October is a big month for computer nerds.
Windows 7 (October 22nd) and Ubuntu 9.10 (October 29th) will both be released.
Two major updates to two of the biggest operating systems around.
But which should you use? Which is the best for your particular needs?
Let’s take a moment and rate them on each area (Photo Organizing, Gaming, etc.).
And, heck, while we’re at it… let’s compare them both with Apple’s latest: MacOS X 10.6 (aka “Snow Leopard”).
A quick disclaimer: I am the co-host of the Computer Action Show (previously the “Linux Action Show”) and am definitely a fan of Linux. That said I also spent several years as a professional MacOS developer and currently specialize in cross platform software development (translation: I spend a lot of time in Windows, MacOS and Linux). So I’m no stranger to any of them.
I promise to try and be fair to each. Let’s get started.
Look and Feel
This is a fairly contested topic.
Does it matter what an operating system looks like? Some people say, and with good reason, that it’s far more important how it works and far less important how it looks.
That said: There’s no denying that a good looking system grabs peoples attention. And, a more modern looking system, is likely to be looked upon in a more favorable light.
MacOS X has long been the champion in this regard (at least according to most people). With its transparent buttons and it’s “Aqua” look and feel, it has been the poster-child for good looking software for several years. And Mac OS X 10.6 definitely improves upon the existing designs. However there is almost no ability to customize your Mac’s look and feel. It has to remain exactly as Apple designed it. Which is a bummer.
Ubuntu 9.10 is, likewise, a great improvement over past Ubuntu releases.
If there is one word that has been used to describe Ubuntu it has been “brown” (or “orange”). Ubuntu has never been “ugly”… but it certainly has been in need of a new hair cut. In Ubuntu 9.10 the look and feel is classy. Not a dramatic departure from past releases, but significantly more polished. Plus it is infinitely customizable. Don’t like the theme? The icons? The UI layout in general? There are simple ways to change them all.
Plus there’s compiz. Which is the bees-knees of 3D effects (think: “3D Rotating Cube Desktop”) for any operating system.
Windows Vista was a pretty significant change (from a look and feel standpoint) over Windows XP. Transparencies. Updated colors and general design improvements.
Windows 7 takes those improvements a step further. The traditional Windows Task Bar has been significantly improved (with cool “peek” effects). And the general design is consistent (for the most part) and pleasing on the eye. Plus Windows 7 has some very cool customization options (such as color hues, transparency levels and desktop gadgets) that are nice to see. Not as customizable as Ubuntu, but more so than MacOS X.
Look and Feel Winner: Windows 7
A great out of the box experience. Customizable enough for most people. Polished and refined. OS X looks good. And Ubuntu can be made (with work) to look even better than both. But Windows 7 provides the slickest experience for most.
Photo Organizing
This is something we all do. Some of us have only a small handful of pictures. Others have tens of thousands of family photos that need to be organized, edited, enhanced and shared.
Windows has not, traditionally, made available a great (or, really, any) photo organizing application. This has changed with Windows Live Photo Gallery.
Windows Live Photo Gallery is… okay. It provides a decent way to browse and organize the photos on your hard drive with basic tagging and searching features in addition to a few more advanced features (such as Panoramic Stitching). It does the job, but isn’t a deal maker or breaker.
With MacOS X, you have iPhoto. Which looks great and has quite a few very cool features (including a facial recognition system: how cool is that?!).
However iPhoto has one, huge, Achiles’ heel: it stores your photos in a proprietary, locked down way. So, if you ever decide to move your photo collection to another computer that is not running MacOS 10.6? Hosed.
Ubuntu 9.10 has F-Spot. Visually, F-Spot looks okay. Nothing to write home about… fairly plain looking (though a step up from Windows Live Photo Gallery).
It also lacks many of the awesome features found in Windows Live Photo Gallery and iPhoto (you won’t find Panoramic Stitching or Facial Recognition here).
What it does offer is all the basic organizing, tagging and enhancing features people typically need in a very fast package. Plus it has the best options for sharing your photos of the bunch (with full support for Flickr, Smugmug, Picassa Web, Gallery2, etc. right out of the box).
Photo Organizing Winner: Ubuntu 9.10
I take a lot of photos. I’m not a professional photographer, just a guy with a nice camera and a habit of snapping photos all the time. F-Spot is the easiest, fastest and least “in my way” photo organizer I have found. For this, I give this win to Ubuntu.
Video Editing
Not everyone edits videos. But, for those of us that do, this is a must-have feature. Even if we’re just doing some basic edits to a home movie we filmed of a birth day party (and adding a little bit of title text to be fancy), it’s something we simply can’t do without.
Microsoft’s solution to this is the Windows Live Movie Maker. It’s a simple tool that handles the basics. On the upside, it is pretty easy to use and comes with some very nice transition effects and titles. But, for anything more, you’re going to need to go out and buy a more expensive software editing package (such as Adobe Premier or Sony Vegas).
Apple, on the other hand, ships new Macs with iLife. Which includes iMovie and iDVD. The combination of these two applications is pretty extraordinary. They allow for simple video editing, using some stellar effects, as well as numerous options for authoring your own (professional looking) DVDs.
But what about Ubuntu?
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Ubuntu 9.10 not only does not ship with any video editing software, there is (at present) no polished piece of software that an average user can pick up and create videos with. Certainly not anywhere near on the level of what is doable with iMovie or Windows Live Movie Maker.
Video Editing Winner: MacOS X 10.6
The clear winner here is iMovie. Let’s be honest: This is the reason many people bought a Mac in the first place, and for good reason. High quality. Easy to use. Excellent. Windows 7 isn’t far behind in this area, but Ubuntu 9.10 trails by a mile.
Music
This is a difficult category for me.
On Ubuntu there is a great music player called Banshee that, in my mind, is the best there is (on any operating system).
On Windows there is the Zune software. Which is, actually, quite a fantastic music player and manager.
But neither Zune nor Banshee ship with their respective operating systems. And many people will not think to go and download them (unless they buy a Zune, perhaps). So I’m going to pretend like these two don’t exist for the sake of this category.
On Windows 7, out of the box, there is… Windows Media Player. Which is better than it used to be.
That’s all I can really say good about it. As a music player it is clumsy and difficult to use. And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to get frustrated when I am trying to simply play a song or two.
For MacOS X 10.6 there is iTunes. We all know iTunes. Apple has made a bajillion dollars (give or take) because of iTunes.
iTunes works. It’s fairly simple to use and it has all the features most people will ever need in a music player. Plus it looks pretty nice and is backed by an easy to access music store (which most people will be happy with).
On the Ubuntu 9.10 side, there is Rhythmbox. Which is, for all intents and purposes, a pretty good music player. It has the basics and it works. But, if I’m being honest, it’s a bit ugly.
Music Winner: MacOS X 10.6
If this were a stack up against Zune, Banshee and iTunes — the result might be different. Nay. The results would definitely be different. But for a pure out of the box experience, iTunes takes the cake here. Giving the Music category to MacOS X.
Office Work
Everyone needs a word processor. That’s just the way it is. Most of us will use a spreadsheet or two (or 5,000) in our lifetimes. And I know a couple of guys that live or die by their presentation software.
Windows 7 ships with nothing. In order to get a usable set of office software you need to purchase something like Microsoft Office which is, admittedly, an excellent suite of tools. Word. Excel. PowerPoint. All staples of most office places.
But, out of the box? Nothing.
MacOS X 10.6 ships with nothing. Microsoft Office and iWork are both available for purchase and both are quite good and will do everything most people need (and more).
But. Again. Out of the box? Nothing.
Ubuntu 9.10 is the only of these that actually ships with a fully featured suite of office applications - Open Office.
Functionality-wise I would say that Open Office is about on-par with Microsoft Office (and significantly more powerful than Apple’s iWork). Look and feel wise… Open Office is not the most attractive in the world. It’s not ugly, but the other two office suites look quite a lot more modern.
Office Work Winner: Ubuntu 9.10
Having a fully functional, and well supported, office suite out of the box? That’s just plain incredible. The first thing many people do when installing Windows or MacOS X is install an office suite… that step isn’t even necessary with Ubuntu.
Gaming
We all play games. Some play solitaire. Others Sudoku. Others World of Warcraft. Either way, video games are a big deal. And a platform without good video games is in trouble.
And Ubuntu 9.10 seriously lacks in modern, commercial video games.
Sure, there are a lot of open source games available. Some of which are excellent. And, likewise, you can play a lot of games developed originally for Windows via WINE. While this works great for some games, it’s still not a perfect sollution. And most users simply won’t know it’s even available.
MacOS X 10.6 is in a similar spot. There are some big commercial games available, but not that many. And MacOS itself ships with very few games (just one actually).
Windows 7, on the other hand… now there is a system with some games.
For starters, Windows 7 ships with a number of casual games. All of which look incredible and modern.
Then there are the commercial games. Go down to any Best Buy, Target, Game Stop, etc… row after row of games built for Windows.
Gaming Winner: Windows 7
Hands down. No doubt. Not even a contest. If playing games is of critical importance to you - You should be using Windows 7. All three operating systems have Flash support. Meaning you can play the wide variety of casual games available on so many websites nowadays. So all is not lost on MacOS X or Ubuntu, but Windows 7 definitely wins.
Customizability
What, exactly, do I mean by “customizability”?
I mean how easy (or possible) is it to change the look and feel of your system? Or, taking it a step further, how easy is it to change the very core of how your system operates?
MacOS X 10.6 is about as buttoned down as you can get. You can’t change the look and feel at all really (other than to change the desktop background). You can’t easily replace your file browser or your Dock. With MacOS what you see out of the box is what you get.
Windows 7 is quite a bit more flexible. You can change the colors and transparency levels of your windows and there are a few different themes available. And you can customize your desktop with Gadgets to really make your desktop your own.
Ubuntu 9.10 is extremely flexible. Lots of themes. Easy to change your icons. The default “panels” that Ubuntu ships with? You can get rid of them… or make more. Heck, it’s even fairly easy to change the entire way you interact with your desktop (by installing a different Desktop Environment such as KDE 4).
Customizability Winner: Ubuntu 9.10
If you feel the need to control the way you interact with your computer - whether it be a look and feel that is uniquely you, or a specific way you want to interact and work… Ubuntu is for you. The “out of the box” experience may not be as flashy as MacOS X or Windows 7, but you can customize nearly every aspect of it to meet your mood and style.
Performance
All three operating systems perform well. Let’s get that out of the way right up front.
On all three you can play back high definition video and play great looking 3D games.
But what about perceived performance? How fast and responsive do each of these operating systems feel to use and interact with?
MacOS X 10.6 is a but sluggish. I hear the Mac-faithful screaming now. But, seriously, if you use all three operating systems (on modern hardware) on a regular basis, you begin to notice how often the dreaded “spinning beach ball of death” appears on MacOS X. It’s not a deal breaker. But it happens far, far too often. Likewise the file browsing experience (Finder) is quite sluggish even on modern (made this year) hardware.
Ubuntu 9.10 is nice and peppy. You don’t spend a lot of time sitting around waiting, while staring at an hour-glass or spinning beach ball. That said, launching some applications can be a bit pokey. Not as slow as MacOS X, but I’d like it to be faster.
Windows 7… is actually pretty snappy. Applications launch fast. Switching between running tasks is fast and easy to do. The overall system feels faster than it used to. I know that’s purely the perception, but it’s still significant. Though file browsing, like MacOS X, can be a bit too slow for my taste (and patience).
You’ll notice that I didn’t mention boot time here. They all perform well enough in this regard and I consider it a non-issue.
Performance Winner: Ubuntu 9.10
I am, honestly, not unhappy with the performance of any of these operating systems. Both MacOS X and Windows perform very well and this should not keep anyone from enjoying their computer. But Ubuntu is, indeed, the faster feeling of the bunch.
Programming
Software development is an area that very few people are actually going to care about. For those of us who develop software for a living (like myself) though… it is critical. On top of that, the easier it is to develop powerful software, the more great software there will (likely) be. And that is great for everyone.
MacOS X 10.6 has XCode. It is a mature, full featured development environment complete with a large supply of sample code and pretty good documentation. This makes developing native MacOS X applications a pretty straight forward process. Plus: XCode is free.
The downside is that the primary programming language for working on MacOS X is Objective-C, which almost nobody outside of the Apple world uses. This makes it more difficult to get started working on MacOS X if you come from another operating system. Likewise, experience developing with Objective-C is not overly useful elsewhere.
Windows 7 has many, many options available for developing software. Chief among them is Visual Studio, the defacto standard for so many Windows shops around the world. It’s robust and works incredibly well. Downside: Visual Studio is not cheap.
There are great options here for developers using any language (Java, C++, C#, Basic, etc.). As such it is a much more usable operating system for an average developer.
Ubuntu 9.10 is very similar to Windows 7 in this regard. Lots and lots of development tools with support for lots and lots of languages. As an added bonus, many of these development tools can be easily installed (for free) using the built in software repository.
Programming Winner: Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows 7 (A Tie!)
Both Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows 7 have a large collection of tools and languages immediately available. Many of these tools are high quality and mature. Either would be a great choice for any software developer.
Available Software
All of these features are great.
Sure, we want our computers to look good, run fast and play awesome games… but what about those weird little applications that we tend to need?
Things like: Family tree software, Animation creators, Scientific tools or 3D modelers. The list of tools that you might need goes on and on.
Ubuntu 9.10 does a fairly good job in this regard. There are large collections of great (and, in most cases, free) software available to handle most any “niche”. And installing them is, often, a simple process. Unfortunately quality is often lacking in many of these “niches” as most of the open source projects available for Ubuntu are developed by part-time, hobbyist, developers who simply cannot always compete with larger software firms.
Windows 7 has an almost rediculous amount of software available. Some are free. Others can cost a great deal. And the quality bar swings both ways as well.
But there is no getting around the immediate benefit of having so much software available for Windows. There is, literally, almost nothing you can get on another operating system that you can’t also get for Windows.
MacOS X 10.6 is somewhere in the middle. It has a moderate third party commercial software scene, and many larger firms port their Windows software to MacOS X. But not that many.
And many open source projects get ported from Linux over to MacOS X as well. But, again, not that many. And certainly not always with great results.
Available Software Winner: Windows 7
I know. It’s a given. There’s a lot of software for Windows. Honestly most of the software you might need is available for all three operating systems (in some form or another). And, with our growing reliance on web services (such as GMail and the rest of Google’s suite of tools), this may be a moot point for many people.
So… who wins? Here’s the final score.
Ubuntu 9.10 - 5
Windows 7 - 4
MacOS X 10.6 - 2
Technically, Ubuntu 9.10 has the most points. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
What if you need to edit video? Then, obviously, you’ll need to look at Windows 7 or MacOS X 10.6.
What if you need the latest in PC games? Windows 7 is for you.
Pick the area that is right for you and choose the operating system that handles that area best.
All that said…
Ubuntu wins.
October 14th, 2009 - 12:27 am
Nice to see a balanced look at all three. I use all three on a regular basis and have found that there’s been major improvements in both Ubuntu and in Windows. Nothing but good things can come out of solid OS’s and competition between Win/Lin/Apple.
October 14th, 2009 - 12:38 am
I’ve been very impressed with my limited exposure to Karmic, and see it as a vast improvement over Jaunty.
That being said, there are a handful of applications that I use that are OS X or Windows-specific (Evernote, Creative Suite 4), and therefore I have to make a choice. Because I only have an iBook G4 to run OS X, I’ve moved on to Windows 7.
Because I’m a student, I get a free copy of Windows 7 x64 Retail, and I’ve been really enjoying it. It is definitely an improvement over XP and Vista.
This was a great showdown article, and it’s making me think about reconsidering my full-time use of Windows 7. After all, what else do I have 8Gb of RAM in my desktop for if not to virtualize other operating systems?
October 14th, 2009 - 12:39 am
iPhoto’s Library isn’t a proprietary file. It’s just a folder that OS X’s Finder treats as a file (go into the terminal and you’ll see - it’s just a folder). Modified pictures are stored in the ‘Modified’ subfolder, and the originals of modified photos (plus all of your unedited ones) are in ‘Originals’ (how original…).
October 14th, 2009 - 12:43 am
Hopefully OpenShot will be mature by the time 10.04 rolls around and you won’t have to rip on the lack of a video editor
October 14th, 2009 - 1:08 am
I find your closing statements to be the most accurate for me. Not one single OS can get everything right. Day to day Ubuntu is perfect, call me crazy but Nautilus just kills file management no matter how awkward it is. Gaming, Windows. Any sort of media or graphic creation OS X. Its a shame you can’t run at least two at the same time in a transparent high performing way.
October 14th, 2009 - 1:12 am
Bryan, thanks for such a good comparison. I thought from listening to CAS it was only going to be Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.10 but you even threw in MAC. The comparison was fair and spot on. Thanks for being a voice of reason in the tainted tech world. Keep up the good work.
October 14th, 2009 - 2:25 am
Ubuntu wins for Office work when the most popular office suite isn’t available for it? Ubuntu won because you have to download OpenOffice for Windows or OSX?
How does Windows 7 tie with Ubuntu for programming? All of the good gpl programming tools are available in Windows. Furthermore Visual Studio is expensive but there are free versions that give you most of the functionality.
Why don’t you just be honest write an article called UBUNTU IS SUPER AWESOME YOU GUYZ. You’d at least appear to have more credibility.
October 14th, 2009 - 3:00 am
great article, not bias at all. I also believe linux and windows is a tie at programming. that .net can be pretty powerful. I have not played with win7 since RC1, ive been on linux since July and am pretty happy, my gaming is down, which is great cause now i get more things done, you forgot to mention kdenlive for linux. Its an awesome video editor. The ony thing i love about linux, its FAST. I cant stand using computers now that are not my own.
October 14th, 2009 - 3:30 am
You’ve definitely jumped the shark with this one. Ubuntu’s office suite on par with MS Office!? Ubuntu’s “programming tools” on par with Visual Studio? Why is Visual Studio’s cost a consideration? It’s supposed to be about what’s better.
Incidentally, I got 2 copies of Visual Studio 2008 Pro for free through my MSDNAA and DreamSpark accounts.
For people who don’t have that available to them, there are the free editions of Visual C# 2008 Express, VB.Net 2008 Express, Visual C++ Express, and Visual Web Developer 2008. Each of these are exponentially better than any of Ubuntu’s offerings.
Also, how is Windows Media player “difficult and clumsy to use”?
Also, what’s with your wacky game show host voice and Chris’ Scooby Doo voice? (When Chris says “RRReeeehhhlllo Briaaannn”) I tried to watch the latest episode of the Computer Action Show recently and could only make it through about the first 2 minutes before having to turn it off.
October 14th, 2009 - 3:52 am
@.NET jerkface:
It’s been pretty obvious, ever since the lame ‘calling Linux Hater out’ that Lunduke is just a Freetard pretending to have seen the light.
—-
These performance figures conflict with less biased ones from AnandTech:
I also cannot believe the article is trying to say that Linux dev tools are even in the same league as Windows’. Ubuntu ships with a very old version of Eclipse, even if it didn’t Eclipse and Netbeans are bloated, slow and don’t have anywhere near as many features as Visual Studio.
If you want cheap development tools, look to Visual Studio Express. However, any professional development shop will happily pay the cost of Visual Studio, since it will pay for itself in the amount of debugging and coding time saved.
It’s simply no contest: Eclipse, Netbeans et al. — like all the Linux software eco-system — are ten (plus) years behind Windows.
Lastly, the design of the startup screen and the desktop in 9.10 is incongruous. I’ve ranted about that somewhere else, so won’t repeat myself here. That’s what happens if you try getting designers to do speculative work: no professional will touch it with a barge pole.
October 14th, 2009 - 5:14 am
Nice article.
But iTunes? Seriously man, iTunes?! That is officially the very worst music player I have ever used, I even like the old MS Media Player more. Amarok hands down is the best one if you have huge music collection and are not locked down to apple propietary crap like iPod.
October 14th, 2009 - 5:19 am
A really huge development issue is no Flash IDE exists on Linux; not even a GIMP-esque crap imitator. I quite literally wouldn’t be able to do my job if I was using Linux.
I’m sure the freetards will say YouDontNeedThat(TM) thinking its just some frou frou app for making silly little animations. Yes, just a silly little app with 99% ubiquity on the web. That remaining 1% being the Linux users themselves who can’t actually run those flash apps.
October 14th, 2009 - 6:01 am
Lunduke, upon seeing your amazing UI design for “Do This Now” I am immediately reminded of this:
http://www.ok-cancel.com/comic/4.html
October 14th, 2009 - 6:14 am
i think linux win in music category too if you add amarok as music application.amarok seriously beating iTunes in every aspect
October 14th, 2009 - 6:30 am
Your review is biased towards Linux. End of story.
October 14th, 2009 - 7:45 am
There is one point you failed to mention where software is concerned for ubuntu.
Ubuntu is much smaller on the original install (and uses a lot less space than Mac/Win7) However as soon you have a running ubuntu OS you have access to a lot of software - all free and easy to install.
As for video editing what about these
cinelerra : http://ostatic.com/cinelerra/screenshot/1
kdenlive : http://www.kdenlive.org/
Linux has amazing audio software too.
Also I discovered a really great DVD creation tool - very professional - also the best quality Divx -> DVD conversion I have ever seen
2ManDVD : http://www.my-guides.net/en/content/view/170/26/
(download from the main site not getdeb.net)
(one of the issue with linux software is that people just do not know about it..)
October 14th, 2009 - 2:48 pm
W.T.F.
Ubuntu is better than Windows 7? As David Spade would say: “That’s like a dog turd making fun of a sunset.”
October 14th, 2009 - 4:41 pm
A very good read! I think it was pretty fair. But to save face for Ubuntu as far as video editing goes, I find Kdenlive to be a stable and well featured video editor.
Also KDE4 is maturing very well. You should do an article on Kubuntu. Personally since 4.3 was released, I’ve gone with Arch+KDEMod and find it a very pleasant experience.
Dugg.
P.S. typo @ “MacOS X 10.6 is a but sluggish.”
October 14th, 2009 - 5:52 pm
There are days when I feel like I’m in parallel universes, this is one of
them. We could probably port our POS software, bookkeeping software, etc to 9.10 but every damn WIN based proprietary piece
of sizing, specifying, etc software we use would still be WIN based. I
sit and wonder who really gives a rat’s on this new software, guess the home market still rules because Industry is still running XP and
will probably continue to do so.
October 14th, 2009 - 5:54 pm
This is a really good comparison between the three major OSes.
It’s true that there isn’t much software available for the Mac, but I have found that there is always a high-quality app out there that does what you need to. It isn’t that much more useful to have 100+ archive managers or text editors (or whatever) all along the quality spectrum than it is to have 4-5 excellent ones to choose from. I am never unable to *do* anything I need to on my Mac, when compared to my Ubuntu and Windows XP machines, though I sometimes need to pay for the software tools I want to use.
October 14th, 2009 - 6:26 pm
@Ken Ham
Everyone knows Anandtech screwed up his install and was also using an older 8.04 version of Ubuntu… many have re-done that test with varying results. Face it, AnandTech may know a lot about hardware and Windows, but nothing about Linux/*nix.
As for me, I’m in the visual arts (design/painting) and used to use Macs for a long time (back when they were cool and not fashion victim fodder)
I tried out Ubuntu Studio back when it was the 7.10 release… and fell in love with CinePaint and Inkscape. Yes, they lacked some of the features found in Adobe CS, but altering my workflow and style a bit easily overcame these… and my work hasn’t suffered, quality wise. The only program I miss is Corel Painter, so I occasionally boot Win XP through VirtualBox and load it up. Other than that, I’ve fully migrated to Linux now (currently use Studio 64 and Ubuntu Studio 32)…. The quality of my work has improved (though this might be sown to my actual skills improving rather than Linux), I seem to get things done faster, and I save quite a bit of money yearly.
Linux has come a long way. It still fails miserably for serious video work, but that’s the only thing it lacks, IMO. It’s actually overtaken Mac/Win in the sound department… many DJ/Producers in the electronic music scene have been using Linux for the past couple of years (mainly Ardour (open source alternative to Pro Tools) for production work, and they rave about it in droves.
The main problem with Linux is, like it has always been, you need to customize and edit quite a bit to make it run specialized stuff, but the results blow almost everything else away if you can get that far (like how some Hollywood Studios use a special build of Cinepaint).
Just my 2 cents.
October 14th, 2009 - 6:49 pm
@Lunduke
Your review lacks two important items, so important that I can hardly believe you forgot about them. One is security and the other is stability.
This is the major drawback of windows. Consumers, professionals and companies around the world spend the GDP of several first world nations to fix those security and stability problems on windows. Problems which are virtually non existent on Ubuntu and OSX.
October 14th, 2009 - 8:11 pm
Pretty useful and comprehensive comparison. I think it clears many things up for a general computer user. I’m a techie myself, and will find your review useful the next time I’m going to buy a computer. Thanks
October 14th, 2009 - 9:15 pm
Home, hobby, or serious business use…there are domains for Os’s and software use and Ubuntu would despite its excelling areas have to overcome the fear of the business users and their Widows dominated technical departments. I’m not sure if it will ever to the unenlightened. MAC OS and Windows are omnipresent due to their market penetration or niche excellence. Ubuntu must find that niche and a killer app that cannot run on anything but Ubuntu which will bring it into the light. I may be wrong (I hope I am for it is worth its weight) but for now I fear Ubuntu may stay in the realm of the educational or cash strapped. Otherwise great article Bryan, keep them coming.
October 14th, 2009 - 11:14 pm
Ubuntu must find that niche and a killer app that cannot run on anything but Ubuntu which will bring it into the light.
Anything useful in Linux just gets ported to Windows since the software is open source which ironically undermines the usefulness of Linux as an open source desktop.
The real problem with Linux is the ideology behind it. We have seen the push for desktop Linux for over a decade and it has become clear that volunteer gpl programmers cannot produce enough software to make Linux competitive with Windows or OSX. Either drop the anti-proprietary ideology or accept that Linux will be a niche system for at least another decade.
Programmers need to get paid, and Stallman needs to be ignored.
October 15th, 2009 - 2:53 am
Great article!
To those who recomended curent Linux video editors, it just does not cut it. I have high hopes on OpenShot!
A way to pay programmers: The Linux foundation and the FSF should also give incentives to programmers and projects and not just focus on the Linux Kernel.
Stallman wants the “best” but his ideologies are freak-fan-based and non objective.
There’s not much documentation for Linux software development, and tools are not very UI friendly like the MS Visual series. Same thing happens with Direct X and OpenGl!
I agree that you missed security and stability, but let’s be honest, we all know Linux would win and Mac would be right next to it. More points on Linux would’ve made it more unbelievable to Windows fans and linux hater’s blog readers.
I have to say it: great article! Excellent!!
Javier
October 15th, 2009 - 3:47 am
I’ve been working with PC’s for a long time. Too long in my mind. The newest releases of Linux are by far the winners. I know Windows users will scream their point but after soo many years of Microsoft producing poor quality products (the ones they actually created) its nice to see Linux coming into the mainstream. Non techie users are finally able to have something to use with full control at whatever level they are comfortable with. The good security, almost no virus issues and the available free apps are all thats needed. Heck, most of the apps needed are already included with Linux on the install CD.
One of the things that really get people angry are how well their old PC’s run after we install Linux on them. Angry? Yes. Our customers are the ones that just bought a new PC with Vista and paid a ton of money for it. What we do is load up their old “dead” PC with a free Ubuntu operating system, they take it home to try it out and it runs better than their new PC with Windows. Of course they never would have believed it without seeing them side by side but after actually trying them they are generally pretty upset at the money they just wasted on another Windows operating system that shares all the same issues with the previous versions.
October 15th, 2009 - 6:58 am
if only you had included Kubuntu, it would have blown away Win 7 in the looks department. Plus it comes with Amarok
October 15th, 2009 - 9:16 am
@ Ken Ham
“It’s been pretty obvious, ever since the lame ‘calling Linux Hater out’ that Lunduke is just a Freetard pretending to have seen the light.”
You mean Lunduke the ‘freetard’ that sells a number of closed source apps? BTW, Linux Hater didn’t take him up on the challenge… maybe it is he/she that has seen the light…
October 16th, 2009 - 8:29 am
Programming in windows is fine as long as you stick to the standard tools (Visual Studio and its sisters), none of which is included in the default installation. Windows does not have a decent programmer’s editor by default. Ubuntu has a reasonable editor plus some programming frameworks installed by default. Installing others is so much easier.
Try writing small scripts in windows: ruby, R or bash. So much harder to organize an efficient workflow in windows than in Linux.
October 16th, 2009 - 3:05 pm
“You mean Lunduke the ‘freetard’ that sells a number of closed source apps? BTW, Linux Hater didn’t take him up on the challenge… maybe it is he/she that has seen the light…”
Looking at Lunduke’s actions towards the FSF it’s obvious he isn’t a full-up freetard anymore. It’s just a case of waiting now for the ‘It’s better because it’s free’ propaganda to wear off and then he’ll see Linux for the bag of crufty hacks that it is.
This whole ‘fight’ was rigged for Linux to win anyway - I mean MS get nailed to the wall for bundling IE yet Ubuntu wins for bundling a whole office suite - where is the sense in that? Not to mention the fact that you can download OO for Windows/OSX in 5 seconds plus have your options open for MS Office if you want, while with Linux you are stuck with OO, and even then you are saddled with whatever old version is in the repo’s.
Not to mention Ubuntu winning ‘performance’ with such vague claims as it ‘feels faster’. Scientific. I forgot, everyone ‘knows’ it’s faster - who needs metrics. What about the fact that Win32 Firefox runs faster in Wine than the native Linux version?
It’s irrelevant though really. If you do any type of comparison such as this and want to maintain your ‘tech creds’ you have to rig it so Linux wins. It’s a reputation thing, and pretty much nobody has the balls to call Linux out when it sucks. Sticking with the groupthink is the safe bet. The hollywood-esque excitement of a scrappy bunch of coders with tales of ‘freedom’ sticking it to the corporate man with their amazing coding is quite inspirational and nobody wants to be a killjoy by pointing out you can’t replace talent with enthusiasm.
Ultimately it goes like this:
Windows 7 surpassed Linux usage in ~8 months. This one fact invalidated every argument the Linux crowd use. Windows 7 was not marketed - definitely no more than the Linux grassroots efforts. It was also not pre-installed - anyone who used it had to download and burn it themselves. Yet with this criteria it beat the near 20 year old Linux.
My point - the very people who _should_ be using Linux aren’t, and would rather use pre-release MS software than FOSS. The only reason that makes any sense is that people try it, don’t like it, and use something else instead. How can it be considered ‘best’ if you can’t even give it away?
October 16th, 2009 - 5:26 pm
Great! Ubuntu Linux wins! Ubuntu will eat every computer. About video application in Ubuntu: There are MANY video application. LMMS, avidemux, kino, videoeditor, ffmpeg, mencoder etc. They are young, but they are courageous. Linux will win anyway - it is easy to stop one water drop, but it is hard to stop the whole sea wave.
October 16th, 2009 - 7:25 pm
One of the best, well rounded operating system comparison articles that I’ve ever read. You clearly have a solid understanding of each OS in the comparison. If only the more mainstream tech media could be so professional.
October 17th, 2009 - 2:17 am
On one you don’t include software out of the box (music). But on programming you include visual studio!! Not fair - out of the box Ubuntu has python, perl,javascript interpreter etc.
I am using ubuntu 9.10 on about 5 home machines - a few problems here and there straight from Alpha 2. Best ubuntu ever. Still some video issues here and there.
Agree with your banshee call…
Great review —- big fan
October 17th, 2009 - 12:59 pm
Well said.
The thing is that the majority of PC users,
is beginning experiencing OS’s in Windows.
That said, it’s obvious that the common mind/user
will be bothered experiencing something different.
Something that needs to be learnt.
For most of today’s users, PC means Windows.
October 21st, 2009 - 12:57 pm
to .net jerkface -your out-of-the-box stupidity amazes me…..this review isn’t win/lin/osX oriented….it just shows pro’s and cons,and its best one ive ever read.
October 21st, 2009 - 3:52 pm
I am both an Ubuntu user and Windows user and reading around because I am thinking about buying a Mac.
I like the overview in your article. I use Ubuntu because I like the idea behind it. So, to some extent I am a fan, although I am not a programmer and am not able to fully exploit my OS.
This said, there is one thing in which I find the article shortsighted. True, ubuntu ships with OpenOffice. Yet, you can easily and freely download it for both Win and OS X. Moreover, and this is my main point: let’s be honest, most business environments need compatibility with other systems and this makes MS Office the Standard (even though .odf is officially the standard). I haven’t been able to open many MS Word files in OpenOffice without having to rearrange layout and stuff. For Powerpoint-presentations, it’s even worse (I am not even mentioning outlook/exchange), but that is what I need in daily life. Office work in a business environment needs functionality for other users. As long as MS office is mainstream, it’s hard for me to find ubuntu the best OS. Even though I would love to use it at work as well, this is nearly impossible in practice.
October 21st, 2009 - 7:40 pm
Ok thanks for a completly useless comparison, I get it you like Ubuntu, that’s nice but honestly you actually used the others right? I mean besides developing on them? I get that a developer view is sometimes different on an OS (developing for OSX myself) but your points are supposed to be for the “normal user” so let’s walk through from a user view:
1. Look and Feel: Windows 7 is missing Virtual Desktops which is a deal breaker for some (including me) so not really a winner here. And Compiz in Ubuntu? Who cares still? I mean MacOS Quartz as well as Win Aero do about the same.
2. iPhoto is proprietary? No it’s just a Folder. also iPhoto supports exports to Flickr, Facebook, and with a Plugin to Picasa btw.. FSpot is so slow it’s bearly useable, while not supporting Event’s, Facial recognition and Geo Orginatzation of Pictures. I see the clear win for FSpot turely
3. Video editing, well I don’t care so don’t know.
4. If iTunes wouldn’t offer a great store and sync my iPhone, I would ditch it right now, Zune is actually superior, as well as Exaile. For Musik at least.
5. I honestly don’t care about Office but OpenOffice stinks so bad that I actually would rather dualboot or run VMWare if I only hat Ubuntu with OO otherwise, there is no MS Office on Linux also. So how can Ubuntu come out on top?
OO is lightyears behind MS Office or even iWork in usability and speed, yes is a full suite but not being useable as such, I thinks Its easier to use LaTeX beamer for a presentation than OO Presenter …
6. No arguing in Gaming, Win 7 rocks the gaming world, if you want to game on a PC there is now way around Windows.
7. Again true true.
8. You really seem to be File browsing all day do you? MacOSX is sluggish? Ever used KDE4? that’s what I call sluggish. Actually Win 7 is quicker than MacOSX but Ubuntu seems getting slower and slower since 8.04 for me.
9. Developing on MacOSX is great, all tools are included, XCode is great, you actually don’t have to use ObjC, but can go for Ruby or Python if you like, while using C for the Performace critical stuff, there is OpenCL support as well, while now having GrandCentral and Blocks in C make threading more easy. Windows has VS even though I’m not a fan it seems great for most people. Linux actually is still missing anything in the league of XCode or VS, which is fine with me beeing a Editor plus Shell guy, but a Tie between Ubuntu and Win7… come on!
10. Sadly Ubuntu is still missing a lot of commercial Software, there is no CS4 no FinalCut, even the more basic Software is, even though free for the most part, also not as functional an polished as the commercial Products which is the OpenSource Bless and Curse. There is now way making money of Ubuntu Software as a small Software Studio like there is on MacOS. Mac user seem to really embrace the Shareware kind of Software, which results in a lot of great, and low priced products. Windows while having more also has more grabage. Don’t get me wrong I like OSS but sadly it just doesn’t work for most Desktop Software, its great for Server, as well as Database kind of stuff, with huge companys like IBM behind it, but not for your small developer, trying to make a living. I would call a tie between Win (more variaty) and Mac (greater quality)
in Conclusion, sadly Ubuntu is just not there yet. The Software is not as polished as on Mac or Win and it’s missing essential parts.
October 21st, 2009 - 7:46 pm
You forgot the most important feature of them all Antivirus & Spyware Category. Clearly Windows in any flavour will be the winner in fact every time (1-2 times a week ) I boot into Winbloze Vista I just love that my computer get’s scanned and searched for a couple of hours.
It makes me feel so safe even if it slows everything down to a crawl but just that feeling of security makes you all warm. What the heck I could just go for an extra long coffee break which I’m sure my customer loves.
Anyway overall a very nice and objective look at the different OS’s
Cheers….
October 21st, 2009 - 9:03 pm
Windows usually comes with Microsoft Works, doesn’t it?
October 21st, 2009 - 9:08 pm
nice objective look at the OSs, but i personally like the look/feel of mac better then windows
you should have also discussed speed (as stated above spyware is a killer). and cost of ownership.
let’s see 2 dell desktops (one with xp one with vista) which r 2.5 years old, will they support Windows 7? prob not, will i have to buy a new copy of office when i wipe my hard drive to install it? (i know i have to buy a new copy of office if i replace it)
for me it’s a no brainer - the cost of doing yet another MS upgrade is just not worth it. so after more years then i will admit (yes i worked on a dual floppy PC) i am leaving ubuntu on my asus, leaving my macbook pro with snow leopard and slowly replacing my xp/vista machines with mac mini’s and mac servers.
oddly enough even though used to WORK in the networking/pc industry i feel relieved that going forward MS will no longer be part of my life. … sort of like the end of a bad marriage i guess.
thanks for the review, it confirms what i thought.
laq997
October 21st, 2009 - 9:44 pm
The programming section was clearly not well-researched. Less politely, what a crock. If it had been well-researched, you could not come to the conclusion that OS X is any worse than Ubuntu, or that Windows 7 is even close. Out of the box, OS X ships with every programming language that Ubuntu does, possibly more, and all the development environments that are available for download on Ubuntu are, likewise, available on OS X, either “natively” (Eclipse) or in X11 via Fink or DarwinPorts. And about the only thing that Windows has that the others don’t is Basic and the various MS libraries. And the Apple libraries are really fantastic, for the most part, and there are hooks for the other programming languages! No, there’s no question: OS X wins here, with Ubuntu a close second. Windows would be a distant 3rd if not for Cygwin, but because of it, it’s pretty close as well.
October 21st, 2009 - 10:17 pm
Just a note: Windows Photo Gallery has facial recognition all be it that it doesn’t identify who is who and not as accurate as iPhoto or say Picasa.
October 21st, 2009 - 11:58 pm
A couple of comments for the nay-sayers in the comments:
1) Neither windows or Mac OSX have office tools out of the box that compare with OpenOffice. They key word here is *out of the box*
2) Linux in general is a great development environment. Monodevelop is great for C#, libraries are usually very easy to get. For C++ there’s netbeans, kdevelop qt-creator. Do these compare with VS2008? Depends on who you ask. For me, I can get what I need to using these tools without VS2008. But I don’t code for teh windows ;). I personally find the latest builds of monodevelop *more* useful for .NET development than I did VS2008. It has many more built in features (version control, resharper stuff) than does VS2008.
3) The AnandTech article tested ubuntu 9.04. Bryan tested using 9.10 which is much faster (in part to using ext4 and some other nice tweaks to boot and other stuff). From my experience with Ubuntu 9.10, it’s fast. Faster than both those other OS’s.
October 22nd, 2009 - 4:50 am
Moovida - Offcially Comes with Ubuntu. Available for Windows in their Website.
Moovida is better than iMovie and Windows Media Center since it can play Third Party Websites such as Youtube, Flickr, DeviantArt, Last.fm and etc.
Songbird - Powered by Mozilla and gives you more than juts iTunes. Who Cares iTunes Anymore?
Im all time Vista (with modification and Classical Theme/Best Performance Settings/CCleaner) + Ubuntu User. Why do you upgrade to Windows 7 just for appearance that eats 20+ RAM of your memory?
October 22nd, 2009 - 12:18 pm
Visual Studio is a behemoth bucket of bolts, if it weren’t for ReSharper it’d only be marginally more useful than notepad. Refactoring support in VS2008 out of the box is an absolute joke for all but the most trivial apps. If only JetBrains would release a .NET development environment so we wouldn’t need to wait 5 minutes and use 1GB of RAM just to open our solution at work. I know I can use all the *nix tools on windows but the command prompt royally sucks! (even the ported ones)
I’ve switched from Win7 to Ubuntu at home precisely because developing software on Ubuntu is an absolute joy. Being able to spread my work out across multiple desktops, having a console that actually works and gorgeous font rendering are just some of the reasons. Being able to push all my email up to gmail and the fact that open office is fine for my document needs certainly made the switch easier.
I’m sure Mac OS gets similar points in this regard, but I can’t get past the whole paying more money for second rate hardware thing. If they let me run Snow Leopard legally on my i7 I’d love to give it a try
October 22nd, 2009 - 1:06 pm
It feels good to know that in customizability, photo organizing, office suite,and performance Ubuntu beats its contenders hands down.
I am using Ubuntu Jaunty at present and I am so impressed by the boot times of Jaunty (just about 20 seconds) that I wonder why anyone would want to pay money for another OS.
October 22nd, 2009 - 5:27 pm
@tripezo
Actually, the Anandtech article tested a bad install of 8.04, if I remember correctly. (I say bad install because I got way better performance from 8.04 on less powerful hardware)
October 22nd, 2009 - 8:06 pm
I’m a fedora user, I love fedora, I love Mandriva, OpenSuSE and Ubuntu also…
But, Windows 7 is really Aw… wait for it… some! and this Despite the fact that I use Fedora and only open source stuff, I respect the Windows 7 developpers for their beautiful work.
The competition is a source of motivation
October 23rd, 2009 - 5:33 am
I have to be honest even as a fan of the CAS this article reeks like a fanboy pretending to be objective.
I love ubuntu and linux but i get so sick of seeing it compared to windows and OSX. It simply cannot compete yet. It may some day be truly competitive but right now its really not.
I also get so sick of seeing performance comparisons. You can cherry pick a few programs and show that linux is faster but in the real world its just plain wrong. The biggest gripe i have performance wise with ubuntu is that any sort of file copy operation renders the OS completely unusable. On a machine with a 3.2GHZ core 2 duo 4 gigs of ram and fast sata drives copying a file from one drive to another or across the network cripples my machine so bad i cant even load a webpage in firefox (A quick google search will show this is not limited to me or the distro). Any cross platform apps i use (Firefox, VLC and thunderbird mostly) Run better under windows 7 than ubuntu, in fact firefox is a slow bloated pig in ubuntu.
Desktop linux is a great alternative as a simple web browsing machine or development machine but beyond that its limitations make it vastly inferior to the competition. It is growing and changing every day and this is a very exciting release but right now for everyday use its just not there yet.
Furthermore these articles that give the impression that it is ready to compete with windows and osx HURT the community more than they help. When people decide to listen and try it out and end up disappointed its incredibly difficult to ever get them back. So in a few years or 5 or whatever when linux is ready for adoption thousands of people will say “No way man, i remember that crap from before”. This has been an issue for years now and i really wish people would quit shoving linux down everyones throat until its actually ready.
October 23rd, 2009 - 10:23 am
Nice, if somewhat biased, article.
@thatoneguy
Reasonable points.
But I’m a designer and I’ve completely migrated to Linux now (started the migration process around 17 months ago). My client base is still the same (meaning I haven’t lost any income), the quality of my output hasn’t suffered, and my overhead is lower. I understand that this might not be the case for everyone in my field that attempts to use Linux for their work, but it worked fine for me.
…and file transfers work fine for me (LAN, USB, eSATA). Never had any problems in that regard since 8.04.
Just my $0.02
October 24th, 2009 - 4:23 am
BTW, compiz has had the peek effect for some time now.
October 24th, 2009 - 11:34 am
Hi,
Great article. I think it is very balanced with its reviews and conclusions. For me, personally, to think that people now actually compare Ubuntu to Windows and OSX, goes to show you how much Ubuntu has progressed over the years.
Each OS, has its pro’s and con’s, it’s fan boys and it’s haters. This will always be and should always be, as it provides some healthy and lively debates… (i.e. Mine’s better than yours, Anything you can do, I can do better, etc…)
The main reason why i think that Ubuntu is only going to get bigger and better, is because big companies are starting to take notice. Dell (http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/ubuntu?c=us&l=en&cs=19), are going to show the public that there is an alternative to Windows and IBM (http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Messaging-and-Collaboration/IBM-Ubuntu-Cloud-Collaboration-Package-Seeks-to-Cut-Down-Microsoft-Windows-7-719779/), are going to show companies that they can break free from the MS strangle hold.
Ubuntu has always been the shy guy in the room. Until recently, he’s starting to make friends and influence people. He’ll slowly but surely get there.
Later
Patrick
P.S. For all those Free Software haters out there… How many of you are using FireFox???
October 25th, 2009 - 12:28 pm
I’m so sick of people commenting “We can’t use application X on Linux, so of course it’s bullshit!”. That’s incredibly mind-blowingly stupid. If you need to use a Windows only applicatio, use Windows. I, on the other hand, use a lot of Linux-only applications and because of this I use Linux. That doesn’t make Linux better or worse than Windows. Send the developer of application X an email and complain to him.
And please top calling Bryan a freetard, because it’s obvious he’s not one.
Also people, stop mentioning ffmpeg when discussing video editing software. Sure you probably could edit video using ffmpeg on the commandline, but please.. I mean.. c’mon.
I won’t comment on whether or not OSX is a pleasure to use beucase I have only used it for about 5 minutes total, and really don’t see a need to use it. Maybe I would try it if not Apples products were so f*cking expensive ($600 for a 4 GB RAM upgrade?)
October 25th, 2009 - 11:57 pm
I liked your post and I appreciate the time and effort you put into this.
I just couldnt get over the fact that you didnt even mention winamp. I have yet to meat a single computer user thats not using it. And you didnt even mention it… iTunes might be ok on Mac, but on Windows, its pure malware.
Other than that, I think you hit it spot on for the casual computer user. good job!
October 26th, 2009 - 12:04 am
I went to banshee page you linked, as you said its “the best player on any OS”, and I have looked it over couple of times, lots of linux distro options (presumably, as for other than ubutnu i didnt even hear about the rest) and osx, but no windows.
As it is, i doubt its better than winamp. for starters it wont even install and I wanted to see how it works. Call me imagination limited, but i cant see how can music player get any better… not that I’d like to see it anyway.
October 27th, 2009 - 4:52 pm
I do a lot of video editing and I have found kdenlive on Ubuntu to be very user friendly, stable and I have even been in situations where I prefer it over Adobe Premiere due to it’s rendering capabilities.
October 28th, 2009 - 3:06 pm
eodeo:
He didn’t mean that Banshee available on every operating system; he meant that it’s the best of any music player out there; regardless of OS.
I use Winamp on Windows, and for my use, the two are pretty much equal. I do however like the GUI in Banshee better. But then I like any quality Gnome GUI better than the Windows equivalent… I think it’s a matter of taste.
In terms of features, I don’t know which is best of Winamp and Banshee. I only use the media libraries and play music.
October 28th, 2009 - 11:56 pm
well, ubuntu isn’t an operating system, it’s just a failed attempt. there are much better linux distributions that dont keep destroying the users hard drive whenever one wants to upgrade. i’ve tried. i really did. then i just gave up. i prefer to use a real desktop distribution like opensuse. and for those ubuntu fanboys who dont like novell, dont forget it’s novell who pays miguel de icaza paycheck, not canonical.
when i have the time to get my hard dirty i prefer, of course, something like slackware.
when i need a apt-get distro, i use debian.
October 30th, 2009 - 4:14 pm
Wow!this new Ubuntu 9.10 is just so good.With lots of excellent free packages and good graphics.Mac OS X 10.6 is definitely not as good.But I’m not trilled by Window 7 because Window Vista was a disaster which pushed me to Ubuntu and Canonical has just been good at improving on it’s software every year.Excellent job Canonical! keep it up!!
October 31st, 2009 - 3:38 am
Anandtech’s review unbiased? WOW! The most idiot thing someone could say? How could even anandtech could live if they turn their readers towards Linux?
October 31st, 2009 - 10:50 pm
Personally, I switched from Vista to Ubuntu because waiting 5-10 minutes (literally) to get to my desktop, and then waiting for firefox to actually open and not freeze got old fast. I ran all sorts of antispyware on there, didn’t help. Removed all of it. Still just as slow.
Switched to Ubuntu 9.04, found it started incredibly fast compared to Vista, and had everything I needed. I had been using OpenOffice on Vista before, so using it on here is normal to me. I only had to use Microsoft Office on here (through WINE) because of the class I’m in. I also couldn’t get on the wireless at my college because it didn’t have PEAP-GTC encryption before. Now, Ubuntu comes with PEAP-GTC as an option, right out of the box. Vista and XP both need to have a shim installed so they can use the wireless. At least 10 computers a week come in with wireless or virus problems, all of them running Windows OS.
Now, I’m either going to be dual-booting Windows XP, or running XP through VMWare because, and only because, I need to use Office templates for a class I’m in. Also, I think that the Visual Basic class I’m taking next semester uses Visual Studio, so I’ll need that too.
Unfortunately, not many people run Ubuntu. It really does come with all the tools I need, but people are stuck in their old ways of paying hundreds of dollars for mediocre slow software. If my college smartened up and started using Ubuntu with OpenOffice and Ubuntu-included programming tools, there would be no more issues with students having to buy $500 worth of software or more, in addition to books. The Windows users could dual-boot Ubuntu, and the Mac users could run it through BootCamp.
I definitely know that up until I started college, Ubuntu provided me with absolutely everything I needed. I found 9.04 to be pretty user friendly, and 9.10 is just insanely easy to use. Need a program? Go into the Software Center, search for what you need, click on it, hit “install” and in 10 minutes or less, you have it.
I really don’t get why people hate Ubuntu. You can run Windows in Ubuntu. You can run Windows programs in Ubuntu through WINE. You can dual-boot Ubuntu and even import your old files.
I think it may be that fear of the unknown. I know I don’t like macs because I have no idea how to work them. I don’t like Windows because it takes 5 times as long to restart Vista or 7 than it does my Ubuntu machine, which isn’t nearly as powerful as the newer laptops.
I know it takes about 3-5 minutes to do a restart to log in screen on my old XP desktop at home, which runs about the same ram and processor speed as my laptop. It takes 55 seconds to do the same thing on my laptop running Ubuntu 9.10. Not to mention, once I log in on my XP machine, it takes a good minute or so before firefox will open and load a page. On my laptop, it’s about 15 seconds.
Personally, I don’t like macs because they’re insanely expensive, albeit very fast. I don’t like Windows because the OS costs $180 for a 8 year old OEM edition. Not to mention, $150 for a software bundle that is equivalent to OpenOffice. The only thing I’ve found difficult about OpenOffice is that it doesn’t look anything like Office 2007. But then again, Office 2007 looks nothing like 2003 or 2008 for that matter.
In general, I like my computer to do things quickly. Vista would not do that. I don’t like overpaying for a computer by several hundred dollars, so a Mac was not acceptable. Ubuntu is the happy middle ground for me, and it does everything I’ve needed it to do so far. And for the things it won’t do, there’s VMWare.
November 3rd, 2009 - 4:08 am
This comparison says very few about operating systems themselves and their advantages/defects, it just mentions desktops and applications. Nothing to object, but perhaps you should have chosen a better title. Think that may be some readers not very well informed about Linux who could think in Linux there’s only that crappy Gnome world with all its backwards 90s’ technology and default design.
Next time you want to present Linux as a decent competitor for desktop, please, talk about Amarok, Digikam, Kontact, Rosegarden, Plasma, QT, etc.
November 3rd, 2009 - 6:45 pm
Kdenlive is a good video editor for Linux
November 5th, 2009 - 4:52 pm
i think this was a great article
u put into the considerations of the common man
this is not biased at all
personally i love windows 7 but u put out a few great points and these are your opinions as a developer
thx again
November 6th, 2009 - 5:45 am
Ubuntu 9.10 is a real great OS, recommended.
November 6th, 2009 - 4:28 pm
[...] loves a good fight but let me put this back into perspective for everyone. Here is a great chart put together by Ars [...]
November 7th, 2009 - 6:47 pm
This is a nice article about usability and the feel of each OS . I’ve a very clumsy Macbook Pro with all 3 os installed and I do generally agree with what you said.
About software development commentaries, I need to be frank because I felt offended. I’m mainly a Java Developer but I’m also a C#, PHP and Python programmer and I can tell everyone first hand that Visual Studio isn’t in pair (not even close) to Eclipse, Netbeans or any commercial Java IDES such as Intellij (my personal choice).
When I’m at home I do tend do spend a lot of time playing games on Windows or surfing the internet on OS X but at work I’m all Ubuntu (my IntelliJ box runs smoother at Linux than Windows, but I do agree with the author that boot are equivalent).
About Visual Studio, people should try some Java IDE before actually saying that VS has good code completion, Refactoring, Profiling and code generation capabilities.
Spend an afternoon with me and I will show how complete VS really is…
I’m not saying by any chance that .NET is an inferior platform, just that Its IDE makes me feel like I’m using a 5 years old Java IDE (Such as Netbeans 4)
November 8th, 2009 - 11:58 pm
I use Windows and ubuntu … Ubuntu is more fast … but Windows is BETTER mucho Better and easy in everything … you are a crazy fan men xD jajaja
November 11th, 2009 - 3:10 am
From just a pure OS standpoint I think ubuntu wins. It’s starts very fast. It shuts down very fast. It’s a lean OS you can see that if you use it. Windows 7 takes me more time to use it because it’s takes time for it to settle down. Obviously it’s faster than vista but ubuntu is the fastest. The only thing that makes me go back to windows is every time I would use softwares than only runs in windows.
November 14th, 2009 - 6:54 pm
for windows u can get visual studio express editions for free
November 14th, 2009 - 7:44 pm
what about zune software. i hear that its better than itunes windows version
November 15th, 2009 - 10:35 pm
Video editing on Ubuntu: PiTiVi. Simple and wonderful.
November 16th, 2009 - 7:28 am
I use all three OSes in day-to-day use (with an exception of Gentoo instead of Ubuntu).
But I’ve found development curve in GNU/Linux (specially Gentoo) is a lot easier and cheaper than any other OS.
November 16th, 2009 - 9:14 am
@Patrick
LOL you said
“Ubuntu has always been the shy guy in the room…” Have you not seen..http://www.jogyjogy.com/watch.php?id=1ace7 Linux was a chick lol, its a funny vid.
November 16th, 2009 - 9:16 am
Oh and for the media stuff, Um windows media center is by far the best although I am a big fan of debian/ubuntu still i like being able to stream over the network to my other computers.
November 16th, 2009 - 4:10 pm
Earlier Windows system often get slover over time, due to antivirus programs that leaves old virusdefinetions on the hardrive and an increasing amount of updatemanegers that runs parallell with the users normal activiteis. Do anyone know if this is the case with Windows 7?
November 26th, 2009 - 2:49 pm
Ubuntu 9.10 is awesome, Windows 7 is awesome and Mac looks awesome, but I have never used it. If your not making a living with a Mac its a waste of money. For everyday use that leaves Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.10, Windows 7 is hands down the winner for easy to use software and vender support only 90% of the world uses it.Right now I’m using Ubuntu 9.10 I’m sold on Linux for a desktop OS and if Ubuntu keeps going the direction they are I’m not looking back.
November 29th, 2009 - 8:26 am
Compare operating systems and watch shit hit the fan. Ever wanted to piss off a Titanic load of people off at the same time, and then let them duke it out with each other, this is the way to do it.
As my great grand-dad said from WWII on: Keep calm, carry on.
December 2nd, 2009 - 5:43 pm
I have to mightily disagree with the audio player part. Rhythmbox, while ugly, blows the pants of itunes and WMP in performance though it doesn’t have some of the options available in iTunes. Everything else seems valid IMHO.
December 3rd, 2009 - 7:13 am
I’ll save myself the pointless squabbling.
A) I liked it. It did cover a lot of ground on the various operating systems, and coherently argued the strengths of all the major operating systems, despite all the fanboy gossip (as depicted ^ and v). In all honesty, I have a hard time finding a coherent AND attemptively honest appraisal elsewhere.
B) (However) It is undoubtedly biased towards Ubuntu; I am inclined to agree that the benefits depicted in some categories are somewhat exaggerated. Ubuntu does have many tremendous strengths, but I can’t say that it is the leader (at least just yet).
December 5th, 2009 - 5:32 am
In security field . Linux is the best one more vote for Ubuntu .
December 9th, 2009 - 4:44 am
Will have to disagree on one point… Development… at least from a web development stand point. php/mysql/ajax/ruby/perl/python all run better it is bsd core afterall… OSX kills windows and linux for this… no question, the entire adobe sweet also runs smoother on it. My setup is now a macbook pro and a windows netbook, I can boot into several other things if necessary but I don’t have much reason to.
December 15th, 2009 - 10:18 pm
first of all i will like to say that windows software can be installed on linux using wine and using the instructions on their page for certain applications and use tools like wine-doors to make it simple; that way you can have flash IDE, visual estudio and microsoft office in Ubuntu, so no argument there about development software.
about the games you can use playonlinux that allows to easily install all needed files to play your windows games in ubuntu.
video editing software (Avidemux) music player amarok beats WMP by far in music reproduction and for video playing you can use VLC and for the latest version of every software you can search in Google like you do for windows but with one significant diference, you can search for the official repository and make sure you will always have the latest version of the software.
I am a programmer and used windows for years, after a I tried Ubuntu and found out how to make it work with windows applications (wich I don´t need to use a lot anymore except for flash edition) and saw it´s stability and performance i stayed with it and never looked back.
now for those who are saying this was not an impartial comparison, it was, because it only took the out of the box installation and not the real customization capabilities in wich Ubuntu is very far superior thanks to the repositories and the capability to recognize and use not only the ext filesystem but also the ntfs filesystem as well and to execute any windows application.
for windows and OS/X fans all I have to say is that every one is completely free of chossing the OS that better fits his (her) needs and makes him (her) feel more comfortable with and that there is no need to refer to other people in disliking terms like freetard or atacking their credibility or their profesionalism wiht comments like “That’s what happens if you try getting designers to do speculative work: no professional will touch it with a barge pole.”; because I am a professional and I used every day at home and at work.
December 19th, 2009 - 5:57 pm
The makers of ubuntu can come and steal my pc, and when i buy a new one, prolly preloaded with windows, im going to wipe it and put ubuntu back on it.
I always see those mac vs. win commercials, and im just waiting for ubuntu in a godly voice from above both them call down and ask them to convert and come to the light. lol
For me is comes down really to open vs. closed source.
Obviously anyone who know linux knows the clear winner, and im suprised i didnt read that in the article, unless i skimmed past all the stuff i deal with daily.
And for being free, after tuning it with wine, and lamp stack, you got a home desktop server with WOW (Warcraft you non fans) and completly open to change the functionality of it in any way your heart desires. gotta luv the command line. I still have to admit i can not shake win completly , i have win installed in virtualbox , just so i can use itunes and my adobe apps.
December 21st, 2009 - 1:59 pm
I used Ubuntu for 2 years before sadly switching back to XP a few months ago, the reason? simple compatibility and nothing else. Working with XP at work and ubuntu at home was just too much. I tried dual booting but was too much hassle, I like a clean, efficient working environment (and could not get on with virtualisation). However, I miss Ubuntu so much I often think of returning and playing with Wine. All the everyday tasks, surfing the net, emails, music, video (watching) etc was just so much smoother and more integrated in ubuntu, updating too was so slick. But for your average business user, working with clients who all use XP, you realy dont have any alternative. I am waiting for the day that Ubuntu/linux becomes as popular as Mac OS and I’ll be switching back without a thought - however by then I am sure computing will have changed completely and we’ll all be manipulating holographic images with hand gestures…
December 23rd, 2009 - 11:36 pm
I’m gunna give my perspective as a Mac fanboy (yes, I’ll admit it.)
ROUND 1: LOOK AND FEEL
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like all three.
In terms of customization for the power user, Ubuntu wins. While most of the time themes in Ubuntu are easy to find and apply, it can be buggy in my experiences with GNOME. With KDE in Kubuntu was even worse, and it would take a while to explain. I needed a plug in for a theme so I could “style” the bars on the top of programs, and I could not find it ANYWHERE, in the repo or online.
In terms of customization for the average Joe/Jane, Windows 7 wins. I’m not sure about 7, but Vista had a tool called VIstaGlazz (or something like that) which would get rid of the locking down of theming Microsoft had done. Then, you could find themes all over the net. Installing them involved dumping the folder for the theme into a folder in the Windows directory. Not for the average user. (In Ubuntu, it’s either double click to install or drag and drop into the theme WIndows from what I remember.) (Just looked it up, and there is a tool called Vistaglazz 2 for Windows 7, but I’m not sure how easy it is to find themes for 7.)
Mac looks good (in my opinion) already, but some people don’t like it. There are programs like Candybar, Shapeshifter and for Mac, and the themes look professional and there are hubs like InterfaceLIFT, Iconfactory etc for finding Mac themes. Unfortunately all the Mac customization tools I could find were either outdated (don’t work with Snow Leopard), or pay-for.
OVERALL: WINDOWS 7 WINS
Windows 7 looks great and has a host of new UI features. It is very easy for an average user to customize to their liking. Power users will be satisfied by Vistaglazz 2 for their power-theming needs.
~~~
ROUND 2: PHOTO ORGANIZING
Yeah, Windows Photo Gallery is, um, okay. It does the job.
As for iPhoto: “iPhoto stores your Photos in a proprietary, locked down way.”
If you right click (Yes, they have two mouse buttons…) your iPhoto library on any Mac and select “Show package contents”, the two folders “Originals” and “Modified” hold TWO copies of each photo, and you can just copy the .jpg’s out of the package.
Then again, that is not something that would be obvious to the average user.
You can just open iPhoto and drag and drop the photos you want, but this is labour intensive.
(Crap, found another feature. I don’t want to rewrite what is above in a different way to fit, so I’ll dump it here:) Also, if you go to the Events view and ALT+A (select all), then go to FILE>EXPORT in iPhoto, it gives you the option to export all your photos in a file format you choose to a folder you choose.
Seriously though, I was SO surprised when you gave the Photo editing round to Ubuntu. Especially when Apple has killer programs like Aperture. Or not, considering Aperture costs $200 or something.
Yes, F-Spot gets the job done. Is it awesome? No. But it does the job.
But still, I think that
OVERALL: MAC OS X WINS
iPhoto is easy enough to use for the new user/old grandma and powerful enough for the enthusiast. It has many features not offered by the competition, like support for geotagged photos, face recognition, and sorting by events. Apple even provides a photo book printing service too. xD (they are actually really high-quality books.)
Damn, my fanboy is showing.
ROUND 3: VIDEO EDITING
Nothing to say here really. You got it all.
OVERALL: MAC OS X WINS
~~~
ROUND 4: MUSIC
Time to defend Windows here (surprisingly).
Windows Media Player actually isn’t that bad on Windows 7. It automatically looks in directories you have specified hold your media and auto-scan and update your library for you. (Something I would love iTunes to do.) It’s as easy as banshee. You go to the Album layout for selecting, double click the album you want and double click the song you want. It plays that song (really). What’s so hard about that?
Playlists is where is gets funny, though. Making them is easy enough, you just drag the songs you want on it into the box on the right-hand side of the player. I don’t remember how to save it after that, maybe it does automatically.
And honestly, I prefer Songbird over Banshee on Linux. iTunes or Mediamonkey for Windows. SOngbird is also cross-platform, and you can run it on Linux, OS X or Windows.
And the Zune software is just… ugh, I don’t want to talk about it.
OVERALL: MAC OS X WINS, BY A SMIDGE, LINUX AND WINDOWS CAN HAVE HALF A POINT FOR THIS ONE
The only reason Mac OS X gets a full point is because it comes with good jukebox software out of the box. Heck, they all have music players available for them that work.
~~~
ROUND 5: OFFICE WORK
I don’t really like Openoffice that much. I won’t hide it. It works. As I said, I’m a Mac fanboy - I want it to look good too - AND I want it to make good lookin’ documents.
I really like iWork. Lots of people HATE it, but it makes really good looking slideshows, documents and even SPREADSHEETS. That’s what I call an accomplishment, whoever thought a spreadsheet could look good? All the graphs look fancy and you can have whatever layout you like for multiple sheets in Numbers. The separate sheets can even interact with each other!
Office can (starting in v.2007) also make good looking documents and slideshows, just with a little more work. Office 2010 looks good.
OpenOffice? Not so much. Sure, it comes out-of-the-box. Sure, it gets the job done. It’s not the easiest to use and it doesn’t make the best looking documents.
But I’m blabbing (and drooling a bit). Office software is mainly, well… for the office, where pretty looking documents and office suites that look good aren’t important.
So sure, you can give this round to Ubuntu for being out of the box, I guess. (When you buy a Mac online one build to order option is to have iWork pre-installed. Been dying to point that out. Also, if you buy a PC from an OEM you can have it pre-installed with Office. Just sayin’.)
OVERALL: UBUNTU WINS BY A SMIDGE, OS X AND WINDOWS CAN HAVE HALF A POINT FOR THIS ONE
No comment.
~~~
ROUND 6: GAMING
As much as I love Macs, I always tell people that if they want to game, they need to get a Windows machine unless it’s just Bejeweled and the occasional WoW.
Windows wins this hands down.
Wine is.. okay, but doesn’t usually work for me. Not even Crossover or Cedega have worked that well for me.
On Mac, it’s um… well… interesting. And possibly illegal, depending on where you live. There are many groups on the net using custom-made Crossover and Cedega wrappers (That’s what EA uses to get games like SPORE working on Mac) to succesfully port many Windows games to Mac. Everything from Oblivion, Morrowind, NWN1, and Baldur’s Gate to shooters like CoD and Portal. It’s, uh, sketchy to say the least, but it works.
I find Aspyr ports for Mac (those are official) extremely frustrating. I couldn’t get the NWN2 one I bought to work.
For the average Joe, though, Windows is the only option.
OVERALL: WINDOWS 7 WINS
~~~
ROUND 7: CUSTOMIZABILITY
I covered this in Look and Feel accidentally. If we’re talking Power Users here, Linux is the ultimate for theming. Windows and OS X don’t really come close, but I think their options should be sufficient for most.
But we’re not talking about what’s sufficient here, we’re talking about what is possible.
Not very many people like Finder. It got a good overhaul in 10.5, but it still can be a little clunky. Windows Explorer is on par, I’d say, with Finder.
What’s nice about Linux is the wealth of CHOICE you have. You don’t like the file manager? Go get another one. You don’t like the Desktop Environment you have? Go get another.
You can’t do this at all on Mac OS X, and on Windows the shell replacements are, uh, iffy… they’re just not good.
OVERALL: UBUNTU WINS
~~~
ROUND 8: PERFORMANCE
They’re all pretty snappy.
I really don’t ever get the “lollipop of death”, but I’ll recognize it is a problem for Mac users with older hardware. Speaking of older hardware, did you know you could run Leopard on a G4 @ 800Mhz w/512MB of RAM? Pretty good. Unfortunately, Snow Leopard only runs on Intel machines. (I feel the need to interject something nice about Mac OS X to lessen my sadness about it not winning this round.)
WIndows 7 is just as snappy as Leopard for me. Applications take just a /bit/ longer on Windows, but at least it works.
Ubuntu was good, but I found that sometimes applications would hang randomly while launching. Other than that, it was great.
OVERALL: TIE BETWEEN ALL 3: NO POINTS IN THIS ROUND FOR ANYONE
I find no differece on my computer between any of the 3. If this were between Leopard, Vista and 8.10, Leopard would take the cake, but the competition seems to have caught up in this regard.
Speed matters, as evidenced by Google’s Chrome browser.
~~~
ROUND 9: PROGRAMMING
Honestly? There are a wealth of tools available for ALL the platforms.
Kodomo Edit, for example. Cross platform.
Objective C is NOT the only option available for Mac OS X’s XCode. You can program in Python, Ruby, C++, Java, etc.
OVERALL: TIE BETWEEN WINDOWS 7 AND UBUNTU
I’ll give you this one. Ubuntu and WIndows 7 have the most tools available for programming, but your choices on Mac OS X are by no means limited.
~~~
ROUND 10: HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY
I’m really surprised you missed this one. It’s one of Linux’s disadvantages.
The main concerns in compatibility are the Video card and the WiFi card.
Mac OS X, in its locked down-ness, obviously has perfect compatibility. So I’ll talk about Hackintoshing here. There is limited choice in drivers, but all are either Apple-done or OSS from the OSx86 community. The quality of the drivers are on par with linux. If you have an NVidia card, chances are you’re fine and it’s supported. ATI cards are iffy. There has been a lot of progress, and many claim to have theirs working fine, but I couldn’t get mine working (a Radeon HD 3850). I ended up buying an Nvidia card (which works well), but I would like to see working ATI drivers. Everything else on my PC had working drivers for it, Including my network card. (That’s better than on Windows Vista!)
Windows has hardware manufacturer’s official drivers, and they usually work fine, however I had some nasty problems in Vista with the SATA controllers on my Motherboard, my WiFi card, my Video card, AND my DVD burner, all of which were resolved in Windows 7.
Linux, on the other hand, has been… interesting. So much progress is being made in Linux drivers, and I applaud the OSS community for that, but I always find that the ones that work are the proprietary drivers from the hardware manufacturers themselves. Again, though, sometimes these don’t work (like the ATI driver for linux).
OVERALL: (OFFICIAL) MAC OS X AND WINDOWS 7 WINS
Obviously, Mac OS X in its official form on Apple computers works like a charm. Everything works like it’s supposed to. I was also surprised to see that the unnofficial hardware support for OS X was on par with Linux!
I have had no issues in Windows 7 with hardware support.
~~~
ROUND 11: AVAILABLE SOFTWARE
Quanitiy or quality? Choose one. I choose quality.
Sure there are MANY, MANY programs available for windows. Want to know a secret? 99.99% of that software is absolute crap. Sites like Softpedia, which try to gather a collection of software sort of like a repo, seem like a place to catch spyware of or a trojan if you don’t know what you’re doing.
On the other hand, every single last program I have ever gotten for my Mac has been a polished little piece of artwork - and they all work very simply as well. There is not a lot of crapware out there for Mac OS X.
On Linux, there is some good software out there - there are others which come close, if only it weren’t for the bugs in it - but I used to have to dig through countless packages, I didn’t even know what many of them did, to find the good ones. Hopefully the Application Downloader (or whatever) in Ubuntu has fixed this problem.
OVERALL: MAC OS X WINS, LINUX CAN HAVE HALF A POINT
On WIndows, It’s hard to find good programs to use.
On Mac, it’s a piece of cake.
In Linux, with the right software, it can be easy to find good programs to run.
~~~~~
Now, who wins after all this? Let’s count…
Windows 7 - 5
Ubuntu - 5
Mac OS X - 5.5
I’m not going to declare Mac OS X the winner.
I’m going to say this:
USE WHATEVER OPERATING SYSTEM YOU DAMN WELL PLEASE.
For heaven’s sake people, there is no one-size-fits-all OS. Just use what you like.
If you like Mac OS X, use it. I like it. I’m biased, I’ll admit it. Maybe that’s why Mac OS X ended up with an extra half point in my fight-thing. (Damn, I would have made a better point if I had tied them all…)
If you want to game, use Windows.
If you want to use free software, use Linux.
If you need to work with media, use Mac OS X.
If you’re an old grandma who has trouble using a computer, use whatever has the default wallpaper that matches your computer room.
It’s up to you, and even me, the self-proclaimed Apple Fanboi is SICK and TIERD of all this FUD about one OS being better than the other.
It’s all about what you need from your computer, and there’s and OS for everyone.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go re-post this on my blog.
December 23rd, 2009 - 11:38 pm
Damn, I forgot security, but Linux would have gotten a full point there and Mac OS X a half point, making the final scores
WIndows 7 - 5
Ubuntu - 6
Mac OS X -6
Whew.
December 24th, 2009 - 5:46 am
Nice read but quite incomplete in my opinion, which might have been an argument to start the flamewar in the comments.
The article is mainly focused to the out-of-the-box experience, in which Ubuntu (or any *nix distribution) scores enormously well. Add a pc without internet connection, no extra proprietary software and the article is, indeed, correct.
I’m a 4 year linux user, of which 2 intensively and I’m a Microsoft tester for about same amount of time. For Mac I can’t judge, used it only once or twice and found it very alien to get the hang of (1 button mouse, hotkeys, weird storage places, …)
In my opinion use Windows when:
-play games: there’s no substitute for DirectX and gaming peripheral support
-manage music: lots of good applications out there, with the best music library manager: Mediamonkey (gold version). No linux program is on par with it. Banshee indeed is my favorite there but it is less powerful. The often praised Amarok just feels clumsy with the ever present playlist-method…
-peripherals that you need to hook up for odd (not everyday) synchronising: putting maps on a GPS, updating cell phone software,… basically everything you just rarely do
Use linux:
for the rest.
Why?
Less memory usage = longer battery time for laptop users
For everyday use for the basic user: nearly programs are on par or might even be better.
The only programs that run are the ones you use. No need for all types of virus/malware scanners and so on.
The programs you use are 1 purpose only. You check your mail with a mailapp, not with your IM or video player. They don’t do a lot, but in their field they perform well and are less bloated for it.
Programs such as OpenOffice are quite good and i found them easier to use than MS Office Enterprise 2OO7 when i wrote my master thesis last year when i gave up on using LaTeX… (only comparing Writer vs Word here)
And my most objective arguments are my mother and my uncle. I both switched them full time to ubuntu (respectively 8.10 & 9.04) after their Win XP machines could no longer cope with the SP3 update. Changed the layout mildly to resemble xp (merely set the colour to blue and the menu on bottom left) and they were set! Earlier on i had a call at least once a month that i had to salvage their box (renew antivirus, scan malware, remove all the “auto”- installed toolbars…)
Nutshell:
Win7 is an enormous improvement in terms of usability and memory usage vs Vista and even XP, but when fully installed it remains less logical in terms of menus and gets bloated fast.
Use a dualboot linux for everyday tasks and keep your documents, music and video on a NTFS partition with your Windows system. Some windows specific programs can’t be replaced and in this way they have acces to the files.
Right now Mediamonkey is rescanning my library, in 2O min i switch back to ubuntu and let Banshee synch my ipod whilst i’m on MSN Live with Pidgin
December 30th, 2009 - 6:22 pm
I’ve used/installed all three OS’s quite a bit and here’s how I see it:
1. Linux - Try and do tech support for your granny over the phone with this one. Good luck. For the average user, it makes no sense to use this OS when everything they need can be found in an easier to maintain/use system from someone else.
2. Windows 7 - Yay! Windows finally looks and works like a Mac! But boo, it still is mystifyingly complicated to use. Driver discs? Please! If you want great games, buy a Windows 7 machine…or a PS3 or an Xbox or a Wii or a PSP or a DS…
3. Mac OS X - a.k.a. UNIX - this is what Linux’s underpinnings were derived from. Oh yeah, this is also what Windows GUI was derived from. Forget yearly anti-virus subscriptions. Forget flaky distros with forum-only support. Want to run tons of free software? X11 is included. Want to run Windows? BootCamp is included.
Verdict: Pay a little more, get a whole lot more. Get a Mac.
December 31st, 2009 - 8:32 pm
@Fjord Prefect
Linux is just a kernel. BSD and other separate projects add to the kernel and before you know it you have an operating system. Unfortunately the pieces weren’t made specifically to fit with each other, if you catch my drift, which can lead to some problems…
Mac OS X is NOT the basis of Linux. Mac OS X’s codebase was stolen from BSD, mostly. Darwin was Apple’s closed-source BSD clone-thing. They combined Darwin with NextStep from their Next purchase and made Mac OS X.
Apple took BSD and NextStep, combined them, and wrote a whole bunch of pretty software over top of that. They then solved compatibility problems by only selling Mac OS X on THEIR computers, so they could develop drivers that worked flawlessly for THEIR hardware. Mac OS X is pretty much UNIX with a makeover. Apple has added a WHOLE BUNCH of their own technologies. Mac OS X is an official “Unix derivative” though, since Jobs paid The Open Group a bundle ‘o cash(or a truckload of suitcases full of cash) so apple could call Mac OS X “Unix” in it’s marketing.
But you can’t call it “Mac OS X a.k.a Unix”. Unix and Mac OS X are not the same thing. Linux’s underpinnings were NOT derived from Mac OS X.
Both Mac OS X AND Linux were derived from Unix.
You’re right on the Windows GUI though. Good artists copy, but great artists steal. Picasso and Jobs both said it. And Bill Gates shamelessly stole it. Of course, you could also talk about how Apple stole it’s GUI from Xerox PARC. There’s so much stealing that talking about who stole what is worthless.
And yes, Linux is not hand has never really been ready “for the desktop” or for the average user. I’d say that Ubuntu 9.10 is pretty darn close from my experience with it, though. Every year people say, “This’ll be the year of Linux on the desktop”. It never is.
Just use what you like. Don’t force what you like on other people, it’s all about preference and opinion.
And why do you claim that Windows 7 is “mystifyingly complicated to use”? It’s better than previous Windows releases. I guess you’re used to a Mac?
If anyone finds any information is wrong, please respond. It doesn’t hurt to learn something. I won’t get mad.
@Wim
Again, you might find Mac OS X “very alien” because you’ve been using other things for so long. It’s all about what you like and what you’re used to.
And is that one-button-mouse myth still around?
January 6th, 2010 - 11:11 pm
Oh my gosh ! an unbiased look at something!! Great article!!!
January 16th, 2010 - 3:28 am
I will never switch to Linux, unless OpenOffice is fixed first. It is horrible, not even in the league of OfficeXP or Office-2003.
Hard and long office work is my profession. I hate Microsoft, but I admit that their Office 2007 is one great jewel, their flagship product.
I am not a great fan of Windows 7, but since M$ does not make Office for Linux distros, I have no choice but to stick with Windows.
January 16th, 2010 - 3:57 pm
I have used all three operating systems and agree with the author. I am currently dual booting Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows 7; Mac OSX to me is for graphics and videos, the fluff of the OS, while Ubuntu and Windows 7 help you tackle the normal jobs that an OS needs to do. I have used Mac 10.6 and find that it can’t hold a candle to Win 7 or Ubuntu 9.10 for normal tasks, and agree that it’s sluggish compared with the other two, unless you are listening to music. Apple’s operating system has strayed from a basic OS to a media desktop that can do other things, but not as good or as fast as Ubuntu or Windows. Don’t get me wrong - I absolutely love iTunes and the Mac’s feel, however, getting past that I dislike how long it takes to run programs and apps compared with Ubuntu and Windows. In my view, it’s Ubuntu first, Windows 7 second, and the Mac last. The Mac looks pretty, the other two and get all the jobs done better and faster.
January 17th, 2010 - 1:38 pm
there is several good reason for installing ubuntu from my point of view, but the absolute best reason must be to get the kids stop wasting their life on computer games and do something useful instead.
Yeah, you can block gaming in windows and the ports on the router, but how many parents have this level of knowledge?
My mother always said study on school and do whatever you want after. I didnt listen (but i managed fine) thou if i had listen…
So to all mothers and fathers out there worried the kid is playing to much, install ubuntu and perhaps he find something useful to do instead.
January 26th, 2010 - 9:10 pm
Nice to see a balanced and well thought-out article here.
Even without doing (barely) anything to Ubuntu, it still wins. But if you take the time to customize it…
January 26th, 2010 - 9:12 pm
@Anon
I think Office works under Wine pretty well (don’t quote me, I haven’t tried it because OpenOffice is a pretty good equivalent to Office 2003).
January 29th, 2010 - 6:44 pm
i am not a programmer or web developer,i am a regular user and am in healthcare.
Recently in radiology conference,there was a live demo of image processing for radiology using the dicom standard. And the demo systems were many windows and two unix derivatives.Demonstrators almost all were running the same spec.
And when each demonstrator was given to process a batch of files (and they had to demo in front of a huge crowd) windows got stuck.they just refused to work, they had to be rebooted to get stuck again.
whereas the unix worked flawlessly.
This is the power of processing by unix, but the most of the big companies have tie ups with microsoft for their software, which brings us to a simple question.why not promote whats needed by the industry than all go political over which software to use micosoft or non microsoft?
Many radiologists then really wanted unix in their database management after the eye opener. You have all the options..
then i googled and found this..
February 13th, 2010 - 11:38 pm
I think that this is a very even handed article. Having used all three OSs for both personal and business, I agree with 1.MattfromSeattle and 5.Carl. There are strengths and weaknesses to all three. And it is too bad we can’t get a platform that allows you to seemlessly switch between all three. Great article with an unbiased even handed discourse.
February 20th, 2010 - 9:57 pm
What people are really forgetting is that linux is Open Source!
No more proprietary junk locking down and restricting software. Ubuntu: for its look and feel, you can easily change its appearance, and if you really don’t like gnome then you can just use kde. For photo organising, digikam is good. For video editing, kdenlive and lives are both excellent editors, and export to many different video formats. For music, amarok, exaile and rhythmbox are cool, plus there’s eliza (now moodvidia) media player. For office, openoffice is the most interchangeable as it saves to odf and many proprietary formats, plus there’s the koffice suite. Gaming on linux is being worked on, and there are already some great games with polished graphics, or you can run windoze ones via wine if you have to. Ubuntu of course has the best customizability, custimize the panels and desktop, and desktop environment, or work with the bare terminal. Ubuntu has the best performance, very lightweight and flexible. As for programming, there are tons of utilites and development packages under ubuntu, its open source which therefore encourages development, and it has by far the most powerful commandline terminal facilities. Ubuntu has a built-in software center and package manager, tons of free apps just a click away.
Ubuntu wins, it deserves to.
March 9th, 2010 - 1:08 am
“Proprietary junk”?
From my experiences, the drivers that work properly are the ones distributed by the manufacturer, which are usually closed source. Open source can be great, but it needs to work first.
And Wine sux. Somebody call me when it actually works for anything.
March 17th, 2010 - 1:11 pm
The comparison between Linux, Mac and Windows (names in alphabetical order) is simple:
1 ) If you want your PC/property to tell you what you should do and do not - Go for Mac. There is the Mac way or the highway - “Change!? Customize me!!? Blasphemy!!! Thou shalt use me as thou art told!” Mac says.
2 ) If you want your PC/property to be your business partner - Go for Windows. Everything is possible, well almost. - “Lets talk price mate. Nothing cant be done with the right price.” Windows says.
3 ) If you are a control freak (like me) and want to treat your PC/property like a … umm property/tool - Go for Linux, ubuntu is just one flavor and there are many more out there. Once you master the Linux, you can command it to go places Mac owners dare not even imagine in their wildest dream.
March 24th, 2010 - 1:09 am
go ubunt
April 5th, 2010 - 1:38 pm
[...] interested in giving it a try? Bryan Lunduke, of the Linux Action Show did a nice job comparing Ubuntu 9.10 with Windows 7 and OSX a while back (though he may have his thumb on [...]
April 24th, 2010 - 2:38 pm
ubuntu has some programs for video editing…..i use kdenlive.it’s very good.
July 11th, 2010 - 1:53 pm
This is rubbish. I use a 2008 macbook with 10.6.4 and that beachball doesnt come up very often. On the same note i have a decently powered windows 7 32-bit pc which i use for games and graphic design.
How can you compare any of these win/osx apps to ubuntu?
Ubuntu which im testing right now is a piece of rubbish at the moment. My last test was on version 7 and im currently trying out 10.04. I must say its a big improvement, esp on the visuals “out the box”, but it will still take some time.
Nice of you linux peeps to always think that its so awesome but nobody uses it except for your buddies. lol
And anyone can comment and say what they want, unfortunately ms rules. We know vista was rubbish and w7 is a huge improvement.
What if i want to use photoshop? its not gonna run the same with wine as compared to my osx and win machine
I dont think anybody cares about openoffice being preinstalled. Maybe you should do a survey (not with your linux buddies).
This whole writeup was very one sided.
I was searching for benefits of ubuntu and came across this page. Its given me useless info thats trying to make the other os’s look bad but trying to cover up.
Oh and yes, it does matter how the OS looks, nobody cares about wobbly effects, they want the system as a whole to look good. Unfortunately ubuntu doesnt have anyone creative enough to design something better. Gettin there though, 10.04 is looking more like osx (what copycat creativity).
F-Spot compared to iphoto is rubbish.
Windows media player aint so bad if you get your head out your linux ass.
Customizability - Have you tried changing a theme/background/screensaver in windows? its very simple
Yes you can configure compiz fusion, but it doesnt tell you whats goin on = complicated (esp for average home users)
10.6 was never sluggish, nor was 10.5 which i originally had. Though its not perfect.
Windows 7 now and then does slow down a bit, but its not an issue.
I cant do many things with ubuntu except for documents and mail which is horrific so even in a virtual machine on my macbook, its not using up much resources. So how do we test this without benchmark?
Software development? Im not really into that but if not many people care abt that then it shouldnt count.
Why didnt you go into battery life on a notebook? Mac rules with that, im getting 6 hours with a std batt.
What about media sharing and network capabilities.
More important than that, what about EASE OF USE????
I can go on about what a rubbish review you’ve done.
Im sure there are more positives to ubuntu, but compare them properly. and compare things that count, wobbly effects does not make ubuntu better than another os.
July 14th, 2010 - 4:21 am
or you can set up a triple boot and have all 3
July 17th, 2010 - 11:58 am
the great “Emacs”
it is almost an os running inside any ubuntu or linux based os
any equilvalent in windows 7 or mac os?
objective C can be programmed in linux as well comfortably
Emacs is an programming IDE works alike in both GUI and CL i dont think VS 2008 or higher will
if some say linux(ubuntu) is more oriented to command line then why MS introduced power shell?