I'm sure I'll get scalded for posting this here, but I'm just very curious about what exactly ubuntu is, the official site is not good at explaining in laman's terms. Is it a realistic alternative to xp? Any information or help would be great.
Thanks
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download download the live-cd, burn it, than boot with it. ubuntu live runs off the cdrom, so no installation. test it out for yourself before everyone bombards you with how much they like it.
its all going to come down to personal preferance, and what you use your pc for.
just remember the livecd is a cd, and so ignore anything speed-related, cause the livecd is hella slow.
on another note, its likely ubuntu will be faster than xp. Realistically it depends on which programs you've become attacked to, and are willing to replace, since most windows programs and games need a bit of "adjustment" to get them to work.
I personally think that once the codecs, and extra apps are installed, it is a good replacement to XP.
But, as David said, it boils down to what you use your PC for.
I'm sure I'll get scalded for posting this here, but I'm just very curious about what exactly ubuntu is, the official site is not good at explaining in laman's terms. Is it a realistic alternative to xp? Any information or help would be great.Thanks
All I can do is 
Being a Linux guy myself, I personally choose Ubuntu over any other Linux distrobution. It was the best overall.
The only problems I've ever encountered wasn't Ubuntu's fault, but instead ATIs for their shotty Binary Drivers :confused:
Ubuntu is a Linux based Distro.
If you are an user who are not into games much.. then you might like Ubuntu. Linux based OS are safe, secured and much more powerful then Windows. And you don't need to worry about Virus anymore. You might face some problems in the beginning because of crappy hardwares... but Ubuntu Community is awesome and very helpful
and as a developer I felt Ubuntu was and is more then perfect replacement for XP
I'm sure I'll get scalded for posting this here, but I'm just very curious about what exactly ubuntu is, the official site is not good at explaining in laman's terms. Is it a realistic alternative to xp? Any information or help would be great.Thanks
Note that this post will be a little long.
Ubuntu is a Linux operating system. It is based on a community-developed distribution of Linux (or version of Linux) called Debian Linux. I can't really say more on the issue of what Ubuntu is that other posters have already said. If you really want to know, I second davidsword's advice to try out the Live CD.
Linux distributions in general have the reputation of being difficult to use or customize; this is not the case at all with the Ubuntu distribution. There is a package manager in Ubuntu that makes it very easy to add and remove apps from your computer, and there is also a large, helpful community of other Ubuntu users who can assist you if you have a problem with the operating system. If you're not satisfied with community help, there is also professional support available.
I'm sure the number of Ubuntu versions on the official site can seem a little overwhelming, also. The other versions, like Kubuntu or Xubuntu, have different desktop managers/environments. Desktop environments in Linux are basically things that provide a visual interface for the operating system. The default Ubuntu version uses the Gnome desktop environment. Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop environment. If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that is similar to the feel and function of XP, I'd recommend getting the Kubuntu version.
If you plan on installing Ubuntu, make sure your hardware works with it by checking out the Installation area in the Ubuntu Forums. The developers of Ubuntu have done a great job to make all types of hardware work with the OS, but there are still some users who experience problems with the hardware on their computers. This is probably not true for the newest version of Ubuntu, which is version 7.10, but I did have some initial problems with my graphics card, but it was rectified by some simple procedures.
From my experience, Ubuntu is a realistic alternative to Windows XP, if you're not a gamer (as most games are available on the Windows platform). I switched from XP to Ubuntu, and it wasn't too difficult to find alternatives to the applications I used on XP. For example, iTunes isn't available on Linux, so I use Rhythmbox music player to sync my iPod and manage my music library instead. If you are a gamer, then I would suggest dual-booting (installing Ubuntu beside an existing XP installation).
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