Try Ubuntu As Your OS Of Choice

When recently confronted with the decision to purchase a new laptop I was originally intrigued with the idea of buying a Chromebook. A Chromebook is basically a laptop device that runs the chrome operating system which is a hardware specific version of chromium OS which is built on Linux. The attractive aspect of the Chromebook was the relatively low price and the fact I did not want to deal with Windows. I was only looking for some lightweight portable computing. If you are an active Gmail and Google Drive user then a Chromebook can be a viable option. I briefly considered the tablet option but to get the screen size the Chromebooks were cheaper.

When I visited some retailers to check one out I found the availability of the Chromebook was limited and the Samsung Chromebooks had some battery/charging issues. I began to start thinking that if was going to go to a Linux based system then there were other options. About 7 years ago I actually ran Fedora Linux on my Mac G4. It ran fine and was impressed by the fact I was using a fully functioning operating system that wasn't Windows or Mac, but I had no real reason to switch from OS X at the time. For a new laptop I was ready to dive into the Linux option full on.

With most PC hardware Ubuntu is probably the most popular Linux distribution. As I mentioned earlier, my goal was to get some lightweight portable computing at a low price. I was content with purchasing old hardware for this purpose. Before I began the hardware search I created a bootable Ubuntu installation USB stick. I chose 32 bit since it was recommended for setups with less memory and I knew older hardware would have less. The USB stick allows you to boot Ubuntu and run it in test mode without actually installing, which allows you to test compatibility. The unit I ended up purchasing was an HP Probook about 3 years old. You will be hard pressed to find one without Windows preinstalled from any kind of registered dealer as they will usually come with a refurbish liscenced version of Windows and that is ultimately part of the cost. Your best bet is a private sale from some one you know looking to upgrade their laptop.

You can use the Ubuntu Software Centre Application to add and remove software and there are some great free apps like Gimp for image editing. You can install Ubuntu along side Windows just to try it out. You will get an option screen when you boot up asking which OS you want to start. If you want you can uninstall Ubuntu later.