Okay, I'm Committed, But it's Not All Puppies and Rainbows

This is Part 8 of a ten-part review of Ubuntu Linux.  The series is designed to give you a rough idea what it's like to try Linux.  It's not a how-to, and it's not a blow-by-blow recount of my experience.  For your convenience, links for each part of this series are located at the end of the article.


After spending a couple of weeks with Linux on my USB drive, I was satisfied enough with Linux to install it to my hard drive. I backed up my hard drive, Repartitioned it so that Linux would fit without cramping Windows, and dove in. The main reason for this was because I understand that running Linux from a USB drive is significantly slower than running from a hard drive. With the original reason for trying Linux still in my mind (the desire to scan a Windows drive from Linux), I wanted to see if I'd get a noticeable performance increase by actually installing Linux to a hard drive. Sadly, my answer was no; the time difference was negligible. With that said though, things in general seemed to run faster from the hard drive than from the USB thumb drive. I didn't scientifically measure this, but it certainly seemed that way.

Like the original trial, and the installation to the USB drive, installing Linux to my hard drive was straight-forward. It even installed the boot manager.

I will say, though, that Linux is not bulletproof. Despite what the Linux fanboys may say, Linux can and does hang, to the point where I needed to restart the computer. It's been a generally positive experience, and I'm enjoying the learning process... getting to know Linux... but you need to understand that Linux isn't a mainstream application for a reason. Linux isn't Eden. Linux isn't bulletproof. Linux requires a level of independence, trial and error, and experimentation that most day-to-day users can't or won't tolerate.
Part I, The Grand Experiment

Part II, So Many Flavors

Part III, I'm Kind of Slow to Commit

Part IV,  ASmall, Short-Term Commitment

Part V, Diving Below the Surface

Part VI, A Different Animal

Part VII, Okay, It's Pretty, but What Can it Do?

Part VIII, Okay, I'm Committed, But It's Not all Puppies and Rainbows

Part IX, Unity

Part X, Parting Words