Ubuntu

About a week or so ago, I got it into my head that I needed a Linux installation at home. I had been running Mandrake Linux 8.1 for a number of years until the hard drive on that machine crashed, at which point I had decided to give XP a try. I dusted off the Mandrake CDs and began the install. It was not long before I recalled that the set up was an involved process. Memories of driver problems filled my head. Then a truly frightening thought came to me...the last time I had run Linux, I was using a modem for internet connectivity. There was no way that this Mandrake 8.1 install was going to recognize (and cooperate with) my wireless network without some hassle.

I decided to abandon the path I was on and give Ubuntu a try. The download took quite a while and I had to burn a bootable CD, but then I was good to go. The entire installation fit on one CD and took only minutes to complete. Even more amazing was that by simply broadcasting the SSID on my wireless network, Ubuntu did the rest, including prompting me to provide the appropriate credentials to get past the security. The drivers for my sound card, video card, monitor, printer, etc. were all discovered automatically. I must say, that the installation could not have gone any better.

I haven't had much time to mess around with things since the install, but am excited to have an excuse to run OpenOffice again.