Why buy a new PC or laptop when the old one seems too slow and troublesome?

Some of you may have an old PC running Windows XP or 7 and you have had it a few years. It seems slow and glitchy. You may have had some malware/spyware issues that you paid someone good money to fix and it has never been the same? Also, Windows XP will reach the end of it's support by Microsoft in April 2014. That means you will no longer get automatic security updates. You may use the PC for banking or on-line purchases... Will that still be secure? Nope!

What do you do:

1. Rush out and pay good money for a new PC with the latest and greatest from Microsoft?
2. Rush out and buy the latest and greatest from Microsoft?
3. Something else that you may not have thought of?

A new PC or Laptop could cost you around AU$900.00 bundled with Windows 8. Just buying Windows 8.1 is AU$149.00 or if you would prefer the Pro version Au$399.00
You may also think that the new PC's they are selling are much faster, more powerful and have better spec's than your old one.

Here's the something you may not have thought of:


LINUX:
Linux has been around for ages and is at the stage now that it will replace the old operating system on your old PC and run faster than even the 'up specked' PC that you are thinking of buying. Linux comes in different 'flavours'. Distro's as they are affectionately called. Linux Mint is the most like Windows XP in it's look and feel, Ubuntu is one that is more progressive and they are working on one single operating system for all your devices... Phone, Tablet and PC. Debian, Suse, Fedora, Red Hat are some of the others. I personally recommend Ubuntu.

Unlike Windows that has different versions. Like Home, Pro, Ultimate etc. There is only one version of Linux for your 'Desktop' and one for the 'Server'. It's will set you back the whopping fee of AU$0.00. Yep it's free. You may have heard of 'Open Source'... well this is it.

But I don't want to learn how to do things all over again:
Well get used to it chum. There's a learning curve going from XP to Windows 7 and another steep one from 7 to Windows 8. If you are one of these peeps, then you would prefer Linux Mint, which is the most like Windows XP.

But all my games won't run on Linux:
Well get used to that too. Some of your games won't run on Windows 8 either. One good thing though 'Steam' (the gaming platform) works well on Ubuntu so you won't miss much soon. Also 'Wine' does a pretty good job emulating Windows XP. So older games run pretty well on Linux.

But my MS Office won't work on Linux:
How much did you pay for Office? AU$299.00 or AU$599.00 or did you pirate it from a friend? Ubuntu comes with Libre Office and you can install Open Office for free. It's much the same as MS-Office and does not take a brain surgeon to use. If you are used to MS-Office 2003 try installing the 2013 version and tell me there's no learning curve. I DARE you.

But I'm used to using Outlook for all my mail and calendar:
Well you need to try Evolution mail. It's like Outlook 2003 and it works with MS-Exchange server so your meetings and calendars work. It is from the folks that brought you Novell and Linux Suse.

But I need my Adobe Creative Suite:
Again how much did you pay? AU$1200.00 or higher? How about Gimp for FREE. Yeah, yeah you will have to learn a little to make it do what Photoshop does. But you can extend it easily. You like video editing? I use and prefer Kdenlive to Final Cut Pro. Go figure! I have more flexibility in video formats than Final Cut. Kdenlive is FREE. Cinelerra is free too and for the more advanced editors.

Want 3D or Animation:
How about 'Blender' or 'K-3D'. You should know about Blender it is covered in all the Uni degrees. It's all FREE.

But I use the internet and need my internet stuff:
Hey... listen up... most of the internet is run on Linux. Skype works, Chrome works, Firefox works, Flash works too and is not as buggy as the Windows auto updating version. FTP, Chat etc. It all works so get used to it.

Is it hard to install:
Well it's as easy as downloading an ISO image of a DVD from http://www.ubuntu.com/ - Then burning a DVD using your favourite disc burner like Nero. Then place the DVD in your old PC and reboot it. Follow the instructions and you are done. It will sense that your PC has Windows and offer to install itself in a dual-boot arrangement. That way you have a choice at boot up time. Windows or Linux. It installs in half the time or less to that of Windows XP. (Remember to run 'check disk' before running the install). We want a healthy drive to start with.

How do I get all the software to replace my Windows software:
Simple. Ubuntu comes with the 'Software Centre' icon on the toolbar. Just do a search in there for 'Office' or 'games' or 'animation' and you will see choices for each. There is a write up on each and a handy 'install' button. Click on it and it's done. Want to remove software. Click on the 'remove' button.

What about Anti-Virus software:
Well you may have heard of Clam anti-virus? That's available in the software centre. It works just like the windows version. On-demand only. so you can scan your entire pc or just a USB stick that your windows buddy loaned you. I suggest you do have it but most likely you wont need it.

How fast is it:
Well a 32bit version of Ubuntu is almost double the speed of a 64bit version of Windows 7. Now you can debate that till the cow's come home but eventually you will agree it's just faster.

What about compatibility issues with hardware:
Ubuntu will work on almost all hardware. There may be some issues with un-known hardware but there is plenty of support available on-line. I had issues with wi-fi devices till I found that there are companies that sell Linux friendly devices like web-cams and USB wi-fi sticks etc. These companies sell only hardware that will work on Linux. And they are cheap.

Will it slow down like Windows did over time:
NOPE... the file system is different... no more defragging. No registry issues. Boots in a jiffy. Wakes from sleep properly. Handles multiple screen outputs better. Has something Windows doesn't. It has multiple desktops. So you can have your email on one, Firefox on another, Spreadsheet on another. and switch between them all using your Cntrl+Alt+Arrow buttons. Less Clutter. More screen real estate. You can have four desktops or eight.

iTunes for Linux:
I am truly sorry if you have an iPhone or iPad you are out of luck on the Linux side. Apple do not have a version to run on Linux. You will need a Mac or a Windows PC to sync your device and copy music to and from. On the flip side if you are using an Android device you have full support to drag-n-drop files to the device at will. But if you have an iPhone you would have a Mac instead of reading this blog.

Summary:
I have been using Ubuntu for over 5 years now and I find I don't need Windows at all. And I don't miss it a bit.

Need help:
I am always available to answer your questions and help out.

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/