UBUNTU and Software

[THRobinson]

Heard about linux, unix, etc for years but never tried them before. Figured I'd give Ubuntu a try today since cane try it on a USB stick without installing and looks pretty cool, very MAC O/S like. Though I heard MAC's O/S is linux based? or vice versa....

Anyways... just curious... when it comes to installing software, what software do I use?

I use to have a MAC, saving for another... and currently have Win7x64. So I have software for both systems. Is it easier to install MAC or PC software onto Ubuntu?

... for example, Adobe CS6?

 

[Ijack]

1. OS X is not Linux based. Linux is not OS X based.

2. You can't install Windows or OS X programs on Linux. There is a project called Wine that lets you run some Windows programs on Linux. It takes a little work and the results vary depending upon the program.

 

[stillblue]

OS X got it's start based on Unix. Linux got it's start based on Linux. they are very different sub species of the same species, sorta like if mice were related to elephants. No cross breeding is going to work.

Some of your Windows programs will work in Wine. PlayOnLinux is a frontend to wine that eases some of the pain associated with installing a difficult one, others fire up with no problems at all, right click the installer and choose run with wine, can't hurt much to try.

There are many native to linux programs that do much of the same things as some windows programs, like gimp for photoshop like work and LibreOffice for your office suite. You download those from the Ubuntu software center, it's a program in Ubuntu. It lists and gives descriptions of the 1000's of titles available. You select the program you want and click install, finished, it downloads and installs for you. You may have to add a password and such but that's it. There is also synaptic which goes much deeper into what is available. Try that after you get your feet wet a little.

Keep in mind that you can only install software onto your flash if you clicked on adding a persistence file and then only as much space as you created there otherwise what you download/save will disappear after you log out.

Your specific query, Adobe cs6. Photoshop works fairly well now, the others I have no idea. You do have the option now of working Adobe in the cloud and that will work for sure.

 

[THRobinson]

I don't know the difference between unix/linux, but I knew MAC was based on one of the two.

Are there advantages to using something like Ubuntu? apart from being free? Does it run better on fewer resources? I remember when I had a MAC I was running both it and my PC, and despite my PC being 4yrs newer, for stuff like Adobe the MAC was still faster... just seemed to get the job done faster with less resources (ie ram, big video card, etc).

I like the interface, I'd like to try something new, but... few basics I can't live without like CS6 running smoothly.

I also have an older Dell 745 desktop that I'm making into a second HTPC using XBMC, which they also make for Ubuntu (and Linux)... will run XBMC, EventGhost for the remote, and nothing else apart from a basic antivirus/firewall... was debating Ubuntu for my own use, but also for the HTPC. Wondering if using a different OS might make it run better with what hardware it has... or if I should look at Linux instead of Ubuntu?

It has a Win7x64 license, so probably will install that and make it run the same as what I have already... but if Ubuntu has an advantage, I'm open to switching since I don't need to work at making programs like CS6 work, since just using to play movies.

 

[Ijack]

OS X is not just based on Unix, it is one of the few operating systems that is allowed to call itself Unix.

Linux has no base in Unix at all. IBM and SCO fought a very protracted law suit over many years to establish that.

Both OS X and Linux share a lot of GNU utilities. Gnu is Not Unix.

 

[stillblue]

I don't know the difference between unix/linux, but I knew MAC was based on one of the two.

Are there advantages to using something like Ubuntu? apart from being free? Does it run better on fewer resources? I remember when I had a MAC I was running both it and my PC, and despite my PC being 4yrs newer, for stuff like Adobe the MAC was still faster... just seemed to get the job done faster with less resources (ie ram, big video card, etc).

I like the interface, I'd like to try something new, but... few basics I can't live without like CS6 running smoothly.

I also have an older Dell 745 desktop that I'm making into a second HTPC using XBMC, which they also make for Ubuntu (and Linux)... will run XBMC, EventGhost for the remote, and nothing else apart from a basic antivirus/firewall... was debating Ubuntu for my own use, but also for the HTPC. Wondering if using a different OS might make it run better with what hardware it has... or if I should look at Linux instead of Ubuntu?

It has a Win7x64 license, so probably will install that and make it run the same as what I have already... but if Ubuntu has an advantage, I'm open to switching since I don't need to work at making programs like CS6 work, since just using to play movies.

Put it on a flash USB and try it out, it'll be considerably slower than a hard drive install but you'll see it in action. Ubuntu is a variety of Linux and there are many. Go to distrowatch.com for a review and download links to many versions. They all use the linux kernel but what they do with it varies considerably.

 

[THRobinson]

Tried it last night, but, because was on USB... I have no idea if it runs faster than Win7x64 or not.

Ah well, may dual boot on this computer... few CS6 issues and since just formatted it 2 weeks ago, well, figure format it again, quicker than trying to troubleshoot the issue.... maybe dual boot and give Ubuntu 50GB and try it out.

 

[stillblue]

Tried it last night, but, because was on USB... I have no idea if it runs faster than Win7x64 or not.

Ah well, may dual boot on this computer... few CS6 issues and since just formatted it 2 weeks ago, well, figure format it again, quicker than trying to troubleshoot the issue.... maybe dual boot and give Ubuntu 50GB and try it out.

The ubuntu standard desktop is pretty heavy although I prefer it but you have a fair amount of RAM. If you find it slow install the KDE desktop or the cinnamon. You'll pick up some speed and they look more like the windows if you prefer.

 

[Aristotelian]

To answer the original question, you install software through a program call the Ubuntu Software Center. This contains a pretty thorough list of stable programs that are available for Ubunutu. You just click on the software you want and it is downloaded and installed automatically.