Ubuntu Linux Success Story
I've always been a Windows man sice the days of 3.0. I've tried to use different linux distros but felt inhibited by the extensive use of the command line and cryptic config files. To boot, alot of documentation I got on using linux is taylored to a specific version and even when I got the right docs for the right version alot of the time something wasn't installed right or of some unknow reason what it said to do in the doc still didn't work. I relegated linux as a toy that you had to play and tinker with to do serious work. This went on for years untill I discovered Ubuntu!
I was amazed at how easy it was to use and how easy it was to find help on the internet. When I felt comfortable enough I decided to try converting my home server to linux server in October 2005. I had trouble understanding(and still do) permissions for shared files with Samba, but I got it working and password protected. Ubuntu had a driver for my networked HP Color Laserjet 3500 out of the box, a feature that I still marvel at. With some reading and file editing I soon had a windows print server setup. This was all I was using for the time being but soon started making the server do other things. Using HylaFax I was able to setup a fax server for my Windows PCs, the email notification option still doesn't work but I was able to fax just the same. I next tried a PDF creator. With little trouble I was able to print to a "network printer" on a Windows PC and goto a shared folder on the server and the item I just printed was now a PDF document.
Also this server has been a set and forget server. The server has only been rebooted twice after all this was setup, and then it was only due to power failures. I still don't belive to is quite polished enough to make it a mainstream desktop OS but for a server, it rocks! I highly recommend Ubuntu to anyone trying to learn linux and its practical uses as a server.
