My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 3)

In this third part I'll summarize the strengths & weaknesses of Linux over Windows & how Linux could get more public exposure.

Strengths Of Linux Over Windows

• It's Free and the only financial outlay is the price of your Internet Connection & the price of a Blank DVD, where as Windows you've got to pay £100's for a DVD Boxset.


• There is a wide selection of Distributions ranging from easy to setup to compiling and Installing from Source Code as well as lightweight Distributions that can run perfectly fine on ageing Hardware as well as on new Hardware, where as with Windows you need Hardware from at least 2-3 years ago or newer for it to run well.


• Linux has a wide range of Desktop Environments ranging from lightweight up to feature rich Desktop Environments, where as Windows only has the Metro UI Modern UI/Classic Desktop.


• With Linux you can build a fully functional & feature rich Single Server or Multi Server Network without having to pay £1000's, where as with Windows you have to spend £1000's putting it out of the reach of someone wanting to create & host their own website & email without having to resort to using pirated versions of the Windows Server OS & other Server side software.


• Linux isn't full of Viruses or Malware as it's still a Niche operating system, and it would mean that Virus developers would have to package the virus up into two different formats 1 a .rpm that is used by OpenSuse & Fedora Linux to name to Distributions & a .deb that is used by Debian Linux & Ubuntu & it's many variants meaning that if Linux does become main stream one day it would still be hit and miss how many people would be affected due to it being hard to know exactly what version of Linux a particular user is using, where as Windows uses the .exe format for software meaning that 100% of Windows users are likely to be hit by a particular virus.

Weaknesses Of Linux Over Windows

• Linux doesn't have the same OEM support as Windows due to Microsoft giving OEM's an incentive to pre-install Windows on their Hardware meaning that Linux is a Niche market for OEM's with only one US based Online OEM making Linux systems that come with Ubuntu pre-installed, the downside of this is that since there is only System 76 making Linux Systems their prices are higher than those of the other OEM's that make Windows only Systems, & for anyone located outside of North America the cost of shipping and import duty makes them not as attractive as they first seem, which in turn pushes people towards buying a Windows Machine instead.


• Only die hard Linux users buy a Windows Machine and wipe Windows & Install Linux, meaning that the vast majority of people buying a new Computer will leave Windows on.


• Linux doesn't have as many games that serious gamers play compared to Windows, even though Valve are trying to change things for the good by making a Linux version of their Steam Client, but there are still few main stream games available for Linux with mainly Independent Developers producing Linux compatible Games.


• The choice of different Distributions & Desktops is vast, which makes the choice a bit overwhelming for new users, this is where Windows shines as there is only Windows 8.1 Pro with the Modern UI/Classic Desktop combination.


• Linux compatible software isn't readily available in shops, meaning that you need to use your Distributions Software manager or Software store, or search online to install free & paid software, where as Windows software is readily available in shops, from the Windows store and by searching online.

How Linux could get more public exposure

Linux could get more public exposure by having paid software that runs on Linux readily available in shops along with Distribution developers producing DVD Boxsets of their Distributions with Documentation & User Manuals for new users with a cost of about £50-£60, this in turn would make Linux look like a serious alternative to Windows and would possibly entice OEM's away from Windows to Linux or entice them to make a Linux line along with a Windows line.

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 2)

In this second part I'll detail my System spec and explain why Ubuntu 13.10 is better than Windows 8.1 Pro

System Spec

My System is a 15.6" Toshiba C660-15R Laptop that I've had since about 2010, over they years I've upgraded from the stock 2GB of RAM, 250GB HDD & Realtek 802.11b/g/n Wireless Adaptor to 4GB of RAM, 1TB Toshiba HDD and Intel Centrino Advanced N + WiMax Wireless Adaptor that is capable of operating on both the 2.4GHZ & 5.0GHZ Wireless Bands (Wireless Router or Wireless Access Point Capable of Both the 2.4GHZ & 5.0GHZ Wireless Bands required).

Why Ubuntu 13.10 is better than Windows 8.1 Pro

Windows 8.1 Pro can run on my Laptop just fine but it can be sluggish at times and Setup from fresh is pretty long winded with requiring most of the useful software like Office & fully featured Email Clients needing Installing after initiall setup, then all Hardware needs to have Device Drivers individually Installed and a re-boot required after every Driver has been Installed.

Another major annoyance is that Windows requires Activating over the Internet, meaning that if anything goes wrong and you have to do more than a set amount of Fresh Installs in a set amount of time that isn't published as far as I'm aware by Microsoft then you are out of look and will be unable to Activate your copy of Windows (This doesn't affect anyone whose Laptop or Desktop machine came with Windows Pre-Installed) and it will become un-usable after 30 days, leaving you with ether having to download an Activator that will make Windows think it's been Activated or do what I did in March & switch to Linux.

Ubuntu 13.10 runs lightning fast on my Laptop and a Fresh Install is quicker than that of Windows 8.1 Pro and no Device Drivers need to be Installed and Office Software comes Pre-Installed in the form of Libre Office 4.1 and a fully featured Email client in the form of Mozilla Thunderbird 24.1, this greatly speeds up initial setup as you can do everything from wite a letter, an email and browse the Internet as soon as you login. You can then brows the Ubuntu Software Centre for any free or paid application that you then require.

A plus for Ubuntu 13.10 and any other Linux distribution out there is that a license is free and you are free to Install on as many Computers as you like, the only cost involved in running Ubuntu 13.10 or any other Linux distribution is the cost of your Internet Subscription to download the ubuntu.iso and the price of a blank DVD compared to the £100's for a Windows 8.1 Pro License & DVD Pack.

Another plus for Ubuntu is that you can try the latest release from early build's all the way up to final release without having to do a fresh Install all the time (I wouldn't recommend using the development builds as it can be a bit troublesome to someone new to Linux, and the Ubuntu Forums Members aren't always going to know what your problem is due to the vast amounts of different system configurations from specific configurations between different OEM's to a custom build from an OEM like DELL through to a custom home built Desktop, even the systems made and sold by Ubuntu OEM System 76 might not work correctly with the Development builds of Ubuntu due to the bleeding edge software that is used, and as it's a Development build 1 update could quite easily knockout a perfectly working system if there is a small bug or even an incompatibility with another feature. Also to use the Development Build it requires being confident using the Command line to configure text files to make software updates from the Development Branch of the Ubuntu Servers available to you, and sometimes you can go days without getting any updates then get a ton in a couple of hours to days).

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 1)

In this new series I'll be documenting my move away from Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Centre to Ubuntu Linux 13.10.

In th is first part I'll explain some of the reasons for my move away from Windows 8.1 Pro to Ubuntu Linux 13.10 & why I decided to go with Ubuntu 13.10.

Why I decided to go with Ubuntu 13.10

I decided to go with Ubuntu 13.10 as I'd already got the 64 Bit Ubuntu 13.10 DVD image on my HDD along with DVD image of Pear OS 8 that is a Mac OSX themed version of Ubuntu.  So after I burned both images to DVD's I booted up my trusty Toshiba Satellite C660-15R Laptop that I've had since 2010 with the freshly burned Pear OS 8 DVD in the DVD Drive and booted into Live mode and gave Pear OS 8 a quick look, but despite it looking very much like Mac OSX the icons don't look anything like the ones that Apple use in OSX as the Developers of Pear OS decided to use an iOS styled icon set, & the Windows buttons are too small compared to the OSX ones.

I then re-booted to the Live Ubuntu 13.10 session with the Ubuntu 13.10 DVD and preferred the more slick & polished look of Ubuntu compared to that of Pear OS 8, and since I've used Ubuntu on & off since about late 2009 to mid 2010 I felt at home with the style of Ubuntu, I've also been an on and off Linux user since about 2006/7 and used to love using Suse Linux then OpenSuse, but once the default Desktop Environment in OpenSuse KDE added the Plasma Desktop (Widgets) and made them unable to be switched off fully& then the way that there was 2 different Network Managers making it hard for new users or users returning to OpenSuse from a different Distro virtually impossible to get online. Also the Ubuntu Forums are very well laid out and the users are very knowledgeable and friendly compared to the poorly laid out but equally as  knowledgeable and friendly OpenSuse Forums.

 The reasons for my move away from Windows 8.1 Pro to Ubuntu Linux 13.10

I decided to move away from Windows 8.1 Pro to Ubuntu 13.10 due to an annoyance that seems to have popped up with the inability burn Audio CD's from both iTunes & Windows Media Player, which is annoying when I want to burn Audio CD's to play in the car, also the Metro UI Modern UI has made Windows Bloated and Annoying to use at times, especially when you want to do something quick.

Roland

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