Ubuntu's User Interface: No Learning Required

A few hours after setting up my new Dell Ubuntu PC, my wife jumped onto the system. You know her kind: She is an Apple Mac OS fan who uses Windows — but doesn’t really like Windows. So, how did she do with Linux?

Let me put it simply: If you have any experience using Mac OS or Windows, you’ll master Ubuntu in a matter of minutes. Critics who think consumers will have a difficult time adjusting to Ubuntu’s user interface are dead wrong.

I spent a few minutes describing Ubuntu and the GNOME user interface to my wife, but then I noticed her eyes were glazing over. She is a classic consumer: Don’t tell her about technology, open source, 32- and 64-bit designs, etc. Frankly, she doesn’t care about all of that jargon. Just let her point, click and work.

I showed her OpenOffice and Firefox. She was surfing the web and typing away on our Ubuntu PC in a matter of minutes. Fast forward two days. She probably doesn’t remember Ubuntu by name. She doesn’t think about what operating system she’s using. But she does mention how fast the system boots up, runs and shuts down.

I’ve yet to hear anyone say that about Vista…