Two months after taking one step to phase out Windows (the acquisition of an iMac), I taken another step. Today… or yesterday depending on where you are… okay, on Friday… I converted my work laptop to Ubuntu Linux. While working at IBM’s Warwick office with an older laptop (too busy to ignore work completely), my frolleagues Ray Davies and Stuart Crump assisted in converting me and several other people to the popular Linux distribution.

The base installation was extremely easy. Part 2 seemed a little complicated but I was assured that this was because they had all of the necessary updates downloaded to a cached proxy, and they had also provided an automated script to install IBM Lotus Notes 8.5, Symphony, Sametime and Mobile Connect. So in next to no time everything was set up.

Okay, let’s be honest – I’ve been a Windows user for 18 years. There are still some things I need on Windows, so there will be times when I need to put the other hard disk back in. Work stuff like Hyperion and some personal stuff like my favourite genealogy application (and my 1-2-3 spreadsheet used for financial planning – it uses 1-2-3 macros) aren’t supported on Linux, although I could use Windows XP in a VMWare session. That’s fine, I didn’t expect to drop Windows cold turkey-style – I’m expecting to phase it out as I find Linux alternatives. I expected to lament the loss of Paint Shop Pro, but I’ve already discovered the built-in graphic editor known as GIMP.

First impressions of Ubuntu Linux? It boots up faster than Windows, it’s ready to use immediately after login (Windows still takes a good 2 to 3 minutes to sort itself out), the wireless networking is so simple that someone over 40 could do it (kids are no longer the benchmark for simplicity because they often out-techno their parents), and it seems very easy to navigate and configure (time will tell if that’s reality day in day out, but it’s looking good).