6 Things That Ubuntu Does Better Than Windows

[Batu69]

 

We all love Windows, right? It’s a great operating system, there’s no doubt about that. However, what if I told you that Ubuntu was better? You may laugh and think that nothing could possibly be better than your beloved Windows, but in this article we’re going to look at 6 reasons why Ubuntu is better than Windows.

 

Some of you may think that Ubuntu is just for nerds, and that the average user wouldn’t be able to use it. So how on earth could it be better than Windows? Well the truth is that Ubuntu is not that difficult to use, in fact, it’s actually just as easy as Windows to use, if not easier in some respects. So then, let’s take a look at some of the reasons why Ubuntu is better than Windows.

1. OS and Software Updates

Imagine the scenario: you sit down to do some work at your Windows PC, and just after getting stuck in to that important document you need to type up, you get a popup asking you to update Windows. Being the dutiful, security conscious user that you are, you decide to update and reboot your machine.

 

Fast forward another 10 minutes, you’re settling in again and wouldn’t you know it, Apple now pops up and lets you know that there is an update for their software also. Annoying? Yes!

 

 

You see, this is because Windows handles its operating system and application updates separately. So you will receive popups for different applications as and when they need updating. This makes the whole process very frustrating, to the point were many people just turn them off.

 

 

Ubuntu is different. Everything is done via repositories and it uses a dedicated update manager to update both the operating system and all of the applications installed. So you only ever have to manage your updates from one place. This makes the process far slicker and means users tend not to  turn them off — which means you are more secure. Speaking of which…

2. Computer Security

Windows has a number of security features that you can use to help secure your system, but there’s no getting away from the fact that Ubuntu is more secure than Windows.

 

User accounts within Ubuntu have far fewer permissions by default than in Windows. This means that if you want to make a change to the system — like installing an application — you need to enter your password to do it. In Windows, you don’t. This makes it much more difficult to execute malware or a virus inside Ubuntu.

 

Ubuntu is also a lot less popular than Windows. That means that the bad guys who make all the viruses don’t really care about it, so they don’t bother writing much malware for Ubuntu: that’s great news for us users!

 

Also, a lot of the bad guys use Linux distributions like Ubuntu themselves, so although Ubuntu isn’t impervious to virus’, it’s a lot less likely that you will get infected. It’s unlikely, but not impossible, which is why you should always use anti-virus software in Ubuntu.

 

 

3. Desktop Customization

There isn’t that much you can do with Windows when it comes to customization. Windows 10 gives more customization options than previous versions, but it’s still nowhere near that of Ubuntu.

 

You’re pretty much limited to changing your wallpaper and start menu colors in Windows, but in Ubuntu any aspect of the desktop can be easily changed. Want the window buttons on the right? No problem. Don’t like the icons? It’s easily fixed. Maybe the Ubuntu fonts don’t float your boat? Say no more!

 

The screenshot below is my Ubuntu 16.04 desktop. The changes I have made took around 5 minutes to apply and it looks very different from a stock install.

 

 

4. System Resources

Not everyone can afford an all-singing, all-dancing computer. So for some, the latest version of Windows may be out of their budget. However, the latest version of Ubuntu need not be.

 

On a test machine, I ran stock Ubuntu and stock Windows 10, and as you can see from the results below Windows 10 used almost double the amount of RAM as Ubuntu. Now that might not seem like a big difference, as this test machine has 8 GB RAM. But if your machine has 2 GB of RAM, that would mean that you have 60% of your RAM utilized in Ubuntu, or 90% utilized in Windows 10 and that’s before you start opening applications.

 

 

 

If your machine has even less resources than this, then there are lightweight versions of Ubuntu and Linux available that use even less system resources. This means that your computer could last years longer than you thought it would.

5. Live Environment

If you haven’t used Windows before and decide you want to give it a try, you have to commit to installing it on your machine beforehand. That could lead to problems such as data loss, if you later decide you don’t like Windows.

 

That’s not the case in Ubuntu.

In Ubuntu — and many other Linux distributions — you can burn the image to a CD, or write it to a USB stick and boot it up straight from that media. This is a fully working version of the operating system, which means you can try every aspect of Ubuntu without having to commit to installing it on your hard drive.

 

Don’t like it? No problem: just reboot your machine and you will be back on your previous operating system as if nothing had ever happened.

 

 

6. It’s Free

That’s right, Ubuntu is 100% free. It won’t cost you a penny (although you can make a donation on their download page). I know what you’re going to say: “but Windows 10 is also free.”

 

Whilst it was offered as a free upgrade until the end of July, that offer is no longer valid (although there are other ways you can still upgrade).

If you want to buy Windows 10 it will cost you $119.99 for the Home edition and $199.99 for the Professional edition, that’s a lot of money. So why not save that cash and put it to better use elsewhere? You could download the latest version Ubuntu for free instead.

 

 

Windows vs. Ubuntu: Which Do You Prefer?

Overall, both Windows 10 and Ubuntu are fantastic operating systems, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s great that we have the choice.

 

Article source

[anakin206]

But Windows is free too... wait a second... 

[dMog]

got my win 10 free and love it..tried ubuntu many times with many different flavors over the years...always have gone back to windows without fail...why..it is just better

[steven36]

OS updates for Ubuntu depends  on you're hardware from my own testing  Windows 10 RS1 works on both my PCs,  but Ubuntu 16.04 will only work on my Intel PC and not  my AMD PC  that came with windows 8  they dont have working disply drivers  for all AMD  cards since  16.04 was released , now Manjaro Linux  new builds still work on my AMD PC  . I like both Linux and Windows  . But   the only Ubuntu derivative i really liked was Linux Mint  and  Ubuntu itself has never been #1 at distrowatch  its over promoted Linux, that appeals to people that never used Linux before  its like  a  intro distro ..Most people if they stay on Linux leaves Ubuntu for something else. why would you compare Linux with Windows?  . If you use windows  you need too make sure you can replace every app you use on Windows with something on Linux and that's not easy .

[dMog]

@steven

 

 My only computer i have now is an HP dv7 notebook...Linux will not install on it... got any suggestions for me for when i want to dabble again with Linux builds..other than waiting for a good used notebook to use

[stylemessiah]

Unless its changed (and i bet it hasnt) since i last tried it, Ubuntu is the slowest and kludgiest Linux variant of all time

 

[steven36]

If you like the newest apps and stuff  and dont want too fool with adding a bunch of 3rd party ppas  and stuff like you do on Ubuntu ..  Manjaro or upstream Debian is a good choice all there Manjaro updates come from Arch and are bleeding edge  the new stuff,  and you install them  from the update manger . The problem with  Ubuntu  is LTS releases  dont come out but every 3 years you're apps get old and  you have use a ppa to update and add any programs not in the update manager and were there de is behind  only you can update the ones that are still compatible. If you dont care about updates Ubuntu LTS or stable Debian.  Debian stable is the most stable distro they is  . But you just need too test different ones trough a live ISO  and see with you like best and i dont recommend to try too replace Windows with it  unless you simply don't like Windows and you can try it and decide witch you like best.  You may like windows more than you think or you may not .. i cant read minds  But Ubuntu does not represent  Linux . Linux is just a kernel  

 

 

[straycat19]

I have always gotten my Windows free, ever since version 1.03.  That was the only reason I ran it, until I could also get Red Hat free, at which time I used it for several years.  I prefer versions of Debian Linux today.  I have never had a problem running any of it since I never use AMD anything.  The last AMD chip I used was the K6 in 1997 and only as a test system against the Pentium.  I would never buy anything less than an i7 for my personal use.  I actually like running diskless systems where you just walk up, plug your flash drive/workstation drive in and turn the computer on.  When you are finished you unplug and walk away leaving nothing on the computer since it has no disk to record anything on.  LInux works much better in that environment than Windows.

[steven36]

If you like Linux Intel  has better support   but since the DEV  quit that was over Intel drivers for Linux  we will see what the future holds . The biggest problem in Linux is graphics drivers and none are as good as Windows Graphics  . AMD are getting good drivers for Linux you  just will need there newest Graphics cards there still beta and they claim they will support older cards again one day. There switching from AMD Catalyst to AMDGPU-PRO Driver for Linux  So if you dont  have a new AMD Graphics card stay away from Ubuntu at lest for now.  Manjaro has figured  out  how to patch  AMD Catalyst so it works with the newest  stack but if you have a new GPU you dont use the Catalyst anymore .

 

[Karamjit]

some months ago, i switched to Ubuntu. and truly saying i  feel so relieved i never felt  in Windows environment. i was fed up of Windows by downloading hundreds of MB for its patches day by day . it swallowed my internet data pack. and then the time came when i began downloading its updates from one of my friends. And now Windows10.....every time update......update........ and update. are we all sure we are nicely  protected by patching again and again Windows? and after some months a new build and again all process take place we did earlier performed. This Is Not A Nice And Proper Method To Maintain An OS. as i earlier said somewhere here.........we are addicted to slavery.

Windows Is not more than opium we began consuming some decades ago.............and after long term..........result is here

[steven36]

Yes that could be a problem if you are on a capped internet  and that's coming to windows 7 and 8.1 next month cumulative updates  were you have too download every update when you do updates. That's  not a problem for me since i was on satellite internet  years ago.  But i know how it is . 

Here is the info about the Intel Linux Dev  that left .

 

 

Quote

 

Open source veteran Dirk Hohndel has joined cloud infrastructure and business mobility vendor VMware as its vice-president and chief open source officer.

Prior to this, Hohndel was with Intel for nearly 15 years as the processor maker's chief Linux and open source technologist. He has been a familiar figure at Linux conferences around the world.

At VMware he will lead the company's free and open source efforts and strategy.

 

Source:

http://www.itwire.com/it-people-news/people-moves/73618-open-source-veteran-hohndel-leaves-intel,-joins-vmware.html

 

[Sylence]

8 hours ago, dMog said:

got my win 10 free and love it..tried ubuntu many times with many different flavors over the years...always have gone back to windows without fail...why..it is just better

 

Same happened to me

[PriSim]

Nothing is perfect nor even better , Its always depends upon someone's experience,taste, use and environment that he used in his daily use.

You can verify this by comments that made here everyone has different choice !

[pc71520]

Using Windows 10 x64 Enterprise for Free...

[steven36]

5 hours ago, PriSim said:

Nothing is perfect nor even better , Its always depends upon someone's experience,taste, use and environment that he used in his daily use.

You can verify this by comments that made here everyone has different choice !

You go read  at a Linux  forum  and no one recommends  Ubuntu  its between Arch and Debian. Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian.

Which Linux distro made you stop distro hopping?

https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/comments/52rknj/which_linux_distro_made_you_stop_distro_hopping/

Only a windows site would compare Windows to Ubuntu ,  Because most every one leaves Ubuntu for better maintained distros  after  a while . They are some who have a hard time understanding stuff  they need to just stick to easy distros like Ubuntu or just use Windows and leave Linux  to us geeks  I just got into doing Arch  I migrated from  a Ubuntu derivative  but also  used  close derivatives as well. I already know a lot about  it. it was pretty easy for me, . So I migrated  to a Arch derivative  after a year i may try pure Arch. 

 

Most news you find on Windows sites about Linux  is about Ubuntu because its promoted very heavy to try to get people to switch from Windows .But you may have a hobby or work that only Windows have the apps you need and  that's reality. A lot of people are gun ho about it at 1st and after awhile run into issues and say well  i need windows some even leave Linux and never even go back  because they expected Linux to be Windows and it never will be.   

 

 

.

[Ghazi]

@steven36 What would you recommend for a beginner who wants to try different distributions (like Manjaro, Red Hat, Debian etc). I want to use Linux and very familiar with its power like Kali Linux. But I found that Linux has its use and its own niche. Windows is a dominating platform and most of the developers make software for Windows.

Which forums do use currently and which can really help a beginner.

Thanks and Regards

[steven36]

@Manjaro is the most easy Arch they is and still some will want to install something that arch has but its not in Manjaro update manger you can ask at there forums how install it and you most likely you will get help

 

Ubuntu is .just a lot of sudo this sudo that to add the things you want also you can install deb packages  if compatible  instead of sudo.  Also you have the update manger witch most the time give outdated software.

 

Debian  you use a lot of deb packages  its way more restricted  than Arch . On Arch the sky is the limit , but it requires  a lot of reading . Im learning now sudio pacman   and yaourt witch is to compile packages from Arch in the terminal  once i master all this there still a bunch more stuff i got to learn  and i dont be Linux all the time so i just use Manjaro and mess around when i  got time.  The question is  are you willing to learn ? if not stay with a easy OS .  I get tired of learning  i just boot into Windows 10  . Ive not even had my PC with Linux Mint /Windows 10  on in weeks  i got a few things to finish dl and i will get around to going on it and updating .

.

 

[pc71520]

@Ghazi

 

Make sure that the Linux distro you want to use

fully supports your Hardware [e.g. Printer(s), Cell-Phone(s), Scanner(s) etc.]

or you will get badly surprised.