Ubuntu the speeding bullet

I’ve to tell you guys about my latest try to install ubuntu 9.04. I was so impressed that I thought about writing this article.
For some time now, my wife’s laptop was getting extremely slow running Vista. My first thought was RAM, since the 2Gb installed were showing up almost at 90% usage. So, I managed to get the Laptop to 4Gb.
Did it changed anything? No… I was still frustrated, my wife uses the laptop to check emails and surf the web, and simple things should be fast.

The laptop specs are not the top ones, but a Core Duo @ 2.2Ghz, 4Gb of RAM and a 7200Rpm 2.5” Disk should be fast…
I was able to get MAC OS 10.5.7 running, but it cracks my head since it does not sleep. A laptop that can’t sleep or hibernate it ‘s like a gun with no bullets…
So, I decided to give another try with ubuntu, and upgraded also the Hard Drive to an 64Gb SSD Samsung.
Wow…. That was a change, not only the computer boots in a few seconds(<10s), but became so responsive or more than a MAC OS. This installation bring out of the box an Email Client that seems like outlook, Firefox, a Media player that plays most codecs, and the most important, power management/wireless/Ethernet/video all worked out of the box with no hassle.
The only issue I’ve found was not having iTunes to Sync her Iphone’s mail/contacts/calendar, but fortunately Gmail has the solution. You can connect the iphone to google mail using the Active Sync protocol as if it was an Exchange server, which then syncs with the Evolution Email client. Hopefully I’ll write a tutorial about it…

Conclusion:
If you’re not into Games or Photography, and/or you want to bring your Laptop back to life in all aspects to browse and see email hassle free, please consider Ubuntu as an OS.

Good:
- Free
- Fast like a bullet
- Out of the box (Email client /Browser/ media play/ Power management / some openoffice components)
- Hassle free installation
Against:
- No made for gaming
- No MS office
- No replacement for iTunes to Sync your music.