Top 6 advantages Ubuntu has over OS X & Windows
Ubuntu 11.10 is out today! Go download it. OR if you're still on the fence; pondering whether or not you should try dual booting it on your Mac or Windows system - read on.
Virtual Desktops are insanely cool
Out of the box, Virtual Desktops are perhaps the most impressive ‘wow' feature of Ubuntu. And not only do they look cool, but they‘re a tremendous boost for productivity. Its like having an array of dual, triple, or quad monitors (or as many monitors as you want) on a single screen. It exponentially increases the amount of program windows you can comfortably have open at a single time. And once you start using them - you won't ever want to go back to the single desktop paradigm of Mac or Windows.
Above: 6x6 virtual desktops. CTRL + Super key zooms out to this ‘macro view' where you can click and drag any window to different desktops. Or simply use CTRL + arrow keys to cycle one at a time.
The Community support is awesome
While Ubuntu has come a long way at becoming as painless experience as possible, this is still Linux and there is going to be times you'll be scratching your head wondering why something didn't work. Luckily, the Ubuntu community is among the most helpful group around. If you've got a question, chances are that someone probably has already asked it on AskUbuntu.com. Or go get live support via IRC by joining the official Ubuntu support channel #ubuntu on Freenode.net. And if you just want to follow the latest happenings? The best blog for that kind of thing is hands down OMG Ubuntu.
Unity is better than ever
The first public release of the new of Unity interface was met with some rather fierce reactions. Now, in 11.10 all the bugs have been worked out - and the new UI is better than ever. The Dash feature, which is like a Windows 7 start menu on steroids, is a super fast way to look up any application. And the sidebar of app shortcuts / window management is miles ahead of the Windows 7 (and is at least on par with the OS X dock).
Beautiful Themes
I'm going to sort of contradict my last point here by suggesting you try out the latest version of Gnome. The Gnome Shell interface is an alternative to Unity. It seems to be more themeable, plus its' been around for longer - so there are a lot more themes available for it. There were previously some major compatibility issues with Unity, but that's all taken care of - and now you won't break the Unity desktop by installing Gnome.
One of the huge benefits of the Gnome Shell is the wealth of beautiful themes available for it. These are the kind of themes that people stuck on Windows and Mac will envy you for. Themes like the ones below:
An enormous free software library
Find a download link, click it, save it, download it, and install it. Sound familiar? You're probably using Windows or Mac. On Ubuntu, sudo apt get install is the one line command you can use to download & install almost everything you'll need, instantly.
Alternatively, with Canonical's newly polished Ubuntu Software Center, you can pretty much download everything via this 'App Store' style interface.
The Ubuntu Software Center
Ubuntu is Free & Open Source
This one is obvious! But most important. As nerds, we are leading the way in the next era of computing. And as such, it is practically our duty to support free and open source projects such as Ubuntu. Particularly because it's an OS - the most important piece of software that runs on your computer. Trust me, I am all for proprietary software - programs like Photoshop or AutoCAD are well worth the money. But from a development standpoint, it's quite scary to build software that runs on a proprietary platform. Because the OS vendor can make radical changes at the drop of a hat that can adversely effect your entire business model. If Windows 8 is any indication these fears are justified...
On an open source platform, any kind of developer - or company - can contribute to making the platform better. To ensure a fair market and a better user experience. This is the kind of future I want to see.
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P.S. - If you still need convincing, you can basically get a live demo of the new Ubuntu right here on the web via the Ubuntu Online Tour.
Schwabe is an Android app designer and business nerd with a passion for technology, startups, and free market capitalism.
While I have used Ubuntu in the past (and generally been OK with it), there are few misconceptions here:
1) Mac has supported multiple desktops for quite some time now. They used to be called spaces, but in Lion they are part of Mission Control (and labeled Desktop #). Furthermore, apps can be made "Full Screen", but to me that's a misnomer - instead, they really take up a full desktop on their own. You can get to the additional desktops via keystrokes and gestures, which make it really easy to use.
2) Personally, I've yet to see all the "greatness" about Unity. I like certain aspects (a few things taken from OSX, for example), but there's one biggie that I can't get over: the scrollbar. Yikes!
3) Themes are nice, but in the long term, you're on the computer to do something -- not stare at your desktop wallpaper and the built-in widgets. But if themes are your thing, then Mac definitely doesn't provide very much here, especially in later releases. (Earlier releases did have some software written that could do themes.)
4) Mac OSX and Windows both have an enormous free software library. Further, both can quite often re-use the same software available on Linux (for example, cygwin, macports, etc.)
5) Ubuntu may be free and open-source, but both Windows and Mac OSX have been built atop (and contributed to) Open Source. So while Ubuntu leads from a price perspective, all of the major OSes have helped (and hindered, to a degree) Open Source.
Missed one:
6) Community support: I think the support from the community is excellent for all the major OSes. You can find lots of help out there not just for Linux, but for Mac OSX and Windows.
None of these (except for control over appearance, and price, and open-ness) seem to be points where one wins over the others, IMO.
How is Virtual Desktops different from Mission Control or Spaces in OSX? Although it may look more polished in this version of Ubuntu, this feature has been around for years on various Linux distros.
Hey, you've got HNed :)
But i can't get what's so cool with virtual desktops. Maybe i have to find out by myself, thou.
How about power numbers? . As soon as I run Ubuntu, it literally drains my battery out, even after a lot of optimization.
Hi,
I've been a lurker/reader for a short while now - keep it coming, really enjoyable stuff!
I just wanted to chime in with my $0.02 - I've tried to run various flavours of Linux as my main OS for years, but have struggled for one simple reason - I can't install professional-grade software which I rely on for productivity and income.
I can live with fiddling with various wireless/display drivers, and any number of minor technical hitches, but the deal breaker for myself, and I'm sure for many others, is that the OS as a platform is *not open enough*.
You can blame software developers, hardware manufacturers or point out alternative FOSS-ware but I suspect the major turning point for Linux won't come until there is some way (that isn't Wine or a VM) that I can install software natively and interchangeably in any OS.
Until then, and not taking for granted the massive leaps and bounds Linux as a user-friendly OS has come on in the last decade, any arguments to persuade professionals away from OSX/Win amount to not a lot more than whispering into the wind.
Casual/home users, on the other hand, they might be worth working on.
PS At least my phone, Nokia's N900, runs a full, root-access Linux OS; just a shame the Maemo project got canned. +1 and Likes for communities keeping things going.
This article explains clearly why ubuntu fans has certain reputation among linux users.
While Linux distros are really awesome they are no good as complete Desktop environments because one day or another you'll definitely need some sort of proprietary driver not available for *nix systems and that's why Windows and Macs dominate the desktop market share.
Secondly, Linux is easily breakable! Oh yea! Sooner or later you WILL have to boot into single user mode to recover some your system. And, most of the time you will have to be digging into a program's man pages to complete some simple task that should have been completed with just a few clicks.
I love linux but only as a server OS, nothing more because you really can't expect more than that. Geeks CAN use it as a desktop because we know how to make things work when they aren't but give that system to someone who just wants a working system to do his everyday computing and she won't waste too much time to throw that computer out the window.
I know that controversy is usually not a good thing but still if you need a Unix-like desktop that just works, a mac is the way to go. Save those Linux distros for your GUI-less servers, they excel at that!
Marketing is required to make a successful product and that is where Linux is lagging behind when compared to its proprietary competitors. Now it is changing. It has many more advantages than Windows. Ubuntu community is just trying to communicate this fact to everyone. GNU/Linux has many flavors for different market places and each different distribution deserves its place it. Each distribution is a part of a big ecosystem.
I am using Linux from past 5 years and not faced any problem with it and used terminal only once. I have not other operating system and I am not deprived of anything because of it.
Some people are make harsh comments to GNU/Linux community, fans in particular, about their " reputation". This makes no sense. Community members or fans are just trying to share their experience. I know many people who are not aware of technical details of GNU/Linux and happily using it. But fan boys of other operating systems say the contrary to the experience of users.
I am a proud Ubuntu Linux user, not a problem wid this O/S, my Toshiba Laptop seems that it is working on steroids. One of the best thing that I find in Linux is that either it does things or not, It does not keep wasting time "THINKING" like windows O/S. Ubuntu is only 7 years old but still shas many features far far better than windows system. I do not hate windows as I was also using windows XP. But when I came to know about Ubuntu, I gave it a shot and fell in love :) and I am happy wid it. It has never let me down.
Thanxx Ubuntu,Canonical, Mark :)
Why take Linux Ubuntu over Windows 7?
Security: Linux Ubuntu is over a hundred times more secure than windows (even one with professional proprietary money-costing Anti-virus) because
a.) There are many, MANY more windows viruses than Linux ones.
b) Linux does not give automatic Root privileges; It requires authentication (password).
c) Linux is open-source; developers, programmers and "geeks" can see the code; There is no place for the virus to hide.
d) Software downloads can be done securely and freely through "Ubuntu one software centre"
Speed: Linux uses a lot fewer resources (processor, RAM) . Linux has one of the fastest boot times of anyn OS. Recoviring from suspend is a lot quicker.
Stability: Linux has far fewer freezes& crashes. Windows has a commonplace issue called unresponsive programs; which is almost non-existent in Linux.
Price: Whereas Linux is FREE a microsoft OS can cost between 1 and 2 hundred pounds.
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Sorry about spelling mistakes, but up to a point I can no longer see my comment, So I can't give lengthy reviews.
Although these are very strong arguments in favour of Ubuntu, I still stick to OS X
Hi. Been using Ubuntu Linux for 2 years now and I like it very much. I also have Windows 7, OpenSolaris and Debian GNU/Linux as guest OSs. Thanks for your post. May I ask where you got those stunning Themes? Where can I download it?
Nice ever read article about ubuntu, I just become the fan of It....
I am just going to install it to my system.
Thanks for this post.
Great breakdown on Ubuntu
Thanks for the useful article you provided. However, I thought that maybe someone can help me – last night my laptop got infected by “redirect virus”. The only solution I found is Google redirect virus removal, but it’s not free. I’m really confused, because my windows 7 gets so many viruses daily and I don’t have a reliable antivirus. Maybe I should change my OS to Linux instead? Is it a good choice?
Ubuntu is best.
Nice ever read article about ubuntu, I just become the fan of It....
I am just going to install it to my system.
Thanks for this post.
None of these (except for control over appearance, and price, and open-ness) seem to be points where one wins over the others, IMO.
Ya I've been a Ubuntu user since it's inception. It definitely has a learning curve! It is getting easier with every version. The politics of Ubuntu is interesting. While it is FREE to use it really does not belong to to the people. It is trade marked / protected. Ubuntu is an advertising vehicle for Canonical and its business. The local communities around the world spread the word for free - what a bang-for-the-buck that is! for Canonical!!
I've played with Linux distros since they were available on floppy images. In 2010, with the release of Ubuntu 10.04, was the very first time I ran across one that didn't give me more than three major hardware faults to resolve before using across my two primary systems. Since Open Office 3, compatibility between it and Microsoft Office is now comparable to even the Office for Mac variants. For security reasons, I won't install Wine so reach-back to required commercial applications is done via VirtualBox mostly because it offered USB pass-thru a year before VMWare and seems to perform better. What this means to me is that Linux is finally usable for my business desktops.
In the meantime, my wife remains on a well secured (this was about 70% NSA configured) Windows 7 desktop as her most commonly used application is Adobe's In Design suite, but she still managed to pick up a drive-by trojan Java based exploit yesterday while using a fairly secure and obscure web browser. This attack managed to both download an executable and run it with elevated permissions available to her account via UAC with no inputs from her. It required about 3 hours to properly clean her system and repair the changes to her file-system.
Because Linux desktop is finally useful, Mac OSX has lost security through obscurity advantages, and Windows cannot be both useful and secure, I moved all my business desktops to Ubuntu a few years ago. Linux has a rock solid history of reliability, stability, and security. These days, you can add GUI desktop usability to the list. If one of my customers is tired of dealing with Window's insecurity and is considering buying a Mac, I tell them to save the extra $1,000 and convert a new PC into an Ubuntu desktop for the same compatibility and better security than a Mac.
Now I understand why linux users thing shit about the eubuntu fans.
Nice blog thank you for sharing i really get what i was looking for keeps up the good work going. I definitely share your views to my close friends keeps up the good work going.
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