I'm playing around with Ubuntu 9.10 on my current/old PC while waiting to complete my new build. I already have XP Pro which I've used on this system for 3-4 years. I have noticed a few main differences: (See my signature for old PC specs) You all know XP so this is from the perspective of using Ubuntu 9.10:- Pro's Installation was simplest ever - no drivers needed for anything!! Loads 4 times faster (even including the login) at 1 min. Shuts down in 10 secs!! Seems more stable (don't ask me what I mean - it just does) Google Earth graphics much smoother when scrolling across streets - this surprised me! Wifi works so much simpler and more stable. Con's Seems sluggish in comparison Limited choice of web browsers Flash is very slow and youtube viewing is awful More CPU and memory hungry (could account for sluggish feel) Graphics can be very slow, especially 3D. Google Earth photos are erratic and often don't display. These comparisons are on a single core chip. I cannot wait to complete my new build and test out the 64-bit Ubuntu 10.04. I will be using that for the first month until I then get Windows 7 to dual-boot. What experiences do you have on your faster systems?
With regards to web browsers, there are plenty for Ubuntu - Chrome/Chromium, Firefox (default) and Opera all run fine, and there are even a few lesser-known ones. A nice Speed test article is here. Chrome and Chromium have flash built-in, but for YouTube, I use the HTML5 version. Everything should be included in the PPAs, at least for Chromium, anyway. Graphics could be down to your graphics card - I had many problems with Intel integrated graphics on 9.10, but they all went away when I moved to 10.04.
On a faster system the boot time will be really quick because ubuntu is so light you'll also notice how quick it jumps through program's, I know a few people who've switched to lime from xp and have never looked back.
Try getting the restricted drivers for your graphics card. You can also try other window managers like KDE, XFCE, LXDE, fluxbox, openbox, etc... edit: notice that the flash player is available for download in your synaptic package manager, as is most software and games.
I know how Linux systems are supposed to be really good at multitasking and I'm looking forward to finding out just how good it is. The native 64-bit support should give me a great boost in performance. The built-in tcp/ip network functionality should be a great match with my 50Mbps broadband. In XP Pro I had to run a special TCP/IP optimizer for windows to accept such speeds. I don't know that it's light though. Unix/Linux systems always feel heavier but I think they are more scaleable. Windows gets bloated by patches, installed programs and hefty anti-virus software.
No. The new flash won't install. It says it's not for my architecture (x386). I can still browse but under my old PC the flash ain't Flash! Gotta take the rough with the smooth..
when everything will be online then I would 100% use ubuntu. Its the software compatibility thats only holding me to transfer...
I agree with jaydeee. I dual boot XP and the new ubuntu and I find myself booting to ubuntu if I need information quickly. The main reason that I boot into XP is if I need a specific program, but this is becoming less and less frequent.
Flash performance on Linux is quite bad when compared to Windows. I have a tip when viewing YouTube videos though, I use the FlashVideoReplacer addon and gecko-mediaplayer plugin in Firefox. The YouTube video is then played with mplayer backend instead of Flash, and you will notice that it uses much less cpu cycles.
I've been using Ubuntu as a main OS on my laptop for about one year, but that was few years ago. Started with Ubuntu 6.06 on my desktop and then moved to a laptop (dell vostro 1500) with Ubuntu 8.10 and I have to say I loved it. The good thing about it is that you dont have to worry about viruses as much as on windows OS, so there is really no need for anti-virus. Also, probably many users will agree, you got to love Compiz/Beryl I would love to go back to Ubuntu, but my current netbook isn't fully supported by it. At the moment I've got dual boot setup (Win XP/Backtrack 4). Win XP is used for most of the time, Backtrack 4 only for education purposes
I have not tried wine - haven't got around to it but have looked at doing it. The main applications I would be running are games, so I don't think wine is the way to go. However, I did find a nice guide on building a virtual XP machine inside linux, but I'm not sure how much of a performance hit it would take compared with a straight up dual boot. Pretty soon I intend on dual booting ubuntu and 7, having a virtual XP inside ubuntu to play some of my old games (and for the challenge). I already have a copy of 7 pro, and I know that already has some form of XP mode, but I heard that it's not that great for old games... I could be wrong though!
You can't beat windows for speed as the components have more optimised drivers for them and Directx10/11 for Graphics/Audio. But the more I use Ubuntu the more I like it. It is just the little things like the awesome screen savers. They blow Microsoft's out of the water. I was at windows 85% usage (XP) and Linux (Ubuntu) 15% but am now at 55/45 and its getting closer all the time. Linux reminds me why I use computers in the first place - fun. Whereas Windows has always been the devil you know. Linux is not perfect but it feels fresh and unrestricted. Maybe Windows 7 on my new build may give me fresh optimism?
