I use Ubuntu Linux and have for over a year now on my Dell laptop. I started out using PclinuxOS but found that Ubuntu seems to run on my system much better with more updates and upgrades that come twice a year. There also seems to have a much larger user base and with this larger community comes joint knowledge that you can tap into any time (or if) you have any issues. For the average user that wants to just surf the net and listen to music, Ubuntu has everything you could possibly want right out of the box. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to put down any of the other Linux distributions at all. Fedora, Open SUSE, Mandriva, Sabayan and Debian are just a few of the best out there, they just don’t run as well on my system. Below are some of the reasons that I and anyone else interested should switch to Linux
It’s free. All you have to do is download an ISO file and burn it to a CD or DVD. Boot your computer with it and go from there. Keep in mind however that after installation, you can add many more features and software and the system will boot off of your hard drive about ten times faster. Many distros (slang for distributions) do not include java, flash etc. due to space limitations of the live CD. After installation those items can be installed within a matter of minutes also for free. Some retailers are now selling Ubuntu off the shelf for around thirty dollars or so. The software is still free, you are just paying for the an additional amount of support. Even then that thirty dollars is way cheaper than any Windows variation has ever been. Even when you do buy an OS like Vista, you do not own it, you are only paying for the license to use it. With any Linux distro if you have the knowledge and the ability you can change it however you want. If you have the time you can even come up with your own distro. This is one of the reasons that I think businesses will begin to embrace Linux is because they will no longer be required to do everything the way that Microsoft dictates and will be able to fashion the software they use in any way they want.
