Tech Help

My Ubuntu internet computer is now operational and I am exploring the unique personality it has. I am considering using a Ubuntu or other Linux OS for the notebook computer(s) I will use on the Live More Lightly Tour.

There are three reasons that I would like to try this:

1. Cost: I wanted to buy a Mac G4 dual core Powerbook to replace the single core I recently sold, but it seems that the model I need will cost approx. $3500. I could put a Ubuntu OS on a dual core platform for much less. I would also like to put my limited resources behind Open Source software because I have spent all of my money on computers and music technology for decades. When I bought my Powerbook, it took all the money I had. Then I had to go and work to buy the software. I did not get as much use out of my notebook as I might have because I had to have paying work to buy the tools I needed. If I start spending my money on Open Source I can expect that next time the tools will cost less — not more. Another issue is the cost of constantly updating software as I update my hardware. I still have my Windows 2000 computer because it has Corel Draw and several other programs I bought for that computer that would not run on XP. Now, with Ubuntu, I will try Open Office drawing programs and if I am able to meet my requirements, then I won’t have to worry about buying the upgrade all of the time.
2. Green Power: I think that open source is inherently less energy consuming. I am going to have to research this point, but it seems that the corporate system of OS and software production is so huge and profit oriented that a community based alternative must be better. As they say in Wikipedia … citation needed.
3. Community: The Ubuntu Community may be willing to assist me in my desire to move the internet down the highway streaming from a motorcycle (at perfectly legal speeds, of course). I am trying to open a dialog with Apple as well. I really did love my old G4 Powerbook, but it was very costly to be a part of that community and my object is to produce Art not impress with a fashion statement. Aesthetics are a part of the artistic process, but in my case, the “look” of my computer is not the most important thing.

There are also two reasons not to try to use Ubuntu:

1. I do not know the OS as I just started with it yesterday (Jan. 21.08). I am much more comfortable poking around the Windows and Mac OS. However, I am familiar with a lot of the programs that I am using, such as Firefox, Open Office and The Gimp. The feel of this OS is not that different, but I require reference to the Help files to install a program.
2. There may be issues with less software being currently available. I know from experience that many applications for Windows are not available on the Mac and some applications (notably Logic Pro Audio) cannot be obtained for a Win OS. Linux applications are much rarer that either of the other big two and audio/multi-media production software is expensive to develop for a niche market.

So far, I think that Ubuntu is the ideal internet computer and I rate it as excellent in the areas of office administration and image processing. I am trying to install Scribus and I will design and produce my book using this program. I still have my XP music computer (no Vista yet, thanks) for audio production and the studio I work in has the Mac Powerbook with Logic Audio and a few other programs I use.

I have purchased an external HD and have formatted half to NTFS to work with XP and will format the other half to work with Mac. I understand that Linux reads both and this way I can use it to translate between my computer platforms.

Ubuntu is a new adventure and it should be interesting.