First Post From The New Ubuntu Install

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I love Linux! My latest computer came with Windows 10 and I thought I'd give it a try. Besides feeling like an unfaithful lover, the user experience wasn't that bad. There was a lot I loved about it. For the most part, things are just simpler in Windows. There's not as much configuration and most everything is plug and play. With Linux, things aren't always so cut and dry. You can get it to do most anything, but more times than not it takes some finagling. Honestly though, I think that's a small price to pay for everything Linux has to offer.

So I've been running mainly Windows 10 since my new computer arrived a few months back. For the most part I was happy and even dove into some Steam gaming. With the exception of gaming though, I really missed working on a Linux computer. The other day while researching video editors I came across a YouTube of a dual boot Windows / Linux setup using a cheap SSD. After finding a 120 GB SSD on Amazon for under $20 I had to give it a shot.


Image taken from Amazon

It was pretty easy to justify buying a $20 SSD when most of my Windows Video Editing software was $100 plus. Now I can have a secondary operating system and many choices of great video editing software for the voluntary cost of a donation! Gotta love opensource and GNU licensed software!

My go to distro is usually Kubuntu, but I seen an Ubuntu review and really liked the look of the desktop. I thought maybe it's time to step away from the classic retro feel of the KDE desktop. I contemplated this for about an hour but decided to stick with old faithful. I downloaded and installed Kubuntu on the new SSD card I installed, booted it up and I was really disappointed. I have no idea what was up, I have a fairly powerful gaming computer and I just didn't like the way KDE was running on my machine. I was also having a bit of an issue configuring a second monitor. I thought back on the Ubuntu review and decided to give it a try. I'm extremely happy I did and the Gnome desktop immediately recognized the second monitor with a quick tweak.

I can't believe how easy it is to install a good Linux distro these days. In under 20 minutes I was able to download and install the latest version of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. I believe this is the Gnome desktop and I really love the look and feel of it. It runs great on the new gaming computer too.

Screenshot from 2021-09-25 21-20-26.png

This all started because I was researching video editing software for Windows10. I just wasn't liking the software I was finding, and I certainly didn't like the prices for anything that looked worthwhile to use.

Kdenlive is now available for Windows10 but I never got used to GiMP in Windows for some reason. I think my work-flow is just better in a Linux environment. Regardless, if I was planning on working with all this opensource software, I may as well just install it on a Linux machine.

So now I'm spending the evening researching video editing software for Ubuntu. I actually can't believe all the choices there are now. I figured if I was stepping away from KDE maybe I'd try a new video editing program too. So far Openshot is looking really cool.

I also need to configure the webcam and see if I can get OBS Studio to work like I have it set up on Windows. If so, I'll probably be back to using Linux full time, and just use Windows10 for gaming or when I can't find a simple Linux solution like printing.

That's another thing. I've heard a couple awful reviews about Windows 11 already. IDK why Microsoft insists on rolling out drastic changes in every other release but they do. I remember loving Windows7 and hating Windows 8 so much it drove me to become a full time Linux user. Linux has pretty much been my OS of choice since the release of Windows 8 🤣 and I've really never looked back. So now I no longer have to worry about whether or not Windows11 will be another train wreck of an OS.

Oh yeah! Another thing I loved about Windows... MY PRINTER. I've gotten so used to having a printer again! For security reasons I tend to remove the printer drivers (cups) ; )

So The Dood is back on a Linux machine and all is right in the world again!

I'll keep you updated on my final setup as I decide what video editing software I want, and maybe a 3speak video will be in order reviewing Ubuntu with a desktop video tour.



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12 comments
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The current debacle with Windows 11 is also making me consider upgrading to Linux. That or I'll stick with Windows 10 tell I could decide what the OS I really want for my PC.

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If you don't do a lot of gaming, I think Linux is an awesome solution and Ubuntu makes it pretty painless. Plus opensource software and the GNU license. I can't believe how many software choices there are now especially for stuff like graphics, video editing and multi-media. It really just depends on what your needs are. Linux still has a ways to go for gaming IMHO though.

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I'm quite the heavy gamer so I guess I'll stick with Windows 10 for a while but once Linux reach Window's level of gaming capability, I'll be sure to make the switch.

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Hi the-bitcoin-dood,

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I love linux too :)

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(Edited)

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

I wonder how stable it is these days. When it just rolled out, I installed that and it was buggy. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. Many complained about 20.4 ,dislike, even hated it like I do. After a few months constantly dealing with bugs, I decided to revert to 18.04. bionic beaver. All I can say is good luck to you and I hope you won't meet too many bugs.

One of the bugs I encountered 7 months ago was also still unresolved and I ended up having to flush the system and downgrade it.

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I haven't encountered anything buggy yet. I've been using it for under 10 hours though. So far so good. I got OBS Studio running, fixed the lagging web cam. I'll be playing around with Openshot tonight. Hopefully all goes well. For the most part, I installed it for the video editing software. If that works out, I'll be happy! It's dual boot so I can always return to Windows for everything else if the bugs become to bothersome.

The KDE install was a nightmare for me. That seemed buggy as hell. Everything was loading choppy. I thought maybe it was a corrupted install.

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Oh yeah, if it becomes buggy, you can go back to windows or well, just downgrade it. Another option maybe change the environment completely or changing the kernel works too, at least that was what happened to me as temporary solution. Anyway, good luck!

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I have used ubuntu a few years back. As you said it is not that much easy to use than windows. Anyway, I tried. Last week I also bought an SSD. It was a Samsung Evo 870 series one. The performance is great. I installed windows 10 on it. Now I'm really happy with the speed of my old laptop.

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Those SSD's really improve old laptop performance from what I've read. I've got an old Dell laptop I'm thinking of installing one in now and see if that can bring it back to life!

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Yeah. Now my laptop is running like a rocket😂

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