Ubuntu

Are you tired and frustrated with Microsoft Windows?  Is it clogging up your computer and making it run slow?  Are you fed up with all the updates and security patches?  Do you want to break away from the crowd and use a different operating system that's faster, more secure, and potentially better?  Well, there are different operating systems that are gaining popularity, and one that's getting more users these days is a Linux-based system called Ubuntu.

After spending close to 20 years using some version of Windows on my own desktops or laptops, I recently made the big switch to Ubuntu because 1) I wasn't pleased with Windows 10, 2) my laptop seemed to be more annoying than useful, 3) my hard drive eventually crashed, and 4) my techno-savvy husband rebuilt my laptop and installed Ubuntu on it.  Although I've gone through a brief period of adjustment to Ubuntu, it hasn't been all that difficult.

Amazingly, Ubuntu works similar to Microsoft Windows.  You have a desktop and folders into which you can save your personal files, photos, or whatever else.  If you're into taking pictures like I am, Shotwell Photo Manager allows you to crop, straighten, resize, and do other things to your photos to make them more professional looking just like Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

I pretty much do the same things with Ubuntu as I did with Windows.  You can download a Microsoft Office alternative like LibreOffice for free, but there are also free online programs through Google (i.e., Docs, Sheets, Slides) and Zoho (i.e., Writer, Sheet, Show) that compensate for Microsoft programs.  Additionally, I can use web browsers like Firefox or Google Chrome just like I did with Windows.

To get Ubuntu, you can download it for free (yes, FREE) from the Internet.  It's more secure because computer hackers are targeting Microsoft Windows, the system that about 90% of the world is using.  Compare that with Ubuntu users who make up about 2% of the world's computer market.  Nevertheless, Ubuntu is slowly catching on with private users and with public libraries, which are switching to it for the greater security and privacy it offers patrons, not to mention the price.

So, if you're looking to try a different operating system, consider Ubuntu.  You may be pleasantly surprised by it.

Ever helpfully yours from the perch.