So this is a small story about a linux distro that could. Flashback… it’s 2005-ish i and i get my first taste of Ubuntu, it looked awesome but lacked so much for the time. I fiddled around before with Red Hat, so i knew what was going on. Fast forward one year later and boom, i got my hands on an original Ubuntu cd, delivered straight from Canonical, the company that runs the distro. Actually, i think there were two cds, a live cd and one for installation. Yeah, and at one point i also got the k and edu discs as well. Around 2008 I used to install a lot of Kubuntu on company computers that were used as workstations. It was an awesome period, and until this day i believe it was the best awareness campaign a software company has ever done.

Around once a week a use my Ubuntu VM, for fun, for tests and mostly for research. Every time i get the change i fire but that terminal and it’s like “shit just got serious”. At this exact moment, while i’m writing this post i am reinstalling a new virtual machine for personal use so i’d like to show some of things i do with my Ubuntu.

First of all, you should try to remove all the things you don’t need and by that i mean the apps that are installed that you will never use, you’ll never even click on them. This might safe up some space, not a lot, but it’s something. I usually remove the games that come pre-installed with Ubuntu. I really don’t have the time or feel the need to play Minesweeper or Solitaire. For that i have Steam and other alternative platforms.

Like any other operating system these days, Ubuntu comes with a software center that delivers all kinds of software with the simple click of a button. Say…it’s like the App store on any Apple computer or on your smartphone. Back in the day i used to browse forums and websites to get .deb or .rpm files for an easier installation, sometimes i used Synaptic, but mostly all my 3rd party software had to be compiled, fun times…

My next step is to remember what other software i need, that isn’t already installed. Again, just browsing the the software center. After that, i usually like to change pre-installed apps with my personal favorites. I’m not saying that Ubuntu comes with bad software, i just got used to some apps, for example my favorite music player is Clementine. So, i’m not saying Rhythimbox is not good, i just like the orange logo of a slice of fruit better. Meh…..go figure.

Asa power user i need a lot of 3rd party apps, some free and others that cost money. I try to get away with using free and open-source alternatives as much as i can. Yeah, but sometimes i still need my Adobe apps. I usually emulate Windows software and they always work like a charm.

Games? Yeah, there are games, last game i played was Witcher 3 and it ran so smooth. I did it more as a “just to prove a point” kinda’ thing. You gotta’ love them Micro$oft and Apple fanboys.

So why Ubuntu? Kind of hard to say because it’s based on Debian, another awesome distro. Maybe their motto, the way they conduct business, maybe the community around it, who knows. It’s got that thing, that “je ne sais quoi”. One thing that’s funny is the naming of each version of animals, hella’ cool.

To all of those that might say that linux isn’t a stable operating system or that it lacks features, hardware support, i’d like to remind them of what happened in 2010. In that year something magical happened, out of nowhere an operating system was launched and it was righteously called “the perfect 10”, and indeed it was. Ubuntu 10.10 was launched in 10.10.10 and it ruled, trust me, i used it on hundreds of systems until support ended and they switched from Gnome as a desktop environment to Unity. Ohh, 10.04, you were my love…

I’m almost at the end of this of this article, which will be written in parts, as this little tale i’ve spoken of so far is just episode one. It was fun writing this little piece here, with one eye at my Ubuntu desktop in my right, configuring this new installation, like i’ve done each time, kinda’ like retracing my steps, sort of speak. Either way, consider this article as a nod to Ubuntu and what is represents. Cheers, see you next time for more linux tales!