StarDestroyer.Net BBS

So, Ive decided Vista has annoyed me sufficiently that I want to look elsewhere, and xkcd has mentioned an operating system called Ubuntu. Ive been reading the wiki, and it looks interesting, but I have absolutely no experience with linux, and all this craziness of commandwords and partitioning makes me nervous.

What have other people found about it? Worth learning? Leave alone?

I've got Xubuntu set up as my primary OS (it's just Ubuntu with a different front end) with XP for games. I switched over in 2006, like yourself without any experience, and it worked out well for me. Ubuntu is very friendly to newcomers, to the point where you theoretically won't need the command line; and even if there is something that doesn't work right, the forums are a great source of information and help.

Keep in mind that Ubuntu, and Linux in general, it really just a patchwork of little parts designed by different people when they feel like it; your hardware may be supported, it might not be, and even if it is, it might require some under-the-hood tinkering to run right. Your favourite program might have a native version, it might not. The software needed to interface with your phone or iPod might exist, it might not; it might have the same functionality of the Windows version, it might not. I strongly suggest you start with a list of applications and functions you can't live without and check if Ubuntu offers alternatives.

If you do want to go ahead and try it - and believe me, it can be a very rewarding experience - start by downloading a LiveCD. It's a disc you pop into your computer which allows you to use Ubuntu without writing anything to your hard drive; a risk-free tryout, if you will. If that works out for you, you can use the disc itself to either install Linux on its own, or install it behind Windows and use both.

In the end, the only cost of trying out Ubuntu is the price of a CD-R and your time. If you want to invest those, you'll find a very usable, very customizable and ultimately pretty reliable operating system, once it's set up right.

I love it, and while it has its downs, the ups are certainly worth investing in if you want an alternative that is free and not plagued with corporate bullshit like the major OSs out there. You can then keep your Vista or XP install clean for gaming, while everything else is kept for Ubuntu.

Bounty's advice is mostly good but it's unnecessary to seek out a separate Ubuntu LiveCD anymore. The past couple of releases have had a LiveCD as the default version.