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Ubuntu is still half baked. It cannot replace Windows or OS X!

November 10, 2012 by Raj Agrawal 9 Comments

Note – This article was written in the year 2012 and does not reflect the current state of Ubuntu.

RANT – My peers have asserted – ‘I have downloaded my free OS. I am ditching Windows and switching to Ubuntu’. As a technology enthusiast, it’s always a moment of excitement in a open source initiative, particularly when it’s an Operating System. Having said that, Ubuntu left me disappointed.

There are plenty of free Linux derivatives around to try. They’re like delicious-and-ready-to-eat-candies lying around the web. I’ve tried a few of them (Sabayon, Open SUSE, Mandriva, Fedora and a few more), and among the list, I particularly liked Damn Small Linux. It’s cute and only 50MB in size. It doesn’t raise many expectations as a user nor does it explicitly claim/ imply to be a desktop replacement.

Apparently, Ubuntu is popularly believed to be a complete desktop replacement. And with so many too-good-to-be-true words and promotions about Ubuntu (back in the days), I thought ‘Ubuntu could be my new permanent OS’. Sadly, that didn’t work out. Even though my computer’s (Macbook Pro 13 Mid-2010) hardware specifications are more than recommended for Ubuntu; it was still very sluggish. The setting panels and apps took their own time to execute. The default pack of applications still include Firefox browser, which is just another layer to discomfort. And it’s not just my computer – it’s a known problem. With such minor usability issues on hand, it’s too soon to claim Ubuntu as a desktop replacement. It isn’t completely reliable yet.

Update – There are mixed experiences regarding the ‘sluggish-ness’ issue. Some users are having no problems, while some are facing severe performance issues even on systems with enough hardware specifications. A google search on this issue will help you undersand more.

Windows and OS X have been under closed development much before Ubuntu was born. Due to Ubuntu’s open source nature, it is maintained by a large developer community from around the world and it still has time grow into a complete and reliable operating system.

Sluggishness and incompatibility does NOT fit in the criteria of a reliable operating system. Ubuntu is NOT YET a suitable Windows/ OS X replacement.

Here’s at-least One Software License For Each Of You!

June 30, 2012 by Raj Agrawal 1 Comment

Digiarty Software Inc. has come up with a fun summer holiday giveaway deal, especially for Windows users. The giveaway asks you to play an interactive Slot Machine Game on their giveaway page. Just hit the handle and you win something, at least a discount offer. The prizes on each run can range from free video converters, DVD burners, hard drive and partition managers, PC protection kits, PC optimization apps to many more. They have 20,000 copies of full software from different vendors to giveaway on First-come-first-serve basis. In most cases, you’ll end up winning a discount offer, which is not most of us would want. Here’s a hint – in order to win a complete license on any of the listed software, just keep re-trying! The giveaway ends on 5th July, 2012.

How to Play the Game

1. Head to the Giveaway page,

2. Scroll down until you see the slot game like the following picture,

3. Play!

With that, you have chance to win any of these. Click on the following image to enlarge,

Is The Rumored Xbox 360 Integration With Windows 8 A Good Idea?

February 27, 2012 by Raj Agrawal Leave a Comment

Windows 8 is going to be a very unusual operating system. The main crowd Microsoft seems to be targeting are the ones who fancy touch systems, over the traditional mouse-keyboard layout. And as we know, most computer users the world over prefer the mouse keyboard layout. Then how does Microsoft expect users to switch over to Windows 8, when Windows 7 is still already capable and popular? If the rumors are to be believed, Microsoft might have realized this potential flaw in the strategy, and might be trying to pack a bigger punch by integrating the Xbox 360 into Windows 8. But, is it a good idea?

If you’re a PC user, of course it is. There may be many instances where you might have wanted a particular exclusive on your PC, or the game might have been designed with the Consoles in mind, and must have been an abysmal port on the PC, of which there are many. Well, now you can enjoy all those games without having to buy a new Console. If the rumors are true, then there might be no reason for a PC gamer to buy a Microsoft Console, at least until the next Xbox comes out.

One thing really puzzles me; where does Microsoft benefit from all of this? It’s not like Microsoft suddenly woke up with an earth shattering epiphany to give back something to the society. That never happens. Epiphanies are the result of gradual behavioral change, and nothing Microsoft has done recently has been suggestive of the same. They obviously might be trying to lure people into switching over from Windows 7 by using the Xbox integration as a marketing tool. Even then, wouldn’t it be kicking yourself in the foot? The PS2 still sells a respectable amount of units worldwide, and there’s no reason not to believe that the Xbox 360 will keep selling even after the Xbox 720 arrives.

The only logical reason I can think of is the royalties that Microsoft will earn from each game sold – they’ll be pure profit. This money won’t go into making systems at a loss, which was the case with the Xbox 360. Here, people are basically getting a Console and a PC for the price of a PC. Many people who download pirated versions of Windows might be tempted to prefer an original copy, since Microsoft will obviously employ some sort of protection to ensure that pirates will not be able to use the Console. Still, leaving an entire brand as redundant doesn’t seem like a pragmatic decision, whatever the benefits might seem.

All this leads me to believe that this rumor will not see the light of reality. There may be some sort of compromise though, like many of the 360 games coming to the PC. But, I don’t see Microsoft giving away a free Xbox 360 with every copy of Windows 8 it sells.