Ubuntu Linux As Slick As Windows or Mac, Reviewer Says

It's been a while since I've tried Linux, the free PC software that competes with Windows and Macs. I've always found it more effort than it's worth to load a system that still felt a bit clunky, too geeky to recommend to friends and neighbors.

But maybe it's time to try again after a ZDNet reviewer says the latest version feels better than either of the better-known systems.

This from Renai LeMay at ZDNet:

Here's what the official press release won't tell you about Ubuntu 9.04, which formally hit the streets overnight: its designers have polished the hell out of its user interface since the last release in October.

What I'm talking about is that elusive slick and speedy feel you get from applications launching fast, windows moving around without jerkiness and everything simply being where it should be in the user interface.

Also promising is that Ubuntu is making it easier to find and download software that Ubuntu can't legally install in its free version, such as Adobe Flash.

Now, the reviewer originally wrote the piece for the Australian version of ZDNet, and Linux has seemed more popular outside the United States. Maybe we have to take the initial impressions with a grain of Outback salt.

Still, it seems time to take another look.