Ubuntu

[BUDDY HOLLY]

My current PC runs on Windows 10, I still have my old PC which runs on ( the best ever platform XP) I have been told by a friend that I can download Ubuntu on to this PC and use it instead of Windows, Is this correct? I know nothing about Ubuntu, any ideas and pro's and con's?

[Guilbert53]

Windows is an operating system from Microsoft.

There are many other operating systems, many of them based on something called Linux. Ubuntu is a version of Linux.

Linux is software worked on by a community of people all over the world for free and it is open source (anyone can see the code) and the software is free.

Many companies then take the "free" Linux code and "package" it with various programs and apps and give it its own name, one such version is Ubuntu.

So the important thing to note it is NOT Windows so will not run Windows programs. However if you are not too worried about the computer that you are going to install Ubuntu on what have you go to lose by having a go?

Here is their web page where you can read more about it and download the code:

https://www.ubuntu.com/

[Guilbert53]

After my append above, you did ask for pros and cons.

I have not installed Linux for years, however back then it did require a higher technical knowledge than just installing Windows.

Also remember that all hardware needs "drivers" (small programs that get devices to work such as for printers, network cards etc)

Now every device will have a drivers for Windows but not every device will have a driver for Linux / Ubuntu so some hardware may not work. And if your network card wont work you cant get to the internet.

Also of course it is easy to get support for Windows if anything goes wrong, but less easy to get support for Linux if anything goes wrong (though there are plenty of Linux support forums around).

So you may need a slightly higher technical level to get Ubuntu working, and you may find getting drivers difficult, but as I said, what have you got to lose?

[xstitcher]

Bulls eye Scorpiojo. I HAD set it on private! Thank you, thank you thank you!

[Guilbert53]

I think xstitcher has replied to the wrong topic !