About

In 2004 I decided to switch to Linux on my workstation. I was tired of hearing myself complain about monopolistic corporations using their might to strangle innovation and eliminate competition. I decided instead, to vote with my wallet. I started with Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation because that was a Linux distribution (aka distro) I was most familiar with. With increased use, it became obvious that though Red Hat’s workstation offering was solid, its primary focus seemed to be on its server products.

So, from time to time, I would perform Google searches for “Desktop Linux” to see what else was out there that could fill my need for a stable desktop platform built on open source software. Starting in 2006, the results of those searches invariably pointed to Ubuntu as a solid desktop Linux distro. As I read more about it, I became increasingly convinced that Ubuntu met all of the criteria that were essential to my selection of a Linux distro for use on my desktop:

1. it was based on open source software
2. it was created with the desktop user in mind
3. its developers had enough financial resources to ensure that this distro wouldn’t disappear due to lack of funding
4. it had a dedicated community of users who were active in helping others interested in making the switch like I was

Eighteen months ago I started running Ubuntu on one of my test systems to evaluate for myself whether or not I could use this distro. Early this year (2008), I switched to Ubuntu as my primary desktop system both at home and at work and have been extremely pleased that I did so.

My bookmarks folder is now overflowing with various tips I’ve found and stored over the course of the past eighteen months and I keep adding to it on a regular basis as I find yet another piece of documentation that helped me get something done easily. Since I need to organize those links for my own use, I thought I’d share my findings with others who may have questions similar to mine. It’s my way of paying it forward. Unless it is misused or abused, I plan on leaving the blog open for public comment so if you find inaccuracies or easier alternatives to what I’ve suggested, I would appreciate your leaving a comment and letting me know about it. However, I do reserve the right to moderate or simply close this blog for comment in future without any prior notice if I need to.