My experience with Ubuntu has been from that of a beginner to may be a semi-professional level. In februray 2006, my advisor trusted me with my first ever project. It was to port some 10-15 c++ files originally written using VC++ using libraries that were available only for windows, into a platform independent code. This was my first Linux experience. I had to basically rely on some open source libraries like OpenCV and VXL to do the job. So it wasn’t really a programmer’s job, but it was for someone who can understand vision code and replicate it if possible, using different functions. This was really a testing time for me because firstly, I somewhat suck at understanding other’s code and secondly, I had never used Linux before and I thought Linux was for geeks(which is somewhat true). In fact the common notion is that Windows is for Gamers and general purpose users, Linux for developers and programmers(Geeks) and the MAC for creative guys like artists, writers, photographers etc. The ideas about PC and MAC are probably hard stereotypes, but when it comes to Linux, it is ruled by geeks no doubt. I have used ubuntu 5.10 right up to ubuntu 8.04, so I can say it’s getting less geeky with every new release. But no matter what kind of problem you may run into with ubuntu, google it and voila! there’s a fix. Sometimes I feel the developers deliberately throw in some bugs into the first releases so that they can brag about their skills in delivering a fix later on. This is often the situation.
UbuntuXXX Forums
Noob user : “Hey I am trying to install a webcam on my laptop. I have Ubuntu Feisty Fawn. Any help appreciated 
“
Ubuntu Super Guru : “You need v4l it works for most webcams out there”
Noob user : “What’s v4l sorry I am new to the whole linux experience 
“
Ubuntu Super Guru : “Video for Linux , actually check this link out blahblah.html. If you are using logitech webcams you might probably need spca5xx or qc-usb drivers from apt-get”
noob : “What is apt-get “
and so on…
The Ubuntu Super Guru can almost never stoop down to noob’s level first time. If it were windows, there are no super-gurus, the interaction is most likely to be like this…
noob1 : “hey i have logitech quickcam model xxxx, i have been desperately trying to install the driver, but i lost the cd that came with it”
noob2 : “did u check the logitech website”
noob1 : “duh… of course i did”
noob2 : “oh sorry can’t help ya”
noob3 : “same problem here, this sucks cos u r probably running vista and I cant find a driver for vista. “
expert(or pretending to be one) : “they just wont give us the source code, or i can deliver a fix instantly”
noob1 : “what is source code? can someone please help or shd i just get another camera?”
….
Best answer : “Hey people! we buy new computers with 4gb ram just so that we can run Windows Vista, you should probably not worry about having to buy a camera. It does sound like a sensible thing to do! Go and get a camera that works with Vista”. And thus we revolve around capitalism.
Ubuntu is one way to make people understand the power of open source. These days we have open souce equivalents of many popular applications. Check this page
http://lifehacker.biz/articles/best-open-source-software/
for some cool stuff. Add gimp to that list and it should be all you might ever need. If not for fifa games, I am a complete linux man these days.
