In my never ending search for the next best operating system, I have decided to put Linux (Ubuntu) to the test. What I mean by “test” is that I will be using Ubuntu for a currently unknown duration, in a small business network environment and attempting to see if it can equal the productivity of Windows or OS X with NORMAL people. Basically, I am attempting to see if all of the included open source programs, the Gnome GUI and Ubuntu’s compatibility can fully and EASILY meet my computing needs as Windows and OS X can. Basically I’m asking the question ” Is Linux a “fun” thing to TRY or can you, the people, actually get the job done with it?” Now we all know that Linux doesn’t need to be put to the test in stability or security but for a NORMAL everyday user can it print, design flyers, encode, decode, burn CD’s, create presentations and be compatible with the most important file formats? Most of you may be saying, “of course you can do all that with Ubuntu”, but you are missing my point. This experiment aims to gauge how easy is it for the normal, non tech savvy person to use the operating system in everyday circumstances.
Hypothesis:
I’m not really sure if Ubuntu is up to the challenge considering the competition (Windows/OSX). Ubuntu may look and feel great to those of us who know something about computers but the average user will find it too difficult to even the most basic of things. For example why would the average user want to “sudo” and “synaptic” their program installations when they can just click and use installation packages in Windows and OS X. I am also concerned with the issue that with Windows and OS X, (for the most part) you install the software, drivers and hardware works and integrates well with its 3rd party software. This is something that Linux has always had trouble with. I mean when I buy a Radeon HD, I want it to work easily, seamlessly and I want my system to take full advantage of all of it’s features. This is something I still don’t think Linux is up to.
Method:
As of right now, I have not really pinpointed exactly how long I want to conduct this experiment but some have suggested a week or so, what do you think? Also I think I will list operating system attributes and judge them using the Likert scale modified for difficulty. Any other suggestions are welcome.
Closing:
Overall, I’m conducting this experiment because I really like Ubuntu/Linux, and open source and really want it to be the 3rd major player in on-going OS wars. I also want everyday people and people in the Linux community to have some more perspective on the operating system within the whole scheme of things.
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