 April 20th 2007
 Tech
 3 comments
Normally I don’t discuss tech news and releases here at Organize IT, mainly because I’m very much a lo-fi productivity geek. I much prefer to use pen and paper over a keyboard, primarily because it’s so much quicker. However, I felt I had to mention about the latest release of Ubuntu Linux. I’ve given Hoary Hedgehog (5.04) and Dapper Drake (6.06) a try in the past and while I was impressed I still felt it wasn’t a fully polished package. Combined with the hard work it took to set it up even remotely how I wanted it to be, I decided using Ubuntu (and Linux in general) wasn’t the most productive experience.
This new release, however, shows how far Ubuntu has come. I can now see myself using it in the near future, maybe one or two more releases down the line. I was able to set up my wireless network on it relatively easily (compared to not be able to do it all with the previous release) and I was able to access my Windows shared folders straightaway too. Having Ubuntu and using the Google apps (Gmail, Docs, Calendar etc) through Firefox would be quite an interesting approach which I may have to try when I get the chance. Any readers out there take a similar approach with Ubuntu (or Linux in general?). Share your own experiences in the comments.
My only major issue is that it is a lot more flexible and customisable than Windows. The potential for experimenting and generally playing around with it is endless, and that’s not good for my productivity! If that doesn’t put you off and you are still interested in giving Ubuntu a try then you can visit their site and download the relevant file. They will even ship a CD copy your way for free. If you need any help with it they also maintain an excellent and detailed guide too.
Reader discussion
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I’ve used Ubuntu on my work machine on and off for a couple of years now. I also run Gentoo on my desktop machine at home (which I highly recommend, despite it’s steep learning curve). I was a complete Linux novice before Ubuntu. If you’re willing to spend the time learning about all the intricacies of Linux (which I realize not everyone is) then the rewards are well worth it. The only reason I persist with windows on my laptop is because I use iTunes to sync with my iPod.
Besides presentations (for which I use Powerpoint), all my office suite work is done with Google web apps. If Google’s new presentation app turns out to be good then I’ll probably use that too. Real time collaboration is the killer feature for me.
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Thanks for the comment Graeme! Your comments are very encouraging, I might just have to give Ubuntu a proper try. Regarding Google apps, I’ve always been a little cautious about using online apps because it’s reliant on a dependable internet connection.
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