*Disclaimer* This is 100% my first time diving into any linux distro after being exclusively Windows since like 1994

First impressions:
-Blazingly fast. I can tell the difference between loading times in most Windows apps by a significant amount. Firefox loading times seem to be at least halved.
- Crisp and clear. Fonts and websites just seem incredibly easier to read (could just be a font difference versus sharpness but still)
- No command line experience needed. This was probably the hump that never got me over to linux before, I know it's easy to learn commands but I'd rather have a graphical interface and so far I haven't needed to open a terminal
- It just works. Other than having to mark my broadcom drivers for reinstallation after they failed the first time everything else about my laptop just works from a clean install.
- Dual boot with Win7. I'm brave but not brave enough to quit cold turkey and the 11.04 installer includes a very easy method to dual boot and keep all your files (and make everything accessible between the two OSes). It handles the partitioning and everything, no 3rd party programs needed.

Just in case you want some reference
2.53Ghz i5 (first gen)
4GB DDR3
ATI 5145
500GB 5400rpm

My everyday programs are pretty much Microsoft Office/Evernote/Audacity/Photoshop/iTunes/PS3 Media Streaming in Win 7 and so far the Linux counterparts are well worth learning if not mostly identical already.

I give it two noob thumbs up so far!

4/29/2011 1:28:31 PM

I've been running ubuntu on my laptop since version... 8? It's a great operating system in terms of stability. And it's very capable for everyday computing. I of course still use a Win7 machine for business stuff, but for programming, browsing and music it's great.

Dualbooting is definitely the way to go - mine is setup that way with Win7. I only use it for live mesh to my proper win7 machine. The option is always to run a virtual instance of windows, but you'll want it setup dual boot. If you're debating doing it I would highly recommend just buying a new hard drive for your laptop. You can get a 7200RPM western digital for like $45, and it guarantees your data is safe. Use any of the great tutorials online for dualbooting and you'll be good to go. If it all goes to pot get a $12 enclosure for your new drive and put the old one back in.

As for having data available for both OS's the easiest way is definitely to get a good NAS unit. Creating a separate partition is also a great way to go.

4/29/2011 2:24:09 PM

Ubuntu is the windows version of Linux. But hey at least you're moving in the right direction.

4/29/2011 5:25:47 PM

and here come the nerds to talk about which linux distro they think is the best

4/29/2011 5:37:50 PM

I'm leery of that newfangled Unity interface...imago download a VMWare image to test it out.

4/29/2011 5:43:53 PM

I used Ubuntu exclusively for two years and only stopped recently. The Unity interface in 11.04 was introduced in an Ubuntu Netbook Remix release. Very cool that it's the standard interface now.

4/29/2011 5:56:01 PM

I like the idea of the Unity interface. Why not, considering: if you've got the hardware and want to use Unity you can, if you don't want to, you don't have to!

That said, I'm waiting to upgrade to 12.04 LTS next, after I get out of grad school! Can't wait to try out 12.04! Wish I knew what new stuff was going into 12.04

4/29/2011 8:04:28 PM

last one i used was 9.something ... what happened since then ?

4/29/2011 10:06:09 PM

I still run Ubuntu for all my home computer needs. I installed 11.04 on VirtualBox and loved the install process. It has to be the most painless OS install I've seen.

4/30/2011 9:58:24 AM

i set it up on my macbook pro in VMWare...anyone know if i can try out the unity interface?

5/1/2011 3:15:40 AM

I tried installing the AMD64 version of Ubuntu in VMWare on Windows 7 64-bit, but it kept failing

then I installed the I386 version of Ubuntu, and it wouldn't show Unity

then I increased the amount of RAM available from 512MB to 2GB (1/4 of my total) and it froze my computer

5/1/2011 6:58:43 AM

^ I think unity is hungry for video memory. You've got to feed it A LOT before it gets happy.

64bit virtual I can't get to work. 32bit was no sweat (although google a good mirror, their servers are still being slammed - I used Georgia Tech.)

[Edited on May 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM. Reason : also, I'm running it in VBox, not VMWare]

5/1/2011 12:11:13 PM

^^ try a live usb instance

5/1/2011 12:26:35 PM

Some notes using vBox

I think the threshold is 64MB of video memory to get the Unity interface up. I'm also allowing it close to 2GB of system memory. I've tried 64bit 3 different times and can't even get it to load in VBox - not sure what the problem is there.

5/2/2011 12:24:38 PM

Installing right now...

5/4/2011 8:16:38 PM

I'm running it with Unity on my laptop now. It's way more sluggish than it was with 10.10, but I typically run into every issue anyone has had after an upgrade. I couldn't get the Unity to work right on the desktop, definitely having trouble finding how to enable scale and expo.

5/5/2011 8:24:45 PM

you guys are making me feel like i'm lucky, ive literally not had any problems using a live instance or disk based

5/5/2011 9:35:16 PM

I already like it better than the last version by far, although that's not saying much. I liked the first version I tried (2 versions ago), didn't care much at all for the last version, and so far like Natty Narwhal.

5/5/2011 10:25:49 PM

I'm enjoying it as well from as OS standpoint. Seems to be even more peppy than 10.10 - which was quite quick.

This Unity thing, I'm trying to give it a few weeks before I make a decision but it's been pulling freaking teeth so far. If you're going to only show me 2-3 applications at a time put the freaking search bar somewhere easy to get to instead of having to traverse the whole screen. That search bar belongs in the top middle without having to pop out the bar/window.

5/6/2011 12:21:42 PM

loving the new unity, I was using gnome3 beta on 10.10 before and it feels similar, I like being able to hit the windows key and jump right into the application search bar

5/6/2011 12:48:42 PM

ive been looking at system76 and zareason laptops after trying this distro on a liveUSB.

i used ubuntu 7 and 8 all through college and then got out of it. after trying this one im hooked again.

i always had some issues with just random (not particularly important) things not working on whatever laptop i had at the time.

besides these "made for ubuntu" computers what other recommendations would yall have from a compatibility standpoint? i dont mind spending a lot of time in terminal getting thigns to work, but id like the best starting point possible.

thanks!

5/6/2011 3:46:44 PM

I'm using a thinkpad T42 - the only thing that's wonky is the FN+wifi button. All the others work just fine.

5/6/2011 4:01:12 PM

Dell Inspiron 1100 (celeron 2.0ghz, integrated graphics, 512mb ram iirc.. otherwise, an old POS)

This is my first time trying linux.

Well the install went painlessly enough. Graphics are nice, sleek, etc.

One problem though: I'm stuck at 640x480 on a 1024x768 screen, meaning that I'm using a fraction of the screen (tiny desktop surrounded by big unusable region). Google results all refer to an "Xorg.conf" file which conveniently has been done away with in 11.04. I've tried making the file manually with no luck (gdm stop, xorg -configure, gdm start). It's all too much command-line stuff for my tastes.

I'm going back to XP in the mo'nin

5/15/2011 12:21:17 AM

Silly question: What happened when you tried to change your resolution in Monitor Preferences?

5/15/2011 8:57:25 AM

there's no resolution other than 640x480

[Edited on May 15, 2011 at 9:02 AM. Reason : ]

5/15/2011 9:00:32 AM

Did you ever enable any restricted drivers?

5/15/2011 9:15:26 AM

^nope, don't know how to do that one

5/15/2011 11:46:37 AM

Quote :

"Enabling a restricted driver To use a restricted driver for a device: 1) Press System ? Administration ? Hardware drivers 2) Find the driver which you would like to enable and check the box in the Enabled column, next to its name 3) You will be asked to confirm that you want to enable the driver. Press Enable Driver 4) The restricted driver may have to be downloaded and installed 5) You may need to restart your computer to finish enabling the driver https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/hardware/C/restricted-manager.html"

I realize the link is from 8.04, but the process hasn't really changed.

5/15/2011 12:25:00 PM

Thank your guardian angels that you will never have to go through the trials of editing your xorg.conf

Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but it turns off more new adopters than anything else I can think of

5/15/2011 3:17:29 PM

^I dunno - I think the biggest turn off is the cryptic core file structure. They see things like bin, etc, and lib and have no idea what they're looking at. Personally I think it gives the feeling that everything they've learned about computers is moot - they realize how little they know and they don't like it.

5/15/2011 10:34:34 PM