Thursday, February 12, 2009

Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha4 vs. Windows 7 Beta


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What are you going to use this summer? Ubuntu 9.04 will be released at the end of April and Windows 7 is rumored to be out at the end of July. With the release dates so close together, which would you prefer to run? To make the decision easier, I've tried to objectively compare Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha4 and Windows 7 Beta, both released at the end of January.

Windows 7 is said to be leaner and meaner than Vista ... a sign that MS is moving in the right direction. Several programs were ripped out of the OS and made optional. Despite this, Windows 7 weighs in at about 5GB, while Ubuntu 9.04 takes up about 3GB. In addition, the Ubuntu release boots 40% faster, shuts down 39% faster, uses less memory both at boot (55%) and with apps running (40%), and benchmarks significantly (17%) higher. Both were tested in VirtualBox using the exact same hardware setup.

I tried to be objective, but when you look at the comparison below, it's really hard not to declare one the absolute winner. Unless you're seriously tied to MS products, you should give 9.04 a run to check it out.

I'm not going to bash Win7 too badly, though. One thing that comes out of this test is that Win7 runs admirably in 512 MB RAM. It's probably fast enough and lean enough for the average person using the average computer, just as Windows has been for over a decade (with the exception of Vista). That limited footprint should scare the competition ... even if the competition beats Win7 on paper.

Note: because there has been criticism that I didn't provide enough memory, I've re-run the tests using 1 GB. The result? Start-up and shut-down times were virtually identical, and Ubuntu's Geekbench score was again 17% higher. No change worth mentioning.

Feature
 Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 4
 Windows 7 Beta
Boot time -- Performed three times and averaged. Because this is difficult to measure, I set auto-login and waited until all desktop elements were loaded and the HD stopped grinding. It includes the time for the VM to start and any bootloaders (3 secs for Grub). 1:09 1:40
Shutdown time -- Performed three times and averaged. Recorded from time to press "Shut down" until VM disappeared. 0:11 0:18
Memory use at boot with no extra programs running. 137 MB 319 MB
Geekbench score -- See end of post for complete breakdown 1523 1299
Memory use with four Google Apps tabs (GMail, Docs, Calendar, Photos), Browser, Movie Player, and Image Viewer. 254 MB 460 MB
Browser Firefox 3 is an advanced browser that is quick and extensible, It is currently the second most used browser behind Internet Explorer. While there are a huge number of extensions to the browser, not all are Ubuntu-compatible.
Opera is native.
An early version of Chrome exists using Wine, but uses version 0.9.
Internet Explorer 6 is available using Wine.		 Internet Explorer 8 (currently beta) offers a vastly improved compliance and speed over IE6 and IE7.
Firefox 3 is also available as a separate download.
Opera is native.
Chrome is available at version 2.0.
Office Suite OpenOffice.org 3.0 gives the user remarkable MS OFfice compatibility and improves speed and functionality over version 2.4.
MS Office 2003 works acceptably under current versions of Wine, but may require tweaking.		 No office suite is installed by default.
OpenOffice.org 3.0 is available as a separate download and offers all the same features as the Linux version.
MS Office 2007 is available natively.
E-Mail Evolution is a full-featured PIM with the ability to connect to popular servers like Exchange and Groupwise. It includes e-mail, calendars, tasks, and contacts. Windows Mail is not installed in this version, but can be added later. The newer version no longer supports WebDAV, though.
Windows Live Mail is also available.
Search The Deskbar applet gives access to full-text search as well as a dictionary, Wikipedia, and web search, all in one place. Windows Live Search can be put on the taskbar and search your local files and the web.
Movie Player Totem is a simple movie player which can play most formats without getting in your way. YouTube and BBC videos can be viewed directly from the player.
Elisa Media Center is available from the repositories and will manage videos for you.		 Windows Media Player is both a player and a manager.
Windows Media Center is another option.
Music Player Rhythmbox will manage your music, play Internet radio, handle podcasts, and share music on your network.
Totem is used when you open an audio file manually.
Banshee, Amarok, and Exaile are popular alternative music managers.		 Windows Media Player will manage your music.
The Media Center is another option.
Photos Organizer F-Spot will manage your photos for you.
Eye of Gnome is used if you open a photo manually.		 The Windows Media Player also will manage your photos for you.
Windows Photo Gallery isn't installed by default, but can be added.
The Windows Picture Viewer is used if you open a picture manually.
Chat Client Pidgin
Empathy is the next-gen client with voice, video, and file transfer.
aMSN offers just about every feature available on MSN.
Kopete is a multi-service client with voice and video.
Many others are available.		 Windows Messenger offers full access to the MSN network.
Official clients exist for just about every protocol.
Pidgin is also available as a separate download.
Many other full-featured chat clients exist.
VOIP Ekiga
Skype 2.0 is available for download		 Skype 4.0 is available for download and provides many more features than the Ubuntu 2.0 version.
CD /DVD Burning Brasero handles writing various CD and DVD projects like data, audio CDs, movie DVDs, copies, and image burns. Windows CD/DVD maker handles video DVDs if your video card is up to snuff.
Graphics Editor Gimp is good for web work, but is often criticized for its interface.
Photoshop CS3 works acceptably under Wine, but may require some tweaking.		 None (unless you count MS Paint).
Paint.NET is available as a separate download and is reported to be excellent.
Photoshop CS4 is native.
Video Editor None is installed by default, but several applications are available for installation. Microsoft Movie Maker offers easy basic video editing with various effects.
Notes Client Tomboy Notes is a hyperlinking note-taking application. Sticky Notes and Journal are available.

The operating systems were tested in VirtualBoxOSE with 512 MB RAM allotted.


Criteria Windows 7 Beta Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 4
Geekbench Score 1299 1523
Version Geekbench 2.0.19 Geekbench 2.0.15 for Linux x86 (32-bit)
Platform Windows x86 (32-bit) Linux i686
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 7 UltimateLinux 2.6.28-4-generic i686
ProcessorIntel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU E2140 @ 1.60GHzIntel Pentium Dual E2140
Modelinnotek GmbH VirtualBoxLinux PC (Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU E2140 @ 1.60GHz)
Memory511 MB511 MB
Integer Score1369
1313
Blowfish Single Threaded (ST) scalar9511364
Blowfish Multi-threaded (MT) scalar9871417
Text Compress ST sclar12351220
Text Compress MT scalar12031161
Text Decompress ST scalar14721124
Text Decompress MT scalar14251051
Image Compress ST scalar12941249
Image Compress MT scalar13031135
Image Decompress ST scalar805808
Image Decompress MT scalar842814
Crafty Chess ST scalar16321455
Crafty Chess MT scalar13611467
Lua ST scalar23222087
Lua MT Scalar23472033
Floating Point Score
945
1663
Mandelbrot ST Scalar10311203
Mandelbrot MT scalar10561174
Dot Product ST scalar452743
Dot Product MT scalar472809
Dot Product ST vector403325
Dot Product MT vector533418
LU Decomposition ST sclar11622037
LU Decomposition MT scalar12241305
Primality Test ST scalar20221770
Primality Test MT scalar15251402
Sharpen Image ST scalar3333353
Sharpen Image MT scalar3283353
Blur Image ST scalar13392708
Blur Image MT scalar13502689
Memory Score
1337
1504
Read sequential22582028
Write sequential21832081
Stdlib Allocate4791060
Stdlib Write7161050
Stdlib Copy10501302
Stream Score
2223
1816
Stream Copy ST scalar34152369
Stream Copy MT scalar15331490
Stream Scale ST scalar14311587
Stream Scale MT scalar23261458
Stream Add ST scalar21352758
Stream Add MT scalar17581784
Stream Triad ST scalar26301611
Stream Triad ST vector25591474


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Posted by Daniel Bo at 4:23 PM
Labels:

80 comments:

  1. You forgot to add the games section. Also, Windows will win in 3D performance.
    Ubuntu is my default OS, but it lacks DirectX support. I know DirectX is not an open platform.
    ReplyDelete
  2. The emphasis is on features in the default install, so I didn't bother mentioning games (neither has much by default).

    3D is someplace I didn't explore because VirtualBoxOSE (from Lenny) didn't support 3D in both. Guest additions would install in Win7 but not in Ubuntu 9.04. I'd be interested in seeing the results of that test, though.
    ReplyDelete
  3. I love Ubuntu. And not to nit-pick but if you're going to test the two against each other, you may want to at least use the minimum requirements as a starting point. Windows 7 minimum suggested requirements for RAM is 1GB. Yes, it can run on less but to benchmark it below the designed minimum is not fair to the results or the readers. If we are going to honestly beat Windows with benchmarks, it has to be on a level/realistic playing field.
    ReplyDelete
  4. For 99% of users, Ubuntu is an useless geeky operating system.

    Case closed.
    ReplyDelete
  5. ^ windows user who has to search for the "any" key
    ReplyDelete
  6. I know my way around a computer, thank you very much.

    Now, if you step down from that nice pedestal of yours and put yourself in the perspective of the vast majority of users, you'll know I'm right.

    You can make these nice comparison charts all you want and pat yourselves in the back, but nothing will change because you miss the big picture. Linux was not meant to be a mainstream OS, it never will be.
    ReplyDelete
  7. ^ And that is what separates Linux from Windows. Let's forget about benchmarking and down-talking about Windows. It is the mainstream OS of most consumers in America and that isn't going to change. Why? Because most people in America are too lazy/scared to learn something new. I'm a Linux user myself and I have to say Microsoft is definitely trying its best to match the quality of its competitors. Even if Linux will most likely never be a mainstream OS in America, it's ok because all the viruses being made for Windows will continue to be made for Windows, leaving Linux users laughing at how a Windows box gets compromised the microsecond it connects to the internet. The fact of the matter is, Linux users shouldn't care if Microsoft is improving their OS. Linux will always be ahead of the game. The fact that people would rather spend hundreds of dollars to use inferior equipment, instead of using top of the line equipment for free, because they don't want to learn something just shows how simple-minded many individuals are.

    Leave Linux to the individuals.
    Give Windows to the masses.
    ReplyDelete
  8. dammit... sorry about the formatting... :p
    ReplyDelete
  9. I re-ran the tests with 1GB and there was no significant difference. Ubuntu scored 16.7% higher again.
    ReplyDelete
  10. Bah. My 11 year old niece is now using Kubuntu as her primary OS because her Windows partition was infected by a virus. If someone as young as her can do that, then surely any intelligent adult can.

    I' have been using Kubuntu as my main OS for a year now. No regrets switching from Windows. Am even happier because I know unlike Windows users I need not worry much about maintenance and threats.
    ReplyDelete
  11. "For 99% of users, Ubuntu is an useless geeky operating system.

    Case closed."

    Um where did you get that fact. It is merely your opinion.

    Honestly if the home user or enterprise environment only needs an OS that can run office program, and get to the web, and maybe some other apps that may be ported over or have an open source equivalent, then there really isn't any reason to go with MS. Ubuntu or any flavor of linux can be used for Movie development, Imaging, Music, and file management, just as easily if not in some cases more easily than in windows. and the bonus, especially for home users, the OS and all updates are free, Office Software free, Imaging software free, I think I see a pattern.

    Windows software = OS: $159-$350 MS Office: $150 - $700 Photoshop or CS: $150 - $2,000.

    Ummm who needs MS again. I pay all of that money to get support from some guy in india that I can't understand... Don't understand that, pay all kinds of money for service and support, and all I get is a language barrier.
    ReplyDelete
  12. "For 99% of users, Ubuntu is an useless geeky operating system."

    I know plenty of none-geeky friends who has tried out Ubuntu and liked it. We even had TV-shows in Denmark recommending Ubuntu - for the masses.

    "Now, if you step down from that nice pedestal of yours and put yourself in the perspective of the vast majority of users, you'll know I'm right. "

    Well. To late. Linux is being used by the vast majority of users, just not as desktop (yet).

    Did you know fx. Garmin GPS is Linux based. Did you now a hole lot of TV's , Bluray players incl. Sony's is Linux based? Did you know that a lot of routers uses Linux.?

    The desktop though is yet to come for the vast majority, but if the interest in Linux keeps growing, it eventually get there.
    ReplyDelete
  13. Well, I see windows won in most of tests. Ubuntu won just because some tests gain more points than others.
    ReplyDelete
  14. "Well, I see windows won in most of tests. Ubuntu won just because some tests gain more points than others."

    If you're talking about the benchmark numbers, there are four general tests. The integer test was so close it's probably statistically a tie, but Win7 officially wins it. In the floating point test, Ubuntu 9.04 destroys Win7, almost doubling the score. The memory test has Ubuntu in a small but significant lead. Finally, Win7 wins the stream test by a good margin.

    Overall, Ubuntu 9.04 wins the benchmark by 17%, a number replicated with a different amount memory. It's also faster in booting and shutdown (though these don't matter that much) and uses almost half the memory while providing all the same features like desktop search.

    Where Ubuntu falls down is in areas like video and image editing, which is something that everyone is aware of, and there are many important Windows programs which people may be tied to. There's also the games situation for individuals.

    I didn't create the Geekbench benchmarks. It's the only cross-platform tests available that I'm aware of. Another set of benchmarks may show something different, but I don't have access to those. Whining about how the numbers are weighted doesn't help anyone. Offer me another benchmark to use and I will.
    ReplyDelete
  15. hm... it look really like compilers had something to do with tests. Processor cycles are processor cycles, there is no OS that can some app run 17% faster. No OS can add Mhz.
    ReplyDelete
  16. "Linux was not meant to be a mainstream OS, it never will be."

    Oh... are you one of the people working on Linux or Ubuntu?

    I think Ubuntu's goal is actually to be a mainstream OS. I didn't realize your word had so much weight on what the Ubuntu developers are doing!
    ReplyDelete
  17. "Processor cycles are processor cycles, there is no OS that can some app run 17% faster. No OS can add Mhz."

    Do you understand anything about OS programming?
    ReplyDelete
  18. "Linux was not meant to be a mainstream OS, it never will be."

    Um Linux is a Mainstream OS. What do you think runs many web servers and file servers. Red hat anyone? VMWare ESX server runs on top of linux. Linux is used in industry in many areas, just not in a desktop environment yet. But I know of several college campuses and a couple of businesses that are making the move to opensource for even there desktop and ldap environments.

    And Apple OSX is a OS built on a linux kernel. And I think that apple has something like 9 - 15% of the market share.
    ReplyDelete
  19. JMorgan, Apple OSX isn't built on a linux kernel. It is "unix" based, not linux. :)

    But as for the Windows vs. Linux arguement, I use both. Windows for games, Linux for just about everything else. It gives me more freedom, and less hassle.
    ReplyDelete
  20. I do have to take issue with the boot time in benchmark. I have a five year old Athlon 64 3400+ machine with 2GB of RAM, not a slouch but far from bleeding edge, its five years old after all. It boots in 15 seconds after a fresh install of Windows 7 build 7000. I have a 2.5 year old Core Duo 1.6Ghz machine with 4GB of RAM and a 5400 RPM drive, boots in 30 seconds, however its a tablet pc and that stuff is loading as well.

    1 minute 40 seconds? With only 512MB of RAM on a VM okay. Not that any modern machine is coming with only 512MB of RAM, some cell phone have more than that these days.

    While these numbers may be valid, its their relevancy I queestion.
    ReplyDelete
  21. HeatlessSun,

    Several of the numbers don't mean anything by themselves, only relative to the competitor. The raw benchmarks don't mean anything, but the difference between the two is important.

    The boot-up and shutdown times are high for both systems. Ubuntu 8.10 boots in thirty seconds on normal new hardware. The important fact is that Ubuntu 9.04 is X% faster on boot than Win 7. Even X is likely to change depending on the hardware and disk speed, though. Oh, and how often do you really boot up?

    These numbers were just meant to give an idea of how the two stack up relatively. That's all.
    ReplyDelete
  22. I, personally, would like to see how the two stack up when compatible applications are installed.

    Most of these tests are run on a vanilla install. I would rather see two systems with all commonly used applications installed such as email, productivity, plugins and extras such as flash or shockwave, PDF and other viewers, video and media applications, and so on...

    I have a feeling that the scores would change rather significantly once both systems were set up for real world use...
    ReplyDelete
  23. Anon,

    Are you saying you'd like to see benchmarks of cross-platform apps (... say Firefox and VLC) to compare the two systems? Or are you saying you'd like me to benchmark comparable apps? Or do you want to know the memory use with more Win 7 apps installed (since 9.04 has basically everything you mentioned installed already except Flash)?

    I need some clarification.
    ReplyDelete
  24. Ummm, the issue of which is better has never seemed important to me, i have always enjoyed windows and Linux. I use windows seven and 9.04 ubuntu set as a dualboot, and couldn't be happier. My family household likes both Linux and Windows. The family computer is a dualboot Xp/8.04 kubuntu, my laptop is ubuntu 8.10, my brother loves win seven and my little sister preffers vista. In a fairly realistic enviorment such as this, we must focus on compatibility. ( install ext3/2 support for windows, wine and sharing support for Linux.) we vlite our own vista and seven installs and keep ubuntu live USB sticks in our pockets. Now ubuntu has seemed more technical and productive, what I like, but windows is simple and has better support for hardware ( most is designed with win in mind.) and let's not forget 3d game support. I think ubuntu will outperform due to a smaller footprint, and a slightly better design, but windows what the majority of the world runs on, so sometimes it's easier for a devout Linux user such as me to shut Linux down and choose windows from grub.
    ReplyDelete
  25. Why do Windows users allways mention games, I have bought a console for that. I guess it is because games quite often are the only thing they can use and do use to excuse the massive amount they have to spend on getting a microsoft system running hardware wise. One of my great joys of being an Linux user is that my pc's get replaced when they are totally burned out, not when my OS vendor decides they have to.
    ReplyDelete
  26. Jazon said:

    "I' have been using Kubuntu as my main OS for a year now. No regrets switching from Windows. Am even happier because I know unlike Windows users I need not worry much about maintenance and threats."

    That's an excellent attitude for getting stung by malicious individuals.

    A system is only as secure as its user is vigilant; linux is not a silver bullet against the malware hordes. After all, no system can protect itself from users who nonchalantly click "yes" on security warnings, either through ignorance or a misplaced belief such as the one I quoted above.

    As an anecdote, I've been dual-booting Ubuntu and Windows for some time now and use both regularly, yet it's been years since my Windows has been infected with anything (that I know of). "Worry[ing]... about maintenance and threats" can actually be a good thing if it leads to constant vigilance and default-deny policies.

    Admittedly, most people are not as anally-retentive as myself and therefore must find a happier medium between security an usability, but my main point is that users have the greatest influence over the relative security of all popular modern operating systems and that the quoted opinion is extremely harmful to any system's security.
    ReplyDelete
  27. I use Linux, Windows is for games...

    That's my own frase and under GPL you guys are welcomed to use it as your signature. :)
    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous..Processor cycles??! U really are a flamer! U prob work for M$ (would account for your complete lack of technical proficiency). Go back to M$ and find the any-key, u loser.
    ReplyDelete
  29. Linux-is-King,

    Keep it civil, eh?
    ReplyDelete
  30. Hmm, why wasn't a 64 bit test done? 32 bit is old. Windows 7's improvements are more evident in the 64 bit builds. Which is now at build 7057. Test that against Ubuntu's 9.04 Alpha 6 x64 instead.

    This test is now outdated.
    ReplyDelete
  31. Anthony,

    I agree that this test doesn't mean much for the benchmark. The boot time, disk space, and memory numbers probably won't change much going to 64-bit.
    ReplyDelete
  32. Daengbo,

    Don't assume until you've actually done it. If there turns out to be no difference, so be it. But don't just make an assumption without an actual test. I love Ubuntu but I also like Windows 7 which I can't say about the Vista BETA or my-love/hate relationship with the retail XP, 98, 95 and 3.11 flavors

    One thing that 7 did that 9.04 didn't was give me working internet. Yeah I know it
    's a kernel issue but c'mon really... and the sound issue with the Audigy card family...a deal breaker for any person that would be new to a Linux distro. Free or otherwise.

    So please, do the 64bit test? Thanks.
    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks Daengbo,

    If Ubuntu comes out on top I'll cheer. And yeah I'll use Windows 7 for games :o]
    ReplyDelete
  35. Let me commend you on your great work in trying to compare the two. You did an excellent job.

    I'm afraid that besides technical stuff, and speed or RAM usage are some of them, there is also a need to check the usability of an operating system.

    I tried Ubuntu (actually, the KDE version of it, as I liked that one better), and was using it for almost two years. I still like it very much, and would recommend it to anyone, provided that the following conditions are met:
    1. This person is not afraid of trying things, and sometimes being required to work a bit harder to get something done. Windows, in many cases, still requires less effort from the average Joe, and that's its main appeal. This is not so much because of the operating system itself, but for the fact that it has the highest share of the market, and thus many companies prefer to develop their applications for Windows and then, perhaps for the rest. In many times (e.g. Skype), their Linux support either lags behind, or is stopped abruptly. And, after all, an operating machine is a nice toy, but the real work is mostly done with the applications it supports (or rather, the applications developed to be supported by it).
    2. If this person is not using Office software on a daily and constant basis. While Open Office is free, highly functional, provides most requirements and in general pretty good, it still lags behind Office 2007. I admit that it took me some time to get used to Office 2007 with its new "ribbon" staff, but after a while of heavy usage I will not go back even to Office 2003. I think that Open Office (2.4, haven't tried 3.0) is comparable to MS Office 97, which was a very good package at the time, but unfortunately for Open Office the users are more demanding now. I still hope that MS will decide to develop an Office suite for Linux, as they do for Mac OS X. That would definitely bridge a huge gap that Linux has right now. And, yes, I will pay for it. I know that Linux stands for open source, but sometimes, if you want to have something done right you need to pay a little extra to get it.
    3. If you are a not gamer. If you are a gamer, Linux is not for you. I know that you can tweak and install things on a Linux machine, but - again - it's hard.

    On the other hand, if all you do is surf the web, watch movies, listen to music, send emails, chat, and occasionally use word processors, spreadsheets and presentations, then Linux is an excellent choice. It's cheaper, faster, more secure, and capable of running on a cheaper hardware, whether it is your old PC or a new netbook.

    P.S. a very small thing: GIMP is available also for Windows, so basically you could add that there as well. And for media playing/movie playing I suggest using VLC for any platform. It can handle anything you throw at it and I also use it for converting one media format to another.

    Wow, that was a long comment. Thank you for the stage and I look forward to reading more of your posts.
    ReplyDelete
  36. I have began using Ubuntu 2 years ago and I am very happy with it. I hope it will be a main stream release some day and with my programing skills I will try to help their developers on my free time. I hope there are more people like me out there, if you know drawing,programing,translating,let's work together to accomplish it.
    And many games do work with wine their amount will improve with the time. The money you pay to Microsoft should be spend on your children education.
    ReplyDelete
  37. I have used Windows since Windows 3.0 in 1992 and Linux (Slackware) since version 3.0 in 1995 although I now use Ubuntu/Xubuntu, Debian and CentOS these days. In the past before Linux and FreeBSD, I was working on Unix which was a horribly restrictive (IMHO) proprietary operating system at the time with little choice of software that you could use. When Windows 3.1 appeared and ODBC became popular, Windows became enabling technology allowing me to do what I wanted to do with my PC. There was plenty of choice of office software, browsers, utilities and anything else that you wanted. Since then I have seen Microsoft destroy all software competitors on their operating system and change Windows into a horribly restrictive (especially with their support for DRM) and proprietary operating system with little or no choice in which software you can use.

    (Personal opinion - things started to go wrong when Steve Ballmer took over from Bill Gates).

    To make things worse, Windows is horribly bloated and inefficient (although Windows 7 is a *minor* improvement on Vista). Things have come full circle! Linux and BSD Unix by comparison are enabling technology - free, large choices in which applications I can use, fast and efficient and allow me to do what I want to with my PC. At the end of the day, if you are happy with Windows then you will probably use Windows. People like what they know and will defend it to the hilt even if (in their heart of hearts) they KNOW there are better alternatives.

    I use 64 bit Ubuntu at home, 32 bit Ubuntu on my laptop and CentOS/Red Hat for work purposes. My wife prefers Microsoft Vista on her laptop (although I have tried to persuade her otherwise) and I respect her decision. My children's PC is dual boot between 64 bit Edubuntu and Windows XP although it spends 99% of the time in Edubuntu. At some point I will probably remove Windows from this machine. As with Arkadi I would rather spend $$$'s (or £££'s in my case) on my children's education than paying Microsoft for inferior ;) software. At the end of the day (IMHO) this is about choice. I should have the CHOICE to buy a PC with Windows or Linux on it (or a Mac with OS/X) and NOT be restricted to Windows.

    I disagree about games as well. I have a good selection of perhaps 40-50 open source games (some significantly sized) on my children's PC and a couple of Windows games running under Cedega. I also have many excellent open source educational programs on there.

    You do not NEED Microsoft software. If you CHOOSE to use it then that is a different matter.

    Ubuntu 8.10 is definitely faster than Windows Vista on the same hardware but Ubuntu 9.04 seems to be very close to Windows 7 in terms of performance - but I would STILL use Ubuntu even if it was 10% slower due to the freedom of usage.
    ReplyDelete
  38. @ John,

    I agree with almost everything you say, especially about the variety and choice you have with Linux nowadays. Also, most importantly, you (and Arkadi) are correct: you cannot beat the price of Linux, and money not spent here can go anywhere you want (personally, I don't have children, but I would invest in my education).

    I still disagree about the inferiority of the programs, albeit being non-free, priced, and pricey. As I wrote earlier, if I could buy and run MS-Office 2007 on Linux, in a normal, stable way as the designers of that suite had intended in the first place (i.e. not on top of WINE), than I would switch to Linux without looking back.

    I also agree with you about people defending their choice to the hilt, but I will not do that here. I really do think that Linux is a better system, and with every version (which translates to almost every day actually) it becomes an even better choice, mostly thanks to people like Arkadi. I just need that extra small something from the office suite.

    And finally, it is a pleasure to read the comments here.
    ReplyDelete
  39. john linux cedega and wine dont have comparation with play in windows 7 build 7068. linux cedega and wine have more problems to run windows games and his performace are very bad. if you use your pc for dont play games, ubuntu is better than windows 7 but for play games, windows 7 are the best, sorry for this, but its the truth. a salute
    ReplyDelete
  40. It is true, but wine will improve more and more. I play games with wine, but I'm not a heavy gamer, and I know that all the DX10 stuff doesn't work yet and yes not all games I tried to run on it,were even started. But what wine can do for now is very impressive. A lot of programs and games run fine, some day i will even help them developing it...Go wine! (when i have some free time...)
    ReplyDelete
  41. Linux is for development...
    Windows is for solitaire...
    ReplyDelete
  42. Dear GEEKS
    I think the best advantage that i get in using ubuntu and all other open source software is being free.Being free means i can get anything i want and be legally correct. I have always used windows and other software illegally untill hard heron(ubuntu) came along.Seriously i prefer a free software over the commercial software(that i easily got whatever i wanted for free and do not get caught).The only thing i miss is photoshop(gimp tries) and some games.
    O ye pirates!! who want develop for the web,PC and Mac .it's time to be on the righteous side.
    BTW Google(GODS OF THE COMPUTING WORLD) uses linux in their server, DO you know something they do not?
    Most of you came here via Google,You used Linux
    ReplyDelete
  43. I'm a Senior Software Engineer that has tried out many flavors of Linux in the past (including Ubuntu) and here's my two cents:

    The reality is that whilst Linux IS a superior operating system and currently does not have the same issues in terms of how quickly issues are patched up, viruses etc that Windows does - the two are currently NOT equal. If you code software for a living, sure..you can comfortably use Ubuntu to do what you need. But what if you're a Graphics Designer or a Business User?

    Anyone here that attempts to claim the GIMP is even one tenth as powerful as PhotoShop is just kidding themselves. Where are my custom filters? Where's my intuitive UI? Where's my application for developing Flash animations or interfaces? Where's my equivalent for Adobe Illustrator?. It's just not there yet and until it is, I as a developer and a designer am not going to get everything I need in Linux that I can on OSX or Windows.

    As for document editing..I spent two months writing up a Masters thesis in OpenOffice and to be honest..the experience completely sucked. Image positioning sucked. Formula editing sucked and in the end..I had to redo the whole thing in Microsoft Word. It was a complete waste of time.

    The Linux community have had YEARS to get simple tools like OpenOffice on par with Word 2003 (I'm not even talking about 2007) so where is my basic functionality?

    I refuse to accept the notion that just because a piece of software is provided for Linux which is supposed to provide equivalent functionality that in reality..it just doesn't. Linux users are typically people who don't require these things and when they do recommend the OS to others they can sometimes do so without realizing it's not yet ready for everything.

    I'm not a big Mac or Windows fan (all OS's have their own flaws) but to say that Linux has matured to the same levels as it's commercial competitors or that it offers even near equal functionality is an outright lie.
    ReplyDelete
  44. to Just a guy:
    All this software already running in linux throught Wine, maybe just not the latest versions of it. You don't have to use open source alternatives, you may use the same Photoshop,Flash,Adobe Illustrator in linux too...
    ReplyDelete
  45. I installed afew linux os's a longtime ago and quite frankly it blew me away(speaking as a longtime windows user). Hard to install, hard to use and just extremely overwhelming.
    Comparing those linux versions to today's i have to say that linux has been updated and adjusted beautifully.

    I installed ubuntu when it came out, it was easy to install, fast and easy to use, on par or even better than windows in my opinion.

    as far as i see it the reason there are more windows users than Linux users is simple. Support from 3rd party companies for software and drivers.

    Ultimately linux will never have a larger amount of users than windows because of directx and pc gaming. But i can say that if all my hardware were supported by ubuntu/linux i would be using it as my main os, proof of that is people who can get it to work smoothly are using it as their main.
    ReplyDelete
  46. I think if you were trying a few tricks all your hardware would run perfectly...
    ReplyDelete
  47. Arkadi,

    I agree with you, but I think that you miss an important point made by the previous person: people don't want to try a few tricks. They want things to work from the start.
    If they had wanted to run a few tricks they would have liked Vista's first days.

    Honestly, I just installed Kubuntu 9.04 and found it impossible for use. The package manager was unable to find Firefox, for one! Firefox! And it doesn't install automatically with Kubuntu because of the KDE browser, which is annoying.
    For the lack of a decent package manager (who the hell decided to remove adept?!), I had to install Ubuntu in its stead.
    And as much as I enjoy "trying tricks" with Ubuntu, I simply cannot use it for my main system: it doesn't have a decent office suite (and Open Office is not one, in my view), and there are still too many sites who don't support anything which is not Internet Explorer 7. You could always say that it is the site's developers fault, and you'll be right, and I will agree with you on that, but at some point, when all you want is watch a TV show on a site that decided to use certain technologies which are incompatible with anything other than IE, you find yourself switch back to Windows.
    ReplyDelete
  48. first,kubuntu is not ubuntu and every body knows kubuntu wasn't made well enough. second, i believe that this is the time for the whole open source community to show it's full power to the world and fix all thing you mention. i use only ubuntu but some times run windows on a virtual machine to open some document that doesn't open well on open office and i run internet explorer through wine for those kind's of sites you mention. us the community will grow we will demand drivers and support from all kind of software vendors. you must understand that the idea of making Linux as a desktop os is really new to the world and look how fast ubuntu moves forward. we all should just help them for our better future. sorry for my bad English.
    ReplyDelete
  49. Arkadi,

    Again I couldn't agree more with what you wrote. I once tried Fedora 4 years ago, and then again 2 years ago with Kubuntu 7.04 (which I think was the best Kubuntu and it has been deteriorating since, but that's not the main issue). The difference between 4 years ago to two years ago and to nowadays is amazing. Unbelievable by any rate or scale.

    As a user (and not programmer, alas), I find it hard to require anything out of people who do their best to provide me with something which is both free and at no-cost (note that free here is in the sense of freedom). Therefore, I find it impossible to require even more out of Open Office, and I end up buying MS-Office. I wish (really wish) that MS would find us Linuxians as appealing as Mac-OS people and they would be willing to develop a version of MS-Office for Linux.

    Until then, we will have to dual boot / use virtual machines / run Wine. That's just too bad.
    ReplyDelete
  50. Ok, I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to update it with new information.

    Ubuntu 9.04 is officially out and I've installed Kubuntu on three different machines, I just like KDE better then GNOME.

    On ALL three machines, EVERYTHING was recognized. ALL hardware was picked up and I didn't have to configure one damn thing. This is the first time this has ever happened for any Linux distro for me!

    I absolutely LOVE Kubuntu 9.04.
    However, I don't think it could be my primary OS.
    A lot of the apps I use on a daily basis are either Windows only or Windows / OSX apps.

    Some run in WINE, some don't.
    Some have Linux equivilants, some don't.

    That is the biggest problem in getting people to switch to Linux.. If you've been been using Windows for years, it's not the OS that's going to be the hurdle, it's the applications available (or not).

    You just can't expect people to spend hours, days or weeks trying to find applications that do what they want when they use and OS that works and has the apps they want.

    As much as I love Linux, for the reason above and lack of standardization, I agree that it will probably never be a mainstream desktop OS.
    ReplyDelete
  51. We will wait and see. Just i hope all of you at list helping then some how.
    even if it helping some new users on the forums once a week...
    ReplyDelete
  52. HP Pavillion a6648f PC
    Q6600 3GHz 8MB L2 Cache 1333 FSB
    4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
    NVidia 8800GT 512MB
    500GB SATA HDD 7200RPM

    OS, BOOT , SHUTDOWN
    Windows 7 Build 7077 , 29s , 06s
    Mac OS X Leopard , 22s ,38s
    Ubuntu 9.04 ,35s , 19s

    Windows 7 boots and shuts down faster than Ubuntu 9.04, and not to mention I had way more programs installed in Windows along with Windows being never defragged. Launching applications in Windows is also "snappier" meaning Firefox opens in a second compared to Ubuntu's 2 seconds.

    In the end, sure the results you obtained make Ubuntu "seem" faster for someone that loves charts and graphs but in real-world application, Windows 7 still in it's pre-release state, is flat out faster. Only thing I've noticed Ubuntu 9.04 being faster for is copying files from say an External drive to the main hard disk.
    ReplyDelete
  53. for many years i have been the
    "i agree to the terms of the agreement user..." and then i came to ubuntu...

    let me put this straight.. anyone who has basic knowledge of differentiating computer mouse and actual mouse will fall in love with ubuntu..

    my old comp was literally dying atleast thats wat i always belived.. till i used ubuntu, its grt, makes me feel like i'm on a brand new pc.. no hangup, no virus, no annoying popup's sayin "update ur virus database" or "ur license has expired".

    it doesnt really matter whether ubuntu takes a large chunk of market share, "LINUX IS FOR MEN WHO WANT TO LIVE LIKE MEN.. NOT TO THE I AGREE USER.. "
    ReplyDelete
  54. Everyone of you should shut the hell up and go back and make a better OS. I'm not saying shut up or code. I'm just saying shut up. Put your better OS where you mouth is. We have to get over that fact that we DO need to beat Windows into the ground and we need to do it for STUPID things like "Where's the 'any' key?". MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT TECHNICAL AD THEY WILL NEVER BE. Which ever OS, is in the lead, enjoys massive support, just because they're used more! The answer to the chicken and the egg problem, the answer to anti-competition, the answer to the masses is, continue to make to better! Better for the non-technical. THis idea of open selfishness is the stupidist thing I have ever heard. The very idea and core of open software is sharing. Great progress has been made. We are still far off and NEED the non-technical users on board! Got it? Good. Now get to work. Do your part. Whatever that is but shut up with the childish fussing (save mine :P ) on forums. It only wastes time. I got go eat!
    ReplyDelete
  55. I have 2 out 3 of my home pc's now running Linux - the only reason I keep one laptop around on Windows is because Netflix "Watch Now" movies can only play in IE with Silverlight. I can't wait for the day that I can ditch Windows all together.
    ReplyDelete
  56. Although Linux is great, it is still impossible for me to take any distribution and put it on my grandmas computer. Only at that point can I see it taking over Windows. That would be that day you do not need to open a terminal. As long as a user has to open the terminal to do anything, you've lost your audience and it's no longer easy to use. And after about a week, sure Ubuntu is fine, but you'll end up going into the terminal.
    ReplyDelete
  57. Ubuntu is coming out on netbooks. It also makes it at least 50 bucks cheaper.
    ReplyDelete
  58. I think Ubuntu has been coming with netbooks for a while now, although only version 8.04. They should switch to 9.04 w/ ext4.
    ReplyDelete
  59. I`m 60% geek and I make my living in the Information Technology industry.
    I dual boot my desktop and laptop machines With Linux and Windows and I`m always comparing the latest Windows and Linux offerings.
    Windows invariably ends up as my primary OS because there is no other OS that allows me to do everything so easily.
    To get Linux to the same level of Windows do evethingness takes weeks if not months,and eventually I hit a wall and boot back into Windows because I don't feel like loosing another day of my life researching a workaround for something that I could do within a few minutes in Windows.
    The thing that I find Ironic,is that I put most of my less than technical friends and family on Linux as they're needs are very basic compared to mine, and they have a hard time messing up Linux just by surfing the internet.
    Which means less support and headaches for me.
    In my opinion Windows is easier to customize and in the hands of an expert you can get it to do anything with far less effort than Linux.
    Right now I`m using the latest versions SUSE,Ubuntu and Windows 7.
    I`m VERY impressed with Windows 7. I think that the Linux distros are improving at a faster rate than Windows, but in my opinion Linux has still got a long way to go before I completely give up Windows.
    ReplyDelete
  60. Windows has almost completely eliminated the need to use a terminal window.

    Linux still uses its terminal somewhat. Although it is decreasing that need every time a new disktro comes out.

    I am a new user of the installed Ubuntu 9.04. I have it booting with Vista and 7.

    Really no need for me to boot back into windows Except to get passwords I saved on IE that I cant get off.

    My wife laptop is Vista. Of course she uses Outlook 07 and has a WIn mobile device.

    If I have a question or problem I search it on Google and it brings up a boatload of info. Mostly from the Ubuntu forums.
    ReplyDelete
  61. Ubuntu 9.04 (the stable version) is defiantly a choice for the standard end-user who needs to use the Internet and an office suite. I actually switched from dual-booting to full Ubuntu, because Vista would either just give me BSOD on startup or explorer.exe would crash. Reinstalled 3 times. Ubuntu wins, no questions. Windows 7 is defiantly an improvement over Vista, and has better compatibility with applications (more companies need to start porting applications to Linux!!), but most applications that people use either have a Linux version or Open Source replacement. Here are some examples.

    Photoshop -> GIMP (or GIMPshop for a similar UI)
    Microsoft Office -> OpenOffice.org
    Internet Explorer -> Firefox
    Outlook -> Evolution Mail
    3DS Max/Maya -> Blender 3D
    And many more...
    ReplyDelete
  62. Just a guy said...

    I'm a Senior Software Engineer that has tried out many flavors of Linux in the past (including Ubuntu) and here's my two cents:

    The reality is that whilst Linux IS a superior operating system and currently does not have the same issues in terms of how quickly issues are patched up, viruses etc that Windows does - the two are currently NOT equal. If you code software for a living, sure..you can comfortably use Ubuntu to do what you need. But what if you're a Graphics Designer or a Business User?

    Anyone here that attempts to claim the GIMP is even one tenth as powerful as PhotoShop is just kidding themselves. Where are my custom filters? Where's my intuitive UI? Where's my application for developing Flash animations or interfaces? Where's my equivalent for Adobe Illustrator?. It's just not there yet and until it is, I as a developer and a designer am not going to get everything I need in Linux that I can on OSX or Windows.

    As for document editing..I spent two months writing up a Masters thesis in OpenOffice and to be honest..the experience completely sucked. Image positioning sucked. Formula editing sucked and in the end..I had to redo the whole thing in Microsoft Word. It was a complete waste of time.

    The Linux community have had YEARS to get simple tools like OpenOffice on par with Word 2003 (I'm not even talking about 2007) so where is my basic functionality?

    I refuse to accept the notion that just because a piece of software is provided for Linux which is supposed to provide equivalent functionality that in reality..it just doesn't. Linux users are typically people who don't require these things and when they do recommend the OS to others they can sometimes do so without realizing it's not yet ready for everything.

    I'm not a big Mac or Windows fan (all OS's have their own flaws) but to say that Linux has matured to the same levels as it's commercial competitors or that it offers even near equal functionality is an outright lie.
    April 26, 2009 8:10 PM

    I think "Just a guy's" post sums it up better than my previous post.
    Gimp is not a Photoshop equivalent.
    Evolution dose not do everything that Outlook dose.
    Sauerbraten is not Crysis.
    Linux is great for basic use and in some ways is arguable better than Windows... BUT open source applications are not on the same level as the commercial competitors.
    ReplyDelete
  63. DigitalDieter I think you hit the nail square on the head.
    ReplyDelete
  64. ubuntu is just great
    you dont need to install printer drivers or anything else it just works
    but lets face it
    flash works not as good as in windows
    directx activex
    and so on
    if they fix it its gonna be the best os
    also the interface sux
    looks like from 80s or something :)
    one more thing we need a decent photo editor movie editor!!!
    ReplyDelete
  65. just now im playing with my kubuntu and searching google for "Kubuntu ubuntu windows 7 discussion" and i found this. what i can say is that kubuntu is really a threat for windows especially after i played around with it just now. almost everything you want is in kubuntu. Internet browsing, playing music, working with office documents (thanks to open office), it's all in there. though games is really for windows. With the basic needs in there plus the traditional features that linux offers (security and realibility) its really a threat especially on the netbooks market right now. Ubuntu/Kubuntu just really need more marketing which i think still dominated by windows especially in selling laptops bundled with vista saying "###COMPANY### recommends Windows Vista in there laptops" :(
    ReplyDelete
  66. "Windows has almost completely eliminated the need to use a terminal window.

    Linux still uses its terminal somewhat. Although it is decreasing that need every time a new disktro comes out. "

    --- i like the terminal in linux, and still like dos or cmd for quite some time in windows. I usually run my application in windows by using the "run" and typing the command then clicking enter :) old school but i still like it because its where i started :) kids right all know is using a pointer then clicking :)
    ReplyDelete
  67. Most of these tests are run on a vanilla install. I would rather see two systems with all commonly used applications installed such as email, ***productivity***, plugins and extras such as flash or shockwave, PDF and other viewers, video and media applications, and so on...

    ----

    productivity???? haha!
    maybe in games i'll agree, windows have that advantage :)

    how about asking a not so techie person or a office person who use's the old MS Office 2000 in there everyday work to use

    MS Office 2007 and Open Office 2.2

    what do u think the person will pick in terms of productivity? hahaha :)

    MS Office 2007 mess up the buttons and menus that we used to love :)

    and thats what you call productivity :)
    ReplyDelete
  68. The real reason why X is better then Y, is not in the characteristics of X and Y itself. When one claims that X is better there is another unaccounted variable: the driver. While it might not seem like a big deal, I believe that the person behind the wheel makes all the difference to the 'efficiency' of the vehicle. Just because one car requires less oil changes doesn't mean its a better car. In the end, a responsible owner will be able to successfully maintain any piece of equipment as long as he understands what he is doing.
    That being said, my argument is this. The reason why Linux seems to be a better Os is not necessarily because of Linux, but rather it is because of owner that such system attracts. A random person off the streets would probably not know what linux is, therefore it is safe to assume that linux owner is somewhat (above average) experienced and knowledgeable in computers.
    2nd: being easily modified, Linux attracts users that are qilling to learn/ understand the consequences of their actions. So that user will have an idea of common sense/understanding.
    ...well you get my point.
    so in the end, if you take 'successful linux owner' and place him behind the wheel of windows or even OSx, the only thing that will change is 'successful ______ owner"
    successful still stays within the equation.
    The real reason why windows is bad is because it is stuffed down mass audience throat, and in that audience there are countless of people who would drive their car off a cliff just because their GPS told them to.
    Can you blame the GPS in the end?
    SO the real question,
    IF NOT FOR THE BAD HARDWARE/SOFTWARE EXCUSE, WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO BLAME?
    ReplyDelete
  69. I've only just found this blog - had great fun reading the comments. Firstly, I am a senior software engineer (ie. read geek). I've used linux since 0.91alpha (1992). I've used almost every MS OS since MSDOS1.0 . I have programmed linux kernel modules/windows drivers and more. I know a little bit about computers :) That probably puts me automatically into the Linux camp, however here are a few of my thoughts.

    From a software perspective, the linux kernel is superior to the win kernel - better multitasking and IO scheduling which means its slightly faster/smoother (read the slightly bit :) Vista (ironically) had good improvements to the kernel which were unfortunately drowned by other performance issues.

    The linux filesystem (even ext2) is vastly superior to NTFS at file access. This translates to much better small/multiple file performance. In straight throughput (ie one large big file), they are both pretty much hardware bound.

    Windows biggest achilles heal is the filesystem - thats what seems to slow down the system. To try to fix this, a lot is cached in memory (ie. registry). This means there is less memory to run stuff - you swap quicker - slow.

    The IO scheduling is also annoying (ie. CDROM access causes an mp3 to stutter etc).

    With a good filesystem, I think any performance issues would be minimalised, and then it would be down to simply ease of use and available software. Most of this is personal choice.

    For those who think linux is difficult, my daughter was using ubuntu at 5, and quite happily configuring her desktop, downloading and upgrading flash for firefox, and generally trying to use all my monthly bandwidth. Most people don't like linux because its not what they are used to. Anyone who has no experience in computers would probably have the same user experience in linux or windows as they had nothing to compare against.

    To summarise this (longer than I intended) post, each OS has advantages. Linux may be technically superior, but windows has most of the toys. The linux toys are just as fun, but you have to look under the bed sometimes rather than the toy box :)
    ReplyDelete
  70. What about the virus and spyware problems in Windows???
    3D games will not help in any way fight viruses..
    And the person who said that linux is not a mainstream OS has to do some research on the internet..
    If the benchmark has not considered the minimum requirement of Windows then it has also not considered that Linux is much more secure => needs more processing!!
    ReplyDelete
  71. here is what will happen in oh say 7 years from now give or take a year or 2. microsoft will some how some way manage to sue "Ubuntu" or opensource. mark my words. if u seen or remember the bull s$%# bill gates pulled with apple in the 80's. lets not forget about winbl0ws 95 issue with the internet exloder crap that they pulld putting companies out of buisness. MS owns the computer "world" MAC is a rich mans desktop linux is for people like me who are tired of paying out the pocket for garbage software. oh no but what about 3D gaming WoW lol please i played that game on my bros winbl0ws machine that game isnt even worth paying for not let alone worth playing.


    Jazon said:

    "I' have been using Kubuntu as my main OS for a year now. No regrets switching from Windows. Am even happier because I know unlike Windows users I need not worry much about maintenance and threats."

    That's an excellent attitude for getting stung by malicious individuals.

    A system is only as secure as its user is vigilant; linux is not a silver bullet against the malware hordes. After all, no system can protect itself from users who nonchalantly click "yes" on security warnings, either through ignorance or a misplaced belief such as the one I quoted above. <---are u an idiot 99.8% of all virus,malware,spyware,adware and what ever kinda threat ware out there ONLY targets microsoft i.e winbl0ws machines do the research. i agree with u Jazon
    ReplyDelete
  72. blender is an equivalent to 3ds max? gimp an equivalent of photoshop? don't comment on things that you don't have experience on.. no 3ds artist would touch blender when they have the array of plugins and support that max and maya gives you.. yes u can run it through wine but why would you when u can just simply run it on windows without the hastle of trying to get wine run the softwares? heck.. i needed weeks trying to run GTA4 on wine and still can't run it.
    ReplyDelete
  73. oh.. and windows requires 1gb of RAM minimum.. not playing fair now testing windows 7 under 512 ram now is it? tho u mentioned u tested it with 1gb of ram theres not much difference i doubt that is posible considering the difference. most people who moan bout vista in my experience did'nt even have 1gb of ram to begin with.. anyone with decent 4gb ram had no problems with it
    ReplyDelete
  74. I'm a web developper and was just curious into what is the "hype" around ubuntu... I will probably install it on an old machine I have in the corner, to test it, but from what I can read, it will be years before it's my main OS...

    The problem in this "Ubuntu vs. Windows" debate is that it seems that all the Linux fans are really downplaying the problems, solutions, workarounds with the OS.

    You want to play games: you have to spend days tweeking or run it with Wine (whatever that is), and maybe it'll work...

    You want Photoshop: use CS2 in Wine again, or use Gimp (give me a break.!)

    You want Skype: sorry use something else or Skype 2 (instead of 4)

    You want the internet: fine use Firefox (which I adore) but when you get on IE only site, well, too bad...

    You want to do anything: you'll probably have to learn another way to do it...

    You want a fast, reliable, secure OS: you'll most certainly have to tweek, search, test, google for days...

    I mean, every problem that longtime everyday Windows users come up with, you seem to minimize it's importance, minimize the solution difficulty... You don't take the actual user into the deal... It's not Ubuntu vs. Windows: it's PEOPLE using their SOFTWARES on ubuntu vs. PEOPLE using their SOFTWARES on windows...

    I'm sorry, but until I read about people using graphic tools (Photoshop IS the norm, + Flash + Illustrator), playing games, using popular VOIP, all this WITHOUT tweeks and stuff, well ubuntu will remain a limited OS for a limited market...
    ReplyDelete
  75. This geeked out scored, benchmarked comparison of Windows 7 VS Ubuntu is pointless, because it doesn’t reflect real world use.
    I use Windows 7 AND Ubuntu.
    I use Windows 7 on my main PC gaming machine... it’s no doubt the best Windows offering to date.
    I dual boot and use the use both on my laptop.
    I'm very happy with the latest version of Ubuntu, especially now that I’ve got Compiz setup and tweaked just the way I like it.
    I tend to use Ubuntu for surfing the web and viewing multimedia... Compiz makes the OS so much fun to use when multitasking...I love flipping between multiple desktops using the Compiz panoramic wall effect.
    Windows is still my primary OS When it comes to work, because who has time to look for comparable software alternatives when you just want to boot up and get the job done.
    I still install Ubuntu for people whose computer needs are VERY BASIC, it breathes life into older hardware, and it’s SOMEWHAT less problematic than Windows...its fast, free and stable.
    As I’ve said before no OS is perfect …it really depends on the user’s needs, preferences and skill level.
    Anyone who tells a less then technical user that they can do anything on Linux as they could on Windows, is either ignorant or a liar.
    Sure you’ll probably spend less time on break fix support, but don’t be surprised when they come crawling back begging you to reinstall Windows because they prefer MSN messenger over the open source chat client or they want to use some common software like Quicktax.
    Ubuntu is an awesome free Windows alternative… and I think Linux in general deserves the attention of anyone who really enjoys computers.
    FACE FACTS ALL YOU ANGRY LITTLE “THERE IS ONLY ONE OS ONLY” LITTLE GEEKS!!! EASY use of the obviously more advanced world of Windows based commercial software is by and large lost when you run Linux.
    ReplyDelete
  76. First of all ... what's with all the activity on an article months old and no longer relevant? Oh, yeah! Win7 is coming out real soon now.

    In response to Anonymous (Oct 19) -- I don't believe I EVER downplay problems with Ubuntu. In fact, I tend to go the other way. As I've often said, if your life revolves around Windows-only software (games, Photoshop, Outlook, or whatever), don't cause yourself grief and try to switch. You wouldn't buy a PS# or Wii if Halo is your game, would you? That said, CS3 and CS4 run fine in Wine with virtually no tweaking. See the page about it --http://wiki.winehq.org/AdobePhotoshop. You can also run IE6 and 7 if you want to. There's no solution to the Skype problem, though people are working on it. It's a very difficult protocol to reverse-engineer and is layered in obfuscation and encryption.

    It took me two years to re-engineer my life so that I never needed to use a Windows program. That was in 2000. It's likely much more difficult now.

    DigitalDieter -- keep it civil or I'll start deleting posts. A reasonable debate debate of the issues is fine. Flamebait and screaming aren't.
    ReplyDelete
  77. Daengbo: My post wasn't really directed at you, your article clearly states a bunch of stats/facts, without sounding biased. It will probably be the reason I end up installing it on a test machine, and see how difficult/easy it is to set up, and how close I can come to my actual Windows personal/work setup.

    It was more directed at others comments that almost ignore any problems mentioned by offering a solution that in many case isn't an acceptable solution.

    Anyway, I think it's just a shame that ubuntu isn't closer to windows in terms of ease of use. If/when it proves to be more easy to use, especially for non-tech savvy user, it will probably become a real competition to Windows (think Firefox).

    One question for Linux gurus: Why is it that Linux/Ubuntu is said to be so secure..? (to the point you almost don't need AV)

    Is it because simply no viruses are programmed for Linux (like Macs), or is there something special about Linux architecture/core that makes it less vulnerable to attacks..?
    ReplyDelete
  78. My response was too long. I created a new post for it: http://blog.ibeentoubuntu.com/2009/10/anonymous-asks-why-is-it-that.html
    ReplyDelete
  79. Ubuntu, and most other flavors of Linux, surpass Windows in practically all areas, minus running Games and Apps, due to the relatively small amount of programs available for linux.

    If I wasn't a gamenut, i would never use Windows again. Unfortunately, I am. Ubuntu s still my primary OS, and always will be :D
    ReplyDelete
  80. ... hey there u geeks , here is a 'common man's' thinking. I am a medical student and my college's pathology department has been using linux successfully for years. It is much more stable they say (with all the profs and students plugging there pen drives in and out all day long) ... and then u say that linux is not for masses !!
    ReplyDelete

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