{"id":361,"date":"2012-04-25T17:56:05","date_gmt":"2012-04-25T22:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alandmoore.com\/blog\/?p=361"},"modified":"2012-04-25T17:56:05","modified_gmt":"2012-04-25T22:56:05","slug":"trying-out-ubuntu-12-04-my-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alandmoore.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/25\/trying-out-ubuntu-12-04-my-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Trying out Ubuntu 12.04? My tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ubuntu 12.04<\/a> is nearly upon us, and probably will be by the time anyone bothers to read this post. \u00a0With all the excitement and general hubbub around it, I imagine it will result in a lot of people unfamiliar with Ubuntu or GNU\/Linux trying it out for the first (or first-in-a-long-) time.<\/p>\n

There is a lot of good general advice out there, but I’m going to give a few specific tips of my own for folks trying it out:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tip #1: Use a decent computer<\/h3>\n

Linux has a reputation for rescuing old, crusty computers from the landfill<\/a>, of course, and there are many Linux distributions that cater to aging PC’s. \u00a0Ubuntu isn’t one of these. \u00a0It’s a modern, no-holds-barred OS designed for simplicity and ease-of-use. \u00a0So it requires a little horsepower.<\/p>\n

I’ve personally been testing it on a Pentium M with 512 MB of RAM and an old Intel video chip; it runs, but I wouldn’t wish the performance I’m getting on anyone (even in “2D” mode). \u00a0If you want an easy metric, get a machine designed for Windows Vista or newer (something made in the last 5 years or so).<\/p>\n

If you want to see Ubuntu running as it’s meant to, don’t drag dad’s old Windows 98 box out of the attic. \u00a0I’d recommend at minimum a dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, and a newer NVidia, AMD, or Intel video chip.<\/p>\n

Tip #2: If it seems slow, it’s probably the video driver<\/h3>\n

You have your “decent computer”, loaded with terabytes of RAM and a 16-core 5GHz processor, but Ubuntu seems sluggish and unresponsive. \u00a0WHY???? you find yourself screaming.<\/p>\n

It’s the video hardware. \u00a0Chances are, you have a video card that isn’t compatible, or requires a proprietary driver to be loaded. \u00a0Don’t panic, just fire up the “Additional Drivers” tool from the menu and see if it recommends any driver installs. \u00a0If it does, it’s just a few clicks, enter your password, and reboot. \u00a0Ahhhh…. all better.<\/p>\n

Needless to say you can’t do that from a Live CD environment, you have to actually have it installed on a hard drive. \u00a0And if no drivers are recommended, or it doesn’t fix the problem, definitely seek help from the community forums<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tip #3: Wubi is a temporary solution<\/h3>\n

Wubi is a great, revolutionary tool for making a dual-boot installation painless and safe. \u00a0It installs Ubuntu to a file on your Windows C:\\ drive rather than a separate partition. \u00a0This saves you the trouble and danger of repartitioning your hard drive, and lets you easily uninstall Ubuntu from your computer using Windows’ add\/remove programs dialogue.<\/p>\n

Wubi has some downsides, though:<\/p>\n