Ubuntu Vs. Vista

[briggsb]

Discuss

[frequenicity]

Another brilliant comparison! I was thinking to myself the other day that it had been a while since one of these reviews...and it was certainly worth the wait.

[briggsb]

http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_vs_Vista_BBSpot_Style

BTW, it got buried on Digg, if anyone wants to try to unbury it, feel free to vote. Thanks.

[Dave]

I love these comparisons. I think the addition of the Completely Made Up Category is a nice addition.

As for Ubuntu vs. Vista in real life, I've never used Vista so I'm not really qualified for a specific comparison, but I do have Ubuntu (Kubuntu Edgy) and while I am very impressed with it as an OS, there are some issues that I can see preventing it from reaching the everyday-user popularity it needs. I have been able to resolve my issues because of my level of computer expertise, but there are just too many things that require command-line usage or editing text configuration files for the average casual user to readily adopt it. Personally, I like having this stuff in easy-to-edit text files, and am not afraid of the prompt (been using MSDOS since 3.0). And learning how to do this stuff advances your level of knowledge, but for non-technical people who don't have the time, or don't want to spend it learning the technical details, the learning curve is too steep.

What may change all this (and what I hope succeeds) is major manufacturers like Dell pre-installing and supporting Linux distributions, removing or mitigating the problems end users fear most, Getting Things To Work, and Fixing Things When They Break. This could advance widespread adoption of Linux much more rapidly than any other factor. If enough users see how easy some things in Linux can be, and how robust an OS can be, then more users will use it, and more importantly software developers will write their programs for it, and only then will it have a shot at overtaking Windows as the dominant OS.

I recently made a system restore CD containing drivers and software for when I had to reinstall Windows XP (not actually MS fault, bad hard drive). The vast majority of the software is free (GPL or similar), and most of the programs have Linux versions. Web browsers, office suites, IM programs, email clients, most of the stuff most people need. The basic apps are already there, but a lot of specialized software (most importantly games) still tends to be MS-only. Ironically, the proliferation of web-based applications that Microsoft long-ago envisioned as the future for its software may actually ease the transition of users to other OS like Linux.

I haven't had recent experience with a Mac, but maybe their own flavor of Linux is exactly the sort of solution to help speed the transition. Food for thought: what if Microsoft released and supported their own Linux distribution? What if the next Windows was Linux-based? Would this be a poor decision for Microsoft, or would they conquer the [OS] world?

FYI, I have generally been a Microsoft fan over the years, usually reluctant to adopt the new OS, but eventually appreciating the improvements they offer over the previous versions. I like the balance of ease-of-use and technical control Windows has traditionally offered. I'm always looking for new and better things (and cheaper), however, and I think Ubuntu is on the path to mainstream acceptance. I have not used Macs since OS 8, at which time the OS did not suit me. I'll leave it up to a current Mac user to fill in the gaps here.
_________________
-Dave
"I, for one, welcome our new Google overlords."

[briggsb]

I haven't installed Linux for a while, so it's about time for me to check it out again. The hype over Ubuntu seems rather artificial to me. I'm not sure why, it just does.

[hethrir]

Is this purely an Ubuntu only distro comparison, or can it be Linux in general?

This is a little you tube video of Beryl (3D window manager) vs Vista 3D wise. The tested machine is running Ubuntu but Beryl can be installed on any distro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC5uEe5OzNQ

I personally don't like Ubuntu and prefer a mid level tech:user friendly ratio distro like SuSE (which is the greatest eva!11!!). Ubuntu has made some things a little too difficult to do with their user friendly angle.

[frequenicity]

IMO, Beryl kicks the crap out of both Aero and Aqua (os x).

Not only can you do SOOOO much more, but it has a much better footprint (well, at least lighter than Aero).

Seriously....transparent window borders and Flip 3D? In the words of Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker, "Well la-dee-freakin-da!"

[briggsb]

[frequenicity]

[briggsb]

[hethrir]