The Ubuntu Chronicles: The Saga of Amber and Ubuntu (this part includes Fedora)

Part 18

Day 3 Fedora. 3rd week Ubuntu

OK, so I have to say that Fedora comes pre-configured with a download folder, (I did not have to create it) and when I download anything it goes into that folder (downloads)(again I did not have to tell it to do that)

That was what I as trying to get the Ubuntu/Firefox team to do and was told it was not going to happen.

I guess my question is (and maybe it just seems like a simple thing to me) if it can be done in Fedora, why then can’t it be done in Ubuntu. (I was told it wasn’t going to be fixed “upstream” by the Ubuntu people, I think maybe they misunderstood what I was trying to get fixed, not sure what
it had to do with “upstream” anyway?)

I think that’s a fair question.

Also, both Ubuntu and Fedora use an email application Evolution , that I could best describe is like using Microsoft’s Outlook. It comes with both flavors and if you like outlook then you this should be pretty easy to get used to.

So I am getting asked to try OpenSUSE…and KDE, I think that will be for a later time. I don’t want to keep switching up what flavor to use. I think that as I get used to Linux as a whole I will want to. Right now, I just wanted to get a taste for both Ubuntu and Fedora. (Again not a them v. us thing) I have wanted to try Fedora since the early 2004/2005 time frame, see my 1st post.

My husband back in the late 90’s was handed a stack of discs by a friend and was told to type “man man”, with a see ya man, gotta run. I saw this and ran the other way. pgraner, however, took to it like water. I stuck with my work computers and pursued other interests. Linux wasn’t the easy install back then, and well I just didn’t see the use.

Then when he started working at Red Hat. I thought I needed to “speak his Language” I tried and it just wasn’t happening for all the reasons I listed in my 1st post.

Now that he works for Canonical, and I have watched and listened (which I did as well when he worked for Red Hat) when he came back from his meeting in Berlin with the T-shirt and the installation CD, I thought it time for me to “speak his language”. Plus the “Linux for human beings” made me think “yeah right?” and roll my eyes. Now I think, “Yes! They do have it right. Just ask me, I’ll tell you all the reasons why it works. (I tell and show anyone who will listen.)

My Background in Computer’s is not limited but I have stuck to average user stuff.

My 1st introduction to a computer was a TI-99, then a TRS80-Model 3 and 4, I was in about 8th grade then. In High School I only used the computers that were available to me at my Uncle’s house (he too has loved computers since they 1st became available for the household desktop user; he is now 85 and uses Ubuntu). After that I joined the Army where I got to help try new systems and see if I could “break” them. (what is called bug testing today). Usually I found something that would break recreate it and have the person say, “that’s not supposed to happen.” Well it did and they would have to fix it. I enjoyed giving my input and seeing things become adaptive to the user. If there was a feature that made sense to the developers but had absolutely no practical use for us in the field I had to show them why and they would fix it. Not always but most of the time.

However, I am still your average user. I did not know then as I do not know now, the why and how of how things work. I still just want my computers to do the things I want them to.

I guess what I am trying to say is, that my history with computers goes way back. I am not afraid to use them and see what happens, but it has taken a long time to try Linux and want to become a user and participant in the Community.

Ubuntu is great for people like me. Fedora is great as well but you need to know a little about the how things work, why they work that way, and you need to understand the command line terms. Not so easy for me yet. I can see both sides and have witnessed both ideals and philosophies in action. However, this is the 1st time I have been on the user end. The biggest issue I have is ease of installation and use.

So far other than when I go to install something (again ease on installation) Fedora is working. It is just getting to that point, and when I have to install something I still need to have pgraner’s help. Which is something I did *NOT* want to do. (you have *no* idea how much I did not want to have to ask him for help).

I think for the average user to make the switch (from Windows or Mac), or become a user for the 1st time Ubuntu is the way to go, then when you have some advanced skills, then if you wish try Fedora. Or you could (I will be trying in a few weeks), dual boot and use them both. No one says you have to only use one flavor. Like I said I can drink Pepsi I just prefer Coke.