My desktop environment

Ubuntu with a GNOME desktop is my OS of choice. But I have Vista as a boot alternative. Ubuntu provides everything I need, with one exception: exchange of Microsoft Office files. I can read and edit them with OpenOffice, but when I send them to Vista/MacOS-users I am in trouble: it almost works, but not quite. Favourite applications include Firefox, Thunderbird, and Eclipse.

This may sound corny, but I choose Ubuntu because it feels light and airy. I feel in control. Comparing Ubuntu to Vista is like comparing Spyker to Lexus.

Still, it's not all good news with Ubuntu:

• I couldn't get my webcam to work until recently. When I tried Zapping the webcam LED went blue and suddenly I was looking at myself on-screen. Still, other applications don't do anything.



• The spam filtering under Thunderbird doesn't work properly. Spam is marked, but never moved to the Junk folder. This is a known bug.


• My WLAN connection breaks every so often. To be honest, I don't know if this is a problem of Ubuntu or of my hardware. When running Vista, I don't notice this problem. But then, under Vista a lot stays hidden from me.


• The suspend function doesn't work properly. When I close the lid, Ubuntu usually suspends. And when I open the lid again it usually resumes. Usually, but not always. This is also a known bug.