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 - This is a DVD not a CDWarning for those of you planning to install this on an old machine be aware this is a DVD not a CD as written on the title... I know it says it's a DVD in the description! For the price... considering it's free online... I would expect to have both in the package! Rating: - Fun to play with, but watch outThis operating system is fun to play with, is great for those that want to build a PC for children, or for someone that only uses their computer to surf the web and do simple things like write documents. I'm giving this OS a 3, because of a few issues and nightmares. For one, for those that have a wireless card in their PC, specially wireless N, all I can say is good luck and have fun getting it to work properly. I did install this OS in a Vaio laptop, and the wireless N did work just fine, it seems to be a desktop PCI card issue, but there were other driver complications. On the laptop it did not recognize the webcam, the SD card slot or the Memory Stick slot, my Sprint Wireless card did not work either, although there is a hard way of getting it to work. Many of you may experience issues with Nvidia Graphic Cards too; the 8400 in my Vaio worked just fine, but the 8800 (with duel screens) on my desktop had issues, as did my other desktop with an 8600 graphics card. After a few days came a nightmare on the Vaio, the PC encountered a GRUB issue, which did not allow me to enter Ubunto nor Vista. Many of you may encounter this issue, the only way of fixing this problem is by inserting your Vista DVD (or any Vista DVD), start the PC through the disk, after you select your language, select Repair Computer, and enter the Command Prompt, type in the following "bootrec/fixboot" than type in "bootrec/fixmbr" and finally exit, you could only enter the mbr command if you wish to do so. Note that after these commands, and after restarting your computer Ubuntu will be gone, and only Vista will remain. You will have to keep performing these commands occasionally, as Grub seems to have messed up the boot menu on the Vaio for good. I would not dual boot with this OS, either keep Vista intact, run it on a Virtual Machine, or install it stand alone on a computer. I really liked Ubuntu, and would like to learn more about it, and if you do to, I would recommend buying or building a PC just for Ubuntu, or do as I'm planning too and buy a low cost Asus eee, and install Ubuntu on it. Good luck, and have fun!! Rating:  - Watch out for wireless problemThere is a widespread problem with EXTREMELY slow wireless networking on this release. Download rates may not even reach 10 % of what other operating systems can provide. Many users also report slow wired networking. Canonical has basically blown this problem off, apparently you're supposed to go to the Ubuntu forums and dig through the huge mound of material there, and spend your free time solving their problems. Unfortunately, this is just more proof that Ubuntu and Linux are just not ready for prime time. When you have a MAJOR bug and you just blow it off, well, you don't deserve to stay in business. (Maybe Microsoft can get away with this, but nobody else can.) I'm going to reinstall an old copy of Win 2000, at least the networking is functional. I really dislike Windows and Microsoft, and was hoping that Ubuntu really is the wave of the future. But the fact that 7.10 was released despite months of reports of this exact problem, and their attitude towards the whole issue, says that it's just not a winner. I have hobbies, and none of them are Linux. If you don't want another hobby, I suggest that you look elsewhere. Rating:  - Ubuntu 7.10 Best Distro yetI have been using Ubuntu for about a year on an older PC that I was going to trash. Intermittently I would have a crash problem (likely due to the video card which I didn't want to pay to replace.) The lastest distro 7.10 has been so much more stable and user friendly- I have had only once crash since I installed it over 2 months ago. I use it daily, sometimes for hours at a time. The biggest surprise is all the open source software that comes with it and works as well, if not better, than those created for Windows. And all for $0.00! Additionally, the Ubuntu community support and documentation exceeds anything for Windows. Long Live Ubuntu! Rating: - I love this OSI've been playing around with linux for over two years, and I love it. I have a small pc at home that runs windows so I can do things that require windows (like some sites require ie or games), but other than that, my laptop for school and my main pc at home both run ubuntu. If you're thinking about switching there are a few things I think you should consider. -If you are happy with Windows, why leave a good thing, right? Same thing goes here, if you are happy with what you had you'll just miss it. -There is a learning curve, so do not expect that you can do all tasks right away. Dual boot is recomended for beginners, but try really hard to do it on ubuntu before switching. (there are even ways to install ie 6 on linux systems) -With linux, remember there is almost always a free version. For any piece of software you could ever need, there is usually a free version. It may not be perfect, but if its either settle with the GIMP or shell out $300 for Photoshop, its up to your needs and budget. -Most 3d games will not work on linux, and even some that are for linux are teduius to set up and install. So if you are a gamer, no, linux is not for you. There are many other things to think about, but with a bit of research I'm sure you can find many articles about the subject. I've enjoyed watching ubuntu grow, and it is a great OS with lots of potential...oh and did I mention, upgrades are free too!
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