On 8/8/06, Ken N9VV <<a href="mailto:n9vv@sbcglobal.net">n9vv@sbcglobal.net</a>> wrote:<div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> At first I thought someone was kidding with this question, or making a sour joke. But then I realized that they were serious. Here is my answer. The simple answer is "NO". I am as disappointed as anyone could possibly be. I had great hopes for Linux, and Ubuntu in particular. I want to further the state of the art in electronics where Linux could be a tremendous ally in that effort. But, alas, Ubuntu (SuSe, Fedora, Kubuntu, Mepis, Knoppix, Xandros, and the menagerie from distrowatch) has failed me so often that I can not recommend it to anyone.</blockquote><div> The sad irony is that so many people have responded with a resounding yes, that I must take your concerns with a grain of salt. When I got into GNU/Linux, back with Red Hat 5.1, I was about to purchase a brand new PC. I read up on GNU/Linux and made sure that all my hardware would be compatible from the start. I have been using GNU/Linux (mostly SUSE and Ubuntu) exclusively since 2004. What I find really odd is that you say, "Linux has the heart of a lion", yet you also say you cannot recommend it to anybody. You mean to tell me you can't recommend it to someone if it were pre-installed (<a href="http://lxer.com/module/newswire/lf/view/66518/">http://lxer.com/module/newswire/lf/view/66518/</a>)? You wouldn't recommend it to people who simply need to browse the web, use e-mail and create some office documents? That's funny, because I produced a 244-page book, browse numerous websites, and send/receive e-mail all day long. I use it daily for Bible study, for editing images (basic level), and a host of other applications. I have even helped non-techie people migrate to Ubuntu, and they seem to have no problems. So I find your "I couldn't recommend it to anyone" to be rather on the extreme end of the scale. Incidentally, I've never had to worry about dual-booting, even when I did do that. The point is, if Ubuntu has replaced Windows, why would you need to worry about dual booting? If you're dual-booting, then obviously, Ubuntu hasn't replaced Windows. Problems with dual-booting do not imply problems when single booting, as those would then disappear. Your update problem seems like a one-off issue, since I certainly wasn't affected by that same update. </div> </div>I think had you said you wouldn't recommend it to 'everyone', you might have made a little more sense. I just hope this puts things in perspective. As the OP, I just find your whole, 'I would if I could theme' rather difficult to swallow, especially in light of the concerns you've raised. Indeed, comb through the thread. Look at how many people have responded in the affirmative. The only reason anyone keeps Windows around seems to be the games or the odd application here and there. That's it. Given what I'm seeing in this thread that has continued since last Fall, Windows has mostly lost its relevance.