Linux is awesome.
No, it isn't. Ubuntu is supposed to be one of the easiest Linux to use but it's been the biggest pain in the arse I've had to drag myself through ever in the history of ever.
I was running a server from home on the linux distro dubbed DamnSmallLinux(dsl). Worked quite well. What linux distro are you using James?
I'm using Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron, recently upgraded from 7.10.
The only reason I'm using it is because it was free and I needed an OS for a rebuild of an old PC I had. I wanted to make a media centre PC in the lounge to stream videos and music from my bedroom computer onto the TV.
What annoys me most is when reading HOWTOs I follow them step by step then find out I haven't got a little component installed, which I need to install the other thing. So I go to install the little component and it says I need to install something else. Then I spent the last few months just trying to install the graphics drivers. I finally managed to do it but because I'm using an SDTV through composite, the picture turned out black and white and a silly resolution. After a lot of agro I finally found out I just needed to add a single line into the xorg.conf file to make it PAL. >_<
It makes me realise how user-friendly XP is.
Windows is like the sports car you pay big cash for but have no access to hand's on as far as customization or tuning. Lots of options and features but little in the way of true performance. Linux is like the kit car or bare bones sports model you put together that requires a lot of hard work to master, but that tradeoff is price, performance and total control over customization and tweaking right down to every nut and bolt, or in this case the command line level.
With a distro like Ubuntu, you can extend the life of an older PC or laptop because it doesn't eat system resources like Windows does. It's not meant as a replacement for OSX or Windows, it's like the "soy" or "low fat" alternative that represents a challenge to experienced PC users wanting more control over their desktops or to circumvent the hurdles placed on PCs by hardware/software makers. It's also a place of development and experimentation of new ways of doing things. On a scale of 1-10, Ubuntu's user friendliness compared to other distros is definately a 10, but it doesn't have quite the same level of advanced control others do. Like an entry level version of Linux for those dipping their toes into the DIY pool. As you learn and grow, you move onto one of the other hundreds of distros for more specialized and better equipped distros to tackle your tasks. Gaming isn't a priority for linux and I doubt it ever will. Home networking, education and security with users in control are the main goals the community strives for. Putting computing back in the hands of the end user.
It's also a way for the small fish to develop tools and apps that can compete with the big corporations. To a PC enthusiast, making something difficult run under Linux
IS part of the fun and success or failure you've learned something new either way. No different than someone who enjoys building/fixing cars or woodworking for example. The end result is only half the fun, the other half is getting there.
I know that sounds like a lame sales pitch or something but that's really what it's all about. It carries on the fun of computing like it was back in the 80's when every Joe/Jane Schmoe could code his/her own programs, games and a multitude of other fun things. That's why the C64, Amiga and other older platforms still enjoy popularity today. Linux is like an X86 extension of that hobby.
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On another note, I'm having a helluva fun time with
Tenchu Z. It's like a Splinter Cell/Tomb Raider clone but with last gen graphics. For a $10 game it's quite enjoyable if simplistic. I'm also playing
Dungeon Siege II as well, one of many brand new PC games I've had sitting on the shelf for a long long time.
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