Ubuntu Linux

[J_Player]

I just rebooted into Windows XP, and I noticed my firefox browser is running about 1/3 the speed as it does in Linux. Well at least it beats Windows IE browser that takes up to 30 seconds to load this page. But I found some cool stuff in Google earth for Linux.

I just installed Google Earth in Ubuntu 9.04 and it has things I haven't seen before in Google Earth. But then, I haven't used Google Earth for awhile.
To start, I found the download menu shows Linux: Google Earth 4.3. And the bin file is also named as release_4_3/googleearth-linux-plus-4.3.7284.3916.bin. But when it runs, the screen displays Google Earth 5. I suppose this is a stable beta that will soon become version 5. Anyway, it is similar to the Google earth I am used to except I found a menu for flight simulator where you can fly an F16 or a propeller plane and watch Google's earth pictures below as you fly by. Careful with the controls or you will crash.

As far as usefulness, I compare Google Earth to Bing Maps (the Microsoft competition to Google Earth). Google has a number of features that make it the best. But Bing maps has some things that you just can't get from Google Earth. To start with Bing Maps does not require a downloaded application to run. Just click on their web page and the world map is there. A download is only needed for some advanced functions.

The best tool I have found on Bing Maps is the Bird's eye view. When you zoom in on a regular view, Bing maps looks similar to Google Earth. But once you arrive at street level, you can click on the Bird's Eye view, which will take you even closer for a view from one of four directions looking down at an angle. This view is very high resolution compared to the best without using bird's eye. I have been able to see people eating lunch on under their patio covers from this view. But there's more to it...

If you switch to 3d view in Bing Maps, it will make a quick download, and allow you to view in 3d like Google Earth. Then when you zoom in close, you can switch to bird's eye view, and you will find much more than 4 different views, There can be hundreds of angle views of a particular area, depending on how many low-altitude photos were taken at that area. The places with the most bird's eye views are highly populated areas. In the countryside, there are many places with no bird's eye views at all. And some countries have no bird's eye views due to their security policy, or perhaps no photos were taken and made available.

The good news is any Windows or Linux computer can use Bing maps for these bird's eye views by simply opening a browser to their web page. But if you want to see the the extra bird's eye views in the 3D view, only Windows can do this, because the download only works for Windows. So if you want to see all, you need Windows. -- Another reason why I like to dual boot.

Best wishes,
J_P

[J_Player]

I am running Ubuntu 9.04 i386 version, and I just upgraded the browser to Firefox 3.5.2. This version is definitely faster. I see pages loading in less than half the time. But there are drawbacks, as some of the functions like flash player do not work properly, and some extensions/plugins don't work. Luckily, the previous Firefox 3.0.13 is still active, and I can choose which I want to use from the applications menu, or from the terminal.

Firefox version 3.5.2 has proven very good for fast web surfing and searching, but I use version 3.0.12 when I need all the bells and whistles. Firefox 3.5.2 will be included in the next Ubuntu distribution 9.1.0 to be released in late November, with the OS bugs and browser bugs fixed. But you can use Firefox 3.5.2 now by using the Synaptic Package Manager (System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager), or by downloading and installing firefox-3.5.2.tar.bz2 directly from Mozilla. When installed, you will notice the help screen shows at the bottom of the menu "About Shiretoko" which is the code name for version 3.5.2.

Another recent Ubuntu compatible browser is now on the scene... IRON from SR ware. This an exact copy of Google Chrome, but with all the "Report back to Google" code removed. The resulting browser works the same as Google Chrome, as it was built from the same engine as the Google version, with only the spy code removed. I will be trying this browser in the coming weeks when I see it is a more stable version available for Linux. SR Ware Iron also has a version for Windows and Mac that are stable: http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php

Best wishes,
J_P

[Qiaozhi]

I am running Ubuntu 9.04 i386 version, and I just upgraded the browser to Firefox 3.5.2. This version is definitely faster. I see pages loading in less than half the time. But there are drawbacks, as some of the functions like flash player do not work properly, and some extensions/plugins don't work. Luckily, the previous Firefox 3.0.13 is still active, and I can choose which I want to use from the applications menu, or from the terminal.

Firefox version 3.5.2 has proven very good for fast web surfing and searching, but I use version 3.0.12 when I need all the bells and whistles. Firefox 3.5.2 will be included in the next Ubuntu distribution 9.1.0 to be released in late November, with the OS bugs and browser bugs fixed. But you can use Firefox 3.5.2 now by using the Synaptic Package Manager (System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager), or by downloading and installing firefox-3.5.2.tar.bz2 directly from Mozilla. When installed, you will notice the help screen shows at the bottom of the menu "About Shiretoko" which is the code name for version 3.5.2.

Best wishes,
J_P

I see that you're an "early adopter". Personally I like to stay with the current stable Ubuntu release 8.04 and Firefox 3.0.13.

I'll leave the bugs for you.

[J_Player]

I see that you're an "early adopter". Personally I like to stay with the current stable Ubuntu release 8.04 and Firefox 3.0.13.

I'll leave the bugs for you.

Hi Qiaozhi,

The current stable Ubuntu release is not 8.04. Ubuntu 8.04 was the stable version released in April 2008, which was superseded by two newer stable releases afterwards. The distribution I am using (Ubuntu 9.04) is the current stable version released in April 9009. A newer release 9.10 is still in the alpha phase, about to go to beta, and will not be released as a stable version until late October.

The instability I was referring to is not in the Ubuntu distribution, but in the browsers I have been using. The Firefox 3.5.2 browser is not recommended by Ubuntu because the current distribution is not fully compatible with the new version of Firefox. Instead, they recommend to continue using the older Firefox browser included with the Ubuntu package, and use the browser updates. This is what I have been doing until I discovered the new Firefox 3.5.2 browser is about twice as fast for loading pages. So I kept the new browser installed as an optional browser I can choose when I want very fast browsing, but without the full-features of the older version. The next stable version of Ubuntu to be released in late October will include the latest Firefox browser in a fully functional form, and will have some interesting new software features not found in earlier Ubuntu relaeases.

I have found that any stable version of Ubuntu is faster than Windows in general. My current version 9.04 with the packaged version of Firefox loads pages faster than my friend who uses Windows Vista and XP on his T1 line, compared to my ASDL connection. And the Ubuntu packaged software runs faster than the Windows software. The only disadvantage I can see in Ubuntu is some of the features found in Windows are not there when you need full compatibility to interact with other people using Windows systems. The times when I need Windows includes answering emails that send Windows applications, and visiting some websites that require loading clients that are ported only for Windows and Macs. I also miss Irfanview multimedia player/editor. For these, I usually boot into Windows XP and tolerate some long delays for applications to load and slow web browsing. Of course it might work to use WINE or a Windows emulator, but I have not tried this.

Best wishes.
J_P

[Qiaozhi]

Hi Qiaozhi,

The current stable Ubuntu release is not 8.04. Distribution 8.04 was the stable version released in April 2008, which was superseded by two newer stable releases afterwards. The distribution I am using (Ubuntu 9.04) is the current stable version released in April 9009. The newer release 9.10 is still in the alpha phase, about to go to beta, and will not be released as a stable version until late October.

The instability I was referring to is not in the Ubuntu Distribution, but in the browsers I have been using. The Firefox 3.5.2 browser is not recommended by Ubuntu because the current distribution is not fully compatible with the new version of the browser. Instead, they recommend to continue using the older Firefox browser included with the Ubuntu package, and use the browser upgrades. This is what I have been doing until I discovered the new Firefox browser is about twice as fast for loading pages. So I kept the new browser installed as an optional browser I can choose when I want very fast browsing, but without the full-features of the older version.

The next stable version of Ubuntu to be released in late October will include the latest Firefox browser in a fully functional form, and will have some interesting new software features not found in earlier Ubuntu relaeases.

Best wishes.
J_P

The latest Ubuntu release is 9.04, and it contains many new features, but is still buggy when compared to 8.04, which is also known as Ubuntu 8.04 LTS ... where LTS stands for "Long Term Support". There is also an intermediate release called 8.10.

If you're an early adopter then go or 9.04, otherwise 8.04 is the one to use.

From the Ubuntu website:
Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop (the latest version): Includes the latest enhancements and is maintained until 2010
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop: Released April 2008 and maintained until April 2011 – ideal for large deployments

[J_Player]

The latest Ubuntu release is 9.04, and it contains many new features, but is still buggy when compared to 8.04...

Hi Qiaozhi,
What is buggy about version 9.04? I have not found bugs in this OS, but then I have installed all the updates that were sent. Maybe there are bugs that can manifest in other hardware that I don't use?

Best wishes,
J_P

[Qiaozhi]

Hi Qiaozhi,
What is buggy about version 9.04? I have not found bugs in this OS, but then I have installed all the updates that were sent. Maybe there are bugs that can manifest in other hardware that I don't use?

Best wishes,
J_P

If you look at the release notes for 9.04 you will see a number of issues. However, I'm not saying that 9.04 is buggy. Only that it has more bugs than the 8.04 LTS.

Here's the difference between the releases:

LTS Desktop and Server
Long Term Support releases for desktop and server. There are deployment platforms with wide hardware and software support and ideal or individuals and businesses making a longer term investment in Ubuntu

Standard release
These are the 6 monthly release that contain the best of the new from the Open Source and commercial worlds and suited to users happy to upgrade regularly.

Point Release
These are 6 monthly updates to the long term support cycle. These are primarily bug fixes and patches with occasional feature enhancements that maintain the integrity of the release over a long cycle. The point releases continue up to the next LTS release which then offers an obvious upgrade path for users

LTS Server
This is the extended support period for server.


Obviously different people have different requirements. Personally I like my OS to be a stable as possible. I'm not so concerned about the latest and greatest features and widgets.

For your info, here's the release cycle:

Note that the next LTS release is not until Q2 2010.

[J_Player]

Back again in Windows. I just installed Firefox 3.5.2 in Windows XP. This is definitely at least twice as fast as the previous Windows Firefox. I also tried the SR Ware Iron browser, which seems a little faster than Firefox 3.5.2. For me, loading web pages in Windows with Firefox 3.5.2 takes a little longer than twice as long as it does using Ubuntu/Firefox any version.

I should qualify this by stating I booted Windows, and opened Firefox without starting any other applications. MSN instant messenger is running since boot, and other background programs like Avast Antivrus, which has already finished checking for updates. So there are no memory-hog programs running at the moment. After running Windows applications, I usually see all the browsers slow down a lot. This is especially true after viewing a lot of flash videos like seen on Youtube. or when running Windows programs from the program files.

I think in Windows, Firefox 3.5.2 is my browser of choice. But I have not added any extensions to this browser. Maybe it will run noticeably slower with add-ons and extensions. For now I will be watching SR Ware iron, and comparing it with Firefox. If I ever see some slow browsing in Firefox, I can easily open an SR Ware browser. However, Iron is a speed browser without the bells and whistles of Firefox or IE.

For Ubuntu, I will consider reverting back to the older version 8.04 LTS instead of installing the next stable version 9.10 when it is released. After all, who wants those new features if they are considered to have more bugs than version 8.04?

Best wishes,
J_P

[J_Player]

Another reason why I like my Ubuntu desktop....

[SVEN1]

Windows Office

Managed to load it into XP guest on Ubuntu VM. Used an old version of office Home 2000 then ugraded it to 2003 using upgrade disc I found. I'm good to go.

[J_Player]

I checked the statistics to see how many people are using Linux these days. Here is what I found:

2009 Win7 Vista W2003 W XP 2000 Linux Mac
Nov 6.7% 17.5% 1.4% 62.2% 0.7% 4.3% 6.7%
Oct 4.4% 18.6% 1.5% 63.3% 0.7% 4.2% 6.8%
Sep 3.2% 18.3% 1.5% 65.2% 0.8% 4.1% 6.5%
Aug 2.5% 18.1% 1.6% 66.2% 0.9% 4.2% 6.1%
Jul 1.9% 17.7% 1.7% 67.1% 1.0% 4.3% 6.0%
Jun 1.6% 18.3% 1.7% 66.9% 1.0% 4.2% 5.9%
May 1.1% 18.4% 1.7% 67.2% 1.1% 4.1% 6.1%
Apr 0.7% 17.9% 1.7% 68.0% 1.2% 4.0% 6.1%
Mar 0.5% 17.3% 1.7% 68.9% 1.3% 4.0% 5.9%
Feb 0.4% 17.2% 1.6% 69.0% 1.4% 4.0% 6.0%
Jan 0.2% 16.5% 1.6% 69.8% 1.6% 3.9% 5.8%

I found this chart here: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp
You can see there is a steady increase in Linux users, while XP is still the number one OS in use. We see the people who always buy the latest and greatest in the department stores are moving from Vista to Windows 7. I suppose the percentages are small because nobody trusts the new Windows OS as much as they do XP, which has a history of stability after years of removing bugs and adding service packs. From what I read, the current version of Vista with all the updates is almost as good as Windows 7, which is said to be a very stable system that adds a few nice refinements to Windows 7. I guess Windows 2000 is still alive because it is free. It works, but is missing a lot of drivers found in XP.

But it's nice to see the steady increase in Linux. I think this is largely caused by the release of Ubuntu, which created a bridge between Windows users and Linux users. The Ubuntu distributions are much more user friendly than other versions. And it seems there is a lot more software written specifically for Ubuntu, as well as a very large support organization. The final product has all the power of Linux that allows geeks to compile programs in their terminal, or it can let novices run it as a simple desktop with drag and drop features like Windows. I suppose it will never be as simple as Windows for the technically challenged, but then it is an OS of a special pedigree optimized for extreme performance.

So why am I using Windows XP now?
Because I need to check some website pages I built to see how they render in the different browsers that run under Windows. I already tried the Debian Linux Firefox and found that the Windows Firefox browser does not render the pages the same. So I made some changes in the pages to allow them to work properly in all the common Windows browsers as well as Linux.

This brings us back to the table above showing the current OS usage. Since browsers all display web pages slightly differently, I need to make pages that focus on the most used browsers. So guess who keeps tract of browser usage?
Yup, you got it.... W3Schools ...http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

2009 IE8. .IE7 .IE6 Firefox Chrome Safari Opera
Nov 13.3% 13.3% 11.1% 47.0% 8.5% 3.8% 2.3%
Oct 12.8% 14.1% 10.6% 47.5% 8.0% 3.8% 2.3%
Sep 12.2% 15.3% 12.1% 46.6% 7.1% 3.6% 2.2%
Aug 10.6% 15.1% 13.6% 47.4% 7.0% 3.3% 2.1%
Jul. 9.1% 15.9% 14.4% 47.9% 6.5% 3.3% 2.1%
Jun. 7.1% 18.7% 14.9% 47.3% 6.0% 3.1% 2.1%
May. 5.2% 21.3% 14.5% 47.7% 5.5% 3.0% 2.2%
Apr. 3.5% 23.2% 15.4% 47.1% 4.9% 3.0% 2.2%
Mar. 1.4% 24.9% 17.0% 46.5% 4.2% 3.1% 2.3%
Feb. 0.8% 25.4% 17.4% 46.4% 4.0% 3.0% 2.2%
Jan. 0.6% 25.7% 18.5% 45.5% 3.9% 3.0% 2.3%

As you can see, my pages need to work for Firefox, and IE6 through IE8. I will check to make sure chrome works too. This takes care of about 93% of the browsers in use. So I won't waste time on special coding for obsolete browsers like Netscape navigator 4 or even modern fringe browsers.

Best wishes,
J_P

[WM6]

Thank you J_P.

I am surprised that Vista is rising?


PS: Your reasons why you like your Ubuntu desktop seems a little roundy..

[Qiaozhi]

By the way, Google Chrome is now available for Linux -> http://www.google.com/chrome?platform=linux&hl=en

[J_Player]

Thank you J_P.

I am surprised that Vista is rising?


PS: Your reasons why you like your Ubuntu desktop seems a little roundy..

Actually, Vista has started to decline (down 1.1% from October to November). I think this is because the mainstream computer buyers are finding more new PCs with Windows 7 installed, or upgrading because they don't like Windows 7. The word must be out that Windows 7 is buggy. This trend will probably continue as we enter the holiday season where people will be buying PCs for gifts. But XP still has more than half the users, and will probably continue until it dies a slow death like Windows 98 did.

Keep in mind, these statistics are only what are reported by W3schools based on visitors to their webservers. This website has visitors who are mostly computer nerds who want to check the rules for making web pages, or to have their web pages validated. We might find different statistics from a large website that sells merchandise such as ebay, because the visitors will not be mostly computer geeks. Maybe the best way to forecast the future is to look at what is selling in the retail sector on new computers. It seems to me most new computers come with Vista or Windows 7 installed. It is interesting to note that Dell is selling a lot of new computers with Ubuntu Linux installed. This may be helping to drive the Linux usage up. With the worldwide recession, a free OS will lower the cost of a new computer to the consumer and attract more buyers. I suppose some people who buy new PCs with Linux will notice it is faster and more stable than the Windows they are used to. This could help future growth of Linux.


P.S. Roundy is good

Best wishes,
J_P

[SVEN1]

By the way, Google Chrome is now available for Linux -> http://www.google.com/chrome?platform=linux&hl=en

I refuse to use Chrome, it is loaded with tracking features that report back to google every website you visit etc.

Love Ubuntu, 11 months now, don't miss Windows.