Ubuntu makes Linux brilliantly simple

April 23, 2009 By

I may a relative latecomer to Ubuntu, but I wanted to share my first impressions as a couple of offline conversations have shown me that even the ‘digitally aware’ aren’t always that familiar with it.

And it seemed like a good time to post about it, as the latest version is released today, Thursday, April 23, 2009.

I’m not a technical person (As @pjeedai can testify!).  I may work with technology, but the reason I’m fascinated and entranced by it is because of what it enables us to do.  And although I’m always interested in speaking to brilliantly technical friends and colleagues and keen to learn more, time and a lack of natural ability generally mean I don’t get the chance to play around with technical stuff as much as I’d like.

Yet telling people I’m running Linux seems to have given a couple of people the opposite impression!

How hard is it to install Ubuntu?

It’s just as hard as installing any commercial O/S.

Which means it’s as easy as putting a CD into your PC, switching it on, selecting the language you want, and hitting return a couple more times.

That’s it.

Honest.

And having been a big fan of Firefox, OpenOffice and Gimp for a longtime, the fact they’re all automatically installed means an even easier life.

Why bother?

It’s free. That’s for personal and enterprise versions.

It comes with full commercial support for Canonical and other companies.

The Open Source nature of the O/S and software means, and I quote:

‘Every computer user should have the freedom to download, run, copy, distribute, study, share, change and improve their software for any purpose, without paying licensing fees.’

From the page on Ubuntu’s philosophy.

What about actually using it?

It’s not that much different from the Windows O/S you’re likely to be used to, and as a PC user, it’s less of a jump than trying to use a Mac.

(Although I still feel a little weird being told to ‘Mount’ and ‘Unmount’ removable hard drives and card readers etc!)

I’ve only been using it for a couple of days alongside Windows on my work computer, but so far I haven’t encountered anything which didn’t make sense after a couple of seconds.

And the best bit?

At the moment, Ubunut/Linux is still very much a minority O/S compared to Windows, which means hardly anyone would bother creating a virus to target it, especially as Linux makes it harder for a virus to run effectively.

So it’s another reason for switching to a Mac off the list for this PC user!

The latest version is available today, Thursday, April 23, 2009, and there’s a fairly short but interesting interview with Ubuntu CEO Mark Shuttleworth on InformationWeek.

So if you can ignore the fact your O/S will come with a version name like ‘Jaunty Jackalope’, I hope you’ll excuse me while I go and mount another hard drive.

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The myth of journalism…

February 3, 2008 By

There’s a common romantic myth about journalism, which seems to be particularly relevant when discussing how it will evolve in the face of that ‘internet’ thing which seems to be catching on.
It’s understandable that the popular image of a journalist would be someone hunched over a typewriter or laptop, frantically typing in copy for a deadline just seconds away. It could be in a packed newsroom, or in the middle of a warzone, and there may or may not be a bottle of whiskey beside them. They finish their copy, and it goes straight into a famous publication.

That myth paints the journalist as a writer – which just isn’t true for most journalists.

The process most often seen is:

  • Journalist gets a tip or story from contact.
  • Submits story idea to Section Editor
  • Investigates story
  • Finished copy goes to Section Editor
  • Section Editor makes changes as necessary
  • Copy goes to Sub Editor
  • Sub Editor makes changes in conjunction with design
  • Approval from Editor/Deputy Editor
  • Gets published.

As you can see, writing skills are useful, but not essential. It’s the managing of contacts and finding the story which is the most important skill for any journalist. And I’ve known quite a few great journalists who still struggle to master the full stop, let alone an apostrophe!

And that’s also why I think there will always be a career for full-time, professional journalists (and sub-editors). It takes a huge amount of time and effort to maintain an effective contacts list, and maintain a decent flow of stories. And that’s as true for bloggers as anyone else. The most popular blogs are all able to access information from sources or contacts which aren’t as available to the general population.

And that’s always where the line will blur. The top journalists/bloggers will be working across print/digital, will be able to work across titles/companies, and will be able to command the same pay and respect as at any time before them.

The only reasons to fear the change if you’re a journalist is if you only copy publicly available press releases, or if you really fear the digital world.

(Incidentally, if you fancy reading more about the changing role of journalists, I’d recommend taking a look at HowardOwens and The Journalism Iconoclast – and despite sharing a surname, the Iconoclast isn’t a distant relative, as far as I’m aware!)

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