I hope I'm not starting something here but I thought I'd share my own point of view. If you have been following the blog for a while you will know that there is a slight difference in opinions. On a related note, I apologize for the "you suck" comment I posted after Mekapaedia's post. I can appreciate what my learned friend is trying to convey about Ubuntu. Yes, it is "bloated" compared to other distros; fine, it isn't as customizable as other distros, and the learning curve of switching to Ubuntu from windows or mac is defiantly not as steep on Ubuntu. Here is my view on Ubuntu:
The fish argument is often made when talking about computers: give a man a fish he eats for a day teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime. And it make sense to an extent. Keep in mind though that Ubuntu has one of the largest on-line communities for a Linux distribution. If you have a problem in Ubuntu the first place you would turn is to the forums. You don't ship away your computer to some foreign repair agency to get it repaired, you receive help in fixing it yourself, and I believe that is one of the points often used against Ubuntu.
Barley anyone jumps into Linux head first with a complicated distro. Almost everyone at least starts with "easier" distributions including but not limited to Ubuntu. It is just too much knowledge to absorb at once. It is more practical to wrap your head around how Linux works first by using a distribution that doesn't require compiling and so much configuring and then if you so desire move to something more technical.
A point has been made about how the computer should be an extension of one's self. I agree with this philosophy to an extent. Lets imagine a scenario. I am big time movie maker man. I want to edit my latest blockbuster movie. Now I could reinvent all of the software I need and spend hours and hours just getting it to work OR I could jump right into editing with out really understanding how the applications do what they do. Now both videos would probably come out the same but one of them will have taken much longer to do. Was it necessary to do all that extra work for the average film editor? Probably not. Which brings me to my final point.
Don't reinvent the wheel every single time. Ubuntu works. I know Mekapaedia will have something to say about that statement. People says Macs work. Therefore Macs = Ubuntu right? Not quite. Ubuntu comes with a lot of pre-tested applications (just as mac does) that work. But if something goes wrong since Ubuntu is Linux you also have the means to FIX it yourself. Most people don't have hours and hours to get it to work, sometimes it needs to work now. Ubuntu is a nice medium between lets say Mac and Gentoo. It gives you everything to get it up and running but with a lot more freedom.
Those who find computers interesting and feel the need to know how they work, pretty much anyone reading or writing this blog, use Linux to learn because they feel a gap between what they're computer can do and what they want it to do. The reason the computer geek will never go extinct is because there is a demand for a computer that are easier to use, faster, and more versatile. We are never going to quench our thirst for the ultimate machine. As computers get better the demand for better machines will only increase. The computer geek is not a dying species, it is thriving. Ubuntu is not a distribution that you would use if you want complete control. It is good if you want a nice blend between usability out of the box (like windows and mac) with the potential for customization. Take me for example, I like to mess around with distros and have plans to (try) to install Gentoo on my sparc box, but I keep my laptop that I use for work running Ubuntu, because I need it to work without too much fuss, and I still have the advantages that come with running Linux.
-The Thoth-
