The year 2012 has by now visualized a key update of probably the most significant Linux desktop-OS Ubuntu 12.04 and there;s also the most radical upgrade seen on Windows with the evolution of Windows 8 Metro, following the foot-steps of Windows 7. So which amongst these will end up being better with the updates – here’s a brief comparative analysis of Windows 8 vs Ubuntu 12.04.
Desktop Interface
Ubuntu substituted the much-famed GNOME 2.x interface with Unity when the developers felt that GNOME 3.x shell was not meant for them. In the desktop geography of Unity, the most utilized apps are placed in the Unity Launcher on the left.
If you need a specific file or app, you can use the inbuilt Dash app of Unity, which is a dual-usage desktop search engine and program manager positioned on top of Unity menu Launcher. Novice users of Ubuntu find Unity very easy to use, but the power users find it hard to vary Ubuntu settings manually.
Windows 8 Metro is even more of a different approach from its precursor than Unity. With Unity, you’ll atleast be working with WIMP (windows, icons, menus, and pointers). But Metro, on the other hand, has substituted even the icons with tiles. Moreover, you can just work with apps in full-screen or tiles format by default. The familiar options like Start button are also missing.
Applications
For several years now, one of the fake blows against Linux desktop is that it doesn’t have adequate applications. But that was not true. What Linux lacked was the same apps as Windows. It’s however true to some extent. You can’t say Outlook, Photoshop or Quicken on Linux. By using WINE and its sibling Codeweaver’s Crossover, you can execute these and other Windows programs over Linux.
In contrast, some Linux programs like Evolution for emails, which is an elective program in Ubuntu, is by far a superior choice to most of the Windows counterparts. If you use the web browser more often, Windows is not so advantageous. Chrome, which is by far regarded as the most popular browser today (thanks to sudden surge is number of Android users), runs equally well on Windows as well as Ubuntu; however, it has to be downloaded on both. Internet Explorer is the default browser in Windows 8, while Firefox is the default in Ubuntu.
Security
It is a fact that Macs and more vulnerable to security risks, which means Linux systems also face the problem. And you can’t either deny that Windows is even more prone to such risks. We would rather say Linux is more secure comparatively.
Ease of Use
There has been an eternal myth about Linux that is difficult to use. But, this is simply not true… Just share a word with some veteran Linux users, and they’ll tell you how easy it actually is, while Metro has not really received any positive reviews in terms of ease of use either. A Bing search will show more than 3 million results with the opinion that Metro sucks!
Verdict
When all these points are put together, the winner is obvious. As far as our comparison here is concerned, it is all about which of these fares better with the updates, in which case Ubuntu certainly comes out as a clear-cut winner at this point. However, if popularity of both the OS amongst general desktop users is taken into account, Windows definitely scores over Linux. But, what’s more important is to to see how both these OS evolve over next few months, and finally what they shape up into. Remember, Microsoft had a shaky start with Windows Vista, but then they finally stabilized with Windows 7 after almost a year. So, you can most certainly expect something similar with Windows 8 as well!
May 11, 2012
Software