The hard truth about installing Linux

Stan Beer
Monday, 23 April 2007 16:29

Opinion and Analysis

Having had a go at a few more Linux installations than the average newbie, I can say that Ubuntu is probably about as easy an install as it's going to get. Sure you can run into hardware driver issues but Ubuntu advocates are right when they say it's probably just as easy and maybe easier than installing Windows. However, at this point in time it needs to be.

The hard fact is that most computer users don't want to go through the pain of installing an operating system. They just want to turn on their computer and start using it.

Probably the single most important factor in the success in Windows, aside from Microsoft's marketing muscle, is that you can walk into a shop and buy a working Windows computer. What's more, you can be reasonably confident that the computer will work with a wider range of software and hardware than either a Linux computer or Apple Mac.

Within its own walled garden, a Mac can beat the pants of a Windows computer for ease of use, reliability and overall design elegance. However, most users  still opt for a Windows computer because it allows them a wider choice of hardware and software.

Ubuntu, being a Linux distribution, is a more stable and secure operating system than Windows, not to mention free to download. Yet Windows still reigns supreme in terms of market share. Why?

As far as the Linux market is concerned, Ubuntu, like it or not is being increasingly touted by many as the most likely candidate to prise disaffected Windows users off the Microsoft teat. However, despite being easy to install, Ubuntu, like all Linux distributions, is in most cases not plug and play.