As of late, I have been trying to figure out my home computer situation. Simply put, I have too many computers. Right now I have my desktop computer, my laptop (which has become my main computer), my server, and an extra computer in the laundry room in need of a motherboard. There is no practical reason for having all of these; they kind of just built up over time.
Anyway, I’ve decided to sell my desktop and the laundry room computer so that the only two remaining are my laptop and my server. However, I also want a location where I can store backups and files that can be accessed over my network. I initially thought of a Network Attached Storage device (basically an external hard drive that you can access from any computer on your network) or a Microsoft Home Server, which would require another device or computer (adding to the collection). Then I decided to be more economical and use my server to host my blog AND act as my home media server. Realistically, my site doesn’t drive enough traffic to slow either of these functions noticeably.
Ok, so what’s with the post title? In my pursuit of tuning my server, I decided to check out Ubuntu–the Linux distibution taking over the scene lately. I’ve only ever run Gentoo and, although I have enjoyed it, I just want something easy to setup with lots of support. Ubuntu seemed to fit the bill so I visited their IRC chat to ask a few questions. I was blown away by what I experienced.
As soon as I joined the room and asked my question, I had three immediate responses. Within a few minutes, I had my questions answered by friendly, helpful people just willing to help. This is a complete reversal from the type of help I’ve experienced in the past with Linux. Because it is a more technical operating system and has (at least in the past) been limited to geeks and enthusiasts, any “help” came in the form of “RTFM” (Read The F***ing Manual) by people who wanted to show their superiority by not helping at all.
Ubuntu seems to be doing something great for the open source community by promoting software that is free and well-supported. They’re reaching out to the average Joe and showing him that there is a practical alternative to Windows and Mac.
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8 Comments
I first put Ubuntu on one of my computers a couple years ago. It’s a good os. Don’t think though that you just install it and that’s it. There is a learning curve. That said, there is a huge online support group that can answer any question.
Guess there are people who shout out RTFM everytime but let me assure you that they are a minority.
FOSS communities tend to be very helpful.
PS:If Operating Systems Ran The Airlines
I first put Ubuntu on one of my computers a couple years ago. It’s a good os.
LOL, loved the link. Thanks, Arky
Ubuntu is great on all computers.The service is always after buying Ubuntu.Thanks for sharing the information.
@Patrick: Your most welcome!
Good News. The server is now running on Ubuntu! I’m still ironing out some wrinkles, but the base is there and the site is back up :). Anything dealing with databases makes me nervous so I’m glad to say that the backup and restore process went relatively smoothly. I’ll be making an info post later this week!
I just got a dell with Ubuntu on it. I hate windows and thought I would give it a try. Hopefully the learning curve isnt too steep