Hi. My name is Terry, and I'm a Windows-holic! My dependence on Microsoft wasn't obvious to most people, even to myself—but it controlled my computing life. I was going to try Linux someday—That was at least six years ago! I even reserved a partition on my hard drive for Linux—I just never got around to it—I told myself! I didn't want to try numerous versions of the open source GUI to decide which one, if any, was right for me. That was the excuse I used. Someday—I told myself. Then George Schmoele, of Springfield Technology, demonstrated Ubuntu Linux at ICON's August membership meeting.

George told us that running Ubuntu from the CD ROM drive would be slow, but it is a risk-free way to try Ubuntu’s free distribution of Linux. To prove myself unafraid, in spite of past inaction, I decided to load it on the hard drive instead of running it from the CD ROM. Of course I couldn't risk my "real" (translate that "Windows") PC, so I chose, from the various "out of service" PCs we have, a very slow (by today's standards) machine—a 400 MHz Pentium III processor with a mere 133 MHz bus speed and a paltry 256 Mb RAM.

Loading Ubuntu Linux was not particularly difficult, and the "Install" CD led me through the formatting and partitioning of the hard drive with very few difficulties. Having never used DOS (the operating system Windows was built on), it was a bit odd to follow text prompts through the various steps of loading Ubuntu, but at the beginning of the installation, I was told that the default installation would be great for most users (Sure! I thought!). The default setting for each step was highlighted, and I just kept pressing the "Enter" key when prompted. It was very much like an "Installation Wizard" in Windows, but in text only. It did take quite a while due to the slower speed of the machine.

I experienced some difficulty after working through most of the installation. I received a message that there was an error reading the CD, and it could not finish loading the "rest of the packages." (Aha! I exclaimed). The message continued to explain that I could "Retry" or "It might help to clean the lens on the CD ROM drive." I don't own a laser lens cleaner for the CD drive, so I selected "Retry." After a couple of failed retries, Sarah found some newsgroup posts indicating that this is not uncommon when trying to load Ubuntu on older machines and that many people who routinely load this operating system mount a newer CD-ROM drive while loading the OS, then switch the CD drive back to the one that belongs with the machine. "Sure," I thought, as I mounted a newer unit in the machine—but it finished loading without a hitch.

Once Ubuntu was loaded, I began experimenting with the new system, looking for deficiencies in all the things I typically do with my Windows PC. I have to admit that, while somewhat different, things are similar enough that I was able to find everything and perform the everyday tasks I do with the Microsoft-based system I am so familiar with (and dependent upon). There is no "Start" button—what Windows calls "My Documents" is named "Home Folder" —and what we all know as "Control Panel" is found by clicking "System," then hovering over "Preferences." Very intuitive, even for a hard-core Windows addict.

Everything I needed for accomplishing my daily computing tasks is included on the installation disc: Firefox web browser, Evolution e-mail client, CD burning software, GIMP image editing software, and an integrated office suite; Open Office (includes a high-caliber word processor, spreadsheet, relational database, presentation/slide show, drawing/graphics and others). Did I mention that all this is free? Microsoft programs that even approach the capabilities of these software packages would cost $480 or more. After the launch of Windows Vista and the next version of MS Office, it will undoubtedly be a lot more.

When I first installed the new OS, I had no network card in the machine, so I couldn't connect to the Internet or set up an e-mail account. I had plenty of "exploring" (a Windows term?) to do, so I didn't really miss it at first; however, it wasn't long until I "had to have" that aspect of my personal computing as well.

After installing an Ethernet card, I followed the wizard through connecting to our home network, and voila! I was online. It took a bit of poking around to figure out how to change my home page because until now, I haven't used Firefox much and I’m somewhat unfamiliar with the interface.

Setting up e-mail was really no different than for Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express. You must know the incoming and outgoing server names as supplied by your Internet service provider, but I simply followed the wizard's prompts to complete the setup. I was delighted to find that "Evolution Mail" is a fully functioning personal information manager (PIM) with calendars, contacts, appointments, etc.—very similar to Outlook.

The functionality of the Ubuntu interface is impressive! Windows and the MS Office Suite offer almost nothing over this installation, and with Ubuntu, switching to Linux couldn't be easier. Wow, did I really say that?!

I've admitted my dependence on Microsoft. They say that’s the first step toward recovery. I’ve turned the corner and I'm joining the freedom of the open source revolution. I typed, e-mailed, and even printed this article using open source software.

My name is Terry, and I'm a recovering Windows-holic! You could be too. Don't be afraid! It's nothing more than a simple decision, and it's free—freedom from an expensive habit! Maybe I’ll finally break the addiction! Could the dependency really come to an end? Ubuntu? I buntu too!

Happy recovery!

Terry