, I did not find that to be so. Yes, I could be called a geek, since I entered my first computer code into a computer that had a 5 kilobyte main and a 5 kilobyte upgrade. That was around 1966. And I have been at it ever since.
   
   My advice is that if one is looking for a low-cost operating system to tinker with, buy this one. If one is looking for something that is open source and basically free, buy Kumbuntu. However, if time is important and one counts time as being valuable, then bite the bullet a go with Microsoft Windows and the appropriate commercial software. I stick to Linux for the same reason one owns a car. It lets me do the driving, But when it breaks down, I also have fix it myself.



3. I like to try out diverse Operating Systems on my computers like Xandros,Vista,Ubuntu,Linspire.But Kubuntu failed to install.
   I finally gave up and had forgotten about it until I got this email,asking me to comment on Kubuntu 7.10...

1 comments about Ubuntu 8.04 and Linux Training Library 2CDs set.

1. I use ubuntu for second year and it is by far my most loved Linux distro. This particular one comes with complete training library for all levels of users! Here's smooth installation and hour of fun! Awesome!

5 comments about Ubuntu 7.10 (PC Edition).

1. I am a graduate student of astronomy and I started using personal computers in 1981 and that was one of the first IBM PCs with DOS. Until summer of 2005, I used Windows exclusively, but then started looking for something better in the form of Linux/Free Unix. December of 2007, I switched my home network over to Ubuntu Linux and purchased a Dell computer with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed. That was the last time I touched a Windows computer:
   Best things about switching to Ubuntu Linux:
   
   No more viruses to worry about, Ubuntu is FREE, Complete install and configuration can be done in minutes (Windows used to take me days to get it completely configured), updates are optional at the user's discretion, By contrast, Microsoft pushes updates to you whether you want them or not. With Ubuntu, Every 6 months you have new major release with exciting new features you can try. I love the silly names for Ubuntu Releases:"Gutsy Gibbon" is the current release and "Hardy Heron" is next in April of 2008 with lots of new stuff to play with. Ubuntu works particularly well with older hardware and can be used to resurrect an old Dell or Gateway or other dinosaur computers that you have sitting around gathering dust. Windows Vista release was an expensive DISASTER plain and simple, get Ubuntu and try it today...I bet you have an old computer that would love to live again, re-incarnate it with Ubuntu...did I mention it is FREE? For grins I recently built a computer from scratch for under 200 dollars and installed Ubuntu Linux on it...worked no problem...I am no wizard either...if I can do it so can you...



2. I installed it in a virtual machine. It works fine, but the virtual software has some issues. I'm using this as a learning tool on using Linux. So far, so so.



3. If I were just learning Ubuntu and had subsequent experience with Window Vista, It would be difficult for me to understand why anyone would even consider the latter OS as preferable, given the vast array of Linux software at minimal if any expense compared to the constant, time consuming, and budget breaking upkeep of Windows programs and the price of many additional applications one may wish to add. Open source software and Linux have provided the opposite experience. Happily my Windows Vista crashed on my year old laptop and without the Windows Vista OS disk that is no longer supplied with a computer purchase, I was "forced" to again resort to Linux, and I had forgotten just how great the Ubuntu program is. I say a silent thanks to all those folks who gave us Linux and Ubuntu and who continue to develop a superb OS for all of us to use.
   
   One additional brief anecdotal comment- I note some complaints regarding wireless speed and connectivity- I have had no such problems on my system.



4. I tried 7.10 a few weeks ago but had a few monitor problems. Some monitor types it doesn't recognise. I first tried it with a live boot up CD and I just got a load of rubbish on the monitor. I found that if I rebooted but pressed F1 and chose one of the options which allowed me to enter commands (I entered [live vga=771 noapic nolapic] it booted up fine with no monitor problems. But not a practical option.
   
   I now use the new Ubuntu version 8.04 which I have no problems with. It's the prerelease LTS version and it certainly beats XP.



5. I procured my copy of ubuntu directly from canonical about 2 months ago, after a few weeks of messing around with it I decided to wait for the lts release. the program itself is awesome, its efficient aesthetically pleasing and most certainly superior to windows. Unfortunately 7.10 is notorious for having issues with propreitary hardware from HP Pavillion laptops. I fought with my broadcom drivers for about 2 weeks trying to get them to work. and the nvidia. In the end I was still having issues with various files and hardware. 8.04 was just released thursday and it is phenominal. i had no problems logging on, I didn't have to enter exceptions to the logon script and i didn't have issue with the graphics or sound. But most importaintly I didn't have nearly as much trouble with the hardware in my computer.
   The best thing about Ubuntu is that you have a dedicated group of people on [...] that walk you through any issues you have with the system. I truly do look forward to joining to assist as soon as I can get a hang of the system, they have been truly helpful everytime i've had an issue.
   Canonical states that they want to bring the Ubuntu philosophy of goodwill to others to the software world. They have succeeded admirably with this operating system. And as for Mr. Jobs and Mr. Gates, keep an eye out because Ubuntu is superior to both mac os and windows by leaps and bounds and is free as opposed to 200.00 a release.