I’ll admit, I am a fan of Linux, most notably Ubuntu. I started my Linux fascination when I saw the magazine, Linux Format in a newsagents. I picked it up, it had two CD-ROMs, one of which had KDE 2rc, and the other contained Storm Linux. I installed it on my shiny new £1,500 pc, an old Pentium 75 with 16mb ram. It was a strange experience, and although not lasting long, created a lasting impression on me about Linux.

Fast forward a few years, I have a Pentium 4, 1.8ghz with 512mb ram, and I spy the Linux Format magazine again, with an article on the desktop experience. Now I know that Linux has tried to evangelize a ‘desktop experience’ and that Linux as an OS is ready for the desktop. I downloaded and installed Ubuntu 5.10 (aka Breezy Badger), and ran it happily alongside my Windows 2000 install for some time. I lasted long enough to survive an upgrade to Dapper Drake. Then it fell apart again.

After this flirtation with the freedom (as in beer) that Open Source software provides, I went back to Windows XP Pro for a while. My job changed, now I am a web dev, but at home I reverted back to Ubuntu on my desktop. Granted, I still run XP Pro as a separate option for gaming, but it’s used less and less. If Halo worked on Ubuntu via wine, I would be happy. UT2003 and UT2004 work natively in Linux, why can’t other games be dev’d for it?

Ubuntu’s great. I’ve got my email, web, I can view PDF’s, watch DVD’s, check out my mp3 collection (huge!) edit my Nikon D40 pics (all my photos on the Photography page are edited with GIMP, even my Palm T|X pda syncs with Evolution…

What more do I need?

Well, access to my Minidisc player, Printer and mobile phone. But my Ipod syncs. And if I stick with Linux, I’ll probably never get another reminder to upgrade Itunes again.

And don’t talk to me about iPlayer on the BBC….